Recently I have been trying to stand more. Odd you might think as a wheelchair user but I have a standing frame and a walker which luckily, due to strong spasms or clever straps, I can stand with and give my legs a stretch.

It’s really a physiotherapy thing to make sure my muscles don’t shorten and that I put some weight through my bones to avoid osteoporosis. But to me it has secondary effect – being tall again.

I recently stood up in front of some friends who were sort of shocked at how tall I am as they have only ever seen me seated.

I’m 6ft 1ins which some of them were surprised by. It must be weird only knowing one version of me.

Anyway, one of the reasons for all the standing is to offset the frustration of being lost in the crowd.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, I am a spending some time in London. Today I needed to pop to the shops. The nearest place was St Pancras.

Well you can imagine the sea of suitcases on wheels, people looking up at train departure boards and the general panic that busy travellers produce.

This meant that I essentially became invisible.

I have to be extra mindful and observant and step up my emergency breaking and swerving skills to avoid the craziness.

It’s not just in London. The tourists in Oxford are problematic. The groups filling up the entire pavement are particularly annoying.

I know they are great for the economy but dreadful for crowds and what do people do in Oxford – look up, not down.

Maybe it’s not the tourists at fault.

I do tend to fly around quite quickly and have got used to being “king of the pavement”.

Also, we are all guilty of not paying attention from time to time.

I have written about the scourge of “smart phones/stupid people” before.

Hmm I feel torn. I’m often looking up when I’m on holiday and clearly I take up more pavement than most.

I feel hypocritical thoughts creeping in. This is why I like writing my column. It’s a sort of diary cum thinking space.

I started off annoyed at being lost in the crowd then realised that I am guilty myself.

I think it’s time to treat others as I would like to be treated. I’m going to slow down, take a deep breath, politely pass by or just relax and realise that I never need to be anywhere in that much of a rush.

I guess sometimes we are just in the self-zone and actually it is nice to be part of the crowd and not lost in it.

I would encourage you to be a bit more vigilant of others around you, whether you are on holiday or not.

Wouldn’t the streets be a bit more pleasant if we all calmed down and looked around once in a while? I dislike those “keep calm” posters but maybe their prevalence is a lesson to us all.