Fountains Abbey

I'm going to intersperse this post with photos of the day, that are totally irrelevant to the text but show how lovely it was and hopefully show what accessibility is like (in case it helps someone else decide to go there). There, you've been warned...

At the beginning of the year, we joined the National Trust and decided to try to visit one venue each month. Of course, the likelihood is, we'll visit some more than once and find favourites that just work for us. Yesterday, we visited Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens. I vaguely remember going there once before, when the boys were little but it was so long ago and my focus would have been on them.

One of the things I'm enjoying about finding National Trust days out, is that their website contains really helpful accessibility information. Here is what it says about Fountains Abbey:

• Designated mobility parking at visitor centre and West Gate. West Gate car park is reserved for mobility parking only on bank holidays and busy days. Access vehicle to all admission points
• No wheelchair access from visitor centre to abbey; use West Gate car park or access vehicle from visitor centre
• Level access into abbey and mill. NB some access over lawn. Many steps with handrails to Fountains Hall. Ramp into St Mary's Church
• Adapted toilets at visitor centre, tea-room, near Fountains Hall and Studley Royal car park
• Partly accessible grounds, steep slopes, some cobbles. Map of accessible route. Main areas on level ground. Upper footpaths restricted preventing full circular tour. Six wheelchairs - booking essential
• Five mobility scooters available on a first come first served basis, booking essential. Call the estate office on 01765 608888.
• Sighted guides are available to pre-book. Please call 01765 608888

When I first looked, I almost dismissed this place as not accessible for me and my needs, but then I read it again and decided it was probably mostly accessible, provided I take my mountain trike.

The paths were actually better than I expected and if I'd had my normal chair, I could have probably still done most of the walk unaided. However the abbey area definitely needed my trike. Getting to it, we had to go over grass. Grass is often my nemesis! Not with my trike though! In some ways, getting into the ruins of the abbey and looking around, was easier than getting into many church buildings. They have done their best to make it possible, with nice duck-boardy type ramps over some of the rugged doorways. Sometimes we had to detach Liggy's lead arm, as most doorways are too narrow for us to go through together but otherwise, it was great!

I have mixed views about religious sites. I have mixed views about the commonly held belief that church is not about the building, but rather, the people. I get that. People are what makes a church... well, people and God... but having lived in the North of Finland, where temperatures get as low as -40C, buildings (for church or anything else) are pretty important. Also, when accessibility issues make church either accessible or not, the building makes the difference between whether you can do church or not. So although I know what it means, it's not strictly true.

About religious sites then - places like Fountains Abbey, though in ruins now, must have been immense, highly ornamented places of worship. Somewhat like the Jewish temple, somebody decided to devote a lot of time and resources to building something that they felt reflected God's glory. When I look around places like this, there is a definite sense of God's presence, and a wonder about the people - monks in this case - who loved God so much and were so devoted that they suffered in their daily life but also persecution. Actually, in many places, that is still the story of Christians.

On the other hand, there are things, right through history, that the church has got so wrong. All the fighting between denominations - killing and destroying buildings - why??? How did they think that was ever okay? And that makes me think, what is this generation of Christians doing, that they are convinced is okay, but really isn't? There must be things. It would be arrogant to assume that just because it's 2019, we've got everything right.

So, anyway, we had a fabulous day out! The only thing, access-wise, that I would say (in case anyone fancies a day there) is that the accessible toilets near West Gate, which are really nice, spacious toilets, with a half-way changing places attempt, are up a seriously steep hill, that for most independent wheelchair users, would be sufficiently challenging to make you either hold it or just wet yourself! Fortunately, Neil was on hand to help push me up said slope, but otherwise, I'd have struggled, especially after the walk, when my muscles were more like jelly!

Day-to-day issues

It has been a while since I wrote a post that highlighted the mish-mash of fairly dull issues that us wheelies (part-time or otherwise) face each day as we try to negotiate a largely non-disabled world. The last couple of days have given me some thoughts. I wish I'd taken photos but I didn't, so you'll have to use your imagination.

