AM I A BIKE OR AM I A PEDESTRIAN?!

THIS POST WAS WRITTEN ON MONDAY, 5TH MAY 2014

I was feeling more positive today so decided to venture into town for the first time in my electric wheelchair with its great big ‘L‘ Plate on the back of it, because I’ve not been out often yet but believe me i am certainly a novice at this game and there’s the sticker at the top that says ‘My Wheelchair is Powered by Fairy Dust! I like to give people something to smile about as they pass me.

I get to the cycle path (as above) and find myself in a dilemma! Am I a cyclist because I have wheels, or am I a pedestrian because i have legs (all be it that they don’t work!)?!

I chose the pedestrians’ path as they tend to move more slowly than cyclists and I’m less likely to cause an accident.

Well…It was more like being on the dodgems at the fun fair really; swerving to avoid people, stopping abruptly when the many children ran in front of me, and once, a determined Yorkshire Terrier nearly ended up under my wheels. I managed to stop in the nick of time, thankfully and avoided a death on my hands! Riding through a packed High Street was rather unnerving. Going around the busy shops was a bit hair-raising too but at least i didn’t run any toes over although i did slightly injure a packet of Cornflakes which i caught when taking a corner too sharply!

Then it was homeward bound…phew! Only my road to navigate, (a steep hill and I’m at the top). I thought about riding in the road but then thought better of that and stuck to the pavement.

So there i was, nearly home without any major dramas and then in the blink of an eye, I found myself wedged forwards into a rather inconveniently placed hedge…what a daft place to put a hedge, on the edge of someone’s front garden! Well, that was in my opinion, of course. I didn’t hurt myself but was covered in bits of hedge and twigs from my waist to my feet. Much to my embarrassment, there was a middle-aged couple behind me who kindly rushed over to see if i was ok. I said that I hadn’t hurt myself and muttered the obvious, “oh, I’m just a learner”. I then managed to extricate myself from said hedge and crawled, somewhat red-faced, up the rest of the hill until I reached my house which came as a huge relief!

I’m definitely going to need that ‘L’ Plate for a considerable time yet!

Author: Ellie Thompson

Writing my memoirs, musings, a little fiction and a lot of poetry as a way of exploring and making the most of my life ... ... Having had a break from writing my blog for more than three years, I decided to return to write my memoirs, some day-to-day observations, views and feelings. My passion is non-fiction poetry. I have a disability and use an electric powerchair called Alfie and let nothing get in the way of living life to the full. I believe that you can never do a kindness too soon and should give credit where credit is due. A smile or a kind word could make the difference between a good or bad day for a person - we never know what's going on for another soul. Those little things, perhaps, practised daily like a mantra, could mean so much to someone else. Thank you for visiting my blog and reading a little more about me. Please, make yourself at home here. You are very welcome. Ellie x 😊 View all posts by Ellie Thompson