“Charity should begin at home, but should not stay there.”
―Phillips Brooks
However, this post from @galenkp got me thinking. Dr Who happened to be playing on the television, and now several thoughts were whirling around in my head.
Image by mc-smalt from Pixabay the tardis from Dr Who
What would be my ideal weekend?
This is my entry for my ideal weekend challenge. My thanks for reading, and fiction, outrageous, far-fetched it might have a touch of all three!
Friday 5pm
Ah shoot, I forget to put my Euromillions ticket on. I whipped out my phone, opened the site and placed my £2.50 ticket, noting that the jackpot was an estimated £42million.
Edinburgh Castle - image by the author @tengolotodo
Tickets had been secured for the 7.30pm performance of the Edinburgh Tattoo at the castle, and we just had time to grab a bite to eat in the Grassmarket, which is only a 15 minute walk from the castle.
Halfway through the two hour show, I felt my phone vibrate. I read the notification which was from The National Lottery, I had won a prize. Awesome I thought, will check that in the pub after the show.
Once the fireworks were over we made our way down to the Malt Shovel, a good old fashioned no frills pub that was my regular during my student days.
A couple of Belhaven pints later, I suddenly remembered my notification. Whipping out my phone again, I read the notification in disbelief. I had won the jackpot a silly amount of £42 million.
Drinks are on me for the night, I told the barman, and the whole pub erupted in raucous cheers somewhat akin to the cheers my beloved Rangers let out when we beat the arch-enemy Celtic.
What a day, I had finished the first draft of my book Archie Cameron - The Home Coming, seen an awesome military tattoo and now this mega win. The Universe is smiling at me I thought.
The front doors creaked open and in walked Clara Oswald, the assistant of the Doctor in Dr Who. Hey Eddie, she called out, finish up your drink and let's go. The Dr let me borrow the tardis for the weekend, so get a move on, we have places to be.
Could this weekend get any better? Damn right it could, so let's find out how.
Friday 11.42pm
Clara opened up the tardis and in we trooped, every one of us awestruck at the inside of the police box that just kept on getting bigger and bigger.
Image by willbot studios from Pixabay the interior of The Tardis
Where to? asked Clara. Give me a minute please! I told her. I whipped out my phone again and in a flash had a £4.2 million donation sent to each of Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , Give a Dog a Bone…and an animal a home and Scottish Wildlife Trust .
Awesome I thought, nothing beats the feeling of giving, but wait, that might be the animals sorted, you forgot the bairns though!
Out the phone got whipped again!
Clickety-click and a £4.2 million donation whisked it's way to Save the Children
Okay Clara, first stop is to the publishers to grab some copies of the 1st draft of my book, I know some special ladies that are waiting for their copy.
Five minutes later, with multiple copies of the book Archie Cameron - The Home Coming stacked in a corner of the Tardis, Eddie and friends were ready to go!
Clara, please take us to Caracas in Venezuela.
No problem, on it already.
The console flashes, the Tardis makes it's usual noise and bam we have arrived.
Friday 11.54pm UCT Caracas Carstairs, Scotland
I opened the door of the Tardis and immediately felt a gush of cold air, I thought Caracas was meant to be warm I muttered, this is bleeding freezing.
Spotting a pub, Eddie sauntered off. The door was closed and actually locked. Frustrated he looked at the signage on the window. Masons Arms, hmmm not very Spanish sounding. The street sign said Main Street, that was not very Spanish sounding either!
Clara, are you sure you took us to Caracas?
My bad, Caracas, I thought you meant Carstairs. Sorry Eddie, Caracas here we come.
Friday 7.59pm Caracas, Venezuela
The restaurant that I had chosen was Restaurant Alto and I had the table booked for 8pm. I do like to be on time, even if most of the Spanish speaking world does not!
source - screenshot of the Alto Instagram page
We sat on the terrace and I placed some of my books on the chairs.
I preordered the sampling menu as it was a feast in itself!
