RNIB Connect roadshow

Just in case you missed it in the last blog 😊😊😊



RNIB Connect roadshow
RNIB Connect invites people affected by sight loss and their friends and family for 'Coffee and Chat' to see how a Connect Community can work for you.

Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre
24 Main Street, Limavady
Date: Thursday 6 April
Time: 12 noon (tea / coffee and sandwiches) to 3pm (approx)
RSVP is essential

Call: Jim Nash on 07927 155 673
Email: brian.murray@rnib.org.uk

Sink or Swim

Here we are again everyone!
Sunday already!! I felt like we ploughed through last week at a alarming speed, maybe it had something to do with the lovely storm Doris, who actually wasn't too lovely at all, in fact she was a right moody old bag and Thursday she brought some of the strongest winds this area of England have seen for a few years.
Thursday, my friend and I went for our weekly swim, as you know one of my new years resolutions was to be a stronger swimmer, I don't swim at all well, my ex used to swim like a fish and I was always very jealous of his confidence in finding some water and just going off for a swim!
He also taught both my girls to swim, and they are both confident swimmers. A few years ago we were on a canal boating holiday in Belgium, one evening we had been to a restaurant for tea and as we walked back along the canal to our boat in the dark, I got left behind with the kids as the adults had wondered off ahead.
Nothing dramatic happening, but as I walked along I thought about falling in, the adults wouldn't hear me and the kids wouldn't be strong enough to help me, other than that I would be furious if any of the children risked their lives to save me in deep dark water.
That was when I decided I needed to learn to swim, even if I couldn't see where I was swimming to, at least I could try to save myself. So, my ex began to teach me to swim when we got home, it was a very slow process, but he successfully taught me the basics for which I will always be grateful, since we have not been together, it hasn't been priority, until, I took my girls on their first holidays abroad, it was so bloody hot that you had to get in the water. The girls and my partner were dipping in and out of the water, and I sat frying on a sunbed, so while we were in Malta I began getting up early and going to the pool while there was no one about and practicing my swimming in the shallow end.
Now I go with my friend every Thursday, I have a marker on the side of the pool which is maybe just under half way of the length of the pool.
This week we got there early, we have fallen into a little routine, I use the same changing cubical each time and I always use the second row of lockers down from the top and usually the third or fourth one in from the left, I always use my cane as I need to walk past the baby pool with little people having their swimming lessons to get to the shallow end of the big pool, and you never know what obstacles you might  encounter along the way, other than that there are a million (well, not quite a million) but loads of different sounds and different sounding sounds!! Peoples voices sound different at the pool, and there are lots of people shouting instructions to others, whether that be to the kids having lessons, the water aerobics instructor or the life guards, then there is the music playing in the back ground and the parents nattering as they watch their small people have their lessons, oh, and of course there is the slightly scary sound of people moving in the water.
So before I even get into the pool, all my senses are on high alert, so the cane is essential, it also tells the life guards and people around me that I am visually impaired without having to say a word.
This week, the builders had been in through the night and had left the fire escapes open, thus lowering the temperature of the water....to effing freezing!
However, this meant that to keep warm we had to keep moving, the problem I have with my ears at the moment caused my swim to be messy and my 'balance' in the water took ages to maintain, added to that I think that because the water was so cold, I was trying to move too quickly, and when I slowed it down my balance seemed better.....then it happened, I was swimming to the marker and my friend was swimming towards me, before I knew it I had swam straight past my marker and was confidently moving along toward the deep end, I recon I must have got three quarters along the length of the pool before this stupid little voice in my head started saying....ohhhh look Lyndy Loo, your feet cant touch the ground anymore, whatcha gonna dooooo, drownnnn?.....so I grabbed the side of the pool, and casually 'took a rest' while I fought with the little shit of a demon in my head! I won, and swam the rest of the way to the deep end of the pool....F**K YEAH!!!! I cant remember being so proud of myself, and THEN, ladies and gentlemen, I turned around and swam back!!! I did stop a couple times as I realised I was holding my breath, but it was all good, I DID IT!!!!
The thing I find reassuring and a little odd at the same time, is how much people see, I just get in the pool and do my stuff, but after I had been to the deeeep end, a lady swam over and was saying how well I was doing and was telling me how I would find it easier to swim in deeper water, talk about a ego booster.
Anyway, after our customary trip to Waitrose café we battled our way home, the wind had brought down trees everywhere, and as my friend dropped me home I noticed my wheelie bin trotting past on its way up the street. I spent most of the afternoon running around chasing my stupid wheelie bin, a man across the road from me had found six bins flying around, tied them together and had attached them to a tree, mine had developed a mind of it own and was doing its own thing, when I found myself telling the bin off for running down the street, I knew I had to stop, so I brought the bin into the garden a wedged it in with some bricks and a ladder....I still found myself saying....there, that serves you right, Barry the bin, if you are going to keep running off you will have to stay in the garden! Ralph was looking at me with his head on one side, I am sure he was thinking, My stupid human is talking to a bin! And to think, people used to worry that I spent too much time on my own!!!
Then I settled down for my very first multi person telephone call with RNIB Connectors, it was very interesting, there was a man from Northern Ireland named Jim who sounded like the sort of man you instantly warm to, I think there was eight of us on the call, and people threw ideas in, some ideas were great, some I don't entirely agree with, but as a newbie I feel its important to listen and learn, instead of pooing on someone's vision. From what I understand, the Connection team will do just that, connect people who have visual impairments, ensuring that people have the support to gain and maintain independence, better knowledge of helpful societies, charities and professions, provide support, understanding and friendship as well as raising awareness and fund raising within our local communities. I also understand that this is all at the very early stages and think it will take a while before a structure begins to form. But when it does, I believe this will provide a essential and direct form of support for people at every stage of individuals journey.
Anyway, I sat very quietly listening, feeling a little bit like a spy earwigging on a private conversation, Jim has organised a event that will take place in Ireland in April, I know...cos blogger tells me where about in the world my readers are, that I have many readers over the water in Ireland, so get yourselves to see Jim, support him and tell him I sent you...I will be sending out reminders!!


