DURHAM CATHEDRAL ALL PARTS

I’m typing fast as have to sleep earlier than the norm. Up early tomorrow. We are off again on our travels. But today? Well, we got to the train station. Now it’s Ladies day at the races, only thing is, people have forgot to tell the females who are attending the horse racing that to enter “Ladies day” you have to be a lady?

 

Oh really some women in our country are shameful. Ladies? I don’t think so. But tomorrow, oh that will be hell on earth. It’s the busiest race day throughout the year and I quote so many people I spoke with today. “The gypsies are coming” They have such a bad reputation they fight shout swear steal and more. And guess who’s going back to the train station? Yep, Fifi Blogget and Hub, but this time, LC is joined by little Waggatail. God help me. She will freak out. Oh I’m dreading it. She is a country bumpkin like her Mummy and doesn’t do town. But towns with the Gypsies?

 

Extra police are on duty and the staff at the station are dreading it.

 

Well tomorrow is tomorrow and I’m excited to see our friends. We are meeting up with our dear Trix and the Like man. They also are blind and I sent them a Tex saying

“We will meet with you in Newcastle you will know it’s us as we will have a daffodil in our lapel.

Oh. And a couple of guide dogs will be by our side.”

Trix replied saying she would be carrying the Guardian newspaper under her arm. Haha. Thing is, if none of us talk, we could be standing next to each other and not have a clue.

 

Anyway, tomorrow is tomorrow. Another day another blog. As for today?

 

We got to our seats on the train,  and though Hub and I didn’t sit next to each other we both had the company of other passengers. I was sat next to a man who entertained me I was telling him we were going to see our daughters singing in the Cathedral choir and that was fine, until he asked me what kind of performances they gave. Well, “Churchy stuff? Haha really, say what? Oh heck it was all going so well. A boastful Mummy about her chicks and then the question? I mean, I am clueless when it comes to Cathedrals. Choirs. I was in the choir all of my school life we went abroad to perform and I was in singing groups. But as for the girls? Well, they are in a cathedral choir so what kind of music would they sing other than churchy stuff, right? But I’m sure that wasn’t the correct answer. I’m sure I should have sounded more knowledgeable and a little more cultured. And possibly have replied. A Choral recital of  Bach’s St Matthew Passion, we will also be privileged to Hymnus Paradisi, but to be honest, I would be in fear he would have offered me some ointment or at the very least, a pain killer? I don’t know what kind of music the girls would be singing. Just know they were, and we were going to see them as Hub loves that kind of music and we wanted to see them singing together.

 

Said bye bye to the nice man and on our way we went. Got to the taxi rank and a very sweet elderly man drove us to the cathedral.

 

Well as we left the car and walked up the wide pathway with grass and trees at each side of us, I almost cried.

 

The sweet air of the North East. My home my dear place of birth. The air. I was like a junky walking towards the bells. Snorting the air as we walked. I found it incredulous that to travel an hour away made the difference of the fragrance. Where I live it is as polluted as is the South in fact even when we went to France, near the beach, the air was not good in comparison to the North East of the UK.

 

Well, what happened next? I will let you know when I get some shut eye but it did make me pleased that I have left the North East.

Part two

Good Day Bloggets. Well at last I am sitting down to have a chat with you all. A busy weekend. Firstly with our visit to Durham Cathedral to see our girls singing in the choir. They were amazing. Cathedrals are so not my thing, but Hub loves them and I wanted to see our girls as they are performing in even song at the Cathedral. As I said earlier, as we stepped out from the taxi. The fresh air was so heavenly. The greenery. I so miss that about where I used to live. The air is so clean. As we got out of the taxi, we asked if he could assist, but he did a typical thing and pointed. We asked him which way he was pointing, well, then we had Left and Right Gate. Honestly. People who don’t need to verbalise make us laugh how they don’t know their left from their right. They just do it, you know what I mean? Anyway, he then clicked on and physically tapped the shoulder of which way he meant. He was a nice old fella. So we began walking. I didn’t care by that point. We had done part one of our journey. That was awful as the amount of people at the station was terrible.  Also no assistance booked. But we did find someone helpful who showed us our seats as obviously they were booked. So we had to sit in a particular place.

 

We passed a lot of respectful whisperers. As this place is of absolute respect. It’s apparently the most beautiful Cathedral and the walk to it certainly was. The fragrance of fresh grass and blooms filled the unpolluted air.

 

There were no steps. Thankfully, as steps is my nightmare. I had my white cane Waggs was at home; it would be her turn the day after. At least with a white cane, you know if there is a step and how big the gap is getting onto the train. With a Guide dog, you have to trust their judgement. Sadly I fail in that department.

