Odd

An odd sort of day, with too many different elements. Have you ever tried using up all the leftovers in the fridge by mixing them together? And then you wonder why it tastes like - well, not like anything you've ever had? A bit like that.

Our much loved vicar is about to leave for a new parish and we are bereft. He is an exceptional priest - a great friend and pastor, and the sort of person you want to have at a party. His wife is a star, too, and we'll miss her. So the day began with his last Toddler Group, when we presented him with a banner the children made and LYS smuggled in a special, beautiful cake. It seems impossible that we'll go on without him, but we will.

Then I had to go by train to Manchester, and stood for ten minutes behind somebody who was booking tickets, but was extremely miffed, as we say in the UK, beause she couldn't get what she wanted. Engineering works on the line! What do you mean, I can go by a different route? I don't want to go that way! Replacement bus? But I don't want to... you get the picture.

A taxi took me much further across Manchester than I'd expected, to the Christian Resources Exhibition. Two hours later I was laden down with fliers for everything from Fairtrade Easter Eggs to made-to-order coffins. (They weren't doing much business at the coffin stand.)

But I was bothered. It's a long time since I went to CRE, and this one was smaller, and very different. Where were the people doing all the fantastic under-fives resources, puppets, and crafts? Where were the artists? Where were the music publishers? The makers of nativity figures, and wines and perfumes from The Holy Land? I wonder if they do eveything on-line now?

After that lot I wan't paying another taxi fare, so I found my way to the bus station, which - oh joy! took me through a branch of John Lewis. Friends in the US, you can have no idea what those words 'John Lewis' mean to a Brit who hasn't been able to go to one for about a year. A cup of tea, a scone, and a base for a Christmas wreath later, I was on my way to the bus.

The bus took me via parts of Manchester I would never have seen otherwise, and I'm glad I did. The combination of poverty and community left me with a lot to think about.

And finally a train home. Hot chocolate. Toast. Tired. Maybe, tomorrow, this fridge mix day will make sense.