We had a lovely break. It wasn't too far to drive from here, about 3 hrs, the bungalow was comfortable, but maybe I should have researched the location better. We were 8 miles from the nearest shop!
We visited all the places we planned like, Longleat, Wells and Glastonbury Abbey. They were all really wheelchair friendly as was Haynes Motor museum which Chris really enjoyed, especially when he saw they had a TR8 there. He had to make do with a TR7 and do his own V8 conversion on his.
We also went to Cheddar Gorge. I knew that would be a problem, especially the caves, but Jordan, Tracey and Chloe managed to go in and see them.
It was lovely to all spend so much time together, but Chris was very quiet a lot of the time. I think the reality of having to be pushed everywhere everyday kind of hit home. It was partly his lack of independence and partly the thought of me having to push him, which I didn't mind at all, but I understood where he was coming from. I do think talking is quite an effort for him now too. We had some fun evenings though with him playing games like Monopoly and chess with Chloe, Jordan and Tracey, even I played Monopoly last night, quite the miracle, I hate playing board or card games usually.
We took an impromptu visit to Weston-Super-Mare yesterday. Ok, it was very flat and I've never seen so many people in wheelchairs or mobility scooters. At least Chris didn't feel so out of place. Not sure if I would go there again though, I would prefer Brighton anyday I think as a comparison.
We got back home late in the morning. Chloe and I shared the driving. On arriving home though Chris had a text to remind him of his PIP assessment on Monday. We were told that had been cancelled, so I had to phone them again. They have the paperwork, but it still hasn't been dealt with yet so the woman on the phone said that they have postponed the appointment for a month till the end of October. Until the claim is dealt with he will still be in a queue to be assessed apparently. I just have to keep phoning. The time taken to deal with a PIP claim is appalling really, especially as it seems to be a private company dealing with it. It has been 4 months so far and I've heard some people say it can take much, much, longer. Let's hope some people don't die before their claims get dealt with eh? Chris is supposed to be being fast tracked too.
Well I have the usual holiday washing to catch up with and Chris has felt 'normal' again by dealing with the farm post and has gone outside on his scooter. He has his independence back again.
The break was nice, but it is good to be back home.
