April 22 - Supporting Local Restaurants

The other day I heard of a man and his wife who were celebrating their wedding anniversary.  As a rule, this couple went out to eat, but on their special day they drove fifty kilometres to support the owner of a neighbouring restaurant. In spite of provincial health and safety restrictions, the owner of the restaurant had chosen to stay open for inside dining. In flagrant opposition to provincial health precautions, the owner also promoted live music, no social distancing or the wearing of masks, and was opening the beer gardens. The anniversary couple  were proud that they had supported this stance.

Like the anniversary couple, Lyle and I do feel for the owners of restaurants and small businesses and their loss of revenue. However, we have chosen a different path with our support. Last week we also had a special anniversary. We chose to celebrate by ordering take out from a local restaurant five minutes away from our home. The restaurants in our town have been diligent in following health regulations, and in doing so, have opted to protect both their staff and their patrons.

While our anniversary was a special open, ordering take out has become a norm for us over the past year. In pre-pandemic times, we would seldom eat out. Now to show support of local eating establishments, we have made a point of ordering out on a regular basis. It is a small step, I know, but we feel that we have chosen the right path.

April 10 - White Cane Use

Yesterday, I took a birthday card and small chocolate treat to a friend in hospital. If it had only been the card, I would have popped this in the mail, but my friend likes chocolate and so I decided to deliver the parcel to the hospital in person. To do this, I was going to need to use my white cane.

Using the cane gave me a strange feeling. During the pandemic I haven’t had many opportunities or need to use my cane. I simply haven’t been out to many places. We haven’t been travelling and I haven’t even been inside our grocery stores. Over the past year, Lyle has done the bulk of our shopping. When we go for outside walks, I am able to take Lyle’s arm or walk beside a friend. My white cane has fallen into disuse.

Now we come to yesterday. Lyle explained the set up of the table and security guard inside the hospital’s main door and I set off from where he waited in the parking lot. This might seem a bit of a non-event for those of you who can see, but I can assure you that for me, it was adventure enough.

I remember reading a comment in a book by a newly blind adult. The author explained that he had no need to climb Mt. Everest or single handedly cross the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. He would leave those exotic adventures to others. For him, a walk to the corner of a busy city street was exciting enough to set the adrenalin flowing. I totally understand his perspective. Not being able to see where you are going, but going anyway, is sufficient to set my pulse racing.

My mini adventure of yesterday has reminded me that I need to continue to practice my white cane skills. Practice makes perfect or at least if not perfect, then at least practice will help me to maintain a reasonable degree of confidence. I am looking forward to the day when Lyle and I can resume our travelling adventures and I can renew the use of my white cane on a more regular basis.

April 1- St. Michael’s Mount

Last month as I made my virtual way along the coastal road in Cornwall, it was early in my walk when I passed St. Michael’s Mount. In 2014, in real time, we had made St. Michael’s Mount a destination point for a day trip. After all, it was only ten minutes or so away from our holiday cottage.

Have you heard of St. Michael’s Mount? I must admit that prior to our first visit there, my knowledge was pretty scant. However since that visit, I often seem to come across the name – especially in the historical fiction books I like to read. Over the last several hundred years, this tiny island has had a long and varied history from castle to monastery to fortress to private home to tourist attraction.

St. Michael’s Mount is a rocky island off the coast from Marazion in Cornwall. At high tide, the island is only accessible by boat. At low tide, this sea access is impossible from the mainland. The receding tide leaves a wide expanse of murky mud and the little boats that are used to transport visitors are stranded beside the dock. However, access to the Mount is still possible. The low tide reveals a long causeway that stretches across the mud. This same causeway is completely covered when the high tide rushes in.

Timing, then, is everything. On our visit, we took one of the small boats at high tide across the water and on leaving the island, we walked back across the causeway. This is my most vivid memory of our visit to St. Michael’s Mount. The docents at the castle had a wealth of information and history to impart and although it was very interesting at the time, I’m afraid that by now I have forgotten most of it. 

On my virtual walk, I have now passed Plymouth and am heading inland in a northeasterly direction. This will all be new territory to me and I still have just over 900 miles to go.

If you would like to read more about our time in Cornwall, you can go to the archives of this blog. I wrote about Cornwall on October 12, 13, 14, and 15, 2014.

Also, I have included a picture with this post. In the photo, I am standing in the foreground. Behind me is the stretch of water between Marazion and St. Michael’s Mount. At the base of the island are the white buildings geared to tourists – gift shops, admission gate, etc., but at the top of the island you can see the silhouette of the castle tower and turrets. 

Sue in front of Marazion and St. Michael's Mount