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

 

 

 

March 25 - Cornwall

I loved the time we spent in Cornwall. The whole area was just so interesting. Back in 2014, we made our base at Ludgvan, just a short distance east of Penzance. We stayed in the annex of a cottage owned by a lovely young family. It was the perfect base for multiple day trips.

 One of these trips took us to Mousehole – pronounced Mowzel. Parking was an issue. There simply wasn’t any available. The streets were exceptionally narrow and the houses were built to the edge of either the road or a sliver of sidewalk. It was a fascinating place to visit and a good spot to watch either the incoming or receding tide. Tides came in and out with some speed. At high tide the fishing boats rode high on the water and at low tide these same boats were stranded on a wide expanse of slushy mud.

On my virtual walk from Land’s End last month, I didn’t notice the route taking me through Mousehole. Instead, the route seemed to veer a little inland to the site of the Merry Maidens. We had also been here on a day trip. The Merry Maidens are a near circle of stone rocks – I suppose much like a mini version of the more famous Stonehenge. The legend goes that eighteen young women set out from the neighbouring town for a day of festive dancing. Unfortunately for them, the day in question was the Sabbath, and the girls were all turned to stone as punishment for their sinful behaviour. In 2014, we were the only visitors to the site, and I found it peculiarly eerie.

On another day on our long ago holiday, we drove to St. Ives, about 10 miles north of Land’s End. It was a beautiful sunny day and we spent some pleasant hours down by the harbour and tried our first Cornish pasties. However, be warned. Parking was limited to an area at the top of a steep hill leading down into the town. It was okay going down but coming up was a different story. I remember that this was also the first and only time in Cornwall where we spotted another white cane user.

I am including three pictures with this post. The first is of Lyle standing beside the name board of our Ludgvan cottage. I would highly recommend this accommodation. The cottage was suitable for a couple but you do need a rental vehicle. 

Lyle standing beside cottage

The second is a street view in Mousehole. Because of the proximity of the houses and the narrowness of the thoroughfare, it was hard to take this picture. I remember that Lyle had to stand in the middle of the road while I stood safely at the edge, supposedly watching for traffic. The picture shows Lyle standing in the centre of the street.

 

Lyle at Mousehole

 

The third picture is at the site of the Merry Maidens. It was a rather dismal day and I suppose that this did much to add to the eerie atmosphere.

 

Sue with the Merry Maidens

 

 

March 16 - Virtual Travelling

I have begun another walk. This time I am walking in England. With everything that the coronavirus has taken away from us, I am glad that I have found the joy of virtual walks. In these COVID times when travel in real time is not recommended, I am enjoying my virtual travel experiences.

Since I last wrote about my walk in New Zealand, I have completed the ninety mile distance of Hadrian’s Wall. This wall, stretching across the English/Scottish border, was actually a fortress constructed by the Romans. It was begun in 122 AD and with labour provided by Roman soldiers, was completed in just four years. Only a few sections of the wall are visible today but there are numerous sign posts and museums along the way that give the hiker a glimpse into the rich history of the area. The website that I used to track my walking progress also sent me several descriptive postcards and I was able to follow my location on the route with global maps. I would love to do this walk in real time.

With the ease of the virtual traveller, I have now moved to the south of England, actually to the far southwest corner of Cornwall. Several years ago, Lyle and I were fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in this area. I remember that we caught the train from London to Penzance. I was excited to be going to the town with the same name as Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta, The Pirates of Penzance. Of course, these days the town is simply a peaceful seaside resort on the Cornish coast.

Last month, I started my virtual walk about ten miles west of Penzance at Land’s End. The location is very aptly named. The road goes no further. It is indeed the end of the land. From our time there in 2014, I have a vague memory of a rambling hotel, a restaurant and a few gift shops.  However, Lyle and I both have a very distinct memory of the landscape itself.

Land’s End is remote and rugged. We were there in shoulder season so it felt isolated as well. Rocky cliffs lined the shoreline and the ocean was wild. With my cane, I found it hard going on the uneven pathways but the view was spectacular. The wind whipped about us and the waves surged against the rocks. Out in the channel it was easy to imagine how so many ships had come to grief. Apparently, there are multiple shipwrecks below the surface.