Some negatives

1. Dog poo! I know, I'm a dog owner and she poos... sometimes whilst out for a walk... but the key thing is, I PICK IT UP! Even though bending down to scoop poop is difficult and painful, I wouldn't dream of leaving it there for someone else to walk in. Recently, it feels like everywhere I go, there are piles of poo and if it's difficult walking without treading in it, it's ten times more difficult to avoid with four wheels and four paws to manage. A few weeks ago, I got a huge pile on my wheel and only noticed when I put my hand to my face to push my glasses up my nose and smelt it on my thumb. GROSS!

2. Broken glass. I understand how dog poo gets on a path but broken glass? How many people walk around with glass bottles in their hand or pocket. And why do they throw them on the floor so that they shatter everywhere? The dog poo is laziness but broken glass is downright spiteful! Yesterday, on the riverside path into town, there was loads of it. Again, it would be a pain if I was walking but tyres and paws can get seriously damaged by broken glass. I'll be honest, Liggy is more valuable than my tyres, so I realistically have to get her as safe as possible and just hope and pray that my tyres really are kevlar-lined as advertised.

3. Poor surfaces. I'm sure that when we first moved here, most of the footpaths had been fairly recently resurfaced and were lovely for wheeling on. Now, there are some that can best be described as a job creation scheme for the spinal injuries unit! Our normal walk into town, whichever of the two routes we take, shake me up and rattle my bones so much that they are increasing my pain levels, every time I go out. It annoys me for two reasons. Firstly, we are being continually encouraged to leave the car at home and walk short journeys, and I subscribe to that, even though I don't actually walk. But I am easily capable of wheeling myself into town and back. It's only about a mile each way. Secondly, the argument for not resurfacing is probably financial, but I'm sure that the cost of two discectomies would outweigh the cost of resurfacing the paths that are really bad.

Some positives

1. I've now been in my new workplace for just over 5 weeks. I was really nervous about leaving my old job because they had been fantastic with reasonable adjustments and I usually felt completely normal at work and rarely felt disabled there. That's a huge thing to risk losing. However, I have found my new workplace to be equally accessible, inclusive and helpful. I haven't had any major teething problems and I'm loving the job! It's in the news all the time about how difficult it is for disabled people to find work, and I know this to be true... but it is possible. There are good disability-friendly employers out there. That fills me with hope.

2. Liggy. Yes, she is a sentence in her own right. Going out with her is so much better than it was pre-Liggy. There have been a few occasions in the last few weeks, where we've gone to Starbucks for lunch. It's that time of year when it's cold out (hoodie weather) but warm in, and usually the first thing I want is my hoodie off. She just knows. As soon as we get to the table and I put her mat down, she knows the hoodie needs to come off. Then, one day last week, we went clothes shopping. Cotton Trader doesn't have accessible changing rooms and I didn't want to stress her out with being squished, so I left her with Neil, just outside and shut the curtain. She immediately realised it was a getting undressed moment, stuck her head under the curtain and got on with the job. If she could talk, I wonder what she was saying? "Mum, don't worry about me, I'm fine. It's my job to help you and I'm not scared of small spaces. Here give me a mouthful of that sleeve and we'll soon have you undressed."

3. The weather. Today has been pretty wet and miserable but I have to say, we have had weeks of wheelchair-conducive weather. It's been really easy for me to get out, walk Liggy and get on with stuff. It looks like we might now be in for some wet days but I have to remember that half empty reservoir that we hiked round in October. We really need to fill them up, so I won't moan about getting wet.

I remember when I first brought Liggy home, it was fun and she was helpful, but it was seriously hard work! I'm so glad we stuck at it though, because now I cannot imagine my world without her. She has worked so hard and learned so many tasks in a relatively short space of time. And one thing that I hadn't really noticed until people at work keep mentioning it... she is so attentive. She watches me all the time and is just waiting for me to tell her what to do, where to do, or just that she's a good girl!

