Usually I have a hot bath before I write these posts and some thought bubbles up about another day in lockdown, something frustrating or funny or mundane or absent or terrifying or prosaic or inspiring.
Today, the thing that stands out is the £10 sitting on the chest of drawers in the bedroom. It’s been there since early February, a kind bit of birthday money from a friend. There it is. Day in, day out. With an Australian wood carving of a lizard sitting on top of it to stop it flying away. The money is actually dusty.
The fact that it is still there after two-and-a-half months tells a story.
Initially I was saving it to maybe buy a little treat – maybe a t-shirt from TKMaxx or a takeaway Dilkhush. I like to turn birthday money into something tangible.
Then came the lockdown.
There’s nothing to save for (in cash) and nothing to spend it on locally. The tenner is starting to take on untouchable, symbolic status like it represents something from the old world that can’t be used in the new.
Anyway, it made me feel quite poignant.
In other tenner news
Today I bunged Fat Fluffs rabbit rescue a tenner as they have had six defenceless rabbits dumped by roadside and in fields by their owners. Each of these will cost money in healthcare, neutering and running costs. Perhaps that’s why they were abandoned. The GofundMe fundraiser is open a few more days.
Meanwhile, a potato farmer in north Birmingham is about to see his potato crop go to waste after losing a supplier contract. A community group has set up a plan to save the spuds: pay £10 for 10kg of potatoes. You receive 2kg for yourself and the other 8kg of the spuds will be donated to people in need in the city.
Just two examples of where a digital tenner might go at the moment. There are many good causes right now.
Thanks
Today I am thankful for connections and the myriad little things that people have done to make me feel inadvertently better about life in the past day or so:
- for sister and great nephew waving at me working
- for an invitation to the allotment
- for an invitation to have a phone call
- for a texted photo of a New Zealand pineapple sage in response to my water your roses post
- for a friend watching and discussing Doctors on my recommendation
- for a text check to say that my ‘Great tits‘ blog post was well played and had inspired some writing – which has now landed here!
- for a forwarded email from Pete with a funny in it.
People are what make the world go around and get me outside of my own head. That and walking. Walking solves everything.
And writing, of course, writing.
Commission/hire me: fiona [at] fionacullinan.com
Fiona Cullinan 
Leave a Reply to Liz Cancel reply