Who Left That Table There?

By Hanoria M C Baranovich

The ultimate aim of this book is to try and raise public awareness of VIPs (visually impaired people). And secondly, to raise much-needed funds for the hundreds of blind societies across the United Kingdom.

The book tells about the trials and tribulations that we VIPs have to contend with in our daily life.

The book is written from the heart and gives a unique insight to VIPs. The funny things we do, the clangers we drop, gaffes, faux pasyou name it, weve done it!

The book shows how resilient VIPs canor, rather, have todeal with our unfortunate impairment.

This book was brought about when the author lost her sight and found out just how tough the going was.

The anecdotes portray the true extent of the problem, stories told from all ages and creeds, telling of their actual stories.

In this book, you will be given an insight as to how VIPs have to live with fact of becoming invisible and the loneliness brought about by the ignorance of the public. I do not think that the public mean to be like they are, but it is through not having any understanding of our dark world.

We do very well generally, but it could be so much better without the discrimination and third-rate citizens that we are categorised with and the stigma which goes with our visual impairment.

What people think of as a simple task can be a great big problem to VIPs. When you read through this book, I think that it will open peoples eyes and help them appreciate what they have got: sight.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Jan 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514448052

Hanoria M C Baranovich

Hanoria Baranovich was born in Urmston, England, UK, on April 21, 1954, the youngest of nine children. Hanoria lived in a big old rambling house named Ivy House. Ivy House had no electricity, just gas. She maintains that the lack of electricity was great as there were no television to get glued to; instead, they had a vast library, music rooms, and servants’ quarters, which we used as dens. Hanoria and her siblings were encouraged to study music, the arts, and read the classics. Ivy House sported superb grounds, some beautiful copper beech trees, and rhododendrons, which made great outdoor dens! There were monkey puzzle trees and variegated rhododendrons and beautiful rows of yellow, sage green, and dark-green privet hedges. In the spring, all along the winding path to the front door, they had a vast array of bluebells, snowdrops, and other seasonal plants. In the summer, the spring flowers were replaced with many daffodils, tulips, hyacinths; you name it, they had it! Along the path every foot or more were big white rocks they had got in Buxton, a lovely spa town. Her mother used to make wine, and at the gable end of Ivy House was a big and very fruitful vine. Hanoria fondly remembers her mother treading the grapes at Ivy House. There was a brilliant orchard, Nan’s walled-in garden, with her herb garden, and lots of space to suit all ages. There were some outbuildings, where her brother Joe had a laboratory (there was a corner in it for Hanoria, who went on to study chemistry and biology) and a big stable for the pony named Dolly. From an early age, Hanoria has played many musical instruments and sang with a sweet soprano voice. When she lost her sight, she decided to make a CD of her singing whilst accompanying herself on her twelve-string guitar, an Echo Ranger, which she received as a gift in 1970 and which has gone with her on her many jaunts round the world. The CD is available for sale, and all proceeds will go to her charity fund. From a young age, Hanoria has always played a hand in raising money for varying charities, but when she lost her sight in her left eye and the central line of vision in her right eye, she quickly confronted the pitfalls of visual sight impairment—the public’s reaction, the ignorance, and the discrimination—firsthand. Somehow, VIPs become invisible, and it has been Hanoria’s goal to change all that. She constantly tries to raise public reaction and, at the same time, works tirelessly to raise money. Hanoria and her husband live with Benji Boots, Hanoria’s trainee golden Labrador guide dog, in a small market town named Bacup, which is on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Hanoria M C Baranovich.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015921456

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-4804-5

                Softcover        978-1-5144-4806-9

                eBook              978-1-5144-4805-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 01/08/2016

Xlibris

800-056-3182

www.Xlibrispublishing.co.uk

726145

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A COLLECTION OF DAFT BLIND JOKES!

