DIARY LOOKING FOR QUASIMODO

Dearest Bloggets. I hope you are all well? First time I have had chance to sit down and have a chat with you all. Saturday our lovely friend Julie came to stay. She’s from our old home town. It’s always a pleasure to see her. She is a great friend. We had a lovely evening on Saturday. We ordered a take away from an Indian restaurant, who unusually delivered. The restaurant was recommended to us. I looked it up on the internet and it got great reviews. Well, I  hoped it would be nice for our friend. The food came and it was red hot, a good sign. And I can tell you it was really lovely, I enjoyed it. It was called Indian Ocean.

 

So the four of us sat around the dining table and had a lovely meal. Teen had been working all day, but was home for the evening. It was a lovely chilled night.

 

The next day, Sunday, we got up and had breakfast. Then exchanged Christmas gifts. Julie’s gifts were lovely as ever.

 

Then to town, oh boy. Well, firstly it took ages to get there by bus, though Julie has a car, she comes by train as it’s much more convenient. Got to town, hoped to have lunch at a lovely pub called “The Lamb and Lion.” But sadly it was packed. We have only been there once and that was with our friend from Russia, Ol. I thought the food was fantastic, so hoped to take Julie there, but it was booked up till six that night.

 

So Julie said a pub called the whole in the wall was good. We found the last table. The staff and punters were really friendly.

 

Then off shopping, oh heck. The town was totally packed with angry shoppers. I did go into Boots though and bought some new makeup. My treat from my kind Husband. We bought the girls some perfume and some other gifts then struggled through the crowds back to our bus stop. The town is not a pleasant place to go to at this time of year. Too full to navigate.

 

As Julie left us to go off to her train, Hub turned to me and asked if I wouldn’t mind going to the Cathedral?

Oh heck… Really? Well, the bells were calling for him. And it was Advent. So he is passionate about this kind of thing, so I felt obligated as after all, bless him, he had been very kind to me that day, in fact every day.

 

So it was cold, dark and too many people, so off to the Cathedral, the thought of sitting through the service for an hour kind of gave me chills, but for him, anything.

 

Well, we battled our way through the streets. My knuckles were scraped against walls, I stotted off lamp posts and at last, got down the spooky alleyways. Then the crunch. They at the Cathedral have changed the entrance, so it’s miles away from where we knew the route last year.

 

Oh Hub was furious with himself as he couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even hear anyone in the back streets to ask. I didn’t like being there, it was too out of the main part and I didn’t feel safe.

 

Well, to be honest, if we had plenty of time before the service was due to start, then I would have encouraged him to keep looking, but his suggestion to come home, I didn’t hesitate to agree.

 

We came out onto a different part of the main street. I thought, oh here we go again. We will get lost. There was Hub with a heavy bag and I knew teen was at home. I felt bad I didn’t have his tea ready for him coming in from work.

 

It was dark, would we know where we were to even phone for a taxi? Answer, no, but luckily, we followed the sounds of the main road, with all the hustle and bustle and thankfully heard the sounds of the road crossing, having said that, it could have been another crossing? But no, we got back to the bus stop; of course missed our bus so had a half hour waited for the next one.

 

They have changed the path around there, renewed it, so beneath our feet, feels different, so it’s hard to know where we are, as we use our feet for what seeing people would use their eyes. We feel high tactile, we know to turn right. We go down a slope rather than a step and we know to cross that road and the next step up should be a very high step. But most of the paths in our town are as flat as the road; this too can make life a little more challenging as how to know the difference between the road and the path?

 

Oh to rub salt into Hubs wounds, the bells were still ringing. Really, I wanted to look for Quasimodo, but then I remembered I was not in Notre-Dame!

 

Our bus came. LC was great; she gets us to the door. Was it our number? Yes, thankfully. Then to find a seat. Oh gosh I hate that, you really do get some odd hairstyles as your fingers try to discreetly touch the top of the seats to see if a head is occupying, not to sit on knees.

 

I swear one day, I will remove a wig! Thankfully it hasn’t happened yet.

 

Hub said,”Fi, I’ve found one, but there is only one seat here.”

 

Oh, thanks, I will get me own then? Hehehe. Such a Gent.

 

Half an hour later, I heard Hub getting LC ready to get off, so I stood up. It was our stop. I knew it was coming up, but still can’t get it right. How he does it I will never know, Or will I one day? As I am hearing things and I am aware of things more now than a year ago.

 

Off the bus and across the lovely peaceful road to our house. A seven minute walk. The smell of log burners was really strong. The birds still sang in the trees and the wildlife coming from the lake were telling tales of their busy adventures that day before bed.

 

Oh it’s always a relief to recognise our way home. We only once have got off at the wrong stop and that was awful as were miles away from home, well, OK, fifteen minutes but fifteen minutes lost as a blind person is no fun, as we could walk further away from home without knowing, thankfully we didn’t and got home at last, but yesterday we didn’t get lost and got home safely.

 

Teen was in it was lovely to have him home this weekend. He’s working every weekend till Christmas.

 

I don’t know when I will see Julie again as she is going to London to live in a couple of weeks, but I hope not long as we love her.

 

I doubt she enjoyed her visit this time as much as it was hectic, but the Saturday was lovely and Teen really likes her company too.

 

Today I have been working, now Hub off to work. Its night time and his colleague picked him up. They are off to a meeting a couple of hours drive away. Then having a meal in eh hotel and he will be back home at midnight. The meeting he is going to is to say thanks to a very hard working group who have raised a lot of money for Guide dogs, so he is going to make a speech and say thank you.

 

Teen at work till eight tonight, so I have his dinner in the oven and now must feed the beasty girls then think about wrapping some more gifts for Christmas.

 

I tell you it’s like Santa’s work shop here. We have gifts all over the place.

 

Hope to talk more later? As long as you are all alright? Xx