Urboriculture

I've been feeling a bit wistful about all the misty, orange-glow landscapes with skeletal trees that Blip has been delivering from around these frozen isles over the last week or so, then this morning I saw one of my own. I offer you the closest Cowley Road gets to a copse.

I did two more concrete-laden cycle-rides to the Recycling Centre today and, as last week, was met with huge kindness, including from a member of the public who has seen me urging my bike-load up and over the hump of the Thames Bridge (see Extra) and who offered to come and collect the concrete from my house in her car. While P, who works at the Centre, was unloading my buckets into the skip (not his job), I thanked her but told her the exercise was good for me. I told both of them that I believe everyone is kind deep down, unless they have been badly damaged. P fully agreed, and said his own younger brutal unkindness, stemming from losing both parents when he was very small, was transformed by the birth of his daughter.

I do love these chance connections with my fellow-humans.

And there are many connections here too, so I thank you for all your kindnesses as Blip draws embarrassing attention to me because today's Blip has two zeros at the end.

Thanks too for the kindness and generosity of those who keep us all here. We're very lucky.