Sarah & i (whilst on holiday in St. Kitts, Caribbean 2015) kept saying āWow, this is Amazing! How did we get here, itās like a dreamā. The beautiful hot sun shining down, a lovely cool breeze and those stupendous palm trees!Ā āļøš“šĀ
Tag Archives: Blind
iReminisce: Dandelion Clock
As we were walking around the gardens ofĀ Nonsuch ParkĀ (2008) my lovely wife Sarah pointed out a dandelion clock, I quickly drew out my camera and did my best!Ā šĀ
Ā Camera usedĀ –Ā SONY Alpha a100
‘Steve’s Blindman Trail Marathon’ in memory of my mum Valerie ā¤ļø
Hi all, this is the official release for my fundraising towards my brobdingnagian challengeā¦Itās exactly 7 calendar months until my trail marathon! šŖš¼Ā
‘Steve’s Blindman Trail Marathon’ in memory of my mum Valerie ā¤ļø
Iām planning to step off the sidelines again soonā¦ this time in memory of my wonderful mum, Valerie who died after a 14 yr struggle with Multiple Sclerosis, in the same month that I was registered blind.
Iāve always wanted to do something positive to celebrate her life and as you may know, my lovely wife Sarah has just started work at the MS Society. I can think of no better time or charity to make my fundraising in memory wish come true and I can finally add my mums name to the MS Society fight to stop MS. šŖš¼
I know Iāll be stretching myself past my limits for this challenge and so your encouragement and support would really help me to keep my training on track. Any donation you can spare would build my morale and endurance so I can smash this and reach my Ā£1,000 goal to make my mum proud.
Together we can be a force for change and BEAT MS
Steve’s Blindman Trail Marathon
Fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis SocietyIn Memory of my mum Valerie
Story…
Hi, I’ve chosen to raise funds for MS Society and Iād love everyone who kindly decides to support me and this amazing charity, to take a moment to remember my lovely Mum Valerie!
She spent so much of her too short life giving to me and my siblings before MS took her independence and eventually her life. This is why Iāve decided to give something positive back. I want her name and face to join the fight so that she can live on through the tireless work the MS Society is doing to find treatments that will stop MS for good. šŖš¼
My beautiful mum passed away from progressive MS, after a courageous and tiring 14 year battle, in July 2000.
As you may know Iāve been registered blind since I was 25. My sight loss happened in the same month my mum finally lost her life and missing her added misery to my own struggle to come to terms with the isolation and insecurities of managing my new life as a blind man.
And soā¦ā¦.
My Challengeā¦Sunday 24th April 2022
I originally planned to take part in an MS officially organised event but quickly realised that with my sight loss walking an unknown route amongst so many people would create too much external stimuli on my senses and be too confusing for me to manage without serious injury.
I was worried I wouldnāt be able to do the challenge at all but Iāve finally found a safe(ish) trail about 2.5 miles long, in the woods and past a lake near my home. I am hoping this will work well as my walking route, (Iāve now learned it enough to be able to follow it without guided help). I think this trail will work really well for me to do my trail marathon challenge ā¦ if I can manage to make my way safely around this uneven, hilly, rough terrain about 11 times! š°
Iāve begun to realise, as I write about this challenge during the start of my training, that Iāve only managed 2 laps each time so far, after which I collapse, needing water and food, lol! I have no idea how Iām going to continue for 11 laps non-stop but Iāve got seven more months to build up my strength and enduranceā¦ I hope. š
Itās slowly dawning on me that this challenge is going to include around 8 hours non-stop blind walkingā¦ Ouch that’s going to hurt and take a lot of concentration, mental effort, strength, energy and discipline. And so before I get time to change my mind, Iāve decided to create aĀ JustGiving fundraising pageĀ and Iāve notified the MS Society…so no backing out now š¤£.
