A question of moral ...

If you found a child's toy on the pavement, what would you do? Would you pick it up and take it, would you pick it up and put it on a bench or something close by or would you leave it?

This is a question that I've been thinking about and I know what I would do. Here's my reason for thinking about this ...

Today we went shopping (Dylan and I) and I had some errands to run (post office, photocopy shop etc). Dylan was hot and bothered and a bit fed up so as a treat I bought him a little squeaky caterpillar toy. He went crazy for it in the shop and carried it around with him (mainly so he could put it in his mouth) while I picked up all my other bits. We left the shop, called at the supermarket to pick up cat food and nappies and then came home.

By the time we got home the caterpillar was nowhere to be seen. I fed Dylan, put him down for his nap and asked Penri to watch him while I retraced my steps back to the supermarket. Let me just add here that coming back from shopping I had the pushchair, 20 tins of cat food, a bag of cat litter, a small wheelie suitcase full of shopping and my handbag, so I was pretty loaded up and it was very warm weather so I was exhausted by the time I got back. I didn't really feel like going back out and doing the walk there and back again, but I was hopeful that some honest person might have picked up the toy and put it to the side of the pavement or something. But ... you guessed it ... it was nowhere to be seen!

I walked all the way there and back looking the whole time with no luck. I felt to bad (as I know Dylan really liked the toy), so on my way home I went and bought him the little squeaky elephant (the caterpillar had been the last one). So all's well that ends well, I guess. Dylan has a toy elephant and some child in Stuttgart got a brand new toy without having to pay for it.