Unaccompanied
blindsimming outing August 2015.
At
last, you will think!
One
morning last week, Chris being away on holiday anyway, I plucked up
courage to do my new blindsimming route all alone, from home and back
home again in time to prepare my husband's dinner in time for his
return from work in London early evening.
Down
to the railway station, then as in the old days, once I knew that
husbands train had left to London. The weather wasn't being very kind
– grey skies and spatterings of rain, so I had to take my old
raincoat anyway. Supposed to be Summer now but as some of you in the
UK know, we are having a disappointing summer.
The
ticket I bought this time was different from usual as the plan was
that I would return from a different destination than usual.
Curiously, although further afield the price was not much more for
the extra distance.
I
broke my outward journey at my regular stop, put on my raincoat which
I had been carrying in a what is nowadays called a Beach Bag (smart,
larger than any handbag that I have, but smaller and smarter than a
shopping-sized bag)) together with my foldable white stick, my two
pairs of 'blind-looking dark glasses, a thermos of tea and some
sandwiches for lunch. When blindsimming, I carry my mobile phone in
a pocket and money tucked away somewhere where I won't lose it.
Why
do I go into this sort of detail?
Because,
of the few people who do read my blog, I assume that they are also
blindsimmers and therefore interested in how I manage in detail on my
blindsimming outings.
It
would be nice to hear from a few more of you at
'me_blindfolded@yahoo.co.uk'
of course – I do get a few questions which I am careful to answer
in the blog entries – hence the detail.
Once
clear of the station, I put on my non-blacked out glasses, unfolded
my cane and using that as a guide as if I were already blind, put up
my raincoat's hood and walked out of the town towards my regular
bus-stop. Having made the last road crossing, (where a kind lady
offered to help me back across again a week or so ago) I switched my
glasses to the totally blind ones, again as usual, and made my
well-known walk 10 minutes or so to the bus stop.
When
we got to the new bus stop beyond the village and I made to get off,
the driver remarked that 'my friend' was not there yet, would I be
okay?, he asked. I assured him that the 'friend' would be along soon
– just to put his mind at rest.
I
managed the walk very well. It was the first time that I had been out
alone like this without Chris or my bird-watching acquaintance, and I
after a short while, I realised that I was really enjoying the
experience. It was so quiet and for the first time I realised that,
without the distractions of someone with me, I could hear the distant
church clock striking the hours and half hours. This was most
helpful. I didn't have to dial the time on my mobile for a start –
expensive call anyway! And today, being by myself, I needed to know
when to return down the lane to catch my bus – another new move.
The buses are quite reliable. Today I was going to catch a later bus
going in the same direction – not back the way I had come, thereby
obviating the need to cross that main road whilst still blind. That
bus went on to Eastbourne (where Chris went anyway after picking me
up on the previous dry runs). Once in Eastbourne, I would revert to
my 'sighted' self, go to the railway station and return home. The
only concern was making sure that I was at the bus-stop itself when
the bus came along. It was easier then I thought. The bus stop has a
sign on a pole within a small lay-by with a decent kerb to it and I
had practised locating it when I had got off the bus that morning. In
the unlikely event of anyone having been there at that time, they
would have thought me somewhat odd! It was all a marvellous day out
for me and I look forward to doing it again when husband and I get
back form our forthcoming holiday from next week onwards.
Don't
expect anymore from me now until October.
Jane.
