A travelling companion, and heroism

In these days, where celebrity seems to be gained by a five minute appearance on a reality TV show, it's rare to cross paths with someone who genuinely deserves to be well known. I had such an experience last night, while I was travelling by train to my friend's house, where I've been most hospitably welcomed again this week (and for which I'm very grateful). After a last minute decision by the train company to change the train they were going to use for my service, and the inevitable scrum for seats on the replacement train, I ended up sitting opposite the Astronomer Royal, Lord Rees, for my journey. Sadly, it wasn't the sort of situation where I could have any sort of conversation - he spent most of the trip buried behind the Financial Times - but it still felt like a more worthwhile experience than most in my everyday life.
Fame of a different sort, earned at the highest price of all, has come to another person in the last day or so. Many people have commented on Jordan Rice and his sacrificing himself to allow his younger brother to be saved from the Queensland floods. I'm sure many people have thought about the situation he found himself in, and asked themselves what they would have done, and concluded that they would have liked to have made the same decision. But he actually did it. Such courage, and such a tragedy that he can't be here to take the accolades for his actions. DJ said it all in his post about the story - 'The world was a better place with him in it.'

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B