SECRET DOWN UNDER

Good morning Bloggets, well, what a morning already? It’s very wet out there, how do I know? I have been out there with a man in my garage. Haha haha. Well, let me tell you, our door again was broken. You would lock it and then try to open it and on the second attempt without a key, it would open. So yesterday I received a phone call from a nasty aggressive engineer. He was driving hands free one would hope? Well let’s say we had words. First he asked me what make the door was? I told him, he should know this as they fitted it. He asked me what make the lock was? I repeated what I had already said. He then asked me what shape the lock was. I told him I would go and look. I did I told him and he then asked if there was an H, on the handle? I said not to my knowledge as I’m blind so can’t see it also can’t feel it other than there is an obvious line going through the centre of the handle. He asked me could that possibly be a letter H. I said I don’t know, it’s a straight line from left to right, I could not feel the other two lines to form the capital H.

 

He asked me was the handle black? Well, luckily I knew it was, long story how I knew, but good job I did?  Well, he then told me he would charge £112 to come out, I said I don’t think so; it’s under the years guarantee. He told me that they didn’t fit the door. I said they did and rather than bothering me, get on the phone to his office. He slammed the phone down and called back later on and told me to have two keys ready for him. Two keys? Why? He then put the phone down again. I called him back and asked him why he needs two keys? He said he would sort it out just be ready for him. Really, his attitude was dreadful. The staff on the phone are Okay, and the guy who came out to fix it in the summer was Okay too, but him?

 

So all night dreading him coming, but ready so ready for him. Really it’s a great feeling when you learn how not to take any rubbish from anyone. Oh it took me 42 years, but I’m there now, I know what you are all thinking,

How can it take 42 years when I’m only 32? Hahheheheh.

 

Well, anyway, this man was out there no more than two minutes. I went to see him, he said it was fixed. I asked what did he do, he replied nothing. I said well it can’t be fixed. He said it was and asked me to check it. I did, it was locked, but then he told me I had to slam it closed. I told him I was slamming it. I said I was going to get the other key to see if it was that, he obviously thought, oh heck, she’s not going to be so easy?

 

He then checked it and said

“Oh no, it’s now opened without the key?” I said yes, I know, I told you we lock it, it’s locked, and then somehow it comes open? Shows he wasn’t listening, too busy listening to his own voice.

 

He told me to come in the house and he would “play with it…..” In my dark garage?

 

Well, he then could be heard on the phone to his colleague asking how to fix my door.

 

After less than ten minutes he said it was done. I went out, he told me to turn the handle before closing it. He said it was the wires that had come out. I told him that was what the last person said, he said, and I quote,

“You see, when we fitted this door, it was brand new, and so it worked. Now it’s older, it’s broken!”

You don’t say?

I asked him would it happen again and proudly he replied

“Oh yes, for sure!”

 

I won’t be recommending his company, though he was Okay today, not rude, just slightly thick.

Doesn’t fill me with confidence though for my future garage door?

 

My Teen is at college he is not happy, they are playing computer games. Oh really, they are not small children, why do they need to play games at his age? He should be packing in as much work as possible. I text him and told him he didn’t have to play, he could do homework? Haha, he didn’t reply, I guess he is now playing games.

 

He is there till later on today, a full day, it’s a long one for him bless him. He will be tired when he gets in. He got a lift from his kind friend today, really they are lovely.

 

Okay, now then Hubs secret Santa at work. Oh I have been so excited about it. I envied him. Yesterday they all went out for a meal and exchanged their gifts in a pub. All on juice though as all driving. Well, all but one!!!! The team are brilliant and I feel so proud of them all. This time last year, Hub was deciding on quitting his wonderful job. He had worked for the last organisation for twenty two years, doing lots of different jobs climbing his way up the ladder, taking his Master’s in business and a couple of other degrees along the way, he got as high as he wanted to be, earning a fantastic amount of money, but really had no quality of life. He was never home more than a few days at a time. He hardly had weekends at home and could quite easily do three different countries as well as UK travel in one week.

 

One day I was ironing short sleeved shirts and helping him to find repellents for whatever country he was going to and the plugs he needed and a couple of days later, long sleeves and again, different plugs as well as always making sure he had the right medication or necessary injections before travelling to faraway lands.

 

His body clock was really confused and it really did effect both of our health and mind-set.

 

So it was December when he began to think about a new career, but we have debt of vast amounts of money like mortgage. He is the main bread winner and we have the responsibility for three children. We contemplated selling the house and moving to a smaller property, but really we have come so far living here and know the routes to places. It’s not like sighted people who walk around their area or drive and see sign posts or routes, we have to be taught them or stay in.

 

Long and I mean very long story short, after applying for other jobs, he received the interview for his position and after three long gruelling interviews they picked him. We all knew that the job he now has wouldn’t be taxing enough for him, but as ever, he found his ground and dug foundations to build a tower, to reach out to those who need help, on at first and exiguous start, but once he removed the faulty bricks and brought in new and gave confidence to those who were already doing a fantastic job but just were unaware of their offerings, he could climb the stairs to create a successful organisation and do what he is best known for, and that is making life changing events for those who are ready to hold out their hands for help.

