When she was up she was up…

But when she was down she was down!

What’s the quickest way down a mountain?

Me and my K2 of course 😁. Getting up a mountain is never easy and especially in a wheelchair, but no other chair helps as much as the Trekinetic K2! Using the brakes allows you to control the descent and do some cool spins too 🤣

This is the Todtnau mountains in the Black Forest in Germany and follows a visit to the Todtnau Falls. Not something an average wheelchair could master!

Getting up the mountain would be impossible without my ‘power’ – hubby 💖💖

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Day 2 in Bluestone Resort, Wales….

We woke to the most glorious, crisp winter day. Having arrived at around 5pm the evening before it was our first opportunity for a bit of exploration….and to find a coffee shop – coffee is extremely high on my priority list and we needed to see if by some remote chance a coconut milk latte was possible in the Welsh wilderness.

Our walk down from the cabin was stunning and we had plenty of opportunities to get some great pictures.

Who doesn’t need a picture of themselves taking a selfie of themselves…

The head….

And the tail of the Welsh dragon…

We arrived in the village and had a quick wander around….

I found it….Ty Coffi….the village has a coffee shop (jumps for joy)…

The best bit? They served a very fine latte with coconut milk so our week here is going to be just fine. Lovely place and even lovelier people serving us. We got our ‘free with your first drink’ reusable cups which we will most definitely make use of each day with a 10% reusable cup discount – better and better.

Next we headed further downhill through the forest trail to see the festive lights. They did not disappoint – even in the daytime. Here are a few of our favourite pictures….

My trusty steed never disappoints and got me down and back up the green route – the easy option, but not for anyone of faint heart and weak pushing arms!

A lovely lady gave me a push over one of the uphills and between my pushing the wheels and Maryam pushing from behind with her walker, we managed the slow ascent eventually collapsing onto a bench at the lake. What’s the saying about the blind leading the blind?

A short bus trip back up the hill was definitely required because no way was I able to wheel myself that distance and elevation. Free bus or train trips run every half an hour and it was no time at all before we arrived back in Preseli View ready for a cuppa and a rest.

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Be there gold in them their Preseli Mountains?

Take 4 ladies of varying nationalities, each with their own unique cultures and origins,

2 children,

2 cars,

1 wheelchair,

1 walking frame,

3 walking sticks,

and a smattering of health and disability issues.

Put them together in a log cabin in the wilds of Pembrokeshire, Wales and you are bound to have an interesting holiday!

Day 1 and after a drive from Lancashire for one car and another from Milton Keynes we were so happy to be greeted by the friendliest staff at the reception gates.

In no time we were checked in and directed to our cabin at 43 Preseli View.

We’re in a lovely four bedroom cabin with 3 big bathrooms, open plan living, dining and kitchen and a nice big entrance that acts as a mud room where we can store all the shoes, coats and mobility equipment.

After unloading all our stuff Using our trolley to help with the load and fewer trips, I headed off to find out how I could move my car off site and then get back to the cabin. When I was told that because I’m disabled and have a blue badge I could keep and use my car on the site I was overjoyed because you should see the hill we are staying on!

The choice of bedrooms was between a twin downstairs and 3 bedrooms upstairs so that was an easy one because the South African wheelchair lady and the Iranian knee replacement lady both don’t do stairs, AND there is a lovely big bathroom next door; one that I can get my wheelchair or my walker into.

An early night was definitely in order and the impeccably clean white linen was calling very loudly by this point.

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Wandering in Wales…..

A good story needs a good opening lines doesn’t it? So,….

An Englishwoman, an Irishwoman, an Iranianwoman and a South African woman descend on a resort in Wales.

What could possibly happen? Keep coming back over the next few days and you may find a few stories to entertain and inform.

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To Hemel and back again….

For any South African or Dutch speakers out there, this isn’t Hemel (heaven), but rather Hemel Hampstead in the UK, however, it is a small slice of heaven because that is where small miracles happen. 🙂

Not to wax too lyrical, but seriously, I am over the moon to have my baby back after what feels like the longest 3 weeks ever!  In fact, I couldn’t wait any longer and after another very long week in the old chair, I decided that a day trip to Hemel Hampstead and back to Lancashire was worth the time and effort to get her back sooner rather than later!

After way too long, I eventually got my Trekinetic K2 serviced.  One of the major reasons it hasn’t been is because I know what a wrench it is without it and so I avoid it until I can’t any longer.  When you have the freedom to run around in a K2 and then go back to a ‘normal’ wheelchair, it is a little like having a broken leg and needing to hobble about on crutches…it works, but it certainly isn’t comfortable or easy.

Mike and the team at Trekinetic have done an amazing job of sprucing her up, tightening all the loose bits, replacing some parts, adding a few new bits and generally making her feel like a shiny new chair again.  I cannot thank you all enough for getting it done so quickly for me….oh, and thanks also to Mal the agent for Trekinetic from All Terrain who took her down to Hemel Hampstead for me.

