As I sat by the side of the River Teifi on Thursday last week, waiting to meet a friend of my daughters, I took this moment in my life to stop and appreciate the small things around me. Something I find using a wheelchair has re-taught me. Simple pleasures. Here are a series of photos of Swans, enjoying the sun.
May sees the anniversary of when I really fell ‘ill’. That was fourteen years ago, whilst pregnant with my son. Although looking back there was evidence before. Fourteen years is two cycles of seven years. I am not a holder of the belief that your life is defined by cycles of seven years, however in this case it is a happy coincidence. I have fought to come to terms with my limitations and my desire to live life to the fullest. I am learning there a ways of doing this. As per previous posts I have expressed a desire to get out and about more, to literally become the wheelchair rambler. Taking in as much of the outdoor world as I can. Of course this is limited to the type of wheels I have. One of the reasons I would like to do this, is to indulge in my blossoming love of photography. I am beginning to find my ‘style’ and I am learning a new way of doing this, whilst I try and work an off road solution. I have come across a genre called Candid Photography and this is very much the way I see myself going with things. This is about capturing a natural moment. This to me is about fluidity and movement. I have found street photography, parked by a river or near the sea can give me subjects to photograph and hone my skill.
I am uncertain at this stage where my photography is taking me, however I am enjoying the process and that for now is enough.
I am going to start blogging about images I see from the prospective of a wheelchair. These will be entitled ‘a wheely good view’. The aim of these posts is to show sometimes by being in a chair we see things other people may miss. Or if not miss, may not appreciate the true beauty of. Some of these images may also be the frustration of not being able to get somewhere because of being in a wheelchair. However, I hope you enjoy these posts.
This first image is of a feather I saw, at the side of a track I was trundling down at Dinefwr Park. My daughter hadn’t spotted it. I love the image of it blowing lightly in the breeze, but also the fact you can see the shadow of the grass beyond it.
Today I went on one of my favourite walks, which I will blog about later. However I didn’t enjoy it as much as normal. Friday I spent most of the day in A&E cooped up in my powered wheelchair, as I had to park half a mile away from A&E, too far to propel myself in my manual chair. Especially up hills and with adverse cambers! I went in about a partially dislocated ankle and instead have been referred to vascular surgeon about my circulation. The result of this was having a bad back from my wheelchair.
Today’s walk made my pain worse, the walk seemed full of people who I saw myself in. Well in my previous life. Happily walking, enjoying the sun, chasing after their kids etc. I still remember even if I did a walk like this I would pay for it, having had ME since I was 22. Still the price was never high and always worth it. Instead of lifting my spirits it’s sunk them.
There’s no point on dwelling on this, what I need to do instead is find a better wheelchair solution. Perhaps a bike attachment to my wheelchair. I’ve tried the SmartDrive whilst a brilliant piece of kit, it’s really not suitable on anything nearing imperfect services or weird levels in pavements. Let’s not mention the whole hills thing. Maybe then if I’m stuck anywhere for long periods of time, I have my tailored made chair with me!
Photo of my son and husband.
Roath Park is one of Cardiff’s most popular parks and has a distinct Victorian feel about it. The park encompasses a lake on side and a botanic gardens and glass house on the other. There is a diverse range of things to see and do. There is a child’s play area, a lake to walk around, which includes boating for the able bodied, also a Victorian glasshouse to visit.
As you traverse the lake you will see a wide range of water birds. The habitat of the park is set so to create a suitable habit for the birds. The swans are known to get in the way of pedestrian or wheelchair user alike! So perhaps a little care is needed around them. At the right time of year you can see nesting Coot’s and said Swans, also Geese and Cormorants to name a few. The path around the lake is fairly easy going in a wheelchair, but the camber is at time a bit of challenge if you are using a manual wheelchair. The inclines are not too great. You are able to go around the entire lake, giving you chance to see all it has to offer.
The Botanic gardens park of the park is more of challenge, with some steep inclines. I would say this is only suitable for a powered solution or someone fit to push a manual wheelchair. However it is worth a visit, to see the stream running though, to sit in the shade of the trees or view the Rose gardens in season.
The park has a cafe, a takeaway coffee and ice cream shop and a ice cream van. It also has toilet facilities. The parking is on the road, be it Lake Road east or west. There are no dedicated disabled bays I could see on my visit.
I love coming here when I visit Cardiff. A chance to people watch, meander around the lake and have an ice cream. This has become something of a family tradition now. With the obligatory ice cream regardless of the weather. If you are in Cardiff I would recommended you stop by. It really does feel like a snapshot in time, the echoes of a bygone era.
This is not quite the post I had intended to write today. However I feel I need to voice this. I am struggling.
