Yesterday I bought a new pair of shoes. New to me, from a second hand shop though. But they are in good condition. Made by Timberlands. Just the right size. £7.99…and I feel like a new man! Why didn’t I get some earlier instead of waiting until my old ones literally burst at the seams?

I promise, (Mother!) I shall not leave it so long next time. So I strode around today, determined to find an upgrade in accommodation, (from my 6 by 6 foot tent), to build myself a proper work bench at work, (instead of a pallet laid amongst the undergrowth on the canal edge), to do something with the Pallet Prayer…and to somehow miraculously but easily and quickly find a way of getting paid for writing!

Well, I solved part three of the above. I met ‘David’ today who owns ‘Whitmoors Antiques and Craft Centre, Country Tearooms and Gardens” in the picturesque and small village of Shenton, a ‘spears throw’ as they say from the original site of ‘The Battle of Bosworth’ and where King Richard the third finally fell.

They sell all manner of antiques, books, curios, fine art, objects d’art, jewelry, and now, for a tidy sum of £1,200 an attractive oak and pine pallet with the Lord’s Prayer carved on it. Perhaps I can let the ‘middle of England’ work some magic with it now?  Thanks David. I’ll keep in touch and we’ll see what reaction there may be.

So the dear pallet is finally out of the boot of my car and up on a gallery well. Yes! The Pallet Prayer is being exhibited and up for sale slap bang in the middle of England. This must be a result-all be it a small one for the time being.

I walked the canal tow path this afternoon-in the pouring rain, picked a little litter, had a cup of tea…and found £10 on the ground on the way back. Was this payment for services to litter picking? Should I have handed it in somewhere? Where? No. I’ve brought it with me back to the scene of my last blog post writing station, the service station at junction 21 of the UK’s M1 motorway. If I run over the 2 hour free parking zone I have the tenner to cover the next 24.

I sit in Starbucks coffee shop writing this blog, trying to be humorous, trying to be interesting yet all the while realizing the world is apparently on a high terror alert. North Africa and Syria are still in pain, people are homeless, people are hungry, many people are being badly treated, many people are confused, jobless and many are addicted to lifestyles that bring them constant horror.

Does any of the above writing help solve this previous paragraph? Is there any worth in writing more? I have a meeting tomorrow with a group of students who spent the night on a church floor to try and experience what it must be like to sleep rough on the streets. They had a stall in Nuneaton on Saturday. They were going to make a DVD of their experiences.

Maybe that will be good to write about?

If I’m quick I’ll post this blog and catch the 2 hour free parking zone deadline and keep my tenner.

Cheers All, Simon.