My favourite time of year!

This is the time of year when I feel healthy, happy and balanced. I know there are others that struggle with the winter, and I'm not unsympathetic to their plight, but I struggle immensely with summer and heat, so I don't think I should feel guilty for being happy at my time of year.

This is the time of year for getting out and enjoying the countryside and, as the Finns would say, being in the nature. It's not always easy, as we both work full time but we try to make the most of the weekends by getting out and exploring the area.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Nostell Priory. It's a National Trust property and we used to be members before we went to Finland, so we decided to join again. That means we now have to visit at least one National Trust place per month to make it pay. In the winter, we'll do all the places with big grounds and lots of walks and then, in the summer, we'll look around historic houses and learn about families we've never heard of.

I have to say, Nostell was beautiful! The grounds are vast and so peaceful. We took my mountain trike so that we could go practically anywhere, and just wandered and explored. We found ourselves in fields, by a lake, and even found an enclosed area where Liggy could have a bit of freedom.

Here are a few pictures to show how lovely it was...

The National Trust have an app, which I've downloaded and created a list of places I'd like to visit. On my list are:

• Beningbrough Hall, Gallery and Gardens
• Brimham Rocks
• Clumber Park
• Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens
• Hadrian's Wall and Housesteads Fort

I think Clumber Park will be first. There are photos on the National Trust website and it looks like an idyllic place to visit in the middle of winter. I hope the snow doesn't stop us travelling but once we're there, it can do whatever it likes. My mountain trike is fine in snow. 

Looking back on 2018

We've never done a reliable family newsletter but I do manage to blog every now and then, so this is my feeble attempt at our 2018 newsletter/blog. When I say 'our', I intend to speak for Neil and I. The boys are no longer boys, and though they are still very much family, as adults, I'm sure they can tell their own story, should they wish (with one possible exception).

Work

Let's start with the positives. We both continue to have secure, full time, permanent jobs... which, by contrast to our situation a few years ago in Finland, is something neither of us should ever take for granted. We have both largely continued to work for the same employers, doing similar jobs to what we've been doing for a few years. However, we have both had 'insignificant changes' that have actually turned out to be quite significant in some ways.

Neil got moved in June and was TUPE-d across to a new company where he continues to invest my (and others') pensions, with varying degrees of cheerfulness, so that when we retire, we can be sure of a healthy pension income - that's the theory at least. The significant difference is that the new company is nowhere near home, so his previous 5 minute commute each way to work is now nearer 90 minutes each way. This means he is more tired, has less social time and has joined the competition to argue out whether train services are actually worse in the north or the south. Because only one train a day comes anywhere near us, he also has a long drive to get to a sensible railway station that offers a Plan B if his train gets cancelled. On the plus side, he does have a very modern looking, light and colourful office.

I continue (for now) to work in Adult Learning, but in May my role changed slightly. I was Area Manager for a geographical area but changed my area to online and digital. It's a secondment, which means it's a temporary project, and it gave me some interesting and enjoyable challenges in the field that I love - ICT. The highlights included learning about Citrix, which I can only describe as seriously quirky, and introducing myself to the world of Trello (online project management tool). It's quite possible that I will never encounter Citrix again, and may not be any worse off for that. Trello and I are now very close friends though, and if anything were to happen to Trello, I would grieve miserably for a long time!

The most significant little detail about my new role was that it put the word digital into my job title, which meant that when looking for a career move into e-learning, my CV didn't get ditched by robots. The result of this, is that I have just found a new job as a junior e-learning designer. I'm quite excited, at my age, about being referred to (in any context) as junior, and it really isn't as senior a position as I would like, though I hope to progress. It does offer me a few really positive aspects though:

• Working from home a couple of days a week
• Getting me out of traditional education and into the private sector
• Opportunity to learn and become expert with Articulate Storyline (this is the industry standard software and the main obstacle to me finding a job)
• A role where I can put my Masters to good use and hopefully combine e-learning theory and practice.

