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Monday, 25 February 2019

SMILE BY FIONA CUMMINGS


Where I’m sitting in our sitting room, the sun is so strong it’s making me sleepy. We have been to our dentist; our dogs were amazing. I felt so very proud of my Waggatail. I actually relaxed walking back home, feeling really chilled out. I let her work, didn’t have to give her any commands just let her walk home. Normally I have to tell her to turn left or right steady at the step over or whatever, mind you as we left the challenge of the dentist, I did promise her when we got home, she would be given a treat. My dog will do anything for her stomach.

Well they do say they match the dogs with the owners…

 

So, a simple day to our dentist. Hmm. Dog bags just in case, no, not for us to be sick in with fear from the drill chair, but in case our dogs decide to shame us… but they didn’t. treats to give them when they got us there. Positive reinforcement an all. It works. Harness and leaders, different collars too. Our key phone and card to pay. And on our way.

And I’m not starting a poem Hehehehe

 

It took seventeen minutes for us to walk there. We did debate if we should try to take a short cut, and discussed that we should may be do that one day when we are not up against time. As it happened, we got there in good time, well, early actually. It’s a snaky route ducking and diving, under trees and under staircases. one point the building we have to walk around, is really like a zig zag. There are six different business’s but there not in a tidy line. Some of the shops stick right out then the path goes in. if I were a bird looking down at that building, I would say it looks like stairs on their side.

 

Down a hill passing all the amazing smelling shrubs and the monkeys in the zoo, over a road and passing the post box where we turn into where the building is, Waggs puts her head against the door where I need to be blessed her. Then in the building, we turn up two flights of stairs and through the door we go. Near every door outside and inside, there is a long window, so sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between the door and the window, trying to open or exit a window, isn’t good for my street cred.

   

Left to the reception and then the waiting game. Waiting until we are called by the names next please…

So, who’s next the person in front of us, the person in front of them or the person to our side? Or, us?

 

I have learned that if I don’t do the stupid thing I have done all of my life as a blind person, and try to look sighted, and just look ahead, not moving my eyeballs about, and staring straight a head then people will speak rather than making eye contact then having that uncomfortable moment where they tell me that they thought I could see and aren’t I wonderful because I don’t have horns. Oh, sorry, because I don’t make the blues of my eyes disappear or wobble my eyes. The muscles in my eyes are the only muscles I have left that work, haha, but if I’m out I’m now not stupid enough to pretend I can see by trying to make eye contact, because that really confuses people. They think I can see, it doesn’t matter if I have a guide dog or not.

 

And they speak to us differently, almost raising their voices. Because of course every person who is blind is also deaf didn’t you know that? We also don’t have the ability to talk or know our own minds and as for being able to choose if we have sugar in our tea or if we would like a receipt at the till? Oh, well forget about that. Hahaha.

  

Anyway, what was nice was she offered to show us to our seat. As the waiting room was totally packed. And I have embarrassed myself so many times before by my overly friendly guide dog showing me to a seat.

With someone on.

And me putting my hand out to make sure it was the seat and not a coffee table, and placing my hand somewhere rather warm and I’m sure not welcome. Yep, right on a man’s groin. It was bad enough me doing that, if I only realised what it was and moved fast, but oh no, not Fifi, she had to investigate what exactly she was touching, it takes a while for the penny to drop, honestly….

 

There were loads of people there and the receptionist showed us a seat. I’m sure we got the last two. Gosh it was packed but it’s half term around here so all the annoying little people, sorry, little darling children, were waiting like patient beings for their tiny chops to be examined….

 

Our dogs were so behaved. And Hub and I were so amused by how people talk about us and our dogs as if we really can’t hear. It’s like we are not in the room.

 

“oh, aren’t they so well trained.””

I presume they were talking about our dogs at that point…

“It’s marverlous how they manage. To trust a dog like that. To be able to go outside like they do. Gosh look at them, so cute, beautiful.”” I think they had gone back to talking about the dogs again.

Hahaha.

 

I said to Hub. If we were to see someone who looked absolutely shattered, red and about to be overly friendly with the ground,  and we started to say

“Remind me if I ever look like that to go on the treadmill!”” or if there was a large person came in and we were to say something like our Mary thinks she needs to go on a diet, but looking at that, Mary’s, positively anorexic!

We just wouldn’t comment like that, but they feel the need to do so, now if they were to say those dogs are beautiful, or even clever, it’s just funny how they continue to talk about how difficult it must be to train them, how do they train them, must be the most  hardest job, as they have such a responsibility on their shoulders and then go onto say how wonderful we are. Hahaha. Well, let’s face it, we are pretty dam good. ()()

 

It is just like we are not there though. But as I went into the torture chamber and was exempt from the pain machine, I waited for Hub to see if he needed to suffer. But out we both came, having to sign papers. What we signed for? Goodness knows.

 

As we came down the flights of stairs, on the rail was a hand… thankfully a body was attached to it. And the voice of a child. Well I stood still waiting for her to walk around me and the Wagging one.

And, she stood waiting for me and the wagging one, to walk around her.

 

Then half way down the second flight of stairs, a lady stopped me to ask if she could stroke my guide dog.

As I’m coming down the stairs.

Even though there is a huge yellow reflector sign asking for people not to distract.

 

Well we got home and our painter was still here. It’s getting dark now and I have just realised that we don’t have a light bulb in that room long story… not sure how he’s being able to see, but hey, maybe he’s using his torch on his iPhone haha.

 

I guess I shall go and be a domestic Goddess in the kitchen. Hmm. Well, I’ll go in the kitchen.

Later gators.

 

  

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