Cars parking on pavements

Why do car owners park their car on the pavement, surely they know that roads are for cars, etc and that pavements are public footpaths? How is it then that many car owners are parking their cars partly or wholly on pavements. Let face it pavements were not built for cars, they are footpaths; we all know that there is not enough room for cars to park there. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or people with visual impairments, elderly people and even a mother pushing a buggy.  Motorists that park their car on the pavement are ignoring the law. To be honest, any journey that I take can be dangerous for roads and streets can be hostile to anyone with sight loss as pavements and road works have to be navigated, and there are the cars parked on the pavements even though it is against the law.  In many cases the mothers have to go into road as they cannot get by with a buggy as there is no room to get pass the cars, elderly couples would have to walk in single file. Wheelchair users have no chance of getting pass. Please car owners do not park on the pavements, park in your drive or if not at home in a car park. Thank you

Table tennis

I have always been very keen on sporting activities such as table-tennis, rounders, tennis, badminton, hockey, netball and cricket. When I was about sixteen, I went on holiday to Butlins in North Wales and on my first day there wandered into a hall where people were playing table-tennis. I was watching a game when one of the players came over and asked me if I wanted to play a game so off I went to play. I told her my name but did not catch what she said her name was because of the background noise, however we played a game and I really enjoyed it and she told me that if I wanted to play again to come to the hall the next morning….I went every day!

I sat down to watch the other players and after a while, a spectator sitting next to me asked which one was Diane Rowe. I looked at him and told him that I did not know, I knew who Diane Rowe was but what would she be doing here? Later, I got up to leave and the player that I had been playing against called out saying “See you tomorrow, Jean”. The spectator who was sitting next to me turned towards me and said” I thought that you did not know which one was Diane Rowe”.  I felt so silly but elated that I had been playing table-tennis with Diane Rowe who along with her twin sister was the World Ladies Double Champions in 1951.

Crooked Spire of Chesterfield, UK

I thought that you may like a closer look at the "Crooked Spire of Chesterfield"! There are many traditional tales about how the church’s spire became twisted; one is that a magician persuaded a blacksmith in Bolsover to shoe the Devil’s cloven hooves. When the blacksmith drove the first nail in to the Devil’s foot, the Devil howled in pain and lashed out in agony as he flew over Chesterfield, hitting the spire with his foot and causing it to twist, another version is that the tower buckled because of the Devil’s weight when he sat on it. There is also the tale is that the spire was so amazed to hear that a virgin was being married that the spire became twisted because of it’s effort to see for himself.

Mary Hare Grammar School

The Mary Hare Grammar School was founded 1st January 1946 at Dene Hollow in Burgess Hill, Sussex and opened on 30th April 1946 with forty-seven pupils. In 1949, the school moved to Arlington Manor, a Georgean mansion standing in an estate of woodland and parkland and situated about three miles north of Newbury. The school drive was lined with rhododendron bushes and in front of Arlington Manor there was always a wonderful display of daffodils among the evergreen in early spring. The manor always looked splendid in the magnificent surroundings. The school was officially opened by Princess Margaret on 19 July 1950; this was obviously a memorable occasion for the Mary Hare Grammar School.

I can remember vividly the day when I walked through the main oak door of Arlington Manor as a first year pupil, I found myself in a large oak-panelled hall, on the left was a grand piano and on the right was a magnificent wooden staircase that dominated the hall but before me was a half- portrait of a lady in green. It was of Miss Mary Hare who was responsible for giving deaf children the opportunity to have the best education that they could possibly have. Later, I was to learn that green was Miss Mary Hare’s favourite colour hence why the school uniform was green. I find it hard to believe that I had music lessons playing on the grand piano in the hall and I enjoyed the evenings when some of the pupils stand around the piano singing songs while one of the pupils or teachers played the piano. Mr R Askew was the headmaster of the school.

I have noticed that there have been an increased number of people visiting the posting containing photos that I took while a pupil at the Mary Hare. I was at the Mary Hare from 1952 to 1959 so if any of the visitors to this site are old pupils of the Mary Hare, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Need help?

