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Monday 24 December 2012

BLACK BEAUTY'S LAST CHRISTMAS


Well if you read yesterday’s blog, you will know how anxious I was as Teen  was out with his girl,  Hub out with Long  chops to the Cathedral and I was to go to our church. I was terrified. I felt sick. I really really felt I had to do it and Hub said if I didn’t he was not going to the Cathedral, and I know how much  that meant to him. So talk about pressure? I also wanted to see my lovely friends there at the church. Like the girl from my old home town, who is so lovely and really wish I could get to know more. I knew I would see my faithful funny Welsh friend and the kind warm man who runs the church. There were others I wanted to see as well, as they all won’t know how much my life has changed over the past few months. I of late have been losing my nerve about going out, even though I have had huge support from two of my friends from school. Well, one of them, was not a friend at school, the opposite actually, but since we have left school, we get on so well now. Whenever we are together, we have a laugh and she is a lovely friend now. I think it has a lot  to do with my personal life and the fact that my Black beauty of a guide dog has had me in the middle of a busy road, with a bus coming one way and a car the other. I did not know which way to go, left, or right, Was I in the middle? The sounds were all around me, the noise of the puddles were like vast waterfalls as when in fear, everything sounds different and it is difficult to judge. Cars were coming and the bus was not slowing down. How did I know it was a bus? You can tell by how deep and heavy it is on the road. It makes a dull deep engine noise. Sometimes I get it wrong and it is a truck.  Hub never gets it wrong, he is amazing he can tell when we are passing lamp posts and everything like what is on the path, by the sounds.

I was dizzy and everything was going through my mind, like  “I was about to be killed and who would look after my loved ones. My poor dog would be really in so much pain before she died and so much more, it was really awful. I could go left and be hit by the car, right and be hit by the bus. I froze, but as the cars were coming too, would they overtake? Thank God they didn’t and I waited with my guide dog close to me as she went into a massive panic I kept her right close to me, trying to protect her as much as possible. The cars van, and bus drove on their way and I just walked to the right as far as the bushes, then I knew I was at the edge, but we typically,  had gone down a side road, so had lost the route completely, Oh it was just a nightmare. I was so  scared. How would I get home? Where was home? Teen at school, Hub in Thailand. Thank God, I have a couple of numbers now from  church, but I used my ears and inner map and  with the  help of my little dog, who was in a  state herself, we got home. I have had a couple of bad days with her, but that was the worst. Thank God I have a new pup coming and I pray she will work out for me?  

I got home that day, my BB, was exhausted. I tried to call Hub but he was busy abroad I contacted my best friend and sat and shook, cried a bit and wished for sight. Pathetic I know, but really I am not a strong person. I am a coward. But my hub pointed out to me the other day how I have changed. Silly little tell tail things, like we went to a shop a couple of days ago, just local, and I told him to stay outside the door and I would pop in. I would have never done that also I had to pick up a prescription from the doctors and I said to him, as the door is really hard to find, as it is one of those doors, where there are loads of windows at each side of the door, so the poor dog does not know where to take you, Hub agreed to wait at the door, whilst I went to the reception, and picked up what I needed. Hub stood there and just said “OK!”  So I knew where the door was. He said I would have never done that some months ago. He is right. As for church yesterday? I put on my clothes for church and found my lovely earrings hub bought me when we first met. I felt really tearful, as I do at  Christmas, as I really think you should not be alone at this time of year, and I was. I still was unsure I would make it to the top of our drive.

It was dark outside and the  wind was howling, this makes it really hard to  find where we need to go, as sounds are muffled.

I opened the front door. Blackness followed me out and darkness met  with me.

I wanted to turn the key and go back in, but I would feel a failure. I really did not want to do that walk. I shook inside. My fingers rested gently on the dogs harness, but I wanted a hand to hold. Someone to tell me it would be  OK.

“Would she do it? Would she find the gap in the grass? Would she stop at the kerb? She did, now, would she turn in at the right place for the pathway to church? She did!

Kevin met me, he is so warm and the father of the lovely little girl with the questions, I have written about before. She of course was there again and was as sweet as ever. Jacquie sat next to me, she was so very considerate, telling me little things, like when to stand, it’s not always obvious? I did not see my homey but Welsh friend was there, he  never ever misses saying hello. He is so clever and talented too as he wrote a great poem for a child to read in church and we sang carols. Everyone was given a candle to hold but I declined, hahaha. Can you imagine the headlines?

Right through the service, I just thought of the route home. Would we do it? I thought of my son and Hub. Hoping he was OK an  missed them so much. I had no time to think of my poor friends who would for the first time be without their loved ones this year, but for sure spend all other hours thinking about them. I did think about my best friend, I wanted to tell him I did it, as I knew he would offer encouraging words to me bless him? He is such a kind friend and him and his wife are lovely people with their own world to live through at this time of year.

We came out of the church, I felt awful, as wanted to stay for a cup of tea, but was too scared. So I walked home, BB got me all the way, they have cut down the bushes now, so we don’t poke our eyes out on the overhang, but we also do not know if we are in our street, as  it’s all bare.

Were we in our street? It was busier than normal, well, I was sure we were not, but then I heard the wind chimes and knew it was my garden.

She did it, she really did it. What a little star, as I really did loss my nerve and my BB, has to be told every move. I can do the same route every day and she still has to be told every turn. Not last night, yes we went over grass, muddy grass, so she did not find the pathway gap, but we blooming well did it. My little Black beauty, her last Christmas in a church before she gets her harness removed. Oh that is so sad?

Well, now Hub has Classic FM on, he is singing to the carols and he is  in the kitchen preparing all the meet for tomorrow. He will clean the kitchen, and I will go in to do vegetables. The house smells of stuffing’s and herbs. Teen is out again with girl but to be back before tea. I will light my candle tonight and bless those in pain and alone, also those who are facing a Christmas out of their houses as the floods here in the UK, are just dreadful and about seven thousand houses have been evacuated.

I will hope for lots of laughter and family time for those who are rich enough in life’s Patten to have such a wonderful experience and hope for those in heaven to have a lovely Christmas, knowing we on earth, are happy. With love as ever my dearest Bloggets. x   

   

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