Ideally I’d not leave it months between posts, but most of you will know that I’ve undergone major upheaval recently, uprooting myself from the Outer Hebrides to relocate near family in Kent, and then try and find a means of supporting myself. It’s all going well, but there is still a degree of processing to do before feeling fully prepared to share the details.
In the meantime, I wanted to use this Newsletter to at least try and counter the endless stream of doom, gloom, and negativity spread by media. I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know when I say that that the primary purpose of most news outlets is not to impartially report what is going on around us, it’s purely to make money or, in some frightening cases, spread propaganda or a pre-determined agenda.
Spreading kindness negates hateful agendas. This means that the good people - the vast majority of those around us - are often treated as if they are invisible, and their acts go unnoticed.
Please indulge my attempt to raise a middle finger to mainstream media, and tell you about the kindness I was privileged to witness last weekend when returning from a motorcycle trip to Belgium.
Approaching Calais, I was signalled to halt (along with the rest of the traffic on the slip road) by a Police Officer - a British Police Officer. In France.
Halting traffic from the opposite slip road was a Gendarmes Officer. The two police agents were working in tandem.
Along the main road, a convoy of decorated London Taxis started to sail past. The police officers waved at each and every one.
‘What’s happening?’ I asked the police officer as I cut the engine.
‘It’s the annual trip to Disney for terminally ill children,’ he explained. There were over a hundred taxis that went past, and the police Officer told me that many of the kids were not expected to see Christmas. My eyes suddenly filled with tears. Instinctively my right hand started waving at the children in the cabs, while my left hand was engaged with tear-wiping duties. The convoy lasted well over five minutes and included medical, breakdown, and police support vehicles.
I later arrived at the Port of Calais to find that everyone had pulled out the stops to make this mission a success. P&O Ferries had opened additional check-in booths for the taxis, and there appeared to be extra staff everywhere. From the PAF (French Border Police) to the UK Border Force to the port security staff to the port assistants, there were people everywhere to ensure that there were no hold-ups and, more importantly, to line the route through the port and wave to the children.
As the taxis boarded the ferry, the captain blasted the horn to welcome the procession on board. At the other end, the Port of Dover Police and Border Force customs officers paused their duties to wave. The atmosphere was magical and uplifting yet tinged with a tear-inducing profound sadness.
The taxi drivers give up their time and provide their vehicles for the weekend. Volunteering Police Officers, AA personnel and Paramedics allow these families one last holiday which, without their support, simply could not happen. Each taxi is sponsored, by businesses and by individuals, to the tune of £1500.
If you’d like to find out more about this wonderful cause, please check out their website at:
https://www.magicaltaxitour.com/
To witness so much kindness on such a huge scale, and to witness the courage and dignity that the kids and their families showed, really tugged at the heart strings. Not only was I reminded that there are some bloody wonderful humans in this world, but it certainly put my almost non-existent problems and challenges into perspective.
Meet The Muttster, my 2023 Mutt GT-SR250. I cannot tell you how happy I am to be back on two wheels, and so far the little 250 is everything I need and more. I’ve not taken Dougal out on it yet, and Ted needs a fair bit of training, but hopefully by next Spring I’ll be able to take them both out on short trips.
Meanwhile, as my jumbled head starts to clear and the dust settles after a major life upheaval, I promise you I won’t be leaving you months before the next post. Thanks, as always, for sticking with me.
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