 RNIB Connect roadshow
RNIB Connect invites people affected by sight loss and their friends and family for 'Coffee and Chat' to see how a Connect Community can work for you.

Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre
24 Main Street, Limavady
Date: Thursday 6 April
Time: 12 noon (tea / coffee and sandwiches) to 3pm (approx)
RSVP is essential

Call: Jim Nash on 07927 155 673
Email: brian.murray@rnib.org.uk

Ohhh I nearly forgot,

Our very first sign of spring!

Speak soon xx

Happy Pills

Well folks I now understand why I have had the hump for days, and its really quite scary how quickly its possible to get snowed under with things and not really notice until you are so low that you are begging someone to shoot you as you are as miserable as sin and are starting to depress everyone around you....
A month ago, it was a Friday, we all woke late and this lead on to frantic flying around to get everyone out of the door on timeish.
I had grabbed my trainers and sitting on the bottom step of the stairs I started undoing the laces when my finger felt a hole in the side of the shoe, further investigations resulted in my swearing loudly, throwing the trainers across the living room floor and me with my head in the 'shoe cupboard' throwing unsuitable shoes over my shoulder until I found a pair that were reasonably day at work proof.
I grabbed a old pair of Chelsea boots, yanked them on, glanced at the pile of shoes which were now spewing from the hall into the kitchen, swore under my breath, looked at Ralph and gave him strict instructions NOT to touch the pile of shoes, then grabbed my coat and lunch and legged it to the front door, just as I shut the door I saw Ralph watching me with his head to one side, then he glanced at the shoes with this 'WOMAN YOU IS WELLL STUPID'  look on his face, I felt for work wondering how much it was going to cost to replace the contents of the dam shoe cupboard!
By the time I got home I really didn't give two poops about the shoe cupboard as I had the biggest migraine I have ever had and this pain in the bottom of my right foot, from the heel forwards into the arch of my foot. I have never experienced anything like the constant ache in my foot, talk about making me cranky, it just wouldn't go away, so I took myself, after two weeks of not being able to walk properly, to the doctors who asked me if I was 'A RUNNER!!!!
Do I look like a bloody runner? Nope, I am a hole in trainer so wear stupid pair of shoes kinda girl.
She called it Plantar Fasciitis, gave me some gel to rub on and told me to rest it....Rest it...I ask you!
So, I carried on as normal, but slowly, and I mean really slowly, in fact some days it made me cry it was so painful.
I discovered that if I wore a tight pair of socks, and a thick pair of socks and my old walking boots I could manage to take Ralph on a short walk.
Then this thing happened that I wasn't prepared for at all, I stood at the road crossing waiting for the peeping to tell me the lights had changed, Ralph who is a pro at traffic lights, sat beside me, suddenly he leapt up and went to charge across the road, then I noticed the cars had stopped, Why hadn't I heard the peeping? There was a man on the other side of the road, as I crossed I asked him if the peeps were working, when he said yes I felt my heart drop to the very bottom of my stomach....on top of everything else I am going bloody deaf! This has been seriously worrying me, I mean constantly on my mind, I wondered if as the pain in my foot is so constant that I am so focused on it that I couldn't hear the peeps?