 

So way back at this time last year, we were very anxious. Didn’t know our future other than thought it would be a very difficult move. I felt guilt as my Husband has worked very hard to get to where he visited. I went to a couple of meetings with him, as you may remember reading we visited Oslo together and Scotland. I was so impressed in how his colleagues respected him and so many sighted people looked upon him for approval and advice. I was one proud wife, but also saw how many disadvantaged people he helped and Government papers changed because of his hard work. He worked internationally and made so many changes in so many countries and was world renowned. So how from there to here? How would he cope?

 

Answer, incredibly, a very rough start as I am sure he was bored as he did what others struggled with  and had so much time to spare, but, he did what he always did and at first I was a little cross, as I thought we are going down the same path again, where he throws himself into everything forgetting about his life, but thankfully, no, I put the brakes on a lot of things he wanted to start, an yet recognised that he needed more in his life, so watched him create new beginnings just enough not to affect his health and now he has found his place and is enjoying life and already talking about what he has planned for the future but he can only do this with the cooperation of his staff and so far they have been brilliant because they are also passionate about helping and supporting people with sight loss or who have never had sight. Not only that, but he is planning on how to help families with blind or partially sighted  people in their lives and how to help those who are suffering with grief, as I said in another blog, people who have lived with their parents for their entire lives, suddenly are on their own, panick strikes in and where to go? How as a parent do you cope with the news your child is going blind? Counselling required and lots of friendly visits and phone calls. How to educate children in schools predominantly there for sighted children? To put care into homes with a blind elderly parent or an parent with a sighted child? The perception is that our sighted children do everything for us; there are some parents who allow their children to be their eyes full time. Hub and I are conscious of this and rarely ask our Son to do anything for us, I think the parents who do this all the time,  would do it if they could see and just use their kids to do what they don’t want to bother with.

 

Everyone thinks our boy is our eyes, wrong, we are his more times than enough and he would be the first to tell people this too! It’s not our Sons fault that we can’t see so we won’t be a Burdon to him, though it would be nice sometimes if he would go out with us places just as it would be if we could see? Just like sighted parents do with their kids.

 

Okay, sorry off on one. Back to the Secret Santa. So a couple of days ago, Hub took in his gift. Well, really, it was enormous. It was meant to be taken in and discreetly placed in a sack. Em, no this was about the height of a small lady or tall fifteen year old.

 

So it was obvious it was from him, but as they all opened their gifts no one else knew who had given to whom.

 

Hub received a very nice bottle of wine, some delicious sweets that I have kept the bag to take to the shop to ask what they are as really they were and I stress, were, delicious. He also received some Christmas socks, well, I think they are Christmas socks as they seem to have some kind of picture on them, if you feel carefully, you can just about feel something. What? Not sure, I guess it would be a good idea to find out? Haha, I will ask Tap Tap see, the application on my IPod.

Having said that, I told you I have just installed it, well, Hub did. So not sure how to use it, well, at first I will tell you I have never took a picture before with my IPod? I mean, come on, there is a screen, so you touch the screen to type anything, you if can see look at the screen to see things, so if you want to know what colour your Husbands shirts are, you would hold the screen to the shirt right?

No, I didn’t know that the lens to the camera was on the back of the IPod. Okay, I’m always last to learn these kind of things, I wasted some pictures as I am on a free trial and only get so many pictures, but got there in the end as I held up a shirt, double tapped the screen and faced the screen to the shirt and the answer came back of what it was as a white telephone on a brown desk.

 

Well, I was bamboozled. In fact, my bam has never been so boozled.

How could this be? I was holding up what I thought was a white shirt and it told me what was behind the IPod? Then the penny dropped, and believe me, the penny has a long way to drop.

 

So the camera lens is on the opposite side to the screen Bloggets. Okay smarty pants, you knew that? Well, I blooming didn’t but now I do, I use it and it’s Okay, I’m sure I will have some funny stories about it over the coming days.

 

So, the young girl he bought for, she is interested in folk music and in a passing comment some time ago, told Hub she always wanted this item, so he went and ordered it for her. Well, I first thought he had gone mad. But she loved it, and it really did cause a few laughs, as specially when all staff had a go at blowing it and no one could so a guy went for it big time in the middle of the pub and made the most enormous sound. What was it? Hehehe

 a blooming didgeridoo!!!

Made from wood with native patterns on it. So those who don’t know what one is? Also known as a didjeridu is a wind instrument developed by indigenous Australians of Northern Australia. It is believed that the instrument is about a thousand years old and the longer it is, the lower the notes are.

I mean, whatever happened to a soap on a rope? Hehehe.

 

So now it’s out I can say what his mystery gift was. So how can he top that next year?

 

Okay, I’m choking for a cup of tea now and have lots of ironing to do. Wow, I know how to live it up? Later gators. X