Please help me complete what feels like an impossible challenge in memory of my wonderful mumā¦ because Together we are strong enough to beat MS. šŖš¼
You can follow my training over the next 7 months on myĀ Fitblitz blogĀ and I will use my apple watch to count the steps, miles and elevation etc of the challenge, uploading the screenshots to let you know of my adventures and celebrate with me if I finish, lol! š Ā
About Multiple Sclerosis Society
Over 130,000 of us in the UK have MS. Itās unpredictable and different for everyone. But it doesnāt have to be this way. Weāre theĀ MS Society. We understand what lifeās like with MS. We’re here for you through the highs, lows and everything in between. Together, we are strong enough to stop MS.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
ClickĀ HEREĀ for my JustGiving page.
QR Code for my JustGiving page:Ā
āļø #59 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Willemstad, Curacao” šØš¼ (2019)
Ā Ā Ā Hi friends and welcome to Day 59 of this monumental, inconceivable and definly memorable blind sightseers tour….!
Ā šØš¼ Good morning friends!
Ā Welcome to day 2 of this ‘Tropical Delightsā cruse. Wow what a colourful place! Letās see what shore excursion weāre doing today?! š Ā
Discover Curacao Island:Ā š² Ā
Youāll get to see two of the islandās biggest attractions on this tour, starting with a drive past the islandās salt flats and on to the Hato Caves. They were formed below sea-level and today theyāre full of stalagmites and stalactites.
Next up, weāll head over to the Chobolo Liqueur Factory, passing the Queen Juliana Bridge on the way. At the factory, youāll get to see how the islandās famous Blue Curacao Liqueur is made. The drink is distilled from the dried peel of bitter oranges, and youāll get to taste it for yourself.
Lastly, youāll head back to the ship via downtown Willemstad ā you can get dropped off if youād rather stay and have a look around.Ā
On the coach…š
After we boarded the coach and met our tour guide, we drove up and over the dock and had a fantastic view of the ship!
Hato cavesā¦āļø Ā
Leaving the air conditioned coach we walked into a wall of fire (i mean heat) and made our way to the bottom of the steps for the Hato cave. After a steep, difficult and gruelling climb up lots of uneven and twisty steps, we finally made it (super sweaty) to the top which is the mouth of the cave. šŖš¼ Ā
Upon entering the cave we were quickly ensconced with darkness. Our torch could not pierce this blackened world so we stopped, turned around and let other people squeeze past as we walked back out. We told the guide (who was waiting outside) that it was way too dark and dangerous for me and Sarah, so we made our way carefully back down the steps on a tactical withdrawal.Ā
On the plus side, We found a fantastic small yellow cafe which served local coffee. We walked to a table with a beautiful view (and breeze) and it was so quiet with only a handful of locals sipping their drinks and chatting. š We heard the group arriving and it wasnāt long before we were back in the coach.Ā
The Chobolo Liqueur Factory…š¹
Sarah was excited to learn all about the origins of this drink and how it was made, as she and her friend Caroline used to like this drink back in the day! The guide also gave us little testers of each flavour to see which ones we liked and disliked, then we could buy the ones we wanted in the gift shop. Sarah bought a bottle to send to Caroline as sheās never had one from the actual place before and we thought sheād love itā¦She did! šĀ
Back at the ship…š³
After a lovely iced coffee and quick refresh we thought weād have a little walk into the town. It was pure midday burning sun and it seemed to take about half an hour just to walk the length of the ship. But we kept going and finally got to the stunning bridge, and knew we were heading in the right direction.Ā
This was Sarahās favourite place as she could gaze upon the vivid colours of the buildings that lined both sides of the dock.
