We have "vultures " in our family !! When my son was little, about 4 I think he rushed up very excited to say that "look Ive got a boots vulture from granny" So I liked the idea of going into boots just after christmas to see a line of vultures perched on the cash desks!! So as with your post, I have done vouchers, especially at a time when I had very little money, and life was difficult. But I then would paint a voucher in some specific colour or picture of the tree in their garden etc, and some of the ones I have done were 4 babysitting vouchers to be redeemed whenever they liked if I was free, so things like the school play for the older child while I looked after the other 2. 4 dog walks for the month, 4 shopping trips (a sacrifice as I hate shopping) because I knew what she liked and yes the supermarkets do their delivery, but I check for longest dates, look to see great bargains etc! I have also done all the food for a picnic, made birthday cakes of special kinds , once made the high speed train. got a postcard picture and copied it from that . very well received. But I think the very special ones I remember were , when I was driving for the hospital car service, as a volunteer , taking people to and from hospital. A lady who lived alone and no longer drove said how much she enjoyed coming with me even it was to the hospital as she didnt really get out other than that. I took her for one of her last treatments and asked if she was expecting any visitors or would someone be waiting for her. She said no she was free now.
So I said I am off duty now and this is just from me nothing to do with the ambulance service. Would you like to go to X. This was a village that she told me she had lived in all her young life until she married I think, But sadly after she was unable to drive any more the bus service there stopped. So I thought she would be free and had risked the idea. I drove her to the village and she was so happy to be there and gave me back far more than I gave her, as she told me all the information about where the bakers used to be and that was the stable turned into a house now etc etc. That was the forge still . She went down memory lane to over 50 years ago and told me of all the families and people she remembered. Then she said Thankyou dear it has been so lovely. I said we havent finished yet, we are now going to have a little picnic in a place I know on the way home. In the boot I had sandwichs and home made cake etc and china plates, and mugs Then I had thermos of water and had a cafetiere and fresh coffee and a teapot so she had the choice. we drove to this special little place where there was a little crossroads , that sat above the surrounding woods and fields. I drove down a little way, and stopped and sorted out the picnic. I chose there because the bluebells had just begun to come out and we sat above them and there was a haze of blue and green. We even sat quietly and heard a wood pecker.
Sadly a couple of months later that lady died, and I saw her neighbour who said I had put her to shame, because she could have taken her to that village but it didnt occur to her. But what was lovely was she told me how much the trip had meant to her, that she had dug out many old photos and had talked to a local historian who was pleased to find out all this oral information which is often lost . She had really gone through lots of papers and photos and had chatted about it to her visitors. So I did know that she had enjoyed it and I still feel it was something that I did that was worthwhile. My lovely granny used to say to me dont take flowers to the grave , give them to someone to enjoy. Well every year on her birthday, and on the day she was killed, I buy a little bunch of flowers and give them to someone as a surprise, could be a neighbour or one day in a cafe I used to go to , took them in for a waitress, whose husband was quite ill. It cheered her day and being unexpected adds to the pleasure. I never tell people that , but as I go on with the day I just say "that was for you granny" So I wont be winning the Nobel peace prize or an olympic medal for running, but I have such lovely memory medals of things like this, and for me it always keeps my granny alive in my mind.
