Day one/ two of the Lenten No faith in fossil Fuels vigil

15th February 2024

I took the night shift – we were a cheerful group of a half dozen. Melanie had emphasised the need for lots of layers to counter the cold so I had a sleeping bag inside a bivvy bag with a poncho on top to keep out the rain and my ski suit underneath. It was an unseasonably mild night so I was super super warm and had to remove hat and gloves to allow for some cooling! 
I took the night shift – we were a cheerful group of a half dozen. Melanie had emphasised the need for lots of layers to counter the cold so I had a sleeping bag inside a bivvy bag with a poncho on top to keep out the rain and my ski suit underneath. It was an unseasonably mild night so I was super super warm and had to remove hat and gloves to allow for some cooling! 

Parliament Square in the late evening feels very different from early morning or midday. The traffic swings round faster headlights catching on the buildings. The pedestrians are night owls and theatre goers – they can saunter by as they have the full width of the pavement to themselves.

Traffic in and out of Parliament is still controlled by the police but the bobbies on the beat are replaced by teams of four armed police – rifles nonchalantly slung on their backs.

Across the square Nelson Mandela, Gandhi and Millicent Fawcett are more visible in the street light than their loftier companions mounted on much higher pedestals. They stand patiently but what was must be their desire to move and walk the streets again? What would they say to us? How would they encourage us to act?

Around midnight the view of sky became obscure and the rain came – not heavy but wet! With my overlarge poncho drooping over my face much of the light and certainly the view is cut out and my tired eyes close and open. Come on, I think, I’m meant to be praying! I squint across the Square at our vigilant companions – how long did they spend restricted by prison life, or pressing on against the odds with what might have seemed an unwinable cause? They strengthen my resolve.

I am feeling very tired, my stomach is rumbling and my legs feel stiff: I’m not sure I can do this. What if I bail out and go home? There are plenty of taxis circling the Square – but I have forgotten to bring a house key; I’d have to wake someone up.

I let my eyes close and doze. 

Maybe I have actually been sleeping.  Certainly I’m now feeling brighter. A couple walk over Westminster Bridge to make use of the toilets and the 24 hour Costa at St Thomas’s. The rain has eased and I am nice and warm inside my multiple layers. Someone shares some dates – nature’s toffees! This is beginning to feel manageable.

I watch the buses loop round on their various routes. Double decker buses are an amazing invention! Nippy despite their size, they provide bright warm transport for dozens of people – so much more efficient than those low slung, gas guzzling cars.

I’ve slept some more and wake to hear Big Ben striking. Its quarter hourly time check is a comfort. I forget to count and now I’m not sure if it’s 4am or 6 am. The sky looks lighter and I can hear birds singing. 

It’s 4am. A digestive biscuit fills a gap. Our companions across the Square encourage my focus, whilst on either side of me, Sandie and Annette are gently singing hymns and Taizé chants. 

Another shift of armed police set out. The night buses are still looping past, bright light shining out so their windows like mobile Advent calendars. Not so many passengers but already people are on their way to work. The first staff are going into Parliament behind us – cleaners and ancillary workers I guess. Someone has raised the flag on the Supreme Court. As the next hour passes the double deckers fill with people  on early morning shifts. A resilient few are cycling past at great speed – or maybe they’re the fun loving one’s taking advantage of the clear roads. I hope they are paid well for their unsocial hours but I suspect not.

Soon it’s 6.30am. The dawn has crept up on us and the light is daylight bright. The traffic is picking up its day time pace. 

7.00am and here comes Alison who will be taking the next shift. And – of wonderous joy – here comes my husband! He’s got up early to join us for breakfast at Gail’s! 

I could do this again.