What an incredible piece of engineering my K2 is.  It has been around 8 years since I purchased her and since then we have had some amazing adventures together but she is as good and reliable as day 1 (verified by my very quick spin around the services on the way home).  Mike and the team at Trekinetic can justifiably be proud of their engineering skills.

WOW!  I will keep my eye on this one in case we ever decide to move to a desert somewhere…. This is THE DESERT SCORPION….

I am now happy to be home and resting on my bed….I need to get my strength back to get out and about on new adventures with my old pal.

PS.  Thanks for the book Mike, the grandchildren are going to love it 🙂

 

 

 

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Trekinetic in the wild….

When left to its own devices, the Trekinetic K2 loves to be out in the wild camping. Here we see how well prepared and organised it’s campsite is. Enjoying a bit of German sunshine without human interference….

…..those precious moments when you’re not being pushed around!

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The loveliest campsite in Germany surely?

2nd Oct 2015

After one night in the previous campsite we moved onto Alte Saghmuhle in Sulzburg; only a couple of miles away in distance, but a million miles away in beauty and tranquility!  Saghmuhle means sawmill and this area is clearly BIG on timber.  The old sawmill wheels have been re-invented as water features on the site next to the main house….

Our type of campsite is rural and we got this in spades….

Amongst the magnificent trees and scenery of the South Black Forest, this campsite is deceptively large because so much of the terraced camping is hidden amongst a very old and established forest on terraces which are hidden from each other by vegetation.  This is our idea of paradise, and despite it being beautiful, remote and picturesque it still has all the facilities that we need with bathrooms, washrooms, laundry and electricity.  

Across the road, and where the majority of the sites are situated, is a very old Jewish cemetery set against the hillside in the forest.  I wasn’t able to go up these stairs, even my hubby puts his foot down at certain inclines, but hubby got some lovely pictures for me…

Next let’s talk about wood piles.  Not something many of you will get too excited by, but when your home has 3 working fireplaces (and 5 others to uncover) then you may begin to understand my wood pile envy!  Obviously in The Black Forest there is no shortage of wood for fires and wood piles are equally aplenty in back yards as well as farms, but here at Alte Saghmhule we have a pretty impressive woodpile by anyones standards…

For me, forget all those other 5 star campsites with their swimming pools and restaurants, I would happily spend a few weeks here and tour the region, visit the vineyards, or sometimes just sit around the campsite.

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Britzinger Weinwandertag & Herbstfest….

3rd Oct 2015

Today was unification day, and an official holiday in Germany so we were not entirely sure what to expect apart from being told that all the shops would be closed.  When we set out on our tour of the countryside, we never expected too much, but we got WAY more than we could have hoped for.

Firstly a lovely drive through the Black Forest.  Then off to Staufen for a walk about followed by a pitstop for cake and coffee whilst we watched the local races around the town.  Different distances and age groups participated, but generally most people got involved and we notice that the Germans are a very active nation and they start them very young which is admirable.

From Staufen we headed off to the wine route near our campsite because they were having a Weinwandertag, or wine-route-meander today.  We had expected to amble into the village and see what was going on, but we were immediately caught up in the local excitement of wine, food and a bit of fun in the sun, and decided to join in.  Firstly hubby had a glass for the road accompanied by the local German band in full swing, and then we grabbed our map of the route and struck out for the vineyards.  

I will admit that it was very hard work, especially for hubby, as these vines like to grow on hilly ground and therefore the route was up and down and all around!  Thank goodness for my trusty Trekinetic K2 because otherwise this amazing activity would have been beyond us.  This may well be the first time any of these folks have seen the route completed by someone in a wheelchair…and almost definitely a first for Trekinetic….Thank you K2!

   (a little horsey one just for RM) 🙂

This Weinwandertag is brilliantly organised each year by the Britzinger winery with very well stocked food and drinks stations along the way.  We opted for Rosenberg route 2 because it is apparently not quite as taxing as route 1 – I cannot compare them but boy am I glad we didn’t do more difficult one!!!

After a kilometre or so we stopped at the first station with tents, table and chairs and plenty of food and drink to be enjoyed before the next stage.  We forged on without stopping and after a wonderful walk through the vines we eventually arrived at the next station where we thoroughly enjoyed our refreshments.  We decided to skip out a number of the stations because we had started so late in the day and really wanted to be back to enjoy some of the food, wine and music on offer at the Britzinger winery.  The next stage was a bit of a killer, and hubby and I huffed and puffed up a number of very steep tracks and roads before getting back to the starting point.  Oh boy, that was a workout and after 6kms we definitely deserved that fat port roast roll and new wine.

 

Seriously, this has to be one of the best days out you will ever enjoy.  If you are ever in Germany during early October, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Satiated and tired we headed home to pack up our campsite ready to leave for the next stop on our journey…

Switzerland, you have a LOT to live up to!

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You, me and K2, ready for a holiday…..

It has been too long….3 1/2 years too long in fact, since hubby and I have been on holiday. That is about to be rectified with a trip to Europe in search of rest, recuperation and hopefully a lot of sunshine. However, being a realist, and a British citizen, we understand well the vagaries of the weather so I am taking no chances that my Trekinetic K2 will get wet at some point on our route.

