Trapped in the house.

I actually left the house yesterday for the first time in a week. We had snow, more snow and even more snow over the weekend making the pavements like ice rinks and snow drifts on some roads many feet high! I use a mobility scooter, so even when the snow was clearing a little I still could not get out as I did not know how my scooter would handle going over patches of snow and I was worried I may even slide off the pavement onto the road! I must admit to feeling like I have been in prison for a week, it must be awful to be locked up for real. We went out yesterday afternoon, only to the local shops for a few bits and pieces, but even that short outing made me feel a lot better. This morning I have been to the Easter bonnet parade at the local nursery to see our Granddaughter take part, at the age of 2, in her first parade. It was lovely, and as she came in and saw everybody, recognised that not only was Daddy, Mommy and Grandma in the audience, she rushed over to Daddy crying with joy and flung her arms around his neck. It really was quite emotional! And now I cannot go out this afternoon, our daughter has had to borrow the car as her own is being serviced and some mechanical problem sorted out and also because we are waiting in for a repair man of our own to mend the door catch on the dishwasher! He rang to say he must come today as he is on holiday for the next 2 weeks so we would have to wait until he came back otherwise.  I did say we were willing to wait, the dishwasher does still work, it just doesn`t close properly but he said he would rather the work were done before he went off on his holidays so we are awaiting his arrival. The sun has come out now, and although cold it is nice and bright out there, but I still can`t go out on my scooter with the dogs as I am waiting for this repair man to come. Hopefully he will come sometime soon, maybe I will even get out into the sunshine!

So I`m sorry if this horrible weather is my fault!

I think this horrible weather must be my fault! In the latter part of 2012 I had a new mobility scooter, we sometimes have an "indian summer" in September/October but last year, as soon as my scooter was delivered by a man called Dave in a white van the weather turned and it has hardly improved since. It is now coming towards the end of March, which should by rights be the start of Spring, and what do I see outside my window? Snow!! I ask you snow, and not just a flurry, not just a sprinkling, but full blown, up to your ankles, snow! I know by the standards of 1963 (probably years before you were born) its not very deep, but it is bad enough to cause disruption, accidents, broken legs! I can remember trying to get to school in knee deep snow, arriving to find that hardly anyone had turned up and being sent home again, arriving weary and frozen having been walking for the best part of two hours! I have just seen on the news that in parts of Cumbria they have it deep, snow drifts in some parts of up to 14ft deep according to the news broadcaster, so in comparison it is not bad down here, but ankle deep is enough to keep me in doors. I don`t know how a mobility scooter would handle in the snow to be quite honest, having never tried, but I don`t really fancy finding out! So the upshot of all this is that I am, like many other I daresay, stuck in the house and feel like I am in prison.  I am afraid to walk incase I fall over, if I did fall I doubt I would get up. So I am pleading to the powers that be, whoever is in charge of the weather, please let Spring arrive soon and deliver us all from this dreadful weather then I would not feel so bad for having a mobility scooter and obviously changing the weather for the worst in the first place!!
So I`m sorry if this horrible weather is my fault!

MOBILITY SCOOTERS AND UMBRELLAS!

I had to have a bowl of soup to warm me up when I returned from my short outing on my mobility scooter this morning. I had to post a birthday card for my oldest friend Lynn, we met 52 years ago now when I had just turned 5 and Lynn was still 4 years old. There is 8 months between us but we did not end up in the same school year because of when our birthdays are, so I was in the year above her at school. Having been friends for so long, obviously I had to brave the cold to post her card! I did wish I had realised quite how cold it was outside, had I done so I would have added an extra layer and maybe even worn my hat! My fingers get very cold, as do my feet, so I had my knee length boots on, and I have been known to wear two pairs of gloves, one on top of the other, though unfortunately it was not the case this morning as I had worn a different coat and the thinner gloves were in the pockets of the coat I decided not to wear!! Walking around does keep you warm, but sitting on a mobility scooter does nothing whatsoever to keep you cosy, therefore this chilly weather can be rather uncomfortable. If you have arthritis, like me, the cold seems to seep into my body and makes me hurt even more than normal! As the old saying goes "chilled to the bone" seems very apt!
Just before I went out this morning a friend called round for a cuppa and she was telling me about an old gentleman she used to look after who used a mobility scooter. She said he took his life in his hands each time he crossed the road, as he would stop briefly at the kerb then shoot across, sometimes as a car was approaching causing it to stop quickly. If she was with him sometimes on the way to the shops to help him with his groceries she would try to stop him crossing unsafely but if he started across the road before she could stop him she would wave apologetically at the cars forced to stop, mouthing "thankyou" at them before scuttling across herself! She said when it was raining he even sometimes held an umbrella above himself whilst driving his mobility scooter with his other hand, quite how he managed that I don`t know! Needless to say I am very cautious when crossing over the road, and if it rains I get wet!!

