Monday, March 27

A Level Playing Field


Sand, gravel, grass, mud, cobbles, concrete, rocky, tarmac, carpet.... legs are all purpose terrain vehicles. With a little tlc they will take you over pretty much any terrain within reason and a little care. Not so with wheels, their versatility is somewhat limited.

Sand is more or less the worst possible scenario, I cannot imagine when I will ever sit on a beach again, and although it doesnt appear too often in everyday life it can appear when you least expect it. Take last week when visiting a national trust property I parked in the disabled bay, 'jumped' out the car, got myself sorted, only to suddenly realise that my wheels were sinking into sand. Mmmmmm yep, thats right someone had decided to use compacted sand for a disabled parking bay. Good idea that one, a gold star in awareness!!!! Fortunatly I escaped before being engulfed in the quicksand of time!

Gravel is much loved by hotels, country houses, and corporations. Its like well, pushing through gravel!! Hard work. thicker it is, the worse it gets! Not great, and in some circumstances Im sure you could find yourself stuck.

Grass and mud, well mud is the most messy thing ever as wheelchairs dont have mud guards so it flies everywhere, and you end up filthy, grass can be problematic. At this time of year its soft and uneven. bumpy and lumpy. I have it on good authority that once hot weather arrives it improves which I hope is true. Northumberland has a huge number of agricultural shows which Im dying to attend all held in fields. Could be hard work on the shoulders, but hopefully Im up to the challenge.

Cobbles are a real bugger for wheelchairs. M
ore often than not there are enormous holes around each cobble, and its a real sod trying to negotiate coz if you get stuck theres a good chance you'll end up coming to a sudden halt and being flung head first across the floor. It almost did happen to me!! Only luck and good grace stopped me ending up SPLAT on the floor!! The other thing with cobbles is that they are so uneven that I can literally feel every cobble shooting up my spine as I cross them. I know you are thinking..., Cobbles? Ah, believe me they are everywhere, you just dont notice them.

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