Going back in time what feels like several centuries I used to drive an assortment of vehicles. I’ve driven low loaders with loads of 150 tons from one of the country to the other, I’ve delivered Rolls Royce’s and Bentley’s, top end Mercedes and Beemers. For many years I drove a truck all over east and west Europe and down as far as Baghdad and Basra. I’ve driven most of the big construction vehicles that are modelled on Tonka toys, milkfloats and forklifts designed to lift 40ft containers. In short, pretty much every type of vehicle going.I’ve always considered myself to be a pretty competent driver.
Today, the rain having stopped for the first time since I got my first powerchair, was a revelation! The thing has sat in the corner of the room glaring malevolently at me just daring me to sit in it so, it being a dryish day, I decided that now was a good time to show it who’s master. It didn’t take long! I sat in it, adjusted various bits to suit, and switched the thing on. That was my first mistake. After all the lights had stopped flashing and the bleeping stopped I gently pushed the little joystick forward. That was my second mistake! The thing shot off, crablike, with all the precise handling of a mentally maladjusted shopping trolley and it was only the soft squidgy thing on the front that stopped it crashing into a wall. Unfortunately, the soft squidgy thing on the front was my foot! After much wiggling about and a hastily developed delicacy of touch I manoeuvred the thing away from the wall and decided that I need more practice, a lot more practice!
After cursing the thing in particular, its inventor, the wonders of electrickery and shopping trolleys in general I limped back indoors to recover.
I could hear the thing sniggering behind me!
Today, the rain having stopped for the first time since I got my first powerchair, was a revelation! The thing has sat in the corner of the room glaring malevolently at me just daring me to sit in it so, it being a dryish day, I decided that now was a good time to show it who’s master. It didn’t take long! I sat in it, adjusted various bits to suit, and switched the thing on. That was my first mistake. After all the lights had stopped flashing and the bleeping stopped I gently pushed the little joystick forward. That was my second mistake! The thing shot off, crablike, with all the precise handling of a mentally maladjusted shopping trolley and it was only the soft squidgy thing on the front that stopped it crashing into a wall. Unfortunately, the soft squidgy thing on the front was my foot! After much wiggling about and a hastily developed delicacy of touch I manoeuvred the thing away from the wall and decided that I need more practice, a lot more practice!
After cursing the thing in particular, its inventor, the wonders of electrickery and shopping trolleys in general I limped back indoors to recover.
I could hear the thing sniggering behind me!
), she reversed straight into a cupboard in our front porch and then shot out into the next door neighbour's garden. I think hers had a tortoise and a hare setting that she discovered later. She tried taking the dog out round the village with it which ended up with the dog on her lap, sitting in the basket or on the footplate, but sensibly refusing to walk anywhere near it when Bev was piloting the damned thing.