There are times when I feel that I need some help in getting around as it can be difficult when in unfamiliar places or in crowded shops and the obstacles in the street  such as placards and posts  that are difficult to see or should I say that I don’t  always see. I know where obstacles in familiar places are but not so in unfamiliar places and that is when I feel that I need help. During my mobility training, I was shown some techniques that I found to be very helpful and you may find the techniques interesting and helpful should you be a sighted person and with someone who may be a relative or a friend that have some vision loss.

First of all, I will admit that I hate it when someone grabs hold of my arm and insists on looking after me because they do not realise how difficult and uncomfortable it is for the person with a loss of vision to relax and be in control of their movements when others are holding on to their arm in an uncomfortable manner or as if their lives depend on it though I realise that some people with sight loss may prefer it that way; we are not all the same.  Most of my family and friends just tell me that their arm is there should I need it so when I do need help I just ask them to let me hold on to their arm and then I place my hand just above the elbow. I tend to hold on to their arm when we are walking together then we can talk at the same time and then I do not tend to leave them behind because I am walking faster or going in a different direction!

 If you are helping a friend or relative or even see someone who seems to be having some difficulty and you want to help, approach them slowly, introduce yourself and ask if they need any help. If your offer is accepted, ask where they want to go and if they would like to hold your arm. Stand by their side and let them hold your arms just above the elbow then start walking and they will follow slightly behind you. If you are crossing a road, make sure that you tell them if the kerb is a step up or step down and pause slightly before stepping up or down. After you have crossed the road and if you are parting company, just explain to them where they are before you leave.

 When you are going in to a shop, make sure that you explain if the door opens towards or away from you, and to the right or left. Open the door with your guiding arm and as you walk through, the person you’re guiding should hold it open, before following you through the door. There may be times when it has been necessary to walk in a single file, the person who is guiding should straighten their guiding arm and move it to the middle of their back then the person who is being guided will move in behind them while holding their hand.

Imagine that you have come to some steps, what do you do now? First, you must tell the person whom you are guiding if the steps go up or down. The person’s free hand should be on the handrail, allow them to find the bottom step and when they are ready  go up the steps with the person following you one step behind. Don’t forget to let them know when you have reached the top or they may trip over nothing. Before going down, make sure the person you’re guiding has located the handrail and the edge of the top step, let them find the first step down with their foot before moving off. Walk one step ahead, and say when you reach the bottom.

I had a problem with some steps the other day when I was out shopping with my daughter and grandsons. We had to go down some steps and because I have a loss of side vision and have to be very careful when going down some steps especially when  not familiar with them. There are steps that are either plain or they are edged in white and this helps me to see where the edge of the steps is. The steps that we came across had a black inlay; this would have been fine if it was on the edge of each step and I completely misjudged it. I lost my balance and would have fallen down the steps but my daughter quickly grabbed hold of me. After asking my daughter what had happened, she informed me that the inlay was an inch from the edge of the step; basically I received the wrong information as I failed to see the edge of the steps. They may look very attractive to fully sighted people but to someone who has sight problems they could be difficult to access even when there is a rail. I have been again to practice on these steps and I am confident now that it will not happen again.
 It would be great if you were able to help someone who had some vision loss in the proper manner and I am certain that the person with the vision loss would appreciate your help very much.

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A holiday in Coldingham that I will never forget!

I will never forget the holiday in Coldingham in the Scottish Borders as nearby was St Abbs a quaint fishing village and St Abbs Nature Reserve. St Abbs is on the east coast of Scotland serves as a centre for underwater diving due to its clear waters. We were lucky for as we arrived in the village so did two divers and they were sorting out all their equipment and not only that they practically gave us a running commentary! To the north of the village is St Abbs Head Nature Reserve with a large colony of seabirds.

 We went as near to the edge as we dare but my husband decided to take a photo of us watching the seabirds....just an excuse really so that he could stay further away from the edge.

The cliffs are inhabited by large colonies of guillemots,  kittiwakes, fulmars and razorbills, to be honest I do not know which is which but it was marvellous to see all the seabirds nesting and to be so near to them but they did make a lot of noise!

We went on a boat trip too and I am so glad that we did for the coastline was stunning and seabirds that can be found there include Kittiwakes, fulmars, quillemotes, razorbills, shags and puffins. The coastline of cliffs and narrow gullies was really beautiful and we were so amazed at the number of seabirds flying around, there were thousands!