Tag Archive for Blinded by the light

Sunglasses after sunset…

Spring is in full flow; with frosty mornings and the lighter evenings it is as if there are more hours in the day; or rather it is the illusion that more daylight creates. It is wonderful for lifting the mood after what felt like an even longer than usual winter considering much of it was spent in lockdown or local restrictions because of the continuing covid pandemic.

Spring and summer evenings extend the opportunity for me to get out for a walk. Recently I have deliberately headed out as the sun has begin to set to experience the lowering light levels; ensuring I am home before it actually gets dark as this is when my sight changes dramatically.

Part of my sight condition is ‘night blindness’ which for me means that any lights that are on are glaring and sometimes even painful to look at. While the light they cast is actually totally lost on me as I would be lucky to see my own hand in front of my face. It is a time when Fizz really has to work; which over the years together she has learnt to do. She will even pause on the step up a curb when its dark as apposed to daylight when she will just step straight up. (which has on more recent occasions seen me trip) yet in the dark, she does this without being asked.

Today, due to circumstance I found myself heading out for our evening walk AFTER the sun had gone down, it wasn’t really dark, but dark enough for the street lights to be on. Having been a beautifully sunny day I found myself with my sunglasses sat on the top of my head; so took the opportunity to test something out.

I have previously sat in a friends car (when we could do that sort of thing) and put my sunglasses on to help reduce the ‘dazzle’ I was getting from oncoming cars when it was dark, although I was sat still and didn’t need to actually concentrate on my surroundings. Tonight however was different, I was walking with Fizz, all be it on a route we both know well. It may sound silly, but I felt nervous, anxious even.

But it was just a pair of sunglasses, I could always take them off again, only (other than to capture this photo) I didn’t. The reduction in ‘dazzle’ from oncoming cars was AMAZING and it wasn’t just cars that I found it worked with; the reduction in glare from the street lights was also really good.

Photograph taken looking through sunglasses, to show the lighter sky and street light outside the sunglasses, with a darker tint and glare reduction though the sunglasses

The reduction in what I could see was affected, however only in the way that I had lost the shadow definition, however with Fizz guiding me I felt comfortable with it all. Fizz quickly picked up that I was being more vocal with my commands and as we walked further she adjusted to the change in light levels too.

So, from now on it will be sunglasses after sunset as well as before.

Blinded by the light

…. isn’t that a song title?

Whether it be the Manfred Mann Earth Band in 1975 or The Streets 2004 hit that springs to mind, it felt like the perfect title for this piece.

Today at a Multi Level Marketing Meeting in a lovely Portsmouth hotel, I found myself being blinded by the light.  Only in this instance it was from the bar.  A bar that, having visited several times before I had never noticed before, and from the picture you will hopeful quickly see why.


The entire bar looks like it is sat on a light box, here in this google photo it looks beautiful, but in the cold light of day in a bar where the main lighting was coming from this.  It meant that I was literally ^blinded^ by it.

Thankfully I have a guide dog who I can target with “find the bar” she managed to navigate me to a gap between the bar stools and I waited for someone to serve me.

And after what felt like Fifteen minutes, but was probably more like two the staff member who was stood behind the bar spoke!

It turned out that she had been stood their The entire time and was waiting for me to order, she hadn’t seen me approach the bar, so was not aware of Fizz, we spoke and she was very apologetic.  Asking me to take a seat and she would bring my coffee over.

So, back to my seat me and Fizz went, when just a short moment later she arrived with my coffee and apologised AGAIN (and I quote her here)

….for not introducing myself as your server and asking how I could assist you.

And explained that my coffee would be free of charge, as way of her apology.  I insisted I would pay for my coffee and she had more than made up for the mistake, but she insisted her manager had agreed that I was not to pay for my drink.

I took a photo of the view I had from my seat, I had ensured we moved away from the bright glaring light of the bar, while taking the photo I managed to get the image in a way that I ACTUALLY saw the view, along with a clear photograph of it too.

Clear photograph of bar interior looking out towards the hotel entrance

Blurred interior view from the seat I had at the bar interior looking out towards the entrance to the hptel

Next time I find myself at The Marriott Hotel, I shall ask one of my friends to go to the bar for me.  Because as mush as I like my coffee; I feel guilty for accepting one free of charge.

And on the subject of the soundtrack to this post, despite being in my 30’s, I am most definitely more a Manfred Mann fan than A Streets fan, so will leave you with this little bit of fun……

 

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