Scargill is quiet after a week with plenty of company - caretakers, council members, contractors, and strangers who call by and soon become friends.

Life here is filled with surprises - recently we were visited by two Jewish ladies from Leeds, one in her 70's, the other a very young 96. It was a privilege to hear stories of escape from death at Dachau in 1939 and from the revolution in Hungary in 1956.

In the morning we had considered the importance of courtesy and hospitality at Morning Prayers in the chapel - these now take place most weekday mornings at 08:00.

Almost every day there are visitors to be welcomed, many returning for the first time in many years.  Invariably, they have profound memories of their previous visits, often recalling them as pivotal times in their lives.