Post #79

A Gypsy blessing

24th December 2003, mid-afternoon | Comments (19)

There was a knock at our front door today. Mum and I got there at the same time and when I opened it up an old tramp was standing in our porch waving a china mug at us.

Can you make me a cop o’ tea please? I got moi own mug you see…

Mum and I both said certainly at the same time. She took his mug, and I led him around back to the conservatory, where he got settled in.

We knocked him up a nice big sandwich, fed him tea, and found a pair of warm gloves for him to take on.

Mum sat out and talked to him for about 40 minutes, (we both remembered hearing that tramps found the lack of conversation very hard to deal with) while I looked after my nephew, Lucas.

It turned out that he was a Gypsy (the tramp, not my nephew) and that he’d been on the road all his life. He said he used to have a rucksack with a sleeping bag in it, but someone had stolen it. He liked our dog, Poppy, and said he was glad it wasn’t too cold today.

As he was leaving he thanked mum for helping him out and said he’d put a gypsy blessing on us and our house for being kind to him.

What a nice way to spend Christmas eve: being blessed by a Gypsy.

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Comments (19)

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  1. Wes:

    Wow. That's really cool.

    I know my mother would never have considered so much as allowing such a person into or near our house. She insisted on installing a camera by our front door, so she could see anyone who rang the doorbell and decide whether or not she was even going to answer the door.

    Good for you, for providing him with tea and food and those gloves, and conversation to boot!. I always feel sorry for tramps and, well, the general homeless population, but my mother is really serious about "security".

    That's just so cool. I hope the blessing means a better Christmas for you!

    Posted 1 hour, 46 minutes after the fact
    Inspired: ↓ Chris
  2. Colin D. Devroe:

    Upon reading this article, it took me a moment to realize that what you call Tramps, we call Bums, or homeless people. At first, I thought that your mom was letting an old whore into your home.

    Very strange indeed, were my thoughts at first.

    Posted 2 hours, 30 minutes after the fact
    Inspired: ↓ Dunstan, ↓ Dunstan
  3. David House:

    Wow that's really nice!

    Say thanks to your mum from me, for the Gypsie. Or something.

    Posted 2 hours, 51 minutes after the fact
  4. Sian:

    Happy Christmas to you and your family Dunstan, I feel very sure that you will have a blessed New Year.

    Posted 3 hours, 34 minutes after the fact
  5. Chris:

    Dunstan,

    Here are a few signs from the other side of the puddle, that you might look for along with the blessing.
    I like the addition to the roof. I was about to ask you if you were doing anything to the banner when i took another look.

    Wes -- how unfortunate for you. If you can get past first impressions, you find out that they are quite similar to you and who knows when you may be in the same situation yourself. I have many homeless friends and hearing about, and sharing their experiences and lives has changed me. Not to mention that I feel much safer knowing the people around me than to worry about them approaching me.

    Peace (and a new President) for the New Year

    Posted 5 hours, 29 minutes after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Wes
    Inspired: ↓ Dunstan
  6. Chris:

    http://www.worldpath.net/~minstrel/hobosign.htm

    oops heres the link I forgot to paste, I knew preview was meant for something.

    Posted 5 hours, 30 minutes after the fact
    Inspired: ↓ Dunstan
  7. Keith:

    Beautiful - Have a great holiday Dunstan.

    Posted 6 hours, 20 minutes after the fact
  8. Dunstan:

    "At first, I thought that your mom was letting an old whore into your home"

    My brother's wife, who's Italian, thought the same thing when I told her not to be suprised if she saw a Tramp downstairs. It took about half an hour for her to figure it out and come and ask me for clarification :op

    Tramp [UK] = Bum/Hobo [US]

    Posted 7 hours, 58 minutes after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Colin D. Devroe
  9. Dunstan:

    Thanks for those Chris - after he left we were kidding that he'd scratch a sign on our gate post and come Christmas Day we'd have a flood of old guys asking for "a cop o' tea".

    I shall check our boundries for squiggly signs or cartoon pictures of cats with no back legs ('kindhearted lady') ;o)

    Posted 8 hours, 3 minutes after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Chris, ↑ Chris
    Inspired: ↓ Tim
  10. Dunstan:

    Thanks everyone else for your kind comments, and a Happy Christmas to you all!

    Posted 8 hours, 5 minutes after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Colin D. Devroe
    Inspired: ↓ Nicole
  11. Kitta:

    That's a really nice thing you and your mother did for him.

    Merry christmas. :)

    Posted 22 hours, 7 minutes after the fact
  12. Nicole:

    Happy Holidays (from across 'the pond')!

    Posted 1 day after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Dunstan
  13. Jim:

    Very nice Xmas story. Where I come from (Swindon) you're more likely to be visited by a foul mouthed whisky breathing schizophrenic beggar looking for beer money, who will kick your door in if you don't give him anything. :)

    Posted 3 days, 5 hours after the fact
    Inspired: ↓ McChris
  14. McChris:

    Yeah, sorry about that Jim, I get a bit silly when I've been on the Scotch :)

    Dunstan, glad to see the Christmas spirit is alive and well in the Orchard household ... and a belated Merry Christmas

    Posted 3 days, 19 hours after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Jim
  15. Tim:

    > I shall check our boundries for squiggly signs or cartoon pictures of
    > cats with no back legs ('kindhearted lady') ;o)

    Is that "tea-chalking" ?

    Posted 4 days, 17 hours after the fact
    Inspired by: ↑ Dunstan
  16. Craig Hartel:

    Dunstan,

    Simply an amazing and heart-warming story. Thank you for sharing it. Happy New Year from Dawson Creek, BC, Canada!

    Posted 5 days, 6 hours after the fact
  17. Steven:

    Happy Holidays, like stated early there is no way that my mother/father would have allowed someone like that near our house let alone in our house. Anyway, hope you enjoyed your Christmas and will enjoy the New Year.

    Posted 5 days, 13 hours after the fact
  18. Ryan MacLeod:

    My grandmother is German is always raving about the Gypsys.

    I went on a tour of Rome and the tour guide warned me about the gypies

    They seem like nice people, despite my upbringing

    Posted 9 months, 1 week after the fact
  19. Maggie Orchard:

    Hi
    I used to do that when I lived in
    great grannys railway carriage.
    Mugs of tea!
    You Do know that ORCHARD is an old travelling name.
    Maggie

    Posted 1 year, 8 months after the fact

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