Holidays

To say that I have been a pain this year with holidays might be the biggest understatement ever made! We were due to go to Devon in January for a week, but cancelled at the last minute because I was so poorly and exhausted I just couldn't face travelling that far.

Our annual pilgrimage to Skegness went very well, which was fortunate, as I was a little concerned that I was becoming holiday-phobic. Spring Harvest was fantastic, apart from the first day that was so rainy that even I complained about the wet weather. My hands, gloves, sleeves (3 layers deep) and everything were soaked through! Once I'd dried out though, we had a lovely week with equal amounts of rest, relaxation, laughter and spiritual refreshment.

As October was our silver wedding anniversary, we had booked a cruise. We booked it pre-Liggy though and in reality, both the thought of leaving her in kennels for 2 weeks and the thought of having 2 weeks off work (hence using up 2 weeks of precious leave in one go) appealed less and less, so we ended up cancelling it and going to the Peak District for a week instead. That was a fantastic week, in the best accommodation in an idyllic location, with weather that was perfect for me. 

Family stuff

This year has been fairly average... normal... boring even, which made it extremely pleasant in terms of family. No major disasters, dramas or anything. The only really sad event was losing my beloved Nanny in May. It was sad that she's passed away and the last week or two wasn't very nice at all, seeing her, possibly for the first time ever, in pain, complaining and generally unhappy. However, the fact that in all of my life, I don't actually remember her really being sad, in pain, unhealthy or anything else like that, makes the last couple of weeks not seem too bad. She was 94 years old, had virtually no memory left and had no idea where she was, yet she was full of laughter, mischief and a love of life. The only time she ever sounded sad was when she talked about losing grandad - her beloved Frank. Yet even in her grief, she was always positive, talking about the wonderful life they had together. I'll be honest, I don't really want to live to 94, but if I do, I hope I can be like Nanny (but with a better memory).

The more exciting family news is that Andy, our youngest son, got engaged this year and is planning a wedding in June. His beautiful bride is lovely - everything we'd dreamt of for him. Her family and our family are completely different in many ways but I hope that means that their marriage will contain the best bits from all of us. My biggest prayer for 2019 is that their big day is filled with joy and that their marriage is healthy, filled with adventures and brings them closer together with every new day.

Looking forward

I don't like new year's resolutions but a new year does give us the chance to set new goals. Here are some of the things I would like to do in 2019:

1. Make a positive and influential start in my new job. Once again, I seem to have found an employer that looked beyond my disability and saw the skills and experience I bring. I really hope to show them that they made the right decision and I hope I can make a difference in my new team.
2. Teach Liggy two or three new tasks. We're quite settled now and she does so many things for me that make life easier. She loves learning new things though, and this year, I'm hoping to teach her how to help me open the doors at work (she'll hopefully release them with my access card while I open them). Then we'll see what else she could do to help me out.
3. Go on several hikes with Neil and Liggy. I would love to do either the Monsal or Tissington Trails from end to end. I don't know if that is even possible but I'd love to try it. 
4. Keep Neil smiling with lots of lovely home-baked treats. I need to find some that are healthy as well as tasty, or next year we'll both be trying to lose weight again. Why did God make all the tasty stuff fattening?!! I have loved seeing Neil enjoying my homemade Christmas cake, and being able to eat it with him. Now, I want to find some low-fat recipes. I might even make some of my own.

Happy new year to all our family and friends!

Accessible Peak District - Tissington Trail and accidental Dovedale

Normally, by the last day of a holiday, I'm tired and achy and just want to get back home to my own bed, but by Thursday (our last day) I was really enjoying the week and really didn't want to go home at all. I could have cheerfully stayed for a second week, which is totally unlike me.

