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Wednesday, 21 September 2016

VISION HOTELS BY FIONA CUMMINGS


Good day Bloggets. Gosh, where to begin? I guess at the beginning. Well, last night after a full day, Shamrock came around, she spoils Teen and almost always brings him food, either cakes she has bought, a take away meal or in the case of last night, she brought him a savoury rice and chicken she had cooked bless her. That was after an enormous pasta dish he consumed that I had made him. He did make a sound to say he was rather full as he exhaled and allowed his toned stomach to breathe out as his cheeks puffed out with contentment!

 

Shamrock is trying to renew her passport and it is a total nightmare. Contacting  the Irish Embassy is proving to be a challenge. We spoke for an hour or so, she is so sweet different to anyone I have known before. I like her. I just have to keep my distance a little as they are both so young and I don’t want to get attached to her and be sad if they do split up. Teen is adamant that this girl is for life. But he was with the last one. Thank God she wasn’t. Hub really likes Shamrock and out of the two of us, Shamrock prefers Hub. It’s sweet as I would have never put those two as a connection, again so very different. But saying that, Teen and Shamrock are so far apart with regards being similar it’s unbelievable. But it’s working and they obviously care for each other very much so long may it last.

 

I had to put the heating on yesterday for the first time, only for half an hour a couple of times, once when I got back in around three in the afternoon and about nine at night. Outside it was raining and you know when your bones feel damp?

 

Hub is having really lovely weather where he is, in fact he took his delegation outside for their conference yesterday.  

 

He is home tonight around midnight, or just after then. He has his six hour train journey first. He is staying in a hotel one of a few in the UK that is focussed around hosting holidays for people withno sight or little vision. If there are any last minute rooms, they are sold to the public, sighted or not.

 

Hubs organisation used to run them but no longer do and the hotels are closing, leaving those who totally relied upon them devastated. Well, I only know about the one he is in right now, I have had lots of reports over the past few years saying how run down this particular hotel is and even how it’s filthy. It’s near a cliff top too, without a rail, so not so blind friendly in that respect, but each room has tea/coffee facilities and there are gagits to help those who can’t see. All the room doors are Brailed and there are board games around the hotel in Braille too. The rooms have a dog bed and two dishes for the dog food and they will even arrange to get the dog food you need in so that you don’t have to transfer food. Amazing.

 

So, my first thoughts knowing that the hotel was in such disrepair, was to close them and for Hubs organisation and other companies to get together and talk with hotels around the UK to discuss four times a year they will fill their hotels with people with poor or no sight and for their conference room to have the things like games and Braille books perhaps, for people to get together and enjoy times together. The staff would be trained to help those who need it just perhaps an arm to hold as they are shown their room or a guide to the restaurant for example. We don’t need help with other things, it’s just our eyes that don’t work.

 

There would be dog runs put in the grounds for the dogs to toilet, just like there is in these vision hotels. Murder mystery weeks would be held and other activities that the now vision hotels do so well.

 

But after Hub was telling me yesterday he was talking to a man who is blind and he said that he never gets out of the house apart from once a year and he comes to this hotel for a month. Bless him. My heart broke. No one should have such a life. He was rather upset and Hub was shocked by the man’s situation. Hub said he so badly wishes that he had the money to buy the hotel and keep it going as this place is a community. People meet there, then meet up every year after that. I guess my idea of every day run of the mill hotels opening their doors for four weeks throughout the year wouldn’t work for this man who only leaves his house once a year. Poor thing, I guess some would say that he could have four different hotels, but there are people out there who to leave the comfort and safety of their house is a struggle that they hate to do. Once there, they are fine, but to leave the house is a total nightmare for them, the travel involved and so on as a blind person who doesn’t have any confidents is extremely stressful.

 

The people you see on the streets walking along with shopping bags or a brief case, well, those are the lucky blind people, I started this blog page for the silent people with poor or no sight, those who don’t have a voice and I think these hotels provide a safe haven for them.

 

So I am very  sad that the hotels are closing and so far there is no answer to what happens next and as I said to Hub, even if his organisation arranges something, for the people who don’t have a guide dog or are in contact with any companies who deal with those without sight, if they are not on line, I bet there are a lot of people who don’t even know that there is software to make their computers speak when you press the keys, or even know about IPhone and the speech facility that is on that. So how will they ever learn about a new project?

 

Oh as I’m writing this, I’m getting so upset. I don’t want to think of people on their own, I bloody hate the fact that someone is stuck in the house in a sighted world without sight. It’s almost like being locked in a room and the keys are lost to get themselves out.

 

Why didn’t I win the Lottery on Saturday? I tell you, if I had those people would be getting good news this week. I feel so helpless. Please find a cure for those who need it, end the darkness for those who want to see light?

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