This has been lingering for about four weeks, the foot hasn't got any better and I am sick of saying WHAT? and PARDON? to everyone, the stress has brought on Rosacea which always flairs up when I am worried about something and these lovely brown patches have appeared on my chest which is apparently also stress related, I was putting off going back to the doctors as I was sure the Doc was going to sign me off on sick from work, and that would just push me over the edge!
On top of all this, I went to the Dentist as you know, and was told that at couple of my teeth are infected at the root, the fillings are too deep and they really both need pulling out, again, I have been worrying about the gap that would be seen, the rotten infected teeth are beside each other so it would be quite a gap, its really been bothering me.
Today was dentist pull out tooth day, but I have had enough and decided to go to the doctors and talk through all my ailments, I was dreading it and in my mind I had decided that it he was going to say I couldn't work I was going to tell him he would have to have some happy pills, cos if I stay grounded I am going to go mad.
As it happened, I now have creams for my sore bits, an appointment to have my ears syringed (not going deaf after all), painkillers for my foot and instructions to go buy a support thing.
At the dentist this afternoon I had a honest conversation with my dentist about how I felt about the pending removal of teeth and a bloody great ugly gap, just cos I cant see it, don't mean it wont have a massive impact on my confidence and self esteem. For now I still have both my rotten teeth safely attached to my gum and a new dental plan that involves putting false teeth in after the extractions.
And I still managed to avoid the happy pill moment.
HOWEVER.... for a moment I thought very seriously about the prospects of being deaf and having very poor sight. This is something that at the time scared the crap out of me, and having poor hearing for the last couple of weeks has been a real lesson in survival, I am very aware that I have turned into some kind of monster with zero tolerance for anything or anyone, I have also avoided going out on my own, talking to anyone, answering the phone, in fact I have fallen into a world of silence.
Dangerous place to be, I hadn't realised how much I rely on my hearing and what a massive effect it would have on me if taken away, I mean who thinks about that? But there are folks out there who are blind and deaf, my respect, admiration and empathy goes out to these people, once again I am humbled at how people cope, I will get my earwax blasted next week and hopefully things will return to 'normal' but what about those people who are not as lucky.
I know that everyone is different and everyone coping mechanisms are different, for me now I would find it very difficult to remain positive , so many doors would start to close to what is already a limited life, I am sure I would need a very strong support unit around me, and I hope that is what is out there for people. In my mind I have a very clear cut vision of what support should look like for people, but in reality I know its far from the rosy pleasant image in my head, and this makes me sad.
All of the stress I have been under is sort of self inflicted, as all I had to do was go to the Doctor and I already feel that I am behaving more like myself and the gloom that's been over my head is starting to lift.
This afternoon, as I sat with my foot up, I watched Ralph playing happily with his blanket, he made me smile and I realised how much I have missed just lately with being self absorbed. I am so looking forward to having my ears syringed next week, I don't like the drops you have to put in to your ears, but mostly I hate not being able to hear what's going on around me, I hate how everything seems different, and I hate how my balance gets put out, but what I like is that I have you guys to share my moaning and groaning with, so THANKS FOR LISTENING xx

Bad day!