BLIND MYTHS AND FUNNY STORIES, SENT TO ME BY STUART WOODS

JOHN H. WROTE THIS WONDERFUL POEM

SUSAN FROM CHORLEY WROTE THIS SHORT STORY, WHICH I LOVE

THE DAY MY LIGHTS WENT OUT CHANGED

MY LIFE FOREVER

WHAT WE DID ON OURHOLIDAYS

IT’S GOOD TO TALK

THE WRONG DAVE ??

This book is

dedicated to my late Mother who we lovingly nicknamed her Hubbard

19.October1914 - 10.June 2010_

Rest in Peace Hub x

Acknowledgements

Pete, Jenny and Holly

To all the VIPs without whom there would be no book

Thanks a million Folks

Hello! My name is Hanoria Mary Cecilia Baranovich. I am 61 years young and I live in Rossendale Valley in Lancashire with my husband Pete. Between us, we have four girls and eight grandchildren. Fortunately they live a long way away!! (no babysitting!)

I was born on the 21st of April 1954 as the youngest of nine children, sadly, only four of us remain.

I had a great upbringing, full of good music, great books, a big old rambling house named Ivy House, with good gardens as well as an orchard.

Ivy house had no electricity, only gas. I was twelve when we moved to a three bedroomed semi when I first encountered electricity, AAaaggghh. I am still afraid of electricity – at least you can smell gas!!

We could all knit sew and crotchet (even the boys). I had my first treadle sewing machine when I was 5, and a needle in it when I was 6. I had to prove that I could hem something before Mum put a needle in it for me. I learned the mandolin when I was 6, the guitar when I was 10, violin aged 11; always used to have a tinkle on the ivories but never got too good on the piano. I played by ear. I have been known to busk!! In fact my sister Jane and I went to Stratford on Avon for a weekend. We both had our instruments with us, so, just for devilment, we busked on the steps of Marks and Sparks on the Sunday. We were actually waiting for the pub to open to get some food and a beer. Well, it was bitterly cold, we were both too well dressed for buskers! Anyway, we began to play having put down the mandolin case with some money in it for people to think we had made some money. We took the majestic sum of 28 pence!!

Later on in life, I got a balalaika, a banjo and for a short time a saxophone. I had a good education. I went to school at English Martyrs in Urmston. My sister used to take me on our pony and pick me up at closing time. That was great fun. I then went to Urmston Grammar School for Girls before going to Loreto Convent High School for Young Ladies in Manchester. Loreto was very very strict which I rebelled against (to a degree) but did appreciate it in later life.

Because we had only gas, there was no television. We had a few mandolins, violins, two pianos and a harmonium, as well as a wood worm ridden cello which we kept in their outhouse! A guitar was always behind Mum’s chair with a Bert Wheedon guitar instruction book.

We were all brought up to be multi-functional, so we could turn our hand to anything and survive whatever was thrown at us in life.

I grew up in an entrepreneurial environment and most of us have been in business of some kind, ranging from making tracklements for shops and craft fairs, to a multinational publishing magnate!

I shall now skip forward to 2015.

Around twelve years ago, I lost the central line of vision in my right eye. That was a nuisance to say the least, but after about six months, my brain had adjusted to the situation and I was able to function again. Life carried on and I got used to it almost to the point that I forgot that I hadn’t got any central line of vision,

In 2008, I had a great big nasty shock when, one Thursday evening, around 10-30pm, Pete and I were having some supper, when I suddenly lost all vision in my left eye.

Panic stations is an understatement.

Pete telephoned A and E in Burnley and told them what had happened. They asked him to take me there immediately which he did, arriving there around 11-30pm. We booked in and eventually seen around Midnight. There was only one other person in the A and E department, two nurses and two doctors having a good old lark around, which stressed me very much. Anyway, the doctor came and took a look at my left eye and said that he wasn’t able to do anything for me, as it was a case for the Eye Clinic. He said that Eye Clinic was unmanned at that time but stated they were on call. I was livid that they had asked me to go immediately and then didn’t bother to get someone in who was on call.

To cut a long story short, I saw an Eye Doctor around 11-30 that same morning.