I sacrificed an hour of blog time to go to film club last night. I was amazed when I got to film club, because they had been collecting things for me. There was a black sack full of jumpers and a blanket, there was a wrapped christmas present, a box of mince pies, chocolate bars, sweets, wet wipes, tissues, biscuits. I was amazed. I asked if I could leave some of the things there and collect them tomorrow.

I wrapped up in the blanket to watch the film as it is always a bit cold in there, the film was good but there were technical problems that meant that the end of the film was blank, but we just moved on to the tea and coffee and chatter. I was asked by one of the nice ladies if I would help with quiz night next week, it will get me a free hot meal, I said yes, I would be delighted.

After film club I went to soup kitchen, I had a sandwich and some soup and tea and cake. Everything was ok and good and happy. It was bitterly cold with an icy wind.

My night wasn't so good, the people in the flat don't own the hedge that I sleep in but they took to trying to find me in the hedge and swearing and hurling obscenities, they didn't dare climb the bank where I stood still behind a tree and their torches didn't pick me up, they think I am an old man who drinks, which is ok, as long as they haven't seen me properly then they can't report me. But they did manage to trap me in the hedge and I did feel threatened, it is hard to move silently in the hedge because of old leaves. I managed to make a pulley out of cord and get one of my bags of bedding over the wall that is twice my height, then I scaled the wall and once I was safely on the other side I could make noise in the hedge by throwing things down into the hedge to confuse them and make them think I was still there, then I scarpered, leaving two bags of bedding and spare stuff and hoping they didn't find it and do anything. The wall is thankfully old and pitted with hand and foot holds, but it was a hell of a risky climb in the dark and in silence, and I have aches and scrapes from that.

I had fortunately got the bag with my eiderdown sleeping bag and a wool blanket and spare jumpers in, and seeing as it was past midnight I decided to go back to my old sleeping place by the little church that didn't want me there. There was a cross unchristian notice saying that the police would dispose of any bedding anyone left there, I felt like replying by saying that the police must have a lot of time on their hands if the church can't dispose of the bedding themselves, and that I had mistaken the church for christians, a mistake I keep making, but I decided that wasn't clever.

I tucked down as best I could under the fire escape, and as I looked up I saw white flakes swirling in the streetlight, snow! It didn't last long before it turned to rain though, and it rained most of the night, at least the temperature had gone up, but I didn't sleep very deeply, the rain managed to get in under the fire escape and soak a blanket and a sleeping bag, but my eiderdown sleeping bag was fairly dry, I had set my alarm for 5am so I could rescue my  remaining bedding, but by the time the alarm went off I was too sleepy and I ended up getting up just after 7am, I left the wet bedding for the police to dispose of, but they wont, and I took my eiderdown sleeping bag and stashed it and went to see if I could get the rest of my bedding, I could, but the bags were falling apart so it was hard to carry. I stashed it all in my stashplace where I normally keep smaller things. Then I went to the market stall.

The market stall people gave me some bags that may be big enough for my bedding, and I went to the stores for them and got them some bread as they were running out, they gave me a free tea in return. I stayed at the stall and read the paper and chatted to the stall holder lady, they seem to have accepted me now, this county doesn't like newcomers, and the market people are in their own little bubble but I seem to have sneaked into the edge of the bubble, which is good, otherwise I would be bored for the hour or so until the library opens.
I had a quick wash and here I am blogging.