Since having made the decision to stop being self employed and concentrate on my writing, both within this blog and of a fictional nature, I am struggling. I am struggling not to feel like I have failed. I am struggling with motivation and I have started to struggle with the ‘feeling good’ bit. I am recognising the signs the big black dog is straining at its chain and trying to come back through the door. This is a reminder to me the beating depression isn’t a one battle wonder. Having found the strength to make these decisions, I am finding it hard to stick to them. But stick to them I will.
I am quite certain a lot of this is to do with post holiday fatigue! However, rather than hide behind this as a cause, I am recognising the symptoms. I actually feel calmer for having written this post.
Please excuse the ramblings, more interesting blog topics will soon return!
I have recently discovered a new passion with photography. Portals and doors and mystery. Whether this is arches framing landscapes, plants or people; or the natural way the landscapes falls, hinting at paths, actual paths or with a twist of the imagination, opening into new worlds. I am not certain whether this is a product of me finding my own path, letting go of outmoded ideas and thought processes, or my mind freeing itself from turmoil and seeing the landscape in a different way. It could also be as a result of my fascination with the esoteric. I know I still need improvement with my craft, however practice makes perfect. Over time it is going to be interesting to see how I move on and develop. From the early work I am now posting, to what ever the future holds. That’s not to say I will post other photos I take, but I feel I have found a genre for my photography I want to ‘specialise’ in. One thing that is for certain right now, I am really loving life and learning to accept that life is journey not a destination.
These images are from my visit to Llanerchaeron.
The Aberporth cliff path is one of my favourite spots to go for a trundle. Given it is tarmaced and easy for my powered wheelchair to manage. On Sunday the sun was shining and I needed to get out the house. My husband and I took a stroll along the path. Today’s image is something that could have been from a by gone era, as well as something relevant today. Two men walking with shovels over their shoulders, using a path that links two villages. Some things are truly timeless.
Cardigan is a picturesque market town with a long history, situated on the edge of the river Teifi close to the West Wales coast. Coffee #1 is a lovely spacious coffee shop on the main high street in Cardigan. The pavements along parts of the high street are fairly narrow and given to adverse cambers. This makes them slightly challenging. The entry to the building is a very slight slope which is easily wheelchair accessible. The doorway is wide enough to accommodate my powered wheelchair. The only downside is the door is a pull door, which can make getting in slightly trickier if you’re on your own. Although in my experience the users of the coffee shop are very helpful. However a simple addition of a bell could help those who struggle. The coffee is good and the baristas are knowledgable. There is a variety of different coffees and cold drinks on offer. As well as a selection of cakes and sandwiches. The staff are amazing. Taking time not only to bring my coffee to the table, but to accommodate anyone’s needs. Offering smells of ground coffee beans for those unable to make a decision on the coffees on offer. Adjusting the coffee to suit each individual requirements. The tables are spread out spaciously and easily accessible for most wheelchairs. The only slight downside is the disabled toilet. The narrow passageway in which it is set, makes getting in and out tricky. But again the friendly staff are usually there to help and hold the door open, which makes passage in and out easier. I understand that Coffee #1 have done their best given the restraints of an old building. As I embark on my adventure as the Wheelchair Rambler, reviewing as I go, I decided to start of with one of my favourite coffee shops to visit.
As per my previous post I am moving on with a new phase of my life. This is not the easiest of things for me to do. It feels like I have been laid bare. Recently I have come to realise, Ive hidden behind ‘self employment’ and the motives behind that, to stop me fulfilling my dream of being an author. If I busy myself with the tasks of self employment, especially one that involves crafting, I would never find the time to write. Even though that thought burns away deep in my soul. I once said I could no longer give up writing than willingly give up breathing. Even though I have tried to dam it, it still has snuck around the edges, over the top. Every time it did this, I built bigger and bigger defences. The question I had to ask myself was why? The why …. even though I tried to hide away from the reason, it simply stems from my childhood dream. Then being told I would never be good enough. My spelling, my gramma all fell, probably still fall short of the desired standard. I have for years and year and …. you get the picture, I let this stop me fulfilling this dream. Then a a good few years ago told me I had the most amazing gift of storytelling. I was told when he read my book Tales from the Beyond it was as if he was sitting next to a campfire being told stories. It was then I realised I had something, I’d not call it a gift, but what I found was my ‘voice’. I went on to write The Fool’s Journey. This book was for a while my nemesis. It hasn’t had a happy life as a book. I will stop there detailing the lack lustre mistakes of my writing past. Now having made my decision it has left me with all my insecurities of my writing on the surface, so to speak. To help me work my way forward I’ve decluttered a lot of my crafting stuff and given it to a local mental health charity who help people through crafting. Now I cannot go back. The only way is forward, because I cannot afford to restock 10 years of crafting supplies! I do have some left for my own personal use. I’m refinding my addiction to knitting socks! This is what I’ve decluttered! Shocking really.
Wheelchair Rambler 