For the third week in a row I found myself scrambling to get a good deed done. I refuse to believe, however, that fifty is more to bite off than I can chew. Also, this week was different in that I was not suffering from mere laziness, but the rather more frustrating occurrence of having my intentions thwarted on several occasions.

Item One: RDA Photographer

An email was sent out to all RDA volunteers asking if they'd be able to take some photographs of a certain lesson. I replied immediately, and though I received no reply I turned up on the appointed day with camera in hand, ready to shoot. Only to find out my email had gone missing (later found in the recipient's "spam" folder - wtf?) and someone else with a camera had been roped in instead. Then my batteries ran flat and it was all over. I did, however, manage to get this photo:

...but it wasn't exactly what they had in mind.

Item Two: Folded Cranes

I met Mr Bea at a cafe after work, and on the counter they had a cylindrical, clear, plastic bin with a stack of notelets beside it. "Fold the paper into a crane," said the nearby instruction sheet, "and place it into the bin. Our sponsor will donate one bowl of rice to the needy for every crane."

By the time the cafe owners were shutting up shop, my crane looked like this:

Also, Mr Bea was starting to insist on our going home, something we'd planned on doing some time earlier. I blame the instructions. [Shifty sideways look.]

Item Three: The Young Man On The Street

I was looking for a postbox when a young man approached me asking if I knew where such-and-such street was. I admitted I didn't, and that I was, in fact, lost just looking for a postbox even though I knew there was one within fifty metres of where we were standing. (It turned out, later, to have been behind us.) He then offered to take me to a nearby postbox he knew of, which he very kindly did, chatting all the way. He explained he was going to a friend's house to visit, and knew the street was around here somewhere, but beyond that he was a bit stumped. "Never mind," he said. "I'll call my friend from the public phone when we get back to the spot we first started."

"Don't be silly," I replied. "I have my phone right here. You can call your friend now."

"No no," he said. "Thankyou, but I have the coins here." And he duly showed me a handful of silver coins.

"But it's no trouble and you found me the postbox after all. Here."

"No, it's ok."

"Really, I don't mind."

"No really, I'll just use the public phone, it's ok."

At that point I stopped and turned to him, shaking him violently by the shoulders, and crying, "But you have to use my phone! It's my good deed for the week!" and he ran away.

Nevertheless, I remain undefeated.

You see, today I have, with the help of the internet, taught myself how to fold a paper crane:

Much better. That, my friends, is worthy of a bowl of rice.

So on this, my last night in town before FET#5, I will return to our coffee shop of yore - this time with a sheet of my own instructions, printed off the above website just to make sure there's no room for confusion - and fold a sodding paper crane or two if I have to make them stay open all night.

I hope they have one of those unicef coin collections on the plane tomorrow.