Mobility scooter access.

I wanted to get a mobility scooter which was sturdy and okay to ride on the paths in the woods behind our house. We like to take the dogs for walks round there, its peaceful and you often meet other dog walkers who pass the time of day, and in May there is the added bonus of the bluebells which grow wild in the woods, beautiful. Our dogs love it, Barney has a great time playing ball or stick, there are plenty of smells to make the walk interesting and a good time is had by all. The only problem is with the little bridges which span the stream, they are just flat, wooden bridges but the end of the bridge, where you come on and off the path, is causing a bit of a problem with my scooter. At one time the paths were built up to the same level as the bridges but over the years the path is wearing a little and so the gap between bridge and path has altered and there is a couple of inches which you have to bump down. No problem on foot, a couple of inches to step down is neither here nor there, but on a mobility scooter it is a different problem. The bottom of the scooter grates on the wood of the bridge and so it has proved easier for me to get off the scooter, then Graham pushes it carefully off the bridge on to the path before I get back on again. To push the scooter off the bridge down the two inches to the path is not too bad, but going up two inches to get the scooter on to the bridge proves more tricky, especially as it is a big, sturdily built scooter which is heavy, and it is difficult to push over the ridge. It is easily fixed, the path just needs to be built up very slightly to match the bridge level and I doubt it would take long. It is slightly spoiling my enjoyment of our walks because I am thinking about reaching the bridge all the time, and having the problem of getting on and off.

USING WHEELS.

I thought I would share my thoughts with you about using a mobility scooter.  Obviously will hopefully be of interest, or make people smile, who use a wheelchair.
Sign seen on the ring road in Wolverhampton, "safe for wheelchair users", presumably to cross the road.  Maybe, Mr Signwriter, it would be better if the sign was not about 7 feet in the air, a wheelchair, scooter user may well get a crick in the neck trying to read it!
Sign in B & Q "wheelchairs are available to use for customers"  Don`t get me wrong, the thought is there, and it is a good one.  The sign, however, was in the wrong place, it was on the way out of the store!! Surely it should be put up in the foyer on the way in?
Jewellers please take note.  We went to H.Samuel in the city centre to ask about a watch repair. We had to wait ages while a phone call was made, then the lady could not remove the old strap from the watch in order to put on a new strap. I was rather stupidly walking with my stick, as I thought we would not be long, and it was not too far from the car. There was no chair to sit on whilst waiting, forcing me to walk back to the car and leave hubby to deal with his watch transaction on his own. He even mentioned to the lady that I was having problems, her only attempt to help was to ask if there was room outside on the bench! Ofcourse there was no room on the bench, and as she admitted, there never is! A chair please H.Samuels, some people need to sit!
Just to finish, and while I am moaning I may aswell carry on. On bin day please take your bins in if you are at home, its a hell of a job sometimes to drive round them on a mobility scooter, especially if left on the path right outside my house. I know its impossible if you are at work, so I would appeal to bin men to try and push them out of the way please.  The other, and last, moan goes to cars which park on the pavement. You have a road to park on, if you park on the pavement and take up the whole pavement I am forced to ride on the road on my mobility scooter which could well get me killed! Please think, it may be you on the mobility scooter one day. Thanks.