I turn my face to the sun and the shadows fall behind.

Norfolk's sky opens in tin-metal blue over a calm, unhurried roll of flat, black fields. Small clusters of low-roofed houses amble by, the velveteen landscape flung out around them, soaked in a soft diamond rain. Silos gleam dully in the milky sunshine and lorries lounge around the delivery yards of large sugar factories as the winter ploughing grooves dark furrows in the sugar beet fields.

The train stops in the agricultural Downham Market, an ancient saxon town rising from the flat fenlands beside the River Ouse. With a small suitcase full of books tripping happily behind me and wielding a display banner slung over one shoulder I am here to face my fear of public speaking, and do a church talk. Christians Against Poverty offer churches the opportunity for a speaker to come from CAP as a way to help them promote the CAP Money courses they might be running and to hear more about the debt counselling work we do.

So I arrive at the church after trundling my way down a main road with no pavement, a curious shire horse keeping me company for one long stretch of his field. The church is small but committed and meet in a tall, thin warehouse on an agricultural industrial estate. The metal building stands like a large barn, with a tiny door for everyday use nestled apologetically in the right hand corner of its large façade.

I'm a little early so the church is quiet before Bert shuffles in, an old Norfolk farmer who greets me with a scopic smile behind owlish glasses. We become acquainted and I am immediately drafted in to go help change a light bulb, a feat made alarming by Bert's octogenarian acrobatics on a horizontally challenged chair (that means it wobbled. A lot). Afterwards there is a cup of tea with Sue in the kitchen and a time of prayer before the service begins.

Fighting with my heart for breath and against a stomach which seems to be oscillating with the power of a million butterflies, I get up with blood hammering in my veins and lungs throbbing for oxygen to speak for 40 mins about God's call for us to be faithful with our money, and his heart for the poor. Despite a few technical hitches (a DVD didn't work) and emotional ones (when speaking about the effects of debt and God's call for us to be a people who respond to the needs of the last, the least and the lost - read Matthew 25 vs 31-46, I got a bit choked up and had to take a few deep breaths!) it all went smoothly, the church's love for their community very obvious.

After lunch in an old Norfolk farmhouse with the Money Coaches and church elder's family I am back on the train, rolling through the flat landscape as the sunset breaks like yellow egg yolk on the even horizon and I breathe a sigh of relief - having faced a fear it's grip on me is lessened. As the seeping rays of the sun ooze into twilight, I turn my face to the sun and the long shadows fall behind me.

Why I Love Mondays

You would think that after a beautiful, relaxing, fun, warmer (Guernsey definitely thawed me out after being in the frozen North for so long!), peaceful and family & friend filled Christmas holiday back home that the idea of waking up again at 6.45am to go to work on a Monday morning would cause severe emotional scaring.

Not so! Although I had an amazing time away I do feel so privileged to be in a job where the first day back from holiday causes feelings of excitement and joy! I was looking forward to seeing everyone (I missed them) and getting stuck back into work.

I didn't think the day could get much better, however when I got to my desk I found a specially constructed breakfast of muffins, orange juice and croissants with some cards and a little note saying that today was "Partnership Reach Appreciation Day!" (Partnership is the department I work in and "Reach" is the internship programme I am on.) Apparently, the week that all the interns had not been in the office they had really missed us and they wanted to tell us how much they appreciated and valued having us back! I nearly cried.

I actually did cry a little bit later on, but this time with laughter! In our Department meeting that afternoon, Edd had written us all a song in the style of Tina Turner "Simply the Best" and they all sang/performed it for us. Definitely some well hidden talent there. (Really, REALLY well hidden ;) They then gave us a picture frame with lovely, encouraging notes from everyone in Partnership. Who knew that being an intern would be like this?!