The town…š
We had a little walk around this beautiful town to see what we could find, and first of all we found a clothes shop! āOoohhh i wonder if they sell a caribbean shirt for meā i said as Sarah was trying to find the most colourful section. Sarah then pulled out a fantastic orange and black shirt with Curacao written all over it (see image lower down). āYes iāll have that oneā i said with a huge smile on my face. Sarah also bought a top with Curacao on the front and we left the shop to find more souvenirs. We didnāt have to wait long as we found another bauble for our Christmas tree, yay! š Ā
The sun was burning hot and microwaving my bones as i walked round like the ‘Ready Brek’ man causing a heat haze around me. So Sarah stopped at a small bar and got us a bottle of ice cold āAmstelā.Ā
Thenā¦š² Ā
āHOWDY!ā Both Sarah and i spun around and faced the american man from yesterday as he continued āOh Sarah, I love your trainers theyāre so colourfulā we said āWow how amazing that youāre here, we thought weād never see you again. How are you?ā He said that his cruise ship had to wait a long time for the big bridge (one weād just walked over) to lift and let us into the dock, so we arrived a lot later than you. Shortly after his wife turned up and we started chatting for a while, before saying āMaybe weāll see you tomorrow? I canāt believe youāre here todayā. š
After parting ways (again) we started on the long trek back, but we did get to walk back over the bridge with the colourful buildings, yay! Ā
Ā On the ship…š³Ā
We quickly nipped back to the cabin so i could put on my new shirt, then we walked out on deck as i wanted a photo in Curacao whilst wearing my new Curacao shirt. š Ā Ā
Towel creature…Ā
Ā On our return to our centre front cabin we found our first towel art. Sarah thought is was a rabbit sniperā¦Please let us know what you think it is in the comments below?! šĀ
Ā ā§ Sarah on her tranquility seat ā§Ā
Ā And finally we were blessed with a beautiful sunset from our cabin window, wow what a day!
Thanks for joining us at this wonderfully colourful placeā¦Have you been here before?
Weāll meet tomorrowā¦Same timeā¦Same place for another adventure!Ā šĀ
ā¬ Ā Previous DayĀ š“Ā Next DayĀ ā”
šĀ Join us:
- Tuscany Tour
- Transatlantic Sunset Cruise
- Matlock Bath
- Mayan Treasures Cruise
- Classical Greece Cruise
- Treasures of the Mediterranean Cruise
- Seven Isles Cruise
- Barbados – Southern Palms #1
- Tough Mudder 5K
- Tropical Delights Cruise
- Barbados – Southern Palms #2
- Aegean Shores Cruise
- Ancient Kingdoms Cruise
- Ultra Step Challenge
āļø #58 The Blind Sightseers “Escape The Lockdown” With Distant Memories: “Oranjestad, Aruba” š¦š¼ (2019)
Ā Ā Hi friends and welcome to Day 58 of this monumental, inconceivable and definly memorable blind sightseers tour….!
š¦š¼Ā Good morning friends!
Thanks for joining me and Sarah on another Birthday celebration cruise and stay in the Caribbean, itās great to have you guys along for the ride.
Marella Explorer (Apr 2019)ā¦š³ Ā
Unbelievably this is the Blind Sightseers 6th cruse! We have never been on the Marella Explorer and Sarah had booked cabin 8001 which is dead centre and right at the front of the ship. She chose this cabin as she thought the views from the window would be fantasticā¦.Sheās right again! šĀ
All it was missing is a steering wheel. š¤£ Ā
ā§ View from our cabin NĆø 8001 ā§Ā
Before getting to Aruba we had a day at sea. We were pleased with this as it gave us time to walk about 80,000 steps to find out where we could get Breakfast and the evening mealā¦But most of all find the Coffee Port to see if they made lovely strong coffee? They did! š Ā
Ā š¦š¼ Aruba…
As usual we had booked an excursion for each of the 5 islands we were visiting (you didnāt think youād come away to rest?!) and todays excursion is:Ā De Palm Island – Full Day, Aruba.
