Reaching Out

At the vigil

 My competitive, masculine, sporty side really likes statistics. They stick in my mind, motivate me and provide a barometer of sorts. So it was when I attended the Orange and White Ribbon Vigil last Tuesday at The Rose in Milton Keynes. The engaging speeches made me realise how close we all are to less than acceptable behaviour in what I consider to be a civilised country. The event celebrated and raised awareness of how we can prevent men's violence towards women before it happens. The message is represented by the White Ribbon. The Orange Ribbon represents a brighter future for all people. Leading up to the event, Ruth, from The Orchard designed The Tree of Life. She made an intricate framework decorated with crocheted animals, leaves and flowers that could fit over a pillar at The Rose. Hours of effort went into this piece and I feel rightly proud that it represented Wolverton Community Orchard. Super work, Ruth!

We gathered outside John Lewis in the city centre where a photo exhibition of the city's craftivism made by volunteer groups across Milton Keynes was exhibiting, and walked en masse to The Rose. It was rather nippy and obviously very dark even for late afternoon. Despite this, there was lots of support for the cause. It has left me wondering how we at the orchard can be ambassadors for the cause, advertising that it is a space were we call out bad behaviour. Events like this make me realise what a good place MK is. 

Leicester Square

Carnaby Street

Oxford Street

And so to London. I popped up to town to take in a show with Diane and Jeremy. We walked from St Pancras; taking in the Christmas lights along the way. Oxford Street disappointed - I expected nothing less. Every year they miss the mark. However, there is something magical about London that you can't find in any other city. Telling you that London has two thousand years of history, architecture from the Middle Ages rubbing up against the  post-war Brutalist blend amiably with colonial edifices doesn't really do it justice. In the little squares there are public gardens which are quite unexpected in such a large metropolis. I love London but I wouldn't want to live there. It is far too busy.

Our plan was to eat at a Syrian restaurant in Kingly Court in Carnaby Street - as if I never have Syrian delights! The restaurant - Imad's had wonderful food and my only disappointment was no knafeh! Kingly Court, an up-market hawker, was amazing. You could eat the whole world in this small part of London and the whole world was there to enjoy the experience too. Truly Global and totally amazing. 

Even more amazing is that my book has been read on four continents and it has only been published two months. Almost daily I check where it is in Amazon Kindle rankings. It has been as high as number 2 in Middle East literature and at the time of writing it is still fairly high. I know that there are over 1.7 million books on the site because it started off at the bottom of the rankings. More than the rankings, I really love it when people want to discuss the book with me. I am not after a pat on the back, more that the contents - Naser's story - is something they connect with and want to talk about. 

So with people from all over the world rubbing shoulders in London, and my book being read in places across the world, I see a brighter future - perhaps one represented by an orange ribbon.