I received an email from my widowed sister in law this morning who lives In W.A. Chatty and friendly as usual. her dental experience when having mostly "filling" made me glad it won't happen to me. This is an extract from her email.

"Over the last month my friends with the olive farm in Toodyay have needed help with the olive picking so a crowd of us have been going there to help out. It is quite a nice thing to do and not really hard. We have these special rakes and just grab a branch and rake the olives onto shade cloth on the ground and when we have completed one tree fold the cloth so that the olives can be poured into the bins. Then it is onto the next tree. They have 400 trees, however this year the harvest wasn’t quite as good as they were hoping and blame the long hot summer we had. It has been very cold this winter, June was the coldest I think since records were kept, mornings and evenings very cold with minimums below 5 deg and down as low as 0."

It has made me think of the warm feelings we have when doing a good turn or helping another through a difficult period. Without intruding or being nosy it is possible to lift someones spirits even in the smallest way. Physically, it is not possible for some of us to perform heavy tasks, but we can all spare time to visit or make a phone call.

What do you think about this. Have you had a good turn done for you or done one to a friend or neighbour ? Do you know your neighbour?

I'm `new' to my neighbourhood. I've only been here 5 years but I know all the neighbours who are over 50.

There are two young families in my proximity. One next door and the other one directly over the road from me. Both these `young' ones keep to themselves. They just don't seem to want to mix. Even their direct neighbours say they have not been able to get to know them.

I've gone over with baking, when they first moved in, I've given them jars of jam and preserves or taken fresh veges off the garden over to them but it only gets one a `thank you' before the doors close in your face.

I'm beginning to think that people under 40 have forgotten how to socialise with things that don't have a dot com after their name.

I'm always doing good turns to others (sometimes to the annoyance of my family).

I believe in random acts of kindness. I don't care if I know the person or not. I may carry someones shopping, offer them a lift in the car if it's raining (or if they are elderly). I may help people out with bus fares they might not have or the shortage in change at the time of purchasing something.

ANY kindness is a big thing to the person on the receiving end and it doesn't do the giver any harm either.

I give to a lot of charities (both money and time) and I hope that by doing someone a kindness it will give them hope, brighten up their day and plant a seed that perhaps they should, one day, do a kindness to someone else.