Ah, here they came @coquicoin @rebeysa85 and @gertu
Ladies I am so glad that you made it, may I present you with your own signed copy of my first draft of Archie Cameron - The Home Coming!
The amazing food was complemented with fine wines and scintillating conversations and a wonderful night was had by all.
The last thing that I did before hitting the sleep button was make a £4.2 million donation to Healing Venezuela
Saturday 7.03am The Tardis, Caracas, Venezuela
Rise and shine people, the day is bright and we have travelling to be done I said to the group of sleepy revellers.
Clara set a path for Mexico and then onto Chile.
Saturday 7.42am Mexico
Knock, knock...
Hola @lourdeshd6 I have a copy of my book for you😁 and a £4.2 million donation to Enseña por México , if you are free please join us on a wee tour that will end up somewhere exciting!
Okay everyone all ready? Good ... Clara take us to Chile please!
Saturday 8.13am Vallenar, Chile
We need to stop off and deliver a book to @jcchelme and give her a £4.2 million donation to Habitat for Humanity
Don't worry I can hear your stomachs grumbling, I have booked us all breakfast at Los Olivos de Vallenar
A sumptuous breakfast was followed by a tour of Vallenar and everyone was ready for a late morning siesta.
Clara, take us to Hong Kong!
Saturday 1.01pm Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong
There she is, hello @jane1289 please take this £4.2 million donation and give to the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation
In the meantime, let's go eat mushroom congee at your favorite congee restaurant.
We all had the most perfect Chinese lunch and were in need of another nap, but no the itinerary was for a quick stopover before heading for our final destination of the day.
Clara, take us to Bohol!
Saturday 3.42pm Chocolate Hills, Bohol, the Philippines
Having seen numerous pictures of the chocolate hills, I was excited to see them for real! There are at least 1,260 hills but could be up to 1,776 hills. They are covered in green grass which turns brown in the dry season, yep you guessed it they become The Chocolate Hills!
source Image by young woon Song from Pixabay
We were met by two amazing hivers who were to be our guides in their homeland @eylz619 and @bloghound .
Ladies here are you copies of my book, see if you can spot yourselves in the book! Here also is a £4.2 million donation to Alagang Kapatid Foundation
Now, lets take a wee walk round some of these hills. Two exhausting hours later we all flopped back inside the Tardis.
Clara set sail for Lady Grey!
Saturday 5.59pm Lady Grey McGregor,Western Cape, South Africa
You do know that you can't trust everything you see on the internet Eddie, said Clara. Lady Grey changed its name in 1905 to McGregor to honour Rev. Andrew McGregor, who had been the Dutch Reformed Church minister of the Robertson District for 40 years.
Oh really said I with pouting lips!
We reached our last destination for Saturday and were just in time to heard the penultimate poem in the Poetry in McGregor festival.
There they are I said as I spied the two people we were here to see. @fionasfavourites was going to make me a poached egg on her famous Thai slaw (she just didn't know it yet!). Hello Fiona and there is @papilloncharity , let me give you a £4.2 million to help out.
Now then Fiona, would you like to shows us your world famous village irrigation system and then we get have some of your mountain wine that you rave about, as my glass is looking decidly half empty right now!
We all had a blast, songs were sung and dances were made from all corners of the globe, and many a dram was had.
Bed people, you need your sealegs in the morning.
Clara set sail for our final destination at 7.30am!
Saturday 7.32am Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia
Here we are folks, time to do some sea angling or fishing. If you want you can go sightseeing or better yet get the material ready for the barbeque. We are lucky in that @galenkp has agreed to help us slip a shrimp on the barbie.
source Image by Wolfgang Krzemien from Pixabay
That is my boat and I am away to get some fish.
I didn't catch a marlin, but I did catch lots to put on the barbie.
Evening was spent eating drink and joking, before we all got in the Tardis and bid our farewells. One by one I dropped everyone off. Having dispersed of my lottery winning I was in a good mood.
The charity did begin at home, but it didn't stay there.
And that my friends was my ideal weekend.
Thank you for reading I appreciate it.