Today, is a bad day.
I have woken up with the raging hump, I am feeling very sorry for myself, I am feeling gloomy for the future and to be honest, a little tearful.
I have taken Ralph out for a good long walk, but have just put myself back to bed as I feel sad, fat, lonely, old, stupid and incapable.
I know this is only a temporary blip, but what causes these blips? Why do we suddenly go from a fairly stable rational way of thinking, to suddenly either wanting to lock ourselves away or punch someone's face in?
I know my age (as I am now considered a 'older' lady) and the time of the month makes a difference for me and I suppose, my body is getting ready for the 'change' so chemical imbalances in the body and all that crap must make a difference. I suppose knowing you've got the hump helps too, and I think knowing you are not feeling yourself is half way there to feeling yourself again.
So, what's the best thing to do? Lock yourself away and eat chocolate? push yourself to go out? be on your own or fill the day full of friends and loved ones that lift your spirits?
The latter sounds best, but what if you don't have any loved ones or friends?.....hells teeth, I think I am making myself feelworse!
Perhaps I should talk about something else, I know my arse needs kicking cos I am feeling so miserable, after all there is much worse going on outside in the big wide world, and I have the arse cos I fear the world turning darker on me and spending those dark days alone and frightened....oh no, wait a minute, that is quite a big thing I suppose, bugger it, I will proudly continue with the raging arse for the rest of the day, thank you very much!
I have made myself smile a bit, I always told myself that I would live for the day and not worry about the future, but sometimes, on days like these, the future is brought forward and pokes you in the face, the fact that I don't want to look at it might make me seem weak to some of you, but how can I face the future when I don't know what it is going to bring, how can anyone face the future. I mean, I do know what it will bring for my sight, but who is to say I wont die before that happens or there might be some magical cure. Either way, I am starting to get on my own nerves now!
Yesterday I did so much, I took Ralph for a two hour walk, did some weeding in the garden, discovered that I still have some potatoes in the pot that need digging up, and got some washing dry on the line, I even managed to spend a couple of hours with my feet up perusing Facebook.
I follow RNIB on Facebook, they often put up posts that are really interesting, yesterday there was a video of a lady named Kelly, let me see if I can put it on the blog...wait there...
Nope, I cant do it...anyway, its called Kelly's coloured canes, and that's exactly what it was about, coloured canes!!! What a fab idea, I want a coloured cane, think how brilliant it would be if you had a cane with lights on, brilliant for in the dark. They just cheered me up thinking about them!
Moving away for the stereotypical idea of what a blind person should look like is important for me, but what I find most interesting is other peoples comments under the video, if you have Facebook, tap RNIB in and have a look, I just think some people are right jobsworths and don't want change, as far as I can tell, does it really matter what colour your cane is, its all about the public being aware of you, and someone swiping a long cane along the ground says move outta my way or I am gonna crack your ankles no matter what colour it is!! and hey, did you know there is such thing as the white cane law?
Right, seeing as I now have, Ralph and two get lumps in the form of my girls in bed with me it seems I have to get myself out of bed, pull myself together and get on with the day!
Speak soon folks xx

