small cross to bear

Things we've learnt already today:
Not so manic street preachers:
Saw the only evangelist I could ever get along with this morning. I went past to quickly to get a good picture. But sitting on a BT junction box opposite Charing cross was a middle aged man. Slightly grumpy looking wearing a chunky hi-vis jacket, black bobble hat and a sullen unshaven look on his face. He was holding a thin foot long cane on the end of which was tiny placard. The only words on his sign were (in 50 point at max) "Jesus". Genius! He had a lot more impact than any of the Johnnies with the loud hailers, or the woman on the bus who once told me I was sinner at 8 o'clock in morning (she was put out when I pointed out the last thing Jesus would do was harangue people on their way to work and that she was in danger of committing the sin of pride). Sorry back to our gnome prophet, maybe all religions could do the same just have little signs with their Prophets name on, the temples and Ashrams would full in weeks (or perhaps not)!

The only thing on tv worth watching:
On More 4 (10.30 pmish) they are repeating as part of the channels 25 year celebration the poet Tony Harrison's excellent film poem "V". IF you haven't seen it make time to catch it. It's famous sadly not for being a moving insightful angry poem but because, there was an outcry at the time about his liberal use of swearing. Obviously those complaining missed the point in that Harrison used these oaths to highlight the desecration of his own parents graves by vandals, something the protesters seemed less concerned about.
Having said this try to watch the film for it's wonderful use of words and images, as one our best living poets uses his art to illuminate life in the way only poetry can.