6 Safety Tips for Women
by Catherine Broughton
Bearing poor Suzy Lamplugh in mind, (Suzy Lamplugh was an estate agent murdered in London) I always made a note in my diary as to where I was going and who I was meeting. There were, in those eight or so years of my little estate agency, only two incidents worth noting where I did feel in danger. The first was simply an empty house in St Savinien … no danger at all, really, except that there seemed to be a “presence” there – I was far too practical to call it a ghost – and there was a strong smell of blood. You read about hair standing on the back of your neck – well, mine stood on the back of my neck, and I was filled with such a sensation of horror that I fled within a few minutes of starting to look around. The vendor hadn’t accompanied me, and I understood why, and Jean wasn’t with me that day either. Never one to waste the smallest iota of my time or energy I nevertheless typed up a description, calling the house The Haunted House and knowing I would never sell it. But just the description in my books was good … people liked it, and my aim was to sell something, anything, even if they were in fact attracted out by a house they knew they wouldn’t buy.
The second incident was one spring day a year or so later. Again, Jean was not with me. It was one of those days where you feel a spring in your step, just because the sun is out, and I picked up my two clients at the designated place – probably outside the town hall – and took them to view an isolated farmhouse a few miles away. They were two men, both French, in their forties. This in itself was unusual because the French had no need to contact me – there were plenty of French agents.
The property was called Les Fellouins which, as far as I know, doesn’t mean anything, and was in a near-idyllic setting between the villages of Lussant and Tonnay Boutonne, surrounded by fields and the few gentle hills available. It was in need of repairs, but had plenty of space and a good-sized plot of land. Altogether a very sought-after kind of thing. I showed the men around, through the empty rooms and round the plot of land, then opened the barn door and climbed the ladder into the loft. Lofts in this kind of property are often huge wasted space and can cover the entire surface area of the house and the barns. The barns are usually attached to the house. Treading gingerly over the ancient floorboards I made my way to a window and, after a bit of fumbling in the dark, threw the shutters open. The place was full of huge black cobwebs.
The two men stood to one side, surveying the dark space, and brushing dust and cobwebs from their trousers.
Based on absolutely nothing at all, suddenly an alarm bell started to ring loudly and insistently at the back of my mind.
“I’ll go and fetch my torch from the car,” I told them.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” one replied, “we can see.”
“No, no I insist! I’ll only be a second!”
My mouth dry and my legs numb with fear, I scrambled down the ladder and rushed to my car. I have never driven away so fast, instinctively locking the doors as I got in and sending mud spluttering up behind me. I don’t know what happened to the men. They must have hitched home. But I know that if they had been up-front they’d have phoned – “Hey, what the hell was up with you?!” – but they didn’t phone, and I know I had a lucky escape.
This is an extract from my book A Call From France.
Safety Tip #1
First DO NOT FEAR! Follow these tips as a precaution and out of respect for those that love you, but do not fear.
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
― Marie Curie
Safety Tip #2
Trust your instincts. Some women are not really in tune with their instincts, they don’t “hear” them as it were. But if you have a gut-feeling about something, trust it – it may turn out to be wrong, but trust it all the same.
“Instinct is a marvelous thing. It can neither be explained nor ignored.”
― Agatha Christie
Safety Tip #3
Be sensible to the point of being tedious if you need to be. It depends on what you do and where you are going, but there is never any HARM in noting in your diary or on your calendar where you are off to – just in case. Even if you are heading for the park, it is worth noting it.
Safety Tip #4
If you are in the kind of job that I was in – ie you find yourself in lonely places with strangers, always park in such a way that you can make a quick getaway. Leave your exit route open, whether you are in a car or on foot. Don’t allow yourself to get boxed in to a corner. This applies to everything in life, physical and emotional.
Safety Tip #5
Never carry a weapon! You are far more likely to be killed by it than to kill. Being cautious, alert, quick and sensible are far better than any weapon could ever be. Apart from anything else most of us would be unable to use it anyway.
Safety Tip #6
Always remember that you ARE a Powerful Woman. Do not allow the idiots of the world to spoil your world because YOU are ready.
Catherine Broughton is an author, an artist and a poet. Her books can be ordered from most leading book stores and libraries, and are available on Amazon/Kindle. You can also down load them as e-books from her web site http://www.turquoisemoon.co.uk
Connect with Catherine on fb here Catherine Broughton. Novels, paintings, and poems
A word from Sarah
This is Catherine’s second guest blog. You can click here to read her first post, Raising Debbie.
What did you think about this blog post? What do you do to stay safe that you feel other women should be doing too? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.
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