Today is the last chance to train ( indoors ) on my arm bike before it goes off in the van with Pistol Pete to Portugal, with all the other bikes, so I’ll do a couple of hours on it, and watch a film whilst arm pedalling.

This last week Ive actually been invited, and attended, 2 social occasions from ‘ my Old Life’, also attended by my Ex wife and Pringle. In the iBot I am at ‘ normal’ height and mobile, so it makes a massive difference to my ability to interact with other people. Thanks to Jo for coming with me to Larry’s birthday party, and thanks for the invite, and thanks to Clair and Charlie as well. As it was a surprise party for Clair and I was asked to find a curry house for 20 guests, I did phone around. Obviously my opening question was ‘ is it wheelchair accessible?’  Eventually I found one that apparently was.  I thought I’d just check by going past it on Saturday afternoon, and was a bit surprised to see a step, then a narrow door, then a right angled turn, then 2 very narrow steps up to the dining area. There was absolutely no way that the iBot would get past all that, so I went in my regular chair and was lifted up the steps, it being yet another premises to illegally not have any kind of ramp…. thanks to Jerry and Cliff for the lift up, and down again afterwards, and to Pia for helping me with loo doors a couple of times. The loo doors  were not actually  wide enough to get my chair through, but I just had to make do, as is so often the case.

Jo and I went to a great gig on Friday. A man called Marc Bolan from a band called T Rex crashed his car and died 40 years previously to the day, on Friday. They were a really good band from the era of Glam Rock, and his death was a fairly notable event at the time. I don’t remember it, as I was a kid and Glam Rock hadn’t reached Wales ( obviously ) Blokes in make up and spangly clothes would never have been allowed over the Severn Bridge, for a start.

Anyway, all sorts of famous musicians turned up to celebrate his life. His songs were sung by Marc Almond ( from Soft Cell ), Steve Harley ( from Cockney Rebel ) and Holly Johnson ( from Frankie goes to Hollywood ) – all really big stars from the past. For once, I was probably one of the youngest people at a gig, as most fans there were probably teenage fans of   T Rex when Marc Bolan died at just 29. Jo looked so underage that I’m surprised they even let her buy a drink at the bar.

The iBot seems to create such a stir sometimes, which is how it should be, and I had all sorts of people talking to me about it, some in almost complete wonder. I now go on buses in it too, so my radius of iBot travel has grown.  I can’t take it to Portugal, as it would almost certainly get damaged in transit in the hold of a plane, so not worth that risk. It’s too good to risk losing, having changed my life a fair bit these past few weeks.

I went to a school today to apply for the official forms that will allow me to visit/ help in schools, going forward.

Its a new school, and presumably built according to modern access regulations. There was a slope option up to the reception area.

The slightly tricky detail was that in order to access that slope, id need to go down 2 steps… a surprise finding?

The way I actually got in was around the back, through a building site, down into the underground car park, and then up in a small lift….

Hmmm… I think they need to address that bit? It’s hardly inconceivable that one day a pupil or another parent might arrive in a wheelchair ?

So this morning I went to the primary school that both my daughters went to, and I talked ( twice ) in the assembly to the kids from the Upper School and the Lower.  The Head introduced it as a chat about ‘ life in a wheelchair ‘ which was about right.

The kids listened in fascination to the tale of my crash, and the serious injuries i sustained, and my explanation of paralysis and how it affects a person.

The ‘ best bit’ was when, after 5 minutes or so, I turned side on to them and, with a child and an adult teacher  stood next to me ( for height reference ) I took the iBot from low down on 4 wheels to upright balancing on just 2. THAT got a pretty big response…..  and i went from being the same height as the child, to taller than the adult.

I asked if anyone knew anybody in a wheelchair, and a lot of them did, mostly a grandparent. I talked about the fact that people in wheelchairs are still people, but they are often limited to just being sat down…. and how it would be a lovely thing if they were to smile or talk, or ask if they could be of any assistance to someone in a chair.

The older kids asked me quite relevant questions,  though the Lower School questions were a bit more random. I mentioned that dogs seemed to find the iBot quite fascinating, and then got told by at least 10 kids what pets they had…..