The News

Good Morning everyone,
Well, its been snowing on and off here for three days, none of it has settled until this morning when I woke up to a dusting of the white stuff.
Its been a emotional week and the fact that people keep saying, ohhhh look its snowing, and I look out of the window and cant see it falling can only mean one thing, outside I can feel it on my skin but still cant see it, unless its really massive flakes.
For a moment it did make me sad, but, you know me, I don't have time to be sad for long!
My eldest daughter turned 19 yesterday, god knows where the years have gone, she has turned into a beautiful, clever and confident young lady with a very sensible outlook on life, so I kinda think I couldn't have done too bad as a parent.
Funny how when they are babies, you are in a safe zone, they all follow the same routines, eat, sleep, poo, repeat, you read the baby manuals and most of the time they arrive more or less safely into toddlerhood, even then you as a parent are following the crowd as you trot along to nursery, pre school and so on, slowly they are forming into little individual characters, even then you guide them in the right direction, or what you believe is the right direction, they start to learn from your habits and behaviours, and when at school you are confident that you are intrusting your little bean into a establishment that will keep them safe and provide a good education...all is good.
THEN they turn into teenagers, there is nothing quite like a teenager, suddenly you, as a parent are loosing control, I don't mean failing but that small person you have had by your side holding your hand and craving your guidance and security suddenly knows everything and develops a delightful habit of pissing you off every time they open their mouths. This, however, is something we need to tolerate, because this is a very delicate period of time in their lives and the way you behave and the reactions you give will define them as they reach adulthood.
Then, when you think you have done all the hard work and they leave school and go off to make their future, you are suddenly left with the huge feeling of loss and the knowledge that you cant control what happens to them now, you cant keep them safe, monitor their eating, drinking and pooing habits, and you ant tell them off or tell them what to do, you have to take this massive step back and let them find themselves, develop these personalities and gain experiences that have made us the adults we are today.
For me, I am incredibly proud of the child that grew up as the 'very quiet one' of the class, the one that 'wont cope in school', who knew she would be studying at a London college, navigating the trains and tubes with confidence, who knew that the same child would get herself a job in sales and confidently deal with members of the public everyday, the same person going off to concerts and festivals around the country, meeting new people and making new friends, from that tiny little bundle that I brought home 19 years ago has grown a respectable, wise and incredible adult.
I have been fortunate, but how would I have managed 19 years ago if my sight had been as bad as it is now? How do people with sight loss cope with  babies and children? It conjures up a million different images in my head, right from treading on toys that you can see, to being unable to identify a chicken pox on your child's skin.
I mean, why do the make children's medicine white? I know antibiotics for children are usually a yellow or pink liquid, but why is liquid pain killer white? and then they give you a white measuring spoon in the packet, why on earth do they do that? Why cant they make the spoon black?
I cant tell you the times that I have wondered if it would be safe to put food colouring into the 6 plus calpol just so that I could see it when I poured it onto the spoon, these companies do tend to put white or clear spoons in the box with medicine, for me and you, its a disaster, you either over spill the spoon sending sticky liquid all over the floor, bed or your child, or you are dripping tiny amounts onto the spoon that it takes half hour to administer 5ml of calpol.
I wonder if anyone has asked these companies if they could change the colour of their spoons?
Anyway, this brings me nicely onto the exciting news that I have been wanting to share with you all...
On the news years blog, if you read it, you will remember I talked about new years resolutions and making changes for my future. A few weeks ago I was browsing the RNIB website for jobs in my local area, and I found a role as a voluntary community connector, so I applied, not really expecting to get a reply, but the following day I received a email inviting me for a telephone interview, this took place and I am now a community connector for my area!!!!
I was and still am, absolutely buzzing, I feel like a different person and I cant wait to be out supporting people in their homes and community, I literally couldn't wait, so I went off and started asking cafes in the area if they would support us by making a large print menu or two. The very first tearoom I went into, which happens to be, MOLLYS TEAROOM IN HITCHIN, HERTFORDSHIRE, printed out a large print menu on the same day! I was triumphant!!
But, now I have fallen behind a bit as I came down with the fluy thing, then the family got it, and life seems to be getting in the way.
Then I got a call from RNIB connect asking if I would like to take part in a radio interview and they would talk about my new role and Diary of a blind lady, so, last Tuesday I did a recorded radio interview over the telephone, it was fantastic, well, from my end it was fantastic, it was with a lady who is affectively my boss I suppose,  she made me feel welcome and relaxed, but above all she made me realise just how much I want to help, how passionate I have become toward making sure people with sight loss get the support they need, whether that is through making sure they are in touch with the right support units out there or simply making sure there are accessible amenities in the local community, just like MOLLYS, I would never entertain going into a  tearoom on my own, for fear of not knowing where the toilets were and the menu being unreadable for me, so I will continue to look for establishments like MOLLYS who are prepared to enlarge a menu, this particular tearoom I chose is full of natural light, there are no steps and the toilet is on the same level, so if you happen to be in the area do go to Mollys and ask for a large print menu, the staff are so kind and friendly and most importantly, the cake is incredible!
Anyhoo, the snow is melting, so I need to take Ralph out for a quick walk,
Speak soon and stay safe xx
PS) I will let you know when the radio interview is broadcast in case anyone would like to listen to it.
PPS) Mollys tearoom,  96 Bancroft, Hitchin SG5 1NQ, just in case you want to visit xx

