Snore....

I'm so tired I feel I could descend into a sleep of 100 years. I have 21 days left before the arrival of Hersh minimus and its not a day too soon. My feet and lower legs are swollen to huge proportions such that I can hardly get my shoes to fit any more. And here's me Ive aways had such dainty toes. My hands are equally as swollen. Just one of those things I'm told and so I have to wait until its all over and I get my body back.

As a result I'm not blogging much, well actually I'm not doing much of anything if I can help it. Daytime TV has become a firm favourite and the house isn't up to my high standards... ( seriously!) And I don't care, not one bit. I'm just desperate to keep that appointment with Morpheus as much as I can, hang on do I hear him calling now.......................................?

Bound not Gagged

So I'm this weeks 'inspirational' story in our local newspaper. It was my husbands fault really as I was out when they rang so he arranged it all with me moaning about it for a week. On the one hand I don't like to say No but I know you wont believe but actually I'm not mad on publicity. The thing is I write this blog in a sort of anonymity that even though you know who I am its a bit different than being my sons teacher for instance or the lady in the garage or the neighbours I wave to from the car. Anyway there are some huge photos which are quite nice even though they all look as though I have some sort of skin condition (dodgy lighting) but the one thing that really rankles is the opening line.... yes once again I'm left 'wheelchair bound' !!!. God almighty I hate that soooo much because its not true. There is an old fashioned assumption that people who use chairs never ever leave them, and actually most can walk, stand or do other things if only for a very short time or distance. The thing with a wheelchair is that at the end of the day, its a mobility aid, it gets you from A to B. I mean if I used a mobility scooter would people say 'mobility scooter bound..'? I think not. It is such an archaic phrase, I can see my late grandmother using it, and she was born in 1900. So DON'T DON'T DON'T EVER EVER use that phrase again EVER. I cant tell you how much I hate it and I know most folks who use a wheelchair as their mobility aid of choice do too. Just DON'T OK?

Tendon Problems

I seem to be having tendon trouble which is I suppose an inevitable consequence of not getting up and going anywhere fast. Normally I'm very mobile, can do lots of bendy exercises and have never ever had any trouble stretching in my life. Until now that is. Lets face it, Ive been pregnant forever and as a result any stretching I might have done stopped quite a few months ago. At the moment I cant even get dressed on my own thanks to an enormous bump, so stretching seems rather unimportant. However over the last few months I have been getting sore and painful heels and when I got my new chair last month, the wheelchair technician was unable to fit it so that my heels fit the footplate perfectly. No matter what, they are always an inch higher than my toes. Not good huh? I suppose once Hersh minimus is born I need to get back to some gym exercise pronto!

Trekker

Yes its embarrassing picture time, who is this odd looking woman on this yellow contraption?!

OK so its me trying out the wonderful sooper dooper Trekker that's available for hire at Castle Morpeth Shopmobility. Those lucky people have one of these amongst their fleet of 'vehicles' all ready for a cross country trek. Hence the name I guess. So with my Northumberland National Parks hat on, this was brought out the back of a trailer for me to take for a spin and then give my ever so humble opinion on.

WOW is all I can say. It does exactly what it says, It treks everywhere, Gravel no sweat, hills easy, mud, puddles and everything else I could find, it tackled with ease. Not once did I feel as if I was going to fall out, off or into something, this beast has the power to tackle most things I would think. (All sounds a bit Top Gear doesn't it?) I'm pretty sure that each wheel has its own suspension as I went over every bump I could find, and it lurched around from side to side but kept the seat totally horizontal, Used to leaning from side to side as I am it all felt rather weird to be sat there while the chair moved around me. Top speed of 16mph, watch out mobility scooters everywhere!! And the price tag just in case anyone wants to buy me one... well a mere £10,000.