The price of tea.

Saturday I attended a conference at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster. Walking past the lines of police to get to and from Charing Cross station was most of what I saw of the demonstration. Although by the time I walked back through Trafalgar Square, there was a strange atmosphere brewing, people standing around waiting to see what would happen next. Seeing so many police, there were 4500 on duty in Central London, I had a number of questions. Who is paying for all this? Are there any police on duty in the rest of the capital? Where do they (the police) live? This is important because they are after all normal human beings and yet when you see this fluorescent clad mass guarding the famous buildings in Whitehall and Parliament Square (and seemingly most buildings in Central London) they felt like a different type of human, from a different planet!. They didn't feel like neighbours or part of families. It was reassuring that when I did speak to one of 'them' she spoke English and was very helpful and friendly. That was a relief! The conference was called 'Everything' and was a great day. I do need to report (see previous blog) that it did not have any sport so it could be called 'everything minus sport'. Seriously the day was very encouraging, I felt reassured that I am playing a small but important part in being an agent of community change in my part of the world. Anyway back to the subject of this blog - the price of tea. I have a theory that the more expensive the price of a cup of tea, the worse it is! I love tea but my wife loves coffee hence we go to 'specialised' coffee shops (naming no names). The price in these shops is disgusting (for what is just boiling water on a tea bag with a dash of milk) but the taste is even worse. However the best cup of tea is the one I make at home, which costs only a few pence to make. This is not just a theory, it is factually true! So on Saturday outside Westminster Abbey I had a pre-conference brew, the cost was £1.25, which is a better price than I expected for what is a tourist trap, and the taste was pretty good. But it was not in the same league as the 75pence cuppa that I had today in a small cafe near the Premier Radio studios, very close to Millbank in Central London. There is very little better than a proper cup of builders tea (minus the 2 spoonfuls of sugar). I was there because I was being interviewed for a radio show that is hosted by Steve Chalke. I was a little nervous although probably more about getting there on time, hence I was early and had tea. The interview was lovely, more like a chat in a cafe, talking about how we had got to 6 houses and how people's lives have been changed. It was fun and the 12 minutes flew by, Steve and his team were great. When it is broadcast I will post it on the blog. Tomorrow I am back in Central London for the CSJ Alliance conference which should be a very interesting day. Amongst the speakers is Frank Field MP who has the rather concerning job description of 'poverty czar' within the Coalition! I will, of course, be looking for the cup of tea that tastes divine! The cheaper the better!