Litter friends

Friday 12th March, 2021

All that has happened today has been eclipsed by some news I have just had....but to calm myself I shall record the day as it unfolded.

At breakfast I saw the weather forecast. It was to be mainly cloudy, very windy and cold but no rain until the late evening and overnight. I wrote two letters immediately in response to the news of a distressed friend. I posted them later on my walk.

At 12.00 there was panic as my landlady was hoping to go on a virtual trip to Shanghai. The wifi was blinking so she could not get through. Having calmed her and waited for the wifi to readjust she then went to Shanghai. I decided to go for my favourite walk to Taypost down the Fife Coastal path by the Tay as the sun was out. I grabbed my litter picker having noticed earlier today on the BBC News page that I was not alone in my endeavours. According to them many people have begun to pick litter and they had various videos to so prove. They said that 83 percent of people spoken with said there had been a marked increase in litter about. The litter pickers interviewed said they were doing it for exercise, for mental health reasons, for a desire to be given purpose and for an excuse and push to get outside. So I am not alone and on my walk I came across a Grand Mother and her Grand daughter both picking litter. They had very specialist equipment and bags. They also sorted the litter they picked in to recyclable and non recyclable. The Grand daughter, aged 17, was doing it for her Gold Medal in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. We had quite a long chat and I felt restored and delighted and, of course, we agreed on the attributes of the litter bugs! As I boarded the bus to get back so a man with two dogs said he had seen me marching along often with my picker and wanted to thank me! Join me, was my retort, but his kind comment helped.

I returned home and almost immediately a thunder down pour of rain came. I remained dry and delighted.

Then a sad email. A friend has had to have her dog, a faithful elderly spaniel, put down. She has had a nasty cancer growth externally. She has not been in pain, has been eating well but losing weight and growing ever weaker. Today the vet said it was time.

Finally I have just had an email telling me I have made open offer on a flat in Cheltenham...and am thrilled, excited but aware that I have to pull myself together and get things sorted! Phew! I am overwhelmed.