Second of my answers to questions 25-11-2015

One aspect of blindsimming has raised a few similar questions (via my e-mail).

How did I manage on the bus? Didn't they expect that I would have a blind person's free bus pass?

Yes, I am asked by the occasional driver why I don't use it. Save me £3.50!

I have obviously looked into it, so at least I have a feasible answer. I'm not asked for it in the morning because the pass is not valid until 9.30am and I am well before that. I always have the £3.50 ready in exact change (as you might expect of a totally blind person, as I am!?) and similarly for the return trip. Otherwise, later in the day, I explain that since I had to pay for the outward journey earlier, I got a return being not much dearer that a single or perhaps I have forgotten to bring the pass. (Or I couldn't find it when I left etc.) This has been going on and accepted for so long now that I don't give it a thought any longer.

Except, curiouly enough, on the first of my new route trips a week or so ago.

When I got on the bus and asked for the further than usual stop, offering my £3.50, the driver pointed out it was an extra 'stage' and should cost an extra 60 pence. But never mind, he said, I could use my bus-pass (which I don't possess) for the extra 'stage' as it would then be after 9.30! Just go and sit down and forget about it, he said. Which I did, until I did get off when my conscience pricked me and I offered him the 60p - with my usual lame explanation. Well, he said, you're here now - next time perhaps!

Jane

First of my answers to your questions - 10-11-2015

Some of the questions (pertinent to last time's blog) are along the lines of whether I have a bad conscience about pretending to be blind when really blind people would be only to happy to be able to see and that I am taking advantage of all these kind people (five on my last outing!) who go out of their way to help me. Don't I sometimes feel at least 'inconsiderate'?

My answer is yes! I do have a bad conscience over this to some extent – certainly not a 'guilty conscience' though. I get the impression that such kind helpful people are the sort who enjoy helping others anyway. I have come across occasional non-helpful or only grudgingly helpful people, but not many.

Chris and I discussed this many years ago now after our blindsimming 'revival' – see our website journal - he feels the same and readily admits that he gets a certain 'kick' from blindfolding me and from guiding me around blindfolded (me, I mean, not him).

In our young days, we used to help out at the local school for blind children – again see our website journal – and later I developed a habit on Friday mornings, when I do my housework blindfolded and even now give fortnightly piano lessons to Lucy, another blindfold devotee, as I have my lunch still blindfolded. I tip out my purse, count all my loose change, put back just enough to see me over the week-end and the rest I put aside and take into the office the following Wednesday for my blindfolded office stand-in seession. I give the money to Chris, who adds the same sum and sends it off to that local blind-school (Dorton House, Sevenoaks) as a part of his firm's charitable giving budget (tax added for their benefit as you may well know?) Those charitable gifts assuage our bad consciences.

Two years ago, the school closed, just at the time we were developing my blindsimming walks down near the Sussex county town, and we now make our donations to the local blind peoples charity there in the same manner.

Answer to another occasional question next time

Jane.