Home again!

I didn't mean to neglect the blog, but I've been away from the House of Stories for a few days.  Tony was going to blog for me, but he forgot the password.  Fortunately, I didn't, so I can tell you what I've been doing.

After a month of January in May, Britain has gone Mediterranean.  By the time I got to London on Tuesday afternoon, even the stone lions in Trafalgar Square were rolling over with their tongues out.  In Kensington Gardens, Prince Albert had climbed down off his monument, taken his robes off, and gone for a pint.  But those lovely people at Scholastic were still working, and I spent the afternoon there.

On Wednesday I had two landmark moments.  One was a Thanksgiving Service at St Martin in the Fields Church, to celebrate one hundred years since the miraculous healing of Dorothy Kerin, foundress of Burrswood.  (Google as required.)  The other is about the person I went with.

Helen and I were friends at school, then went our separate ways.  About six months ago, she got in touch and asked if I remembered her, and over a succession of e-mails we found that we were still on a wavelength.  We arranged to meet, go to the Thanksgiving together, and catch up.

The service ended at quarter to five and we finally parted company at abut half past seven, and only then because I had to get back to Kings Cross to meet Lady Sunshine from her train.  We talked and talked and listened and listened.  We sat talking at the National Gallery until it was closing time and they kicked us out, we talked our way down the Mall and into a park, and all the way back to the tube station.  About the past and the present, about all the things we'd done since we last saw each other, about people and places and struggles.

I was astonished at how much we've had in common.  We're both still night owls.  We're both passionate about the needs of children.  (She's professionally involved in the welfare of children).   We've both got kids that we're rightly proud of.  We both still love the north east.  We've both had slipped discs, and we both get migraine.  (And take the same thing for it.)  Neither of us drive.  We've both had work-related trips to New York.  Joyfully, thankfully, we're both with people we love, doing work we love.

If they could see us now!