With my knees a little tender from all of the bicycle riding over the past three weeks, a full three day break is in order to go see my daughter, Lizzie in Durham, England.
What a great time this is to catch up with what has been going on in her life and to do some seriously fun writing for an upcoming, children’s television show…hopefully.

One of my favorite notes I have ever seen is in my friends, Peter and Nance’s home. They live by this rule every moment of their lives. Such a simple but very important act of kindness!

Hey wait a minute…that’s not the Blue Bird of Kindness and that’s not Bogart!! What’s going on here?!
Just to the north of central London, in the borough of Haringey, is Crouch End, a very charming town with lots to see and do. It is my home for a much too short, forty-eight hours.
I am being hosted by the Nicholson family who has a wonderful dog named Molly and in the neighborhood is this fine machine.
This gets me thinking about year ten of this mission when I am considering a six month tour of Europe in a smaller Blue Bird, with Bogart and the Kindness Bicycle too! It’s never too early to plan.

This is an email I received. I feel I need to share it:
Bob—I was overcome with emotion by simply seeing the Bluebird of Kindness parked at St. Francis, for obvious reasons. As a Gates Mills resident with three children at SFA, and as a someone that works for an organization ,(EDEN), down in the Ohio City neighborhood, that provides housing to chronically homeless battling severe and persistent disabilities, I cannot thank you enough for delivering your message kindness as THE one, true rule that we all need to follow, and for providing a tremendous source of hope to countless individuals that may feel that all hope is lost. You give ME hope for the future of humanity. (Blank faces at city/township trustee meetings suck the hope out of me.) As do the faces of the schoolchildren you speak to, and the adults you encounter. You take the time to truly be PRESENT to each person you meet. What a gift. I cannot thank you enough. My family and I shall be bothering you about ways to become involved. Soar on, Bluebird!!

Blue Bird Corporation has just extended the opportunity for me to be the keynote speaker at their annual supplier conference in Macon, Georgia on October 16th.
It took me about a nanosecond to say yes!!

The Rotary Club of Kew Gardens, near London, gave me the opportunity to speak at their weekly meeting this evening. Being able to wheel the Kindness Bicycle into the room was a big plus. The talk I gave summed up my travels but also addressed the importance of charitable work Rotarians perform throughout the world. From building dams in Africa to running a community market, every member in this Rotary is involved in a charity.
A big tip of the hat to Richard Ward for making this evening a reality.
I love nights such as these.

While riding just west of central London, I came across Poilâne, a wonderful Parisian bakery. Needing to be recharged, I headed for the door. Before I could make it inside, I was met by the manager, Rima, who wanted to know all about the Kindness Bicycle. Taken by the story and with the charitable ethic of Poilâne, I was invited in for a cup of tea and a tour of their bakery.
I was given a to-go bag of punitions, a shortbread cookie that I ate in one sitting…the flavor was incredible.
They also have a restaurant nearby that I will certainly be visiting.
Thank you Poilâne!