Where's ya bin?

I've been in Kent for a week, in a beautiful house surrounded by woodland. A bit Mistmantle-ish really. I've met delightful, inspiring, engaging people, soaked up the atmosphere of a lovely chapel, walked in wet woods, learned things, read lots, made notes until I was bog-eyed, and got a bit wet because it's gone from misty to pouring to drizzle. But I am so happy to be home. While I was there I thought of lots of things I'd like to blog about, and now I've forgotten what they were.

A few things occur to me to pass on to you. One was my young American friend asking me why we wore poppies, and I explained about Remembrance, and how all the money raised by selling poppies is used to help war veterans. Another was popping into St Martin-in-the Fields, the church in Trafalgar Square. I've told you about it before - it's a church, a music venue, a meeting place, and a drop-in and support place for the homeless and the needy. They fund their work through the shop, the cafe, and the annual Christmas appeal which raises thousands. At any one time you can find homeless and troubled people, world class musicians, clergy, tourists, Londoners, rich and poor, all having their needs met. A glimpse of God's kingdom.

Then there was the disabled lady in a wheelchair, with an assistance dog at her side. She was clothed in waterproofs as she waited for the bus in the rain, and I wondered about how much support and effort had gone into getting her ready and out that morning. I suppose she could have stayed home and warm, but she wasn't going to let her disability tie her down. The bus driver helped with her chair, and the dog, of course, behaved impeccably. There was a man who picked up my newspaper for me when it fell off the top of my case and blew along the railway platform. And fund-raising is beginning for Children In Need, a huge annual appeal that raises money all over the UK.

Good stuff is happening.