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Lock and Learn

Creating a colourful eye catching key for the storeroom

No matter how clued in to hearing needs I may think I am, I still discover the simple of things can be problematical.

A key?

As we all know from bitter experience, keys are members of the Chameleon family and have inherited the ability to change colour and blend in to the background. Place a silver key on a red carpet and within two minutes it has vanished. Down at the stables a new padlock was fitted to the storeroom the other week and Sue and her friends received new keys. After a few days I noticed the key was still sat on the side at home, rather than in Sue’s pocket. I had a look through that collection of key fobs we all have stuffed in a draw somewhere and slipped the key onto a flashy little plastic tag.

And still the key lived on the worktop.

Yesterday I asked Sue why she didn’t have the key somewhere safe down at the farm and the answer, which should have been apparent, was because Sue was worried that she could lose it if she dropped it as she wouldn’t be able to hear it hit the ground. Once again, just a little problem. Fortunately though, the little problems are the ones we can do something about.

Sue said she needed something soft enough to be comfortable in a pocket, but large and bright enough to stand out against a background – ah, the carpet syndrome. Nothing leapt off the rack at me in the key cutting shop (so conveniently located next door to my tobacconist) and I went home empty handed (well, key wise, that is).

One thing found in large amounts on a farm is ………….. no, not that, baler twine. My days sat before TV watching Val Singleton present Blue Peter weren’t wasted; I wound yellow and red strings round my hand, tied them off in the middle and chopped through the looped ends. After unwinding and fluffing out the strings, hey presto, I was left with something that filled the bill – you won’t miss that in the grass.

No big success story, not even much of a story at all, but a success nevertheless, and I championed recycling to boot. Honestly though, not being able to hear can bring a lot of negativity into everyday life for couples and families. Little bits of fun, being silly and playful or just simply getting ahead on the day make a difference.