De Palm Island has got it all. Set adrift off the Aruban coastline, this private reef offers up pristine waters and a huge variety of exotic marine life, itās a first-class spot for an underwater exploration. Your day will start off with a short boat trip over to the island, where the friendly staff will be waiting to meet you. After a short safety briefing, youāre ready to slip on your mask and wade into the warm, clear waters. Expect to meet friendly blue parrotfish and angelfish. Back on dry land, thereāll be time to sprawl out on the sand, take your seat for a banana boat ride or visit the islandās small waterpark before heading back to the ship. Don’t forget that a full buffet lunch and refreshments throughout the day will be included.Ā
On the dockā¦š³ Ā
Ā We had a short walk around the dock until we arrived at the place to get the little fun boat.Ā
The little fun boat…š¤
Ā Yay, it didnāt disappoint as it bobbed up and down spraying us in the face with nice cool sea water.Ā
De Palm Island…š
Ā ā§ My lovely Wife Sarah catching some long awaited sunshine outside the cafe ā§Ā
When booking this shore excursion we had visions of excitement and adventure from the amazingĀ Xel-HaĀ island in Mexico, unfortunately this wasnāt like that. This place was tiny in comparison which worked well for us not getting lost but there wasnāt much to do either. The weather was overcast and muggy, until the clouds parted and gave the sun chance to burn a hole through your flesh! š„Ā
I was well impressed by the solid wooden walkways that curled around the whole place, and i marvelled on how long it must have taken to construct this very accessible path. When i was fully sighted i worked as a panel beater in a bodyshop so i know a little about sanding etc. I was enjoying the smoothness of the wood when Sarah pulled me from my reverie…āSteve! Come on stop touching everything to see how smooth it is, lol!ā š¤£ Ā
We found the cafe first (funny how that happens) and use it as our starting reference point. We found a souvenir shop (weāll be back) then the toilets (useful) and passing the bar and food court (Mmmmmm) we stumbled upon the sun bed area. Seeing that all of the sun beds were taken and weād only just got here, we walked back to the cafe to see if they had iced coffee?! š Ā
Walking around the cafe looking at the assortment of food we suddenly heard an american man with a bright and cheery accent right behind us āHOWDYā Sarah and i turned to face him and he continued āI hope you donāt mind me interrupting? But i saw you have an insulin pump and wanted to ask about itā Sarah talked to him about how long sheād had Type 1 diabetes and how long sheād had the pump. The man was a chemist/Pharmacy person and his niece was debating whoever to get one or not? After Sarah talked about how much of a life saver the pump has been i think his niece will be getting one! The man (sorry forgot his name) had arrived on the āCelebrity Silhouetteā cruise ship that weād noticed towering over ours in the dock, and it was also his first time in Aruba, then we finished up our coffees (no iced coffee, just a machine) and parted ways with the lovely man. š Ā
Ā Yayā¦It was the first time in a while that iād been able to wear the bright orange shirt i bought in Saint Kitts from our first cruiseā¦Read all about it here.
We quickly figured out that this place was mainly for snorkelers, and that wasnāt an activity the ‘Blind Sightseers’ could do (yes even we have limits, lol). We managed to secure 2 sun bems ( nobody wanted them as they were in the shade) and as i sat down Sarah went to see if she could have a paddle in the sea?! Sarah quickly returned looking sad as theyāre were rocks pretty much all the way round and lots of āBeware of Jellyfishā signs. More clouds came and lowered the temperature so we walked into the food court place as it was lunchtime already. Ā
Yayā¦I was happy as they were mainly serving burger and chips (well french fries which are fake chips) and Sarah said they served salad too! š¤£ Once again (like the sun beds) every table was taken except the only one in the blistering sun no-one wantedā¦So we sat down and i placed my āTactical sun hatā on my frying head and enjoyed the burger, although i wasnāt sure which one of us was barbecued, lol! Ā š Ā āļø Ā š Ā
āHOWDYā the man said whilst walking past, i said to Sarah āI donāt have to ask who that was as his accent is fantasticā as we waved in his general direction. As Sarah and i canāt make eye contact itās almost impossible to make friends or start a conversation unless people come over to us. So it felt great to make a friend here who always says āHowdyā when seeing us! š Ā
Sarah & i had a great time wondering around this beautiful little island and we found lots of little places until stumbling intoā¦.The gift shop! We love to find souvenirs that help us remember the amazing journeys/adventures we have conquered, and Sarah bought a fantastic t-shirt with “Biba Dushiā written on the front. Biba dushi in Aruba means āliving the sweet lifeā. The language is actually called Papiamento and is one of Arubaās two official languages spoken by many on the island. Papiamento is a Creole language derived from Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, and African languages.
