On Monday I had the extreme pleasure of going to London to meet up with a friend for coffee. The said friend has a wonderful guide dog called Hugo the relevance of this information will soon become clear. Due to the vagaries of the train pricing system and my eagerness to save £10 by being able to buy an off-peak ticket I used the line that goes into St Pancras. I had been told by a friend that it is easy to get to Elephant and Castle (my destination) using the Thames Link overground so for a change I thought I would dispense with the Northern line and give it a go. All was well and a jumped on said Thames Link train only to quickly discover that I was on the wrong one - not a problem though because I simply went to Blackfriars where a very helpful underground person pointed me in the right direction and I made my way to the Embankment to get the connection. By this time I was late and I don’t do late so I was getting frustrated with myself. As I was fighting my way along the platform I suddenly noticed Hugo at the other end. My immediate reaction was one of relief that they were held up too so I pushed through the crowds with more urgency and as I approached Hugo I threw my arms around him saying with great enthusiasm “Hugo, you’ve found me!” There I was in full hug mode when a voice from above said “madam, he is working!!” In my haste to greet Hugo I had not noticed that this particular specimen of guide dog was attached to an older gentleman, with a grey beard. I extricated myself in a sort of ridiculous stoop and hurried on my way. I then continued my journey with a silly grin on my face and was soon able to greet the real thing. I can not believe there is a Hugo look alike in London!!

What have I learnt - several things… look to see who is attached to the guide dog before you throw your arms around it. also and probably more importantly God is saying to me that I need to keep my eyes on His bigger picture. It is all to easy for me to focus on what is getting my attention by what life is throwing at me and loose sight of what is around me. Also it is really important that I keep my eyes fixed on God - that is where my faith depends.

I simply ask God to equip me with the grace to do just that.

Last weekend was a weekend of new experiences. The first was on Saturday when I made my way to St Prancras staion - very impressive I must say - I like the statue of the couple in an embrace - it made me look forward to seeing James all the more!! Anyway, I then made my way to the Eurostar check in. Now this was an experience that I was really looking forward to. I have to say that I will always be in favour of a way of travelling that does not involve a plane but what an experience. I am very sure that this would not be a first and only… then the tunnel, again a first experience. If I am honest I was alright until a visualised all the water but just as I wondered if I was about to panic we popped out like a cork and sped through the french countryside. I was entranced by the french looking villages….. I know…. what did I expect. Then having got to France I encountered the Metro for the first time. Why is it so expensive in London or anywhere else in this country? The service was excellent and at a fraction of the cost. I made my way to the Eifel Tower see Emma and James over the finish line - now that was a very proud experience and I thanked God for keeping them safe - especially through Paris traffic.