EDIT....not sure he looks like he fancies a walk this morning!!

Proffessional attidue

Hi everyone,
Well I successfully managed to spread my germies all through my house and one after one, my little family have succumbed to high temperature and snotty tissues, of course they all have it MUUUUCCCCHHHHH worse than I did!!
I dutifully took myself to the dentist last week for a filling, when I got past the Rottweiler receptionists it wasn't a bad experience I suppose, my new dentist is always considerate and notably respectful, which produces a strange feeling that I don't really understand!
I dunno, maybe, as time goes on I expect people to act in a certain way towards me and the 'disability' I carry around with me, so I gear myself up to deal with the reactions I usually get or don't get....wait, I am confusing myself, let alone you guys...
I avoid the Dentist at all costs, but you know, like everyone there comes a time when you just gotta do it.
My previous Dentist looked about 16 years old and to be honest, he was a cocky little sod, you know the type who makes little tutting noises as he inspects your teeth and mouth, when he clearly hasn't even lost his baby teeth yet. At the beginning of my appointment he asked me if I had any medical conditions or if there was anything he should know, so I told him about my sight and how the light they shine into your mouth hurts my good eye, its just uncomfortable.
So, he does no more than whack the chair down, position the effing light right in my face and orders me to open my mouth, after a lot of tutting and a x-ray, the chair is sprung back into its original uprightness, and he proceeds to talk to me like I am two years old and is pointing to a computer screen, trying to show me what he had so proudly discovered on the x-ray of my mouth, I was so fed up I just nodded while wondering how fast I could get out of the room, to this day I don't know if he just hadn't listened to me telling him I couldn't see his face let alone the computer screen or maybe he just didn't give a flying fudge, So, I have learnt to expect a less than caring attitude from these 'professionals'  this time I was ready with a negative mood and the unwillingness to want to communicate with anyone remotely Dentist related.
The Rottweiler on the front desk handed me a form and tells me to fill it in while I wait,
'its a update your personal details form, if you could fill it in'....small smirk...its in the smallest print you can imagine, the panic thing begins to rise in my stomach, so I say, 'my details haven't changed' thinking ahhhh got myself outta that one, but she smirks again, 'Nooooo, everyone has to fill one in'....right, love, you are now starting to piss me off,
'Okay, in that case please could you make the print larger on the form because I cant see it'...complete silence while she stands there holding out the form towards me, the other receptionists stop what they are doing and listen in, my receptionist takes a deep breathe and says NO,.....PINGGGGG there goes my patience, 'are you telling me that you cant either put that form into your printer and enlarge it, or change the font on the computer and print a larger one off?'.....'No because it has to be scanned back onto your notes'....'and you cant do that by hand for one form? and by the way I think I already told you my details haven't changed'....She sighed, pushed the form towards me and said with a lovely clear crisp voice, waiting room upstairs for NHS patients and didn't you bring someone with you to help you?
I swear if I could have been sure for a nice accurate punch straight in the mouth I would have happily knocked her two front teeth out, but I simple smiled sweetly and said, I thought that was your job as a receptionist, turned and prayed I didn't trip up the stairs as I stamped up them, swinging the form in my hand, which incidentally, I left in the bloody upstairs NHS waiting room!
So, now you see why I hate doing the dentist thing, but my new dentist, well, she really is quite lovely, she speaks with a gentle calm voice and explains every single move she is making, which I find extremely reassuring and relaxing, she is respectful but not in a patronising way, she always makes sure I am comfortable and provided tinted glasses so the light doesn't burn away what sight I have left!
