Thankful Thursday

Scene: 0730 Christmas Day morning.  I had been awake and up for a while and had just read and replied to an email from Pat.  As I send my reply the following email came through:

Sorry to be the bearer or (sort of) bad news on today of all days BUT ----

I went around to yours to see about the post, and to turn the radiators up for Sue and Brian and NO HEATING.

This was at 4.30pm.  I rang Fergusons, and spoke to a gentleman who said there was nothing they could do until after the holiday BUT I was so female and so polite and so charming that he said he would try and contact "one of his boys" who had all left for the holiday.  He told me not to hold my breath. He did not think he could find anyone. I said I quite understood.

I was just about to leave Christine's (David had finished running your car by now), and Ferguson's turned up.  They had contacted this Polish (I think) man and he was soooo nice.  I thanked him over and over again and he said he could not have someone without heating over Christmas.

I think you owe him a bottle of whisky as a thank you - don't you?  If he had not come out it would have been next Wednesday.

Just as I read the email Catriona rang to say that everyone was up and ready to open presents.  I'd just had the best present I could possibly have had and from a complete stranger.  A bottle of whisky doesn't begin to say how thankful I felt that morning.