A fill of happiness, Hilary Benn and a sauntering gentleman

1. I had more than my fill of happiness today. It stayed inside me, just enough delicious trace to keep me warm and content and glad to be alive. I think that's a good start to whatever comes next.

2. I went to a meeting organised by Hugh Bailey this evening to discuss the Climate Change Bill at the Friends Meeting House. Hilary Benn the Environment Secretary gave a short speech and answer a good range of questions from the audience. He made some inspiring statements and presented his answers with eloquence, calm and convincing reasoning. He made a couple of points that were reminders that there is a positive effect individual responsibility and that reaching consensus is difficult but that action is harder. In the present economic and social climate it could be very easy to become distracted and put aside concerns about what's happening to our planet, the "Inconvenient Truth" that Al Gore spoke up about. The second fear was that it is easier for us as individuals and for our governments to hope that someone else will deal with the problem and that it would simply disappear. It won't. Even if those of us with the superb good fortune to live in this prosperous and educated part of the world were to leave today and move to Mars we would leave behind a home that has been damaged so badly by our past actions that those left behind would continue to struggle to survive and live well in it. I liked him.

3. On the way home, walking down Coney Street and handsome middle-aged race-gone gentleman was standing in the middle on the street insisting that the taxis wait behind him and give way to his sauntering and jolly promenade. He walked slowly and certainly along in his smart suit and his umbrella like a staff in front of him. Perhaps he was drunk or maybe he just wanted to take it slowly and enjoy the evening air. He was heroic. The taxi drivers eventually got angry and tried to overtake him. He was having none of it. A little comedic altercation ensued but I didn't wait around to see how the parade ended. I cheered him in my heat for his audacious little protest and walked on.