Wednesday 17th September
It was great to go back to Peterborough over the weekend to speak at Kingsgate Community Church. Peterborough was the place where we began our ministry, so returning there is always poignant and memorable. But last night was something of a highlight for me in terms of embarrassing gaffs, and anyone who has read my books know that I have plenty of them.
Kay and I were at a reception for Children on the Edge, the charity that our son-in-law, Ben, works for. Kay is now a trustee of the USA wing of the charity. The reception was held at No. 11 Downing Street, home of the British Chancellor of the Exchequer. The reception included a few stars from stage and screen. Kay and I were introduced to a kindly looking lady, but I didn’t catch her name. Two minutes into the chat, I asked her what she did, whereupon she informed me (ever so nicely) that she was the Chancellor’s wife! Yikes. Beam me up. Later in the evening the great man himself arrived home in need of a snack. It was fun being right there in Downing Street, going through all the security, and most important of all, hearing the powerful speech from Baroness Cox about the plight of children in Burma, and the wonderful work that Children on the Edge is doing. But I won’t forget my not being able to identify that particular lady for a long while….