Congratulations!

Yes indeed; congratulations Dear Reader! Within 24 hours of my last post, I've been able to pass on to my friend whom I mentioned yesterday over half of the money he needs to get his flat made habitable!

As I'm sure you know, one or two very kind readers send me money on a regular basis to distribute among people in dire need whom I come across here now and again. But I was astounded to have a promise within just a few hours, and then the money actually paid in to my English bank within 12 hours.

People can be uncommonly generous when they know where their 'charitable' donations are actually going to. In this case, the donor knows the recipient and his family; and, on reading the Blog post, immediately emailed me just to confirm that her guess of his identity was in fact correct. He actually has the money now, and (after taking us for some hawawshi this evening, along with his brother) went off to find the builder man to get him started ASAP! (Colloquialism: ASAP = as soon as possible.) I couldn't be happier for him and is little family!

While we were munching our hawawshi, Freda sent a little SMS to tell our lovely friend Suzychuck, who was a regular contributor to the Luxor Forum on TripAdvisor before she became ill. Suzychuck and her daft ex-coach driver husband have been Luxor lovers for many years, but she has been very ill, spending the last five months in hospital! Consequently, they haven't been to Luxor for quite a while now, and they both so enjoy the old hawawshi while they're here. Happily, she is now due to be sent home in a day or two, and when she is sufficiently recuperated; she'll be joining us here with her loving and supportive husband. Needless to say, we can hardly wait!

So thanks to our mate's big benefactor, but also to the others who contribute towards keeping the wolf from the doors of the poorest people with whom we are in contact on a day to day basis.

We've come across many people here, over the years, who plead poverty. They look and talk and dress the part, but experience (usually, but admittedly not in every case) tells us who is trying to pull the wool over our eyes and who is genuine. (Colloquialism: pull the wool over our eyes = hide the truth from us.) There was a very shabby chap I used to see on a regular basis, he was never very clean, either. He operated a cranky old battered motor-boat criss-crossing the Nile for a fiver a time, and always looked quite downcast! Whilst talking one day to a motor-boat captain with whom I had stuck up a fairly good relationship, the poor old bloke shuffled past. "Doesn't he get much work then?" I asked. "Huh," my friend replied, "he gets more than his share, and also for the five dahabeyas he owns!" It just goes to show, doesn't it?

This particular family, though, have been known to me for maybe 15 years, and I know for sure that they're genuine; they're solid workers, given the opportunity, and also, in more normal circumstances, would be loath to accept charity. This has been a very humbling experience for this friend, and both him and his brother have shed tears over the generosity of our mutual friend.

So, it seems that my little Blog isn't a complete waste of time. I'm so pleased that I am lost for words, and that's not like me, Dear Reader, as you well know!

Bye for now. xx 

1 comment:

  1. Fantastic news. Reminds me a little of one of my favourite films, Broadcast News with William Hurt and Holly Hunter. The power of communication.

    Glad to hear Suzychuck is due to leave hospital. Five months is a long time, life has a nasty way of biting you on the bum sometimes. Know the pair of them love their Luxor holidays, so it will be a glad day indeed, when the four of you go to Karnak for your favourite snack again.

    Spotted many tourists yet? When we were there recently spotted some Japanese tourists complete with face masks. Reminded me of Michael Jackson. I actually enjoy the air in Luxor, no pollens, so I am sneeze free!

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