After frowning at some weeds in the front garden for the last couple of weeks, I decided to take some action. There are a load of tulips that come up each year, and they were being overwhelmed, so I started to pull the weeds up.
Before long I had to resort to using a trowel, and I suddenly realised that I was gardening. For the first time since my accident. It's not easy, as I have to lean my chest on my knees to be able to reach the ground, risking falling forwards out of the wheelchair. There is another added problem, as this technique only gets me to ground level, and as soon as you start digging, you need to get lower still (and yes, I do know what a raised bed is, what with having been a landscape gardener and all). The added problem is that bending over like this stretches my 'snagged' spinal cord, and causes a fair degree of pain for the rest of the day. I draw you, dear reader, to this previous entry for a bit more of an explanation.
I think that I may have found another good use for what I call my 'shufflebum'. There are a couple of similar products on the market, but they are basically the same thing, which is a strap-on (oh, stop sniggering) cushion which protects the wearer's backside from bruises and dings. This is important for those of us who have lost nature's padding, and it is one of the most useful pieces of kit that I have, especially for camping, picnicking, going up and down stairs, and of course making hilarious 'strap-on' jokes.
Before long I had to resort to using a trowel, and I suddenly realised that I was gardening. For the first time since my accident. It's not easy, as I have to lean my chest on my knees to be able to reach the ground, risking falling forwards out of the wheelchair. There is another added problem, as this technique only gets me to ground level, and as soon as you start digging, you need to get lower still (and yes, I do know what a raised bed is, what with having been a landscape gardener and all). The added problem is that bending over like this stretches my 'snagged' spinal cord, and causes a fair degree of pain for the rest of the day. I draw you, dear reader, to this previous entry for a bit more of an explanation.
I think that I may have found another good use for what I call my 'shufflebum'. There are a couple of similar products on the market, but they are basically the same thing, which is a strap-on (oh, stop sniggering) cushion which protects the wearer's backside from bruises and dings. This is important for those of us who have lost nature's padding, and it is one of the most useful pieces of kit that I have, especially for camping, picnicking, going up and down stairs, and of course making hilarious 'strap-on' jokes.
Hey Tim
Re the gardening. I too suffer from a disability and I find long handled gardening tools are just brill. I get a normal handled hoe, spade or whatever and then fix another piece of pole to stretch from a chair to the ground. It works a treat. May be worth a try.
10/10 for your determination.