Back at the shipā¦š³Ā
After another fun ride on the little boat back to the ship, we had enough time to get changed, leave our bags and have a well needed iced-coffee before heading out to explore as much as we can without getting lost before the ship leaves.
We walked up one street and turned right before Sarah stopped and said āWow, that lady is having her photo taken in front of that cool wall art/sign. Quick get one of meā āOk my lovely, youāre wearing your new yellow Michael Kors t-shirt too, i hope i get everything inā. Sarah had bought this t-shirt for our holidays and couldnāt wait to put on the lovely bright colours and flowers.
Ā This is one of my fave photos as it shows Sarahās smile is as bright as her t-shirt.Ā
Walking back to the ship we finally found a local Bauble makerā¦Her daughter makes and paints them herself. We bought a beautiful one which even had a cruise ship painted on with the Aruba island and even 2019 on it. š š Ā
We’ve started collecting Christmas Tree Baubles since i started going abroad 5 years ago. We love unpacking them at Christmas and filling the tree with all Ā of the places we visit. We think its a lovely idea to fill the tree with our lives journeys and give thanks to God for everything.
Our wonderful new friendsā¦š Ā
Sarah & i like to share a table with other passengers, mainly to take this opportunity to try and be sociable( being blind and trapped in your very small world & not having any eye contact itās almost impossible to be sociable. or start conversations). So asking someone to read the menu for you because we are blind is a great ice breaker, lol!Ā
We met 2 lovely couples that night and you will hear a little more about them throughout this trip.
Thanks for joining us on our visit to Aruba! Have you been here before? š¤
Weāll meet tomorrowā¦Same timeā¦Same place for another adventure!Ā šĀ
ā¬ Ā Previous DayĀ š“Ā Next DayĀ ā”
šĀ Join us:
- Tuscany Tour
- Transatlantic Sunset Cruise
- Matlock Bath
- Mayan Treasures Cruise
- Classical Greece Cruise
- Treasures of the Mediterranean Cruise
- Seven Isles Cruise
- Barbados – Southern Palms #1
- Tough Mudder 5K
- Tropical Delights Cruise
- Barbados – Southern Palms #2
- Aegean Shores Cruise
- Ancient Kingdoms Cruise
- Ultra Step Challenge
š Yay…Snow!!! šŖš¼ š¤£
Finally it was our turn for some fun in the snow!Ā š¤£Ā
After a nice warm coffee (and me getting a little too excited), we started out in our back garden. “Awww itās the fat snow that make snowballs!!ā ā š
Our back garden…Ā
The woods…
After an exciting run around, we decided to venture out into the woods for a snow filled adventure.
My lovely wife Sarah started off looking all innocent, and she was guiding my way through the woods nicelyā¦When…
āHeyā¦They are like bowling ballsā i shouted whilst being bombarded!! Ā
After Sarah unleashed a flurry of blastsā¦I took a large amount of damage and some of the hits were nearly fatal! I knew i had to return fire…
Here it comesā¦š¤£Ā
Thankfully i managed to lower the amount of bombs coming my wayā¦And as iām blind and canāt see Sarahā¦I can hear her heartbeat and locate her position, lol! š¤£
Anyway, there is no harm inĀ getting closer!
Now it was time for the big gunsā¦Here is a nice (accessible for the blind) monster snowball to finish the job, lol! š¤£Ā
Wowā¦I hope youāve had as much fun as me and Sarah in the snow?! Is it snowing where you are? šĀ
Rebus Photography 