The kindness of strangers
I got a call last night asking me to come and help at a street collection for the Asian Quake Appeal. It was organised by the local Labour party, though of course we didn't do it as the Labour party or wear labels or anything, we got the licence via Oxfam and had their collecting boxes. It was really nice - people were queuing up to give us money, and lots of them were stuffing ten pound notes into the slots. So all we had to do was stand in the sunshine saying thank you, and thinking how generous everyone is. I could only do a couple of hours, so I haven't heard the final figures, but I think we must have collected several hundred pounds, and Mujib says the licence covers him to do some more tomorrow. At first, it doesn't seem very much money, and then I remember hearing things like "forty pounds provides a family with basic rations for a month", and think "well, we must have done at least ten families for a month", and then I think this is only one high street, and other people will be doing it all over the country. And then again, I think of the scale of the devastation in Pakistan, and know that nothing will ever be enough. But y'know, helping out ten families has got to be better than nothing at all, and it really did cheer us all up to see everyone so keen to help. And we know from the Tsunami Appeal that it puts pressure on the government to stump up too. Oh yes, and one guy came up and asked us if he could send two tents, and Mujib's mate rang somebody up who thought they might be able to transport them.
Afterwards, I came home and did a bit of work in the garden, shovelling stuff from the bottom of the compost heap on to the new flower bed (well, probably shrub bed, once it's planted).
Meanwhile, Tracy Emin has apparently told the Tatler of her love for Worf of TNG (and DS9, but it's not clear whether she mentioned the finest Star Trek of them all). "I had a romantic dream that we were ice-skating," she is quoted as saying, "and he couldn't come to terms with the fact that he was useless at it."
Afterwards, I came home and did a bit of work in the garden, shovelling stuff from the bottom of the compost heap on to the new flower bed (well, probably shrub bed, once it's planted).
Meanwhile, Tracy Emin has apparently told the Tatler of her love for Worf of TNG (and DS9, but it's not clear whether she mentioned the finest Star Trek of them all). "I had a romantic dream that we were ice-skating," she is quoted as saying, "and he couldn't come to terms with the fact that he was useless at it."