Thursday Jan 25th
Waterloo East is a rather confusing station - it serves all of South East London and its suburbs, and the routes down to the Kent coast, and it doesn't have one main concourse, so one goes to what one hopes is the right platform, and it's a trudge back again to get information if it isn't....by which time the train may have been and gone.....

I felt a slight sense of victory, therefore, when after irritations and complications ("there's a stray dog on the line" we were told at one point) I finally arrived at Mottingham station and thence after longish walk to a United Reformed Church in Eltham to speak to a the Civil Service Retirement Association......topic:"Traditional feasts and seasons".....people always enjoy hearing about the origins of our festivals, and they specially like whimsical information such as St Martin being depicted with a half-cloak in statues or stained glass, and ladybirds and marigolds being named after Mary, and why Christmas is really 40 days long and ends at Candlemas.....

I am happy to give lots and lots of these talks. Your local church group/women's organisation/lunch club/youth group/Confirmation class, Rotary/Catenian dinner???? Send a comment to this blog with EMAIL ADDRESS WHERE I CAN REACH YOU....

Came home to find latest material from Aid to the Church in Need in the post: this excellent charity is helping some people in various parts of the world whose plights is desperate. I was speaking the other evening to ACN's John Pontifex - he is active in the Catholic Writers' Guild and sits on its committee - who had just come back from the Holy Land. Christians there badly need our help. The Christian community in Iraq, now fleeing from Baghdad, is in desperate need too: people have left homes, belomngings, jobs, schools, and have nothing, are living as refugees..... And there is ongoing work in China, where the Church is at a crucial stage of history, and funds can help to provide neccesities.....donations can be sent to ACN at 1 Times Square, SUTTON Surrey SM1: why not invite John or some one from the ACN team to come and speak at your parish? Or your local Catholic school?

Also the latest - and very interesting - Family Bulletin from Family and Youth Concern, which not only looks at this vexed question of the Govt's plans to force everyone to accept the new politically-acceptable line on homosexual unions and lifestyle, but also explores other issues....are you comfortable with the planned database containing personal information on every child in England? It's aimed at "early intervention" to prevent "poor outcomes" among children. Not to prevent abuse, or neglect, or cruelty, but "poor outcomes", however defined by the political establishment.

Interview with Radio 5 Live re homosexuals adopting children:"But why is the Catholic Church denying the rights of children to live with loving gay or lesbian couples?" etc etc. I wish I found it easier to stay calm.