BLINDSIMMING LADY

DEVELOPMENT OF BLINDSIMMING BLINDFOLDS ( 1 )

 

Over a year or so when we re-started these trips, we tried various ways of blindfolding. As children of course, no-one took much notice of us, even though one of us, usually me, had a scarf bound over the eyes. Nowadays, as adults in a much different form of society, people would think it most odd and would interfere rudely and even aggressively, we discovered. Talk of a special birthday surprise treat put them off for a bit but we became quite self-conscious and went through a series of alternatives, among them self-adhesive patches, these didn’t really work. I’ll write later about the different options we tried and eventually finally adopted. See ‘MORE OUTDOOR BLINDSIMMING’ later on.

 

BLINDSIMMING AT HOME

 

Then, unfortunately, Chris began to find it difficult because of work pressures to take week-days off for our blindfold bird watching. I missed these outings but returned to my old occasional adventures of blindfolding myself at home to do various tasks.

I developed a routine for Friday mornings. I tried to accomplish blindfolded my weekly routine of changing the bed and laundering the bed linen. After some practice I found it not difficult at all. One of my main interests is playing the piano and my plan became to practice up a new piece each week each morning with the aim of playing it blindfolded on Fridays, once I had dealt with the washing and other domestic duties. This employed some little time of my blindfolded Friday mornings and filled in between finishing my domestic tasks and my lunch, which I had prepared earlier but soon got into the habit of eating it still blindfolded. On a ‘good’ day, I could stay blindfolded from 7:30 am to perhaps 2:30 in the after noon before I felt the need to un-bandage my eyes and return to the sighted world.

So then, once I had seen my husband off to work, which would generally be about seven o/clock for him to catch his train up to London, I first made sure the kitchen venetian blind was closed, this being the only window facing the road at the front of the house.

 

I blindfold myself in my special way. Nowadays, I always use the same blindfold. It is made of satin/silk-like material, light in weight (100% acetate?) and in colour with a dark red zig-zag stripe across it at intervals. It is a longish narrow scarf (50 inches by 12 inches – Chris trained as a Surveyor!) which firstly is folded in two longways and I have put some stitches in it so that it is already folded that once whenever I use it. I then fold it again longways and it is then just right for bandaging over my eyes. I fold it into two, crossways this time and, unlike a usual blindfold, I start with the central fold at the back of my head, fairly low down. I bring the two ends forward each side of my head, over my eyes and cross them and the then tie them at the back. So now there are two layers across my eyes, one low down and the other covering that but higher up. This gives a very efficient blindfold.

 

I hate it when I can see even slightly when blindfolded. I need to be completely in the dark, for instance, if in a bright sunlit room with a window, I do not want even to sense where it is, or in a less well-lit room, I don't want to sense an electric light if it happens to be on. When I am completely blind, my mind seems to expand sideways and I use my other senses to a much greater extent.

 

Also for my Friday morning activities, I use a thin bamboo cane from the garden, cut to the correct length for me to use as a ‘mobility tool’ as they are officially called. It is usually kept in the garage and husband has never moved it or even noticed it. At first, I used it in my right hand, using my left to feel my way. Then Chris, as always keen to encourage my blindfolded activities, suggested that it would be more interesting for me, if I kept my free hand in my pocket and relied entirely on what I could detect with the tip of the cane. He was certainly right. It is a fascinating experience at first to find that what had been very familiar surroundings becomes quite different when I start to explore blindfolded and using only the cane, I can get lost in my own home. Nowadays, of course, I am as much at home blindfolded as otherwise.

 

Having then blindfolded myself as described above, my first task is to go into the garage and find my cane, then back to the kitchen for my breakfast – the coffee is already on – and then on with my chores, including preparing and eventually eating my lunch. I smoke, I’m ashamed to admit, and it didn’t take me long to be able to light myself a cigarette and deal safely with it. There is a clock in the hall which chimes the hours, although the single chime for the half-hour sometimes was not so helpful!