Random acts of kindness! Warning - minimal cycling mentioned.

There is a movement that I have been aware of for some time - random acts of kindness and this last week it has happened to me twice!

Firstly on Tuesday I took my wife's car to be washed professionally. When I arrived in St Asaph the car wash was closed so I went for a coffee at a place called Jacob's Ladder.
View Larger Map. Don't you just love street furniture!?

I ordered a coffee and chatted to the owner for 5 minutes as I drank it. At this point her colleague came in with various supplies for the day, bought on the way in to work including a light fitting which she and the owner proceeded to puzzle over. I listened for a moment and then said that these were easy to fit. The owner of the Café said "Would you?" Of course I couldn't refuse really, could I. There ensued a search for 1) a screwdriver (eventually found - origin, a Christmas Cracker!), 2) a ladder (no such luck so a chair was positioned - did someone dare to mention Health and Safety. Wash your mouth out!) and 3) the switch at the fuse box (this I did insist on as I have had a few shocking experiences in the past). The job was done in 5 minutes and when I returned to finish my coffee the £2 coin I had paid with, and which had been part of the preceding conversation, it being a 2009 Robbie Burns commemorative one, was on the saucer of my cup of coffee.

I tried to say that it was not necessary or even fair. I had simply offered to fit the lamp holder as a favour. The owner saw it differently and felt that a coffee was a fair trade for the job. Now I'm not one to argue except when I am being paid to (which I am!) so we agreed to leave things as they were and I finished my coffee and went back to the car wash.

Today it happened again. We went to Llandudno for various things, bits and pieces for our daughter Charlotte to make Children in Need cakes and biscuits to sell at school and to go to the pictures to see Tintin (worth seeing in my view). We went into three shops looking for cellophane bags for the cookies and buns and in the last they had some at 2 pence each but only the one bag that was open and in use at the back of the shop. When we said what we wanted them for the shop owner gave us his entire stock for nothing!  The shop - Let Them Eat Cake. They have some great cake decorations as well.

It makes me feel that there is still some hope left that kindness and generosity are alive and well in the world.

Incidentally I have been out on the bike once or twice and in the gym as well - it's been a busy week, OK!

JoD