This image was not taken today, not least because it's still 90 minutes until sunrise and there are already blustery showers rattling through, but a few days ago. However these are unusual times and I wanted to use it to honour an unusual person who over the last three to four weeks has inspired many in this nation of the UK.
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Happy Birthday Captain Tom
Some, maybe many of you, will be asking who is Captain Tom? Well when he was 99 years and about 345 days old he decided he'd walk the length of his garden which is quite large by UK standards100 times before his 100th birthday which is indeed today. He uses a walking frame so his walk was to be split over several days. He hoped to raise £(GB)1,000 for the National Health Service Charities. To date he's raised something around £(GB)30 million and inspired many people. This week all letters posted in the UK are being franked with a Happy 100th Birthday wish for Captain Tom Moore, as of a couple of days ago he himself had already received over 125,000 birthday cards and, weather permitting, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will honour him with a flypast over his house sometime today.
I just want to mention one of the people Captain Tom's inspired, a 6 year old lad by the name of Frank MIlls from Bristol. Frank told his parents that he also wanted to help raise money for the NHS charities. The thing you need to know about Frank is that he was born prematurely, after barely 25 weeks gestation and so owes his life to many months of hospital care, and he suffers from Spina Bifida so each step Frank takes with the aid of a wheeled walking frame is hard won. He wanted to walk 99 steps and hoped to raise £(GB)99,a modest target. His parents marked off a 10 metre length of pavement (sidewalk) outside his house and encouraged Frank to complete the course. By now Frank has walked more than 99 steps and as of a few minutes ago his giving page shows he's raised a total of £(GB)256,198.
If I take any memories away from these strange times then these are the memories I hope my brain will recall once this lot is over and behind us.
Good luck to you all and stay safe.
Barrie
P.S. The plant is Ivy-leaved Toadflax with flowers just a few millimetres across tenaciously growing in amongst stones and mortar on a stone gate pillar.