What I
meant last time was - Are there any active blind-simmers out there
who smoke while they are blindsimming!?
As I
do, as I’ve said from time
to time. Tony, my bird-watching guide accepts that I need to pause
and enjoy a cigarette occasionally. On our walk around the bird
reservation we eventually come to a ‘hide’, a wooden hut where
bird watchers sit inside to observe birds through windows but are not
visible to the birds to frighten them off. I’ve
been into them elsewhere when not blindsimming so I know what goes
on. Obviously not much use to me when blindsimming, so Tony
usually finds me somewhere to
sit outside while
he
goes in to talk to people and see what’s about (birdwise!) Then I
enjoy a cigarette and listen
to the birds and, with luck, absorb some sunshine perhaps
even for a half hour or so.
Thus
it was one sunny morning a month or so ago. Tony had sat me somewhere
near the water’s edge close to the ‘hide’ (he told me) and I
could hear him and others talking to one side above me. Then I
suddenly heard someone complaining they could smell cigarette smoke.
Surely, he said, anyone would know better than smoking in the hide or
even outside, for that matter? I groped for my ashtray and stubbed
the offending cigarette out! Then I heard Tony apologising on my
behalf, saying that his companion outside was totally blind but
extremely good at recognising bird sounds.
The
other man then became quite apologetic himself and said in that case
not to worry about it. But I thought it best not to relight my
cigarette!
A few
minutes later a voice nearby asked if he could join me. I recognised
it as the complaining voice from the ‘hide’ and started to
apologise. He was now most friendly, sat down and chatted a bit and
mentioned Tony had told him I was blind but good at bird sounds and
so on. He then said he had the same trouble over smoking and would I
like to walk up to a nearby seat where we both could have a
cigarette! Providing he told Tony, I said, which he did. I gave him
the usual few words that I’d prefer to hold his arm and walk just
slightly behind (I have soon learnt that most people faced with a
blind person think that they must do the holding, which is not so
helpful.)
Anyway
it was like the old days, when the fisherman used to sit on the bench
and light my cigarettes -see some of my older blogs! My new friend
said any time that Tony wasn’t around, he was here bird-watching
more often and gave me his mobile phone number to ring. He wasn’t
used to helpless blind people obviously but I got him to put it on my
mobile which has a separate number code to use first. Thanks to
Chris’s ingenuity. Chris is 1, Tony is 2, and my new friend is now
3. I might get round to trying himout?!
The
fisherman doesn’t carry a mobile. It might ring and frighten the
fish perhaps!
Jane
