Double Vision

So, here's why I called at Scharwenka's house yesterday!

These are my new specs, which Scharwenka had ordered for me from Specs By Post. And, what's more, these are not just ordinary spectacles - they are BIFOCALS!!!!

I've had an absolute nightmare recently, as I can no longer see anything even vaguely close with my normal specs on. However, there isn't a hope of me being able to drive, watch telly, or read a whiteboard without them. For quite some time now, my life has consisted in large part of taking my glasses off, putting them on, taking them off, putting them on.... and so on! My poor ears are wondering when all this on-off-on-off business with settle down and they can have a rest!

Since going to an optician, or buying posh specs (even from Specsavers) is beyond the budget at the moment, Scharwenka and I did a DIY job. We established that my current long-distance prescription is still fine (even though beyond the specified time-limit) and we established what my reading prescription was by me trying on a series of pound-shop reading glasses (Scharwenka has lots of different ones, for doing different jobs) over my normal glasses! Then we typed it all into the interwebs, and pressed send!

Yesterday morning Scharwenka e-mailed me to say they'd arrived, so I popped in on my way to London to collect them! They're truly miraculous. I sat on the tube yesterday reading my kindle app, then looked up and could see what station we'd reached. No holding (and nearly dropping) specs, and no putting them back on hurriedly to see where we were. They're fine for driving too - I just need to move my head slightly so the speedo isn't on the change of focus line, and eating breakfast this morning was a revelation - I could see perfectly focused pancakes, then looked up and saw a perfectly focused telly! WAHEY! I've been having to take my specs off to eat recently, since I couldn't see my food with them. And as for copying off a whiteboard - that's been a NIGHTMARE!

So, here I am, in bifocal land! Fortunately, I don't have the slightest concern about looking "old" or any of that stuff (since I was told so many times at school that I was so ugly I'd never get a boyfriend etc etc, I've long since traded on being interesting and nice instead of looking pretty). Furthermore, my general attitude to appearance is one of indifference - whenever I set out to buy clothes, I end up in a bookshop, CD/DVD shop, or toyshop - unless they're truly funky and outrageous, clothes are generally things I find a bit dull!

But how exciting are bifocals - it's so cool being able to see at different distances out of the same pair of specs again. My ears are at last able to relax, knowing they won't be poked by spectacle arms hundreds of times a day, I can eat my dinner in front of the telly and see both, I can see the iPhone with specs on again, and I'm really looking forward to copying some stuff from the whiteboard tomorrow!

Oh, and someone's bound to ask about the background - yes it is a map. You know those leather things they had on olde deskyes in the past? Well, this is a modern-day equivalent. It's a world map, because I love maps (I've always had a world map on my desk, ever since my step parents bought me a formica world map (yes, really) when I was a kid). This particular one came from a supermarket in Brno, which is why it's in Czech!

Right, off to go and see what else I can look at!

And to thank whoever invented bifocals!

Oh, and do have a little look at yesterday's blip - didn't put it up until this morning because I got back quite late - was a good evening out though!