Dear LPG, 

Summer is well and truly over, and how the English weather changes never ceases to amaze me. I remember those days when, at primary school, we could not wait for the end of the school year and the prospect of the sunny summer holidays, but it was as if September brought the new autumn school term along with those colder mornings in one depressing surge.

No one thought about the colder days until the bank holiday came and went. That Monday was nearly always the day the rains returned for a visit.  I don't know how long it takes from when LPG receives a message until t it on their website, but I am writing this in early October 2023, and it is cold and getting darker again.

This is when we start to think about a winter of long nights at home, and if being at home translates into being alone, as it does for so many older people, it can be a time when we have a choice.

So, what's the choice? Spend evenings at home, consumed by negative thoughts, or brave the weather and venture out? Remember, even a clear winter's afternoon can quickly turn into a dark evening. It's no secret that the world can be dangerous, even during daylight hours.

I refuse to let the dark keep me in, but it occurs to me that even if we all go out together in the afternoon's broad daylight, after just a couple of hours and a goodbye to your friends, there is usually a walk between the bus stop or the train station and your front door which can be a daunting prospect.

Mine takes me past a park where the locking of the gates is often forgotten, and I can often hear the youngsters' shouts beyond them. In the dark, the sound of footsteps following yours can be quite daunting too, while you are busy imagining what sort of person the sounds you can hear belong to, not to mention the size of the shadows thrown forward as each streetlight you pass gives a hint.

I still refuse to let such thoughts keep me at home, but it did cross my mind to look at what you can do to make that last part of a dark journey home safer. I have found some internet advice; I thought now would be a good time to pass it on.

TB, Downham. 

TB shares the advice she has found…

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