Tsunami

How I managed to restrain myself and refrain from posting I shall never know. Ultimately though there was nothing I could do except watch with horror like the rest of the world (and donate money like the rest of the world) . The one thing that has been appalling has been the tendency for the media and some politicians to carp and criticise. The one thing that has been truly heartening has been the public response. If there is any good to come from this disaster my personal wish is that people will have a greater comprehension of the problems of the third world and act accordingly.

In the mean time there are many families whose Christmas has been ruined because they have a friend or a relative who was on holiday in the disaster area.

Locally this has touched home because Romsey's favourite gardener - Charlie Dimmock - has still not heard from her mother and her father-in-law who were visiting Thailand. Most people who have come across Charlie will know of the particular fondness that she has for "her mum" (not to say that she isn't fond of others but the mother bond is very apparent as she often unwittingly mentions her). I am sure that we are all hoping that there is a happy ending to this story but I can't help thinking that this is the stuff of fairy tales.