It’s been a long and mixed day here at the Rose Cottage Community.  It was with great sadness that we heard about the death of Dennis.  For those of you who didn’t know Dennis, he was a fifty-year-old guy who could often be seen in the local pubs or at Rose Cottage.  He would often be shouting something cheeky across the road, with his unmistakable broad cockney accent.  Dennis had a heart of gold, and would often be pushing a neighbour in a wheelchair or trying to help out.  I recently returned from a few days away to discover that Dennis had trimmed our hedge!  Sure, it was a bit wonky and looked like a punk with a bad haircut, but hey, he wanted to do his best for someone else and we loved him for it.  Dennis found a real sense of community in Twerton, both through the pubs and at Rose Cottage.  Despite a long history of alcohol, smoking, and a multitude of health problems, I had the great privelege of praying with him on several occasions, celebrating the good times and commiserating the bad.  Dennis will surely be missed.  Then, on the positive side, we had some new people come along to Rose Cottage – fellas who, like Dennis, are going through tough times and need encouragement and support. It was a privelege to sit with them and listen and pray with them too.  This was all on top of preparing for our Wednesday community cafe, planning a family worship service for Sunday, my youngest daughter spending six hours at the RUH with a suspected twisted colon (that thankfully turned out to be a false alarm), recording the Year 6s singing Oliver at St. Michael’s Junior School, walking the dog and watching my eldest daughter at her Guides show! Somewhere in the day I also managed to respond to a dozen or so calls and emails and squeeze in a couple of meals too.  So after watching Episode 10 of Celebrity Masterchef on iPlayer, it’s off to bed so I can be ready for another day in Twerton. Goodnight Dennis.