On the way home I found my self deep in thought about the receptionist thing, isn't it funny how your reaction to something makes a difference to what happens next? In a way we are all responsible for changing the way things happen by thinking about our reactions to situations, and as they say hindsight is a wonderful thing, I could have just taken the form, took it home and got someone to fill it in for me, maybe I was being antagonistic, I felt a little ashamed, and I wondered if I had upset this ladies mood for the rest of the day, then I began to wonder if she was wondering the same thing!
And then I realised that maybe, just maybe I am thinking wayyyy to much into it, and again if I had been using my cane, perhaps she wouldn't have even given me the form, and that's the problem with the world, we are all ignorant to one and other, no one takes the time to look at someone and wonder what their story is, just because you cant see it, doesn't mean its not there, whether its a mental, physical or emotional problem, they are all problems most of us like to hide from strangers, maybe this woman had just lost someone, maybe her car wouldn't start this morning, maybe she trod in dogs crap on the way to work! They are all problems that change the way we function and have a impact on how we behave, wouldn't it be lovely if we all considered that every time we had to interact with someone?
All this thinking made me want to experiment, so on Thursday morning I went for a swim, my friend came with me, that's a real friend, not my cane! although I did take my cane, and I used it.
At the reception I asked for a disabled swim and one for my friend, instantly the receptionist looked at my cane, said certainly, looked up at my friend who instantly goes in for free as my carer. I wondered if it would be as easy if I didn't have my cane? anyway, I used the cane to direct me to the side of the pool, balanced it at the side and got in, other swimmers had seen me as had the life guard, I know this because everyone in the pool gave me space, and as you all know I am a crap swimmer so I asked the life guard for a marker at the side of the pool so I didn't swim too deep, he got me a bright yellow float and put it where I could see it, when he the time came for the life guards to change, I heard him say to his colleague 'just keep a little eye on that lady there, she is blind, but she seems to be doing ok'...I wanted to jump out of the water and give him a kiss, my heart was bursting with pride!
After the swim I went to Specsavers for my check-up, I watched the people around me, there was a woman getting upset because her glasses had broken and it was her husbands funeral tomorrow, the lady who was dealing with her glasses was fantastic, she took her to a little room and gave her a tissue and dealt with fixing her glasses as quickly as she could, to the other side of me there was a young man having a contact lenses fitting, opposite him sat a beautiful young lady who was talking him through the fitting, he was really struggling and I wondered if that was more to do with the young girl than the little piece of silicon on the end of his finger!
When I was called I found myself face to face with a very smiley man about my age, he said he had read my notes, and instantly turned into a complete professional, there was none of this...ohhhh how doooo you manage, or you are very well dressed for someone whose sight is as bad as yours!
He has compassion for his job and consideration and respect for me, he helped me but not in a belittling way, he even managed to use a consulting room down stairs so I didn't have to navigate their narrow stair case, all was fine at the end of the check-up, the lingering fluid build up in the bad eye has almost gone, so I left pleased and with the usual instruction to get myself straight to Moorfields if anything changes, all duly noted and Thank you!
Next week I have something exciting happening, but I am still nervous about telling you, still the old counting chickens before they are hatched thing, but next Sunday I will be sure to let you in on it, that's if I can wait until Sunday, don't be surprised if I don't blog before then.
Speak soon, take care x