It’s unusual to do a mission so central in town but today’s mission meant a bit of shopping in the bustling centre, Christmas displays in all the shop windows, followed by a bit of gardening. Mr D’s home is somewhat of an oasis in the city, just a few streets away from the throng. I was greeted warmly by Mr D’s brother who showed me the work that needed to be done, another bramble invasion; luckily I bought my trusty bramble gloves that are starting to look a bit worse for wear. Mr D’s brother gave me two gardening sacks to fill and I managed to fit everything into just one by treading the brambles down inside the sack. Mr D’s brother told me the history of the houses, he explained that it was an area of historical mixed heritage with some Chinese Scouse, Irish and Jamaican Scouse. His family had been there since 1920 and they’d all stayed in the area, a strong community, all going to the nearby school. He explained that since the shopping centre was built, everyone called the area L1 but it was ‘Liverpool One’ to the residents. It was so lovely to chat with Mr D’s brother, he was very kind and offered me a coffee, I passed but asked him to pay it forward if he saw someone in need, he said he always did, just as his mother had done. The hour and a half went very fast, I was in a near meditative state tackling the brambles. Lucky for some, a beautiful black cat crossed my path and came to inspect my sack of cuttings. Once the time was up I bid farewell to Mr D’s brother, it was lovely to meet him and I even tried to recruit him to goodgym! Back through the city streets, I did a bit of Christmas shopping myself and popped into the Lush store for a bath bomb treat so that I could enjoy a hot soak when I got home, bliss.