Two days!! Two blasted days of doing only the bare minimum - convenience food, minimal washing-up efforts, damn near militarised regular breaks and naps, resistance of an overwhelming compulsion to go shopping and the hell with the consequences...
Why? Well, Pip, the Littlun, and myself are all plan-free today, no doctor's appointments or playgroup or family commitments or anything. So earlier in the week, we thought, let's have a day out again, like last summer's trip to Banham Zoo.
Places we're considering include Pettitts Animal Adventure Park, or Fritton Lake, or perhaps Colchester Zoo. Of course, a day out like that requires us all to be well-rested. I have to be prepared to spend several hours solid "up and doing things", but it's poor Pip who really gets it in the shorts - pushing me in the wheelchair while carrying Littlun in the backback/chasing after Littlun on foot, plus all the driving while Littlun and I are likely to be zonked out asleep on the drive back, and possibly the drive there too.
I phoned Pip late yesterday afternoon and we agreed that the most likely plan was Pettitts. But I've just got up, bright and early, and it is GREY out there.
It's only 8am, so I'm hoping that the BBC weather is right and it's going to be mostly sunny with just a bit of (white) cloud, but seriously, Mary's Window Weather Report does not look promising.
On the bright side (well, the drizzly side), we do have Adventure Island nearby, and it's not school holidays so we should be alright there.
Oh, and I had the weirdest dreams last night... I was running around all different types of places (the flat, a stately home, a shop, a restaurant, all indoors though) painting "I am" statements on the wall with my Big Pot Of Paint and an enormous brush. You know, "I am happy" or "I am brunette" or "I am Steve's girlfriend", that sort of thing.
Update 8pm
We ended up with the master plan of going to the East Point Pavillion which houses a Tourist Information Centre, a small restaurant, and a big indoor play area. Pip took the Littlun into the play area while I collected up an assortment of leaflets for family days out - basically everything for the area that wasn't a stately home, museum, or other obviously non-two-year-old-friendly venue.
I couldn't really participate a great deal, unfortunately. The Pavillion has three floors. The ground floor contains the Tourist Information, the restaurant, the kitchens, and the loos, as well as the baby soft-play area and a couple of ball-pools where the big slides finish. Then the entirety of the first AND second floors are more of the main playground. Pip got a good workout - Littlun is at that awkward size where he's definitely too big for the baby area, but too small to manage some of the larger obstacles, and too adventurous to stay within eyesight of the adult seating, but too young for Pip to be able to just leave him to it completely while we sit on the ground floor with a cuppa. Still, the place was practically empty, and the three of us had a wonderful fight in the ball-pool. After about an hour Littlun was quite worn out, so we went and got some Unlucky Fried Chicken for lunch and then back to their house for a nap.
Not quite the day out we had hoped for, but a good day nevertheless. And now I'm shattered.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
after a fashion, anyway.
2 comments:
hello Mary! Long-time lurker, seldom commenter.
Don't you have some sort of electric wheels (I can't remember if it's a scooter or a powerchair) that you could take to the zoo/park/thingy? It's usually possible to book an accessible minibus outside of school-run hours if transporting it is problematic.
You do sound like someone that could find PA type support quite useful, if you'll pardon my impertinence in saying so.
Cheers!
Becca
Hi Becca :)
I do own a mobility scooter.
Unfortunately it is in Leamington, in my boyfriend's garage. I use it only when I go to stay with him for a week or so.
I am on a waiting list (or thinking about it, possibly lost down the back of a filing cabinet) for accessible accomodation. I have been for two years now. No joy. I am currently living in the first-floor (eg up one flight of stairs) flat I moved into when I was fully mobile. There is nowhere I could store or, more importantly, charge a powerchair or scooter.
At the moment I get by at home with the assistance of my mum and stepdad (who live only just down the road), and Pip. In return, I help them by dog-sitting, computer assistance, the occasional tank of petrol, sitting on the floor playing with Littlun, that sort of thing. The idea of employing someone to help me just seemed like it would be a very efficient way of creating more paperwork and financial balancing, not to mention taking a rare resource away from people who don't have friends and family around them.
Post a Comment