A day of great encounters, starting with the photographer Dragos Robatzchi and his lovely wife Mirabela at Helston boating lake. So much to talk about - including the fact that Dragos was once a stringer for Reuters in Bucharest (I worked for Reuters a very long time ago). We also covered Romanian history and its churches... (Biertan, Richis, which I've visited... and Prince Charles, who has taken a keen interest in the rural Romania).
Dragos and Mirabela will be helping with I PACKED THIS MYSELF.
Then before driving on to Camborne to meet the tireless Andrew Yates from the Diocese of Truro. visited Sithney Church en route in search of a grave: that of Christopher Popham, local grandee in the mid 19th century who lived at Trevarno, the beautiful house and lake in the valley nearby. Nothing to do with the project but I was passing and have been researching this history.
Popham's fortune faded fast. His family had long gone by the end of the century. The house is now owned (it's said) by a reclusive Russian oligarch. All that remains of Popham is this grave.
The new Premier Inn in Camborne is a good place to meet Andrew: we discuss plans, just the night before endorsed by the Bishop of Truro, to roll out I PACKED THIS MYSELF in churches for World Peace Day this year in September.
Then to St John's Catholic Primary School, Camborne, to talk to Tamsyn Blount about running workshops in the school early next term. Tamsyn is so enthusiastic. It's contagious. We've already done several amazing workshops at the school on other themes: it sounds as if migration could work as a theme, too.
And in the midst of our conversation a little boy breaks his arm in the playground. She keeps amazingly calm and is so kind and reassuring to the child.
It starts to drizzle on the way back. There's lots of water on the road. A tough evening to be picking daffodils. The workers are still out in the fields.
