Mum's life has not always followed a smooth course and she has never been one to complain. It was only after several months of poor vision that she finally went to the optician only to discover too late that she had a badly detached retina. She was quickly admitted to hospital for what was to prove a long and painful operation, and ultimately blindness in one eye. To most people this would have been a disaster but as usual this handicap was taken in her stride. Months later when in the company of some of her friends, one of them remarked that she would no longer be able to get out and about, her reply as sharp as ever "Nelson only had one eye didn't he? It didn't stop him doing things, why should it stop me?" (Lily aged 80) My dad for as long as I could remember had been deaf, a deafness which caused him serious problems of balance.
Now Sheffield has never been known for the quality of its pavements. Humps, bumps, and wobbly flagstones being the order of the day. Now wobbly flagstones after it has been raining can be quite useful. You can jump on one corner and make the mud squirt out the other end. If you time it correctly you can even squirt your nearest neighbour, or if wrongly done you hit yourself in the face. For my dad however, these flags were a nightmare, and many people thought he often came home from work worse the wear for drink as he could be seen lurching from one side of the pavement to the other.
To be continued........
Written by
LissacFrance
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Re your dad and the flagstones, I also am deaf in one ear and my balance can be 'off' so I go out on my mobility scooter a lot. Trouble is, the pavements around here have so many bumps, tree routes, potholes and cars parked in the way that I must look drunk as I do a slalem along to my destination.
So much so that I feel inclined to post a disclaimer on Facebook saying, 'Not drunk - just pothole dodging!'
I feel great empathy with your dad.
Mind you, I've had fun in the past with the squirting!!
I think it was the age, people after the war seemed to take so much in their stride and were tough my Mum was the same., goodness knows how they managed to stay so cheerful x
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