One little boy put his hand up and said ‘ My dad got lost at the airport ‘.  I said ‘ was he in a wheelchair ?’  He said ‘ no ‘. I enquiried as to whether he’d been found yet, and was told that he had…

So there you go then…

At the end I once again put the iBot into 2 wheel mode, to leave, but hadn’t realised how little room there was behind me. When it goes from 4 to 2 wheels it kicks back about a foot before going forward a foot again. The thing was that behind me were patio doors…. and i crashed back into them… thankfully (!) they weren’t locked so they sprang open rather than got obliterated by me, which might have been slightly awkward? Even more thankfully, there wasn’t a step down that I’m sure I’d have toppled off backwards, no doubt     spelling the end of the iBot, if not myself as well…

Thanks to Jem and Morwenna for the invite to speak to the children. I think it might be the first of many times that I do this kind of thing. I hope I made a good impression.

After using the arm bike indoors for a few days, it’s become far easier already.  Fitness is either returning, or someone has secretly reduced the resistance of my turbo trainer. 2 hours is now quite easy for me, but it is a bit tedious so tonight i watched a film whilst doing it. It was called The Circle, and was about the future, where nobody ends up having any privacy at all. Blimey, imagine the sights you’d see if you could watch anyone else that you wanted to at the press of a button.. For sure, there might be some ever so good bits too…

My legs seem to be growing muscle – that’ll be all the spasms then… they definitely look good enough to walk with, so it’s a shame I can’t.

I’ve used the iBot a few times – today i went out for a few hours in it. Socially, it’s far better as I’m 6 feet tall in it, so can get eye contact in the old way, without people having to sit down with me. I could have used it for the school visit, but didn’t actually trust my driving of it in a crowded room. I can’t tell if it goes over someone’s foot, but they sure as hell would…

So if you’ve got your flip flops on, keep your distance…!

Thanks to Jules for your time, and to Welsh Rick. And to Stella for her ideas and dedication.

And hi to Darren and Jo. 🙂

Thank you to Jo for my birthday present of Tea at the Ritz ( no less ) – there’s posh for a Valleys boy. And after that Jesus Christ Superstar, at the Open Air Theatre in Regents Park.

When it started to rain, just before Jesus was due to be nailed to The Cross, the play was stopped. That was unpopular with the paying audience, though I thought it was Divine Intervention at work. Happily/ sadly, depending on your perspective, the crucifixion was resumed ten minutes later, once the rain stopped.

I had quite horrendous spasming all of the day, so  that took its toll on my concentration and enjoyment level of both events, but I of course can’t predict if or how much I’m going to spasm on a given day, in advance.

I attended a school parents event at Lily’s school this evening. For the sit down and listen  bit in the main hall I was fine, and not disadvantaged too much, but at the drinks and socialise bit afterwards where everyone else in the crowded room was standing up, I had no chance at all. I couldn’t move at all, because it was too packed, and I was completely excluded because I was at a completely different height to everyone else. I had one sip of my drink and then said about a hundred ‘excuse me’s’ as I wheeled out backwards to the exit.

Next time ( if there is one ) I’ll either skip that bit or hire a dwarf to come with me and talk to me while I have a glass of wine.

Today I arm biked at home on a turbo trainer. I devised a method of getting in, with a girder and a TRX suspension system, and a fair bit of effort by poor Stella. As I hang in space, she directs my stiff legs to the right place- not easily done at all!

Then I met my buddy Keith P, who has had an iBot for 14 years. Keith has progressive MS, and the iBot has made a vast difference to him all this time. He taught me all sorts of stuff today, and we went off together down Chiswick High Rd, both balanced on 2 wheels. The most bizarre thing was that not a single adult person showed any visible reaction as we passed – as though it was the most normal thing in the world to see 2 self balancing futuristic wheelchairs passing by. Has the world progressed so far that this now looks mundane?

After Keith said goodbye, I went to archery practice on my Triride, about an 8 mile round trip, but pretty fast for me. London traffic often goes slower than I do in my wheelchair.

Tired, I’m in bed by 9.30, my spasms regular. A hopefully half decent sleep might help me, before I arm bike indoors again in the morning.

Training in full swing..!

Robin  Hood on wheels.

I did my Speed Awareness course on Saturday. It does make you think about things differently, which is the objective, obviously.

There wasn’t a section on crazy self balancing wheelchairs in it though…