Monthly Update - October 2026

It was quite a normal Saturday morning.  Lindsay had taken our dog Phoebe for a walk while I charged up the loo rolls at Rushall to make sure the large scout family camp had proper provision.  Then, on to Oaklands to clean up after 45 young people had enjoyed their first night of camping on their Bronze D o E. They were late leaving, which was just as well as I was then warned of a man asleep in a sleeping bag on the footpath they were about to travel.  The campers all left, walking carefully past the sleeping man.  I finished the loos and we checked our irregular sleeper on the way back home.  All was well and he was encouraged that this generation didn’t trip over him or kick him, but merely asked him if he was alright……a touching reflection on the caring side of the youth of today.  Back home we settled into coffee and by invitation our sleeping partner had woken up and appeared at the door ready for his.  He wanted to get to the Newbury Show. I was going that way to get crumbs for our newly hatched chicks.  So off we went.  He was slow to speak but I gathered he had done all sorts of care work, farm work and odd jobbing, but never really settled. We soon got to the showground, I dropped him there with rucksack etc. We exchanged names and a packed lunch and that was that.  He looked as though he was in his early 20’s but turned out to be 37, so there is something to be said for being nomadic and setting off on foot from Reading at 3 o’clock in the morning.  His day was going well, and so was mine!

Not so good for the mum with 5 children I met later in the fresh produce section of Sainsburys. They had decided that a rather fine water melon was ideal for football training. All I had to do was find a few things, which I did without asking. I nervously approached the self-checkout, convincing myself I could do this. Nectar card fine, milk fine, bar codes now going across well.  But then the single oranges….call for the assistant.  Then the self-peelers had been…. but were not….call the assistant. Then my card would not work….she said it was the machine, but I think she was just being very kind, and practicing for the mum with five children and a watermelon.

John Bishop