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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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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Decision time!

I decided that in order to make an informed decision on when and where I would use my K-2 rather than my standard chair, I would use it exclusively for a week so that I could compare the performance and differences between the two.

The first day in the office was quite an event. We caused quite a stir and everyone wanted to see and quiz me. This chair definitely turns heads and at one stage it was suggested that I may need a code on our time tracking system so that I could log how much time I spent explaining the amazing features on the K-2!

After the end of the first week I went back into my traditional chair for one day. I was now in a better position to decide on the pro’s and con’s of each chair. It didn’t take more than a few minutes to realise how much more manoeuvrable the K-2 is.  I love it so much that I rarely use my Otto Bock wheelchair.

I am lucky enough to have a big car so I could use my Trekinetic without needing to fold it for transport. It fits in the boot of my 7 seater together with my old chair folded next to it – I was not yet confident enough to give up on my old chair so continued to carry it around for a few days just in case – of what I am not sure! Anyway, a few days later and it is now assigned to the house as my home chair. Out with the old and in with the new – don’t they say “nothing ventured, nothing gained”?

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At last – our first adventure

5pm and we are off for our inaugural ramble! Armed with new K-2, energy drink, fleeces, camera and plenty of enthusiasm (oh, did I mention the not so great weather?).

Our destination, Southport beach, with a car park surface that might have been laid back in the 60’s and is now more like the lunar surface. The first time we decided on this walk we didn’t even manage to get out of the car park – definitely not wheelchair friendly.

 

 Hooray! Our first goal achieved – out of the car park and onto the trail. Getting used to the unusual steering meant that I was all over the place at first, but the good thing is that wherever I unintentionally steered, I could get myself out of without my husbands muscle power. This independence lark could get addictive. With our sights firmly set on attaining the waters edge, we set off .

Now, if you know Southport you will realise that this can be no mean feat because the tide only seems to come in every few years and the rest of the time can be miles away. Apart from this we forged ahead and in no time were getting excellent practice over stones, mud, sand, grass and a mix of them all. Not being used to going off road it soon became apparent that I would need to be patient with myself and build up my strength. Pushing yourself around a shopping mall and a beach are entirely different matters. This did however give my hubby a chance to see how easy it was to push and before we knew it we had gone about a mile with the sea still just a distant glimmer! At this point we noticed we were the only people on the beach and rather than become the next headline on the North West news – I could imagine it – “Women in wheelchair rescued from incoming tide”, we decided to turn back and try reaching the beach another day when we had a tidal report.

 All in all, it was an amazing first trip. We tried and conquered a number of different terrains and at the same time got the confidence to go on to bigger and better things.

Tired but happy we returned home to hose off my K-2 ready for the next adventure.

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Day one – delivery

Delivery – Have K-2, but no place to go!

 After much excitement and anticipation the day for delivery of my Trekinetic K-2 has arrived. Mal dropped it off early on Friday morning and after going through some instructions and useful information, left me to get acquainted. I immediately went out onto our road for a few laps to get familiar with the new and unusual driving style. It was at this point that my hubby disappeared back to the office leaving me to spend the rest of the day reading the manual, pushing up and down the living room and waiting impatiently for his return so that we could go for our first outing.

Tick, tock, tick, tock!

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