Having modified my mobility van into a camper, I didn’t want my wheelchair to take up precious space on the inside, so we purchased a Bak-Rak for it to go on the outside. A great plan for perennially sunny countries, but I was taking no chances with my mobility and therefore it needed a rain cover.

  
I was lucky enough to have found a bolt of ripstop fabric when I was last at Abakhan and brought it home with the intention of making an awning for the campervan, but it struck me that it was also the perfect material to make a cover for my wheelchair …. and that’s exactly what I did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It isn’t a tight fit because that would make it too difficult to get the cover closed, but it has the general shape. The cover is placed onto the Bak-Rak and my K2 is placed on top of it.  The wheels are clamped down to the base and then the zip is closed over the entire wheelchair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time and travel alone will tell whether this is a good design or not, but hopefully it keeps my wheelchair dry and therefore my bum dry for the duration of our holiday 😄

 

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How much is too much for freedom?

It occurred to me whilst chatting to someone recently that the price of disabled products seem unfairly high considering their necessity to some people.  Take for example a simple vinyl sign for my car window to politely request people leave sufficient space for my wheelchair ramp – £7; or a roof box a friend recently purchased for his wheelchair (which is constantly breaking down) – £5000!; or a wheelchair ramp which comprises a bit of aluminium, steel safety rope and a small motor – £3000; and the motorised indoor office chair which allows me access to cupboards and printers – £6.500!

This was the dilemma we faced when deciding whether to buy my Trekinetic K2 a few years ago.  On paper the price was high – not for this particular chair because most chairs with similar features will cost this or more – but when we sat and considered the freedom this remarkable wheelchair would provide…. ‘legs’ to get to places other wheelchairs can’t, then the price becomes far less significant.  Mind you, I only really realised how much it was worth once I had experienced the seaside, the river, the mountain, the lake and all sorts of other adventures for the first time in five years.

So despite the fact that mobility products are probably over priced, it depends on how much you value your freedom to explore.  I could stay in a cheap, ugly, old-fashioned wheelchair which works fine in the mall or any other smooth surfaced area, but these will definitely NOT offer me the adventures I have enjoyed over the years.

And then you get some amazing people out there who work tirelessly to make this sort of freedom possible for someone who does not have the financial means….

Take for example this amazing tweet that landed up on my desktop thanks to Bear Grylls and the Scout movement….

https://twitter.com/hashtag/scoutingforall?src=hash

Thanks to their amazing work this little boy will get to be part of a team and not be left out – priceless I’d say!

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A BIG welcome to…..

Michelle and her sister who have just launched their brand new website as a distributorship for Trekinetic.  I wish them all the best for a long and successful career making lives easier and more enjoyable for every new Trekinetic owner.

www.beyondtheboundarywheelchairs.com

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Flowers? for me? really?….

What a lovely surprise to come home to a bouquet of flowers – and a lovely one at that! It is a rare occasion that I receive flowers and my first reaction was that they must have been delivered to the wrong house; but no, checking the little card nestled amongst the foliage confirmed they were definitely mine. Ooh! the mystery – it isn’t my birthday, an anniversary and I have been sick, but not THAT sick.

Reading my message, I was very touched….

Dear M, Thank you so much for helping to inspire others to join the revolution via your fascinating blog. All the best for summer. Kind regards. Mike and everyone at Trekinetic.

Honestly, I always thought that if my blog could inspire even one person to be brave and go out and be more independent in their wheelchair it would have served its purpose – and it seems it has! I am thrilled to bits.

Thank you Mike and team for the lovely gesture but really, it should be me sending you flowers for the many, many hours of enjoyment and freedom my wonderful Trekinetic K-2 has given me!

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An olympic adventure…..

Our Olympic adventure started with days, and days on the internet and phone trying to get some tickets! I must say that it was definitely worth the effort because we eventually headed off to London for theday to visit the Olympic park followed by the afternoon session in Greenwich Park to watch the equestrian events. An amazing day out and as an event organiser and project manager I was very impressed by the way it was all handled.

    

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Forerunner of the K2?

We recently attended an architectural fare in Cheshire where I came across this beauty. I don’t think it was a wheelchair but rather a motorised bicycle of some sort. I’ll have to let Mike at Trekinetic know that this old antique sported a hand-cycle mechanism and an amazing set of headlights which would be pretty impressive during the approaching dark winter nights!

It certainly made me smile and together with my ultra modern K2 we had a lot of curious onlookers as well.

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Thank you KLM…..

It was with great relief that my wheelchair arrived at the door of the plane – and in one piece, unmangled!
Having learned from the last couple of disasters, hubby and I took a piece of 50mm plumbing pipe that was lying around our personal landfill site, cut it down one side and taped this over the shock absorbers release mechanism. This should ensure that no prying hands can accidentally release the chair into the upright position. It seems to have done the trick – and it also helped that they didn’t drive a cargo container over it!
KLM have managed to do what the previous two airlines have not – thank you very much Royal Dutch Airlines.

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