 

As I followed Hub he was being guided by the amazing Longchops. Oh she is a superb dog. She headed towards what we hoped was the building. Again, trust. Me, I would be wondering if we were going in the right direction, but Hub totally trusts LC.  And as I felt the warmth and the air changing, using all of my senses, I knew we were heading the right way. But it’s enormous. So the door? Now this is where a white cane can’t assist. A Guide dog, should, take you to the door. And good old Chopsy did. We went up the steps, through a door. Well, we got in and the other doors were closed. All of them in a line. I said to Hub perhaps it’s locked until time for the service. Well, there were people looking at us and you would think that charitable Christian people would come and help us out? Right?

 

I could feel myself getting more and more anxious. I hate feeling as though I look a fool. As we tried to open door after locked door, no one came until I asked a person behind us to help. She laughed and said, oh yes there is no more awkward doors than these ones.

“So why didn’t you come and help? Well, I didn’t say that, but I wanted to.

 

Any way we were in. Oh shivers down my spine. Seriously these places scare me. I sense spirits and fear. I don’t know what it is, a church I’m not bad but a Cathedral? The smell and the Absolut feeling. Well there would be someone at the doorway like there is in our hometown Cathedral, right?

Wrong. We stood to wait to see if anyone would come to our rescue, as it’s not a case of just walking in and sitting down. There are ropes so places you can’t go, nothing is in a straight line. There are steps inside and ramps. Its vast space makes you disoriented. Well I have written about before how Hub is amazing outside but in buildings goes a little like me outside. Not a lot like me, as that would be ridiculous. Anyhow, I soon realised that no one was coming to help, so I took over the guiding I used my echo to find our way, slowly we walked down the aisle. To the left then down to the right. We then stood as we heard voices and of course someone would ask if we needed help. Em… Nope.

 

A little further we walked. Stood. We could then hear the choir rehearsing. They sounded really good. Then Hub got tearful. That was his girls singing. He was one proud Daddy and I loved that.

 

Oh but where would we sit? We were still miles away from them. So on we went to find a seat by following the singing. Well, as we got closer, it was rather funny as a little man came to us, obviously scared we were going to cause some damage to some fine relic. Or dare to interrupt the choir. Well, at first the horrid little individual didn’t know how to show us where to go. He made a bit of a thing about it. I say horrid little man because he was little, and we were sure that he was the man many years before who wouldn’t allow us to clime the tower with our kids. Health and safety. But in the end, allowed our children who were nine, ten and eleven to go on their own. We had to wait like naughty school kids I was so cross. But we didn’t’ want the kids to not experience the tower.

 

How to make us feel so different. You know would he dare do that to sighted parents?  No, he wouldn’t. And as for health and safety, well what about those who have heart problems? I mean, that is something you can’t see but because our eyesight is obvious, we were condemned.

 

Well, LC kept stopping. Then the little man with the most perverted voice. Stopped in front of Hub and said as a ghost would.

“She. Keeps. Stopping. Because, I keep. Stopping.”

I just wanted to say in the same slow voice.

“Well. What. In Gods. Name are you. Stopping for?

But I didn’t. I was good. Then thank Goodness, our eldest daughter came to us or I’m not sure we would have got far.

 

She placed us in a seat then after rehearsal, came back to us and sat us right next to where the two of them were going to be standing singing.

 

They all went off and then back to sing after a break. The person leading the service was fine, told of depressing bible stories. All about killing, I thought there is enough killing on the news; I don’t want to hear it in here. But I did listen to the singing the service was lovely the girls sang so well. Not one note was wrong.  All of the kids were brilliant. I say kids there were adults too. And of course our big girl now is eighteen, so in a way she is an adult. Hmm. Don’t know if I can ever see my kids as adults though, to me they will always be our babies.

 

At the end of the forty five minute service, we walked out with our youngest daughter. That was after we got half way again up the Cathedral towards where we thought we would find the door out. Our daughter asked where we would get our taxi from. We said at the front. Well that was funny, as she then told us there was loads of doors which entrance? Well, I just told her it was double doors. So she looked around and found the correct door. That would have been funny if we were stood waiting for our taxi and at the wrong entrance?

 

We stood with the girls for some moments and then we got in our taxi.

 

Sad to say goodbye to the kids. But they are so brave and amazing in their school holidays, to dedicate their week for a course of singing. That is what they were on that is why they were at that choir, rather than the one where they live as and additional group if you like. They sing all year at school and now our eldest has a scholarship with the choir. But this was extra. Most kids are in their bedroom on the computer. But they give a week to this. Shows dedication.

 

We got to the train station. The driver said up that path. So LC did her stuff I followed reluctantly. Shaking. Through noises of traffic, suitcase wheels passengers and trains as well as announcements. Now, to find the desk to ask for help getting on the train? And would they help?

 

 We walked; bare in mind we both are totally blind. And then we felt the air. No walls at our side, but a roof so at first was difficult to know we were outside, but when we learned we were, we turned around went in a different direction and were then in the middle of everything I heard an official voice so we followed that with the noise couldn’t hear what he was saying, but the tone? It was someone who could hopefully help.

 

On the train, to the taxi rank and home. Locked the sighted world out put on the kettle and time to reflect our day. , but we did what parents do. We did it for our kids.