Be nice.

I am as you know dear reader generally a positive kind of person. The things that make me feel depressed about this old planet of ours usually relate to acts of unkindness and selfishness. The greater the acts the deeper the melancholy.

The daily drive to work can at times be enough to change my sunny outlook, it all depends on how many selfish chumps I come across en route.

But I'm not going to dwell on the nasty folk in the world,  I would rather share a couple of news items that made me feel there is hope for us all yet.

For three decades, families in one of the poorest states in the USA have been receiving gifts of cake and money from anonymous strangers.

Now the benefactors in West Tennessee have been identified. 

The self styled "Nine Nanas", a group of women aged between 54 and 72, have revealed that they began saving 35 years ago to help struggling families, picking their recipients by eavesdropping in hair salons and shops, they have since given away $900,000 in clothes, food and cash to help pay bills always accompanied by a freshly baked cake.

This aerial picture shows a farmer's secret tribute to his dead wife - a heart shaped meadow.

The lady in question died suddenly 17 years ago, aged 50.

In the following months, her devoted husband of 33 years, planted thousands of oak saplings, leaving a perfect heart shape in the centre, the tail of which points towards the childhood home of his wife.

both these stories and the bottom image were found in 'The Week' magazine.