The Mother Creature can’t make it on her long awaited trip to India this year due to lack of ££££££s (a family theme for 2007?)

So, for her birthday surprise Turtle & I took her to the Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden yesterday, figuring it was probably the closest thing you could get to India in Europe.

We weren’t wrong.

It was completely rammed and pretty overwhelming. At first I felt a little awkward as we were the only three white faces in maybe five hundred, but I soon realised that these people there were the second most welcoming community I have ever encountered. I think we will be going back.

Needless to say it was a humbling experience in the presence of God which brought forth more than a few tears. It is getting increasingly difficult for me to avoid the fact that there are certain obvious but difficult to practice central principles shared between the more valuable ways of life in this world.

Unfortunately, these central principles do not advocate drinking whisky, being cynical and smoking fags so that counts Muffin out. However, I am considering getting a weekly organic vegetable box delivery - something which I previously considered a bit wanky - and that'll do for now.