A fun afternoon lunching with the ladies from the bcc forums who live in central Scotland.  Most of us had never met before, but it was a happy and relaxed event, with enjoyable food, lots of laughter and good conversation.  Inevitably some of the conversation was about our shared (or not) experience, and the majority of us were sporting very similar hair styles.  It was nice to be out with a group of others who were every bit as likely as I was to need to fan themselves with a menu or to mop their faces, nice not to feel any need to explain why you did or did not eat certain things, nice to put faces and names to avatars, and actually nice, just to get out and meet new people.

I do wonder what the waiter made of us - a group of women with sticky labels each of which had a first name and an online pseudonym, laughing and talking as if we'd known each other for ages.

One of the things I especially liked was the sense that everyone equally owned the afternoon and that the edges of the group were 'fuzzy'.

Some good converations and interesting questions about how my faith had played a part in my experiences.

A different kind of 'intentional community' but food, sharing conversation, having something that unites us beyond what might otherwise separate us... echoes of what church can be.

Good fun... and I hope there'll be a 'next time'