Tissington Trail

Following the success of the Monsal Trail, we chose from our remaining list of possible days out. Parsley Hay and the Tissington Trail were on our list and it's another disused railway. It could have been a bit samey but really, if something works, why not do more of the same?

We parked at Parsley Hay, which is a lovely little centre, with toilets, food kiosk and a cycle hire centre. It looked like the cycle hire place did a good range of accessible bikes of various types... but I was using my mountain trike again and was more than happy as I was. Like the Monsal Trail, the Tissington Trail is a nice flat route - at least the bit we did - and a good surface with compacted gravel. We set off in the direction of Hartington Station, bearing right at this junction just after joining the trail. 

The thing that stood out most on this trail, was the beautiful scenery. It was a mainly sunny day but with some cloud and when the sun hit the hills, it made patterns through the clouds. This route felt a lot more remote than yesterday's and so, so peaceful. 

It's about 2 miles to Hartington. We forgot to look at the sign coming out of Parsley Hay but when we got to Hartington, we saw this one. It was nice to see disabilities represented on their code of conduct pictures. 

Although the actual route was remote and well off the beaten track, the station was quite lively. There was people having picnics and others parked up, beginning or ending their hikes. The station felt like a definite way marker. I don't know whether all the stations on the trail are the same, but the map would indicate good facilities throughout.

There is nothing like good toilet facilities but on country walks, the lack of loos is our biggest challenge. Many people can just pop behind a bush but that is too tricky for me. So this is just how grateful I am when we find good, clean, accessible toilets.

At both stations we visited, there was also an outdoor tap, so getting clean water for Liggy was easy too - though on this occasion, it was more about washing off poo she rolled in, rather than drinking it. (photo later)

The trail there did feel very flat and it was only on the return trip that I realised it was all just slightly downhill on the way there. You know what that means - it was all slightly uphill on the way back! I managed absolutely fine though. It was the right level of challenge, though I would probably reverse the whole route next time. Here's a couple more pics of the route back.

As I mentioned earlier, Liggy rolled in some poo. She actually did this once in each direction, before being put swiftly back on lead. Thankfully, there was an outdoor tap, so Neil washed it off before we loaded her back in the car. What do dogs get out of this?!! Yuk! She doesn't look very pleased about being washed in cold water, does she? She did get a bath later with shampoo and warm water and much preferred that.

Accidental Dovedale

Next on the plan, was to drive to Tissington, have a look round the village and maybe do another section of the trail. However, Neil turned right instead of left and we ended up at Dovedale instead. On our honeymoon, Dovedale was one of our favourite days out, so rather than correct the mistake, we went with the flow.

From the car park, there is an accessible walk to the stepping stones, but that is where it ends. It's a shame there wasn't somewhere I could cross but we had a nice walk and some fun anyway. Liggy even had a little play in the river.

My favourite bit though, just demonstrated Liggy's ability to problem solve. The first photo shows her happily skipping over the stepping stones with Neil. He sometimes takes her for walks in places I can't go and she loves her 'daddy adventures'. She was probably expecting a nice hike off the path.

However, we had been practising recalls in distracting environments and this was a good opportunity. Also, Liggy isn't that keen on water and still smelt a little poo-ish from her morning walk, so we were hoping to tempt her to have a swim. Neil let her off lead, and I called her to me. Keen to please, she set off running through the water, until it got deep enough to touch her tummy. Then she stopped and turned back. Not to be deterred, we tried again. Exact repeat. Third time, I called and she looked around her.

A look of 'duh!' crossed her face, as she realised there was an easier route back to me. With that, she left Neil squatting on the bank, headed back to the stepping stones and carefully made her way across, before coming and sitting square in front of me, for her good recall treats.

I have to say, this was probably my favourite day out of the whole week. I hope we get to go back to the farm, the Peaks and do one of the trails again. Yesterday, I said I hoped Countryfile would do one of their rambles on the Monsal Trail but actually the Tissington Trail would be better. It's longer and has loads of toilets on the route.