Today my Wife and Tabatha took a walk to Ilminster from Tabatha’s house so that she could see how to get to our place without the requirement to use the main road thus making it quicker and then to know the cycle path to the Stonemasons so that they could go for cycle rides as a family or to walk the dog. As you know, Wednesday’s are normally when Alison and I `walk` from my bungalow to the Stonemasons and then we are collected by my Wife when she comes to collect the kids from school, today though Alison and I, (and not forgetting the dog), drove over in the Chucklebus and met with Wifey and Tabatha at the Stonemasons where we would have lunch before our walk back to the bungalow which is a trip we had not done before. We ordered our food and drinks, Wifey and Tabatha went to the nursery to collect `Pickle` and then returned. While they were gone we ordered some food for them. They had already had a drink but Alison thought it might be nice for us all to chat and have lunch together, which was a good idea and so that is what we did.
After we had finished the food we got the dog out of the Chucklebus and once Wifey and Tabatha were in they left for home and Alison and I left for our Wednesday walk but this time it would be the return journey. The journey from Ilminster to the bungalow is slightly uphill but I did not realise it was uphill all the way. Although you would not notice the gradient if you were walking you really do notice it in the wheelchair. There was a lot of mud on the cycle path obviously from where the rains had run down the banks of the cycle path and taken mud with it, there are stretches that flood when the rain come which also causes the muddy areas but today workmen were working with a mini skid steer with a bucket attachment which they were using to scrape the mud away, this would clearly be helpful for me in the chair and also be good for the walkers who use the path and obviously not forgetting the cyclists. Whilst this was a very good idea and top marks to the person who instructed them to do it there was a tiny little flaw in the plan.
The mud was cleared really quite well but what did they do with it?
They put it in to the drainage ditches alongside the cycle path, good job they are not needed to try to take the water away from cycle path to prevent flooding!
It generally takes around one hour and twenty minutes, sometimes one hour and thirty minutes to make the journey from the bungalow to the Stonemasons but today on the journey the other way it took two and a quarter hours. In the chair you not only have to counteract the camber meaning that you need to spin one wheel more or quicker than the other but you are also trying to go up a gradient where you need to be using both arms to propel yourself. I will be honest here, I was knackered. Not physically as in out of breath, but my arms were on fire. I was helped by Alison on a couple of occasions but overall I was very happy with the time in which we had completed the trip. I honestly was not sure if we would make it all the way but we did, and that gave me a huge sense of self achievement. I have to say thanks to Alison for not automatically pushing my chair when I was struggling with the steeper slopes, instead she waited until I asked her for help. This is good because otherwise you could just give up knowing that if you slow right down you will be pushed which is not what I want, so thanks mate, and she would tell you that the gradients don’t seem like anything when you are walking but when you have to push a wheelchair it becomes very apparent as to how hard it is in the chair.
As we were walking the final fifty meters or so to the bungalow we could see my Wife standing at the entrance to our driveway, she walked over to us and was going to push me the last little bit, but she asked if I wanted help and I told her I just wanted to finish the trip under my own steam. We finally arrived at the bungalow, the dog had a drink and got in to Alison’s car and then we all went inside where Alison and I had a cup of coffee and some well deserved biscuits for me! After a while Alison went home and I got on to my bed and changed ready for my Paula to come round for my massage treatment on my legs. Treatment over I resorted to a jet bath, my shoulders and back muscles were a little tender and so I hope that the bath may help, Darren and I are going out tomorrow and the last thing I want is for me to be in clip and not able to propel myself in my chair. Here’s hoping that I am ok in the morning.
`Pickle` and my Wife are sleeping in my Daughter’s bed tonight as `Pickle` has a really bad barking cough which she has had for a week or so and she can not shift it, she is going to the Doctor’s tomorrow to find out what the problem is, I just hope that it is not connected to the mould problem we found in our room, that is where she sleeps more often than not as she cuddles up to us normally from around midnight. Anyway, day out tomorrow and after my exercise today I think some sleep is in order……so just one episode of NCIS tonight.
Goodnight all.