Cash, brash, rash and rasher

I have been swamped with a request to give some reflections on the UK trip. OK.

First thing is that obviously we are deeply out of touch with British culture, whether arty, popular or evangelical. So we don't know who are the musicians in vogue, or what films people like, or who is winning the latest talent show or what books the people who know are reading.

Mostly I am thankful for this. A lot of it seems to be trendy rabbit-hole exploration. That's great but it's for others, not for me.

It was great to be in prayer meetings with lots of people. There's a lot of concern for France, which is great. 

It's interesting to see that Christian bookshops are struggling just the same in Britain and in France. The days when a small bookshop made a profit must be long gone. If it's important to have Christian bookshops in our towns and cities then how can we do that ?

The newspapers were full of the MPs expenses debacle. 

I really miss British television. It was great to use the iPlayer to watch The Narnia Code and that series about British composers, though I only caught Purcell and Handel.

I am always surprised by the low prices in Britain. Supermarket price wars have really helped push down the cost of the basics. Then the pub meals at two for £7. Subway sandwiches at £1.50. People who come to France on holiday will have a shock.  We still have cheaper baguettes, cheese and wine though. Basically here bread is sold by the kilogramme, so a sliced loaf and a baguette work out to roughly the same per kilogramme.

Oh, yeah, and swine flu.