At Paddington station...

...a long talkative useful meeting with colleague Clare Anderson, my co-author on this book, and co-presenter of various TV programmes. We're working on the next one of these, which will take us to Rome in May...

Clare is a wonderful supporter of Christian Projects, running Scripture-based projects for schools across Britain. (If you are a teacher at a secondary school in the UK, click on here to find out how your pupils can participate in the nationwide Schools Bible Project). We laughed at memories of last Autumn, wrapping and packing prizes and trundling them to the Post Office...and there'll be another such session this year, and I'm so grateful to C. and all the other wonderful volunteers.

Clare and I meet at Paddington, because she lives in the Thames Valley and I in London, and the excellent Mad Bishop and Bear  pub at the  station is comfortable, welcoming, and serves good meals at a modest price...and we can sit with a laptop and work. Next meeting is at Clare's house next week, and I'll stay over as the next morning we'll both be going to the Chrism Mass at Westminster Cathedral. Every year, a group of us welcome the priests as they walk in procession to the Cathedral. We hold up a placard saying "THANK YOU TO OUR PRIESTS" and we hand out small holy cards...