I am surrounded by thoughtful and caring people..

This time last week (and I am typing this on Saturday 12th November), we were entertaining (and being entertained by) some of our closest friends. I wrote a post about the evening on here. What I neglected to mention then, was that Sharon left an envelope with me, which I didn't open until the next day, when I discovered it sitting on the microwave where I had left it the night before. Inside was the cutest card (see picture) with a very special message written inside. I am not going to repeat that message word for word here, as it is meant for Ken and I, so suffice to say it was a message of love and friendship, with their best wishes for us both in the near future. There was also a lottery ticket, which unfortunately did not win a prize, but that didn't matter - it was the thought behind it that counts. So, thanks again, S, P and E.

While I am on the subject of caring people, I want to pay tribute to my own MOTH. The bus company usually put on a barbecue for any of the drivers who retire or leave, and it goes for a few hours so the drivers coming and going at all hours of the day, get a chance to say their farewells to the driver who is leaving the company. They all contribute a donation of money, which is given to the retiree as a lump sum - instead of buying a gift which is what most workplaces do. As there are a couple of hundred drivers at the depot, it is often a fairly large amount. Ken's farewell took place last Friday. But instead of accepting the cash gift for himself, he asked that it be given to one of the other drivers who no longer works there. This particular driver had a stroke while driving his bus in the city, and ran it into a power pole. Nobody else was injured luckily, but the poor fellow was in hospital for weeks, and will be having therapy for months. He probably won't be able to drive again, certainly not as a job. He is in his 40's, married with five daughters. Ken thought the other man needed the cash more than us, and when he told me, I agreed. What a dear, generous man I am married to.