Training Day

This morning D gave me some instruction on how to split logs. It’s something I’d really like to be good at but I guess I need more practice - my accuracy was ok but I didn’t bring down the axe with enough power to split the logs properly. In my defence, D said that the logs were pretty big and knotty. He managed to do them ok, though. I was disappointed that I hadn’t done better.

I went for a walk around the fields before lunch and found a pair of glasses up the track behind our house. I guessed who they belonged to from some notes scribbled on a damp piece of paper inside, and returned them to him on my walk. They had fallen out of his pocket several weeks ago so he was pleased to get them back.

This evening I was at work for a training session all about Visual Impairment, delivered by Lewis, one of our employees, who has been blind since birth. He gave a PowerPoint presentation and then we had some practical training - navigating our way around the cafe wearing a blindfold and using a cane, and learning about braille and JAWS technology. We also tried using this yellow liquid level indicator which Lewis uses when he makes hot drinks - we just used cold water which was just as well, as you can see from how much we spilled. Lewis patiently answered all our many questions and I came away feeling that I had learned a great deal.

I also realised from my experiences this morning that learning a new skill doesn’t happen overnight! Renewed admiration for all our trainees who show patience and perseverance on a daily basis :-)