On my virtual walk I missed all this as I merely started at the beginning of the road. I am glad that I am doing this walk virtually because my memory says that this section of the road was fairly narrow and walking on the edges could be hazardous. If you want to check out the website I am using, it is:

www.theconqueror.events

 

 

March 6 - Cane or Wheelchair?

Generally speaking, I am a white cane user, but there are the odd occasions when I choose to sit in a wheelchair. Those times have usually been at airports.  Airports can offer mobility challenges even to those folk who are fully sighted and independently mobile. It is at times of crowds or uncertain distances that I have elected to sit in the chair, partly for my own safety and possibly also for the safety of others.  With my mobility cane there is always the potential to trip myself or be the cause of tripping someone else. Sometimes sitting in the chair is the only way I can get airport assistance.

Using the wheelchair is not always an easy decision but it is often a practical one. I was reflecting on this when I read No Time Like the Future: An Optimist considers Mortality by Michael J. Fox.  As you may or may not know, Fox is challenged with Parkinson’s Disease and has definite mobility issues. For the most part he uses a support cane. He is able to walk, but not well and not far. At one point in the book, he wrote of his experience at a busy airport.

Fox wrote that when he sat in the wheelchair, he felt frustrated, isolated and basically at the mercy of whoever was pushing the chair. He felt more or less like a piece of luggage.  At a particular airport as he approached the scanner, Fox announced that he would rather walk through the scanner and have the chair inspected separately. This caused some confusion to the airport assistant. The view seemed to be that once Fox was in the chair, that is where he should stay.

I have encountered this viewpoint at various airports. A couple of years ago as I approached the transition scanner at Heathrow, I told my pusher (yes, I know that word has a different connotation these days!) that I could walk through the scanner. I was told very firmly that I needed to stay seated and I would be patted down in the chair. I found the pat down very intrusive. At one point I was asked to raise my buttocks so that the wand could be passed between my body and the chair. How much easier it would have been if I had been permitted to stand and walk through the scanner and the chair could have been inspected separately.

Not everyone has the choice as to whether or not they should use a cane or a wheelchair. I am writing in hopes of gaining some understanding for people who live in a world of transitional mobility.  We don’t think twice if we see a person taking glasses off or on to read something. That is simply a case of transitional sight. The person might see distance or close up differently. Why then should we raise our eyebrows when a person transfers from cane to wheelchair to suit a given situation.  Let us all try harder to look at the humanity rather than a person’s aid to his or her mobility.

February 27 - Wheelchair Tennis

Lyle and I enjoy watching tennis matches. In February, the Australian Open tennis tournament was broadcast on the sports channel. Mostly we watch the men’s and women’s singles matches, but there are other categories – men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles and what was a surprise for me this year – wheelchair tennis. I have seen other sports where the athletes were wheelchair bound, but I had never seen the game of tennis played from this perspective. I was totally impressed and to my chagrin, a bit behind the times. Tennis has been played by wheelchair participants for quite a few years already.

Have you ever had occasion to need a wheelchair?  My own answer to this is affirmative but fortunately for me, each time the need has been temporary. The very first time was a doozie. I had fallen – I wasn’t using my cane, missed a step – well, actually a large hole, and went tumbling down into a culvert. The pain was excruciating! A trip to the hospital emergency showed only a severe sprain, but I was not to put any weight on the foot for the next several weeks.  When crutches seemed to invite the probability of another fall, we opted to borrow a wheelchair.

Over the next six weeks Lyle and I began a steep learning curve of navigation and wheelchair mobility. We looked for alternate ways of entering buildings instead of using revolving doors. We looked for ramps instead of steps and searched – sometimes in vain, for accessible washrooms. We were very cognizant of which street intersections had sloped ramps to the roadway and which ended in high curbs. It took lots of energy from both of us and we were often played out by the end of the day.

The wheelchair I used was an older one borrowed from our local health unit. It was heavy and clumsy. It was hard enough for Lyle to push and I found trying to move the wheels forward myself almost impossible. It was a far cry from the lighter weight trim looking chairs propelled around the court by the tennis competitors. Nevertheless, I’m sure that the arm muscle development of these super athletes was way beyond the norm. How did they ever manage to maneuvere their chairs with one hand and ready their tennis racquet with the other? If we ever get to see a live match, I would definitely book a seat to watch these champion tennis stars. Such skill, strength and agility would be a sight to see!