Living with Cerebral Palsy 🍋🍋

Tuesday 29 October 2013

If you want the Rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.....

...said that famous scholar and wise intellectual....Dolly Parton! Fairly apt for our windy adventures in Windermere this half term as you can see!
So after days of BBC weather warnings forecasting the worst storm since Michael Fish almost wrecked his career back in the 80's, it was with some trepidation we headed out to the Lake District for a mini break which had been booked since August. However, luckily for us and perhaps unsurprisingly, the storm turned out to be more of a  storm in a teacup (though it was wet, VERY wet). The biggest surprise of the break was how great Elin was and how tolerant of the bad weather, the change of surroundings, and being away from home in general. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't a fan of her buggy. But she was able to manage it for short periods. All other times, she tolerated the pouch/carrier brilliantly! This combination enabled us to spend a wonderful day going over from Bowness to Ambleside on the boat and having a leisurely stroll around the shops there. The rain lashed us and I worried about how this would affect Elin, I thought it might dis-orientate her but she seemed to relish the new sounds and sights and general assault on her senses! It was lovely, to be taking our time, with a happy Elin, like the other wrapped-up families huddling in the doors of cafes and shops.  We stopped for a re-fuel during one particular downpour and Elin expressed her distaste at the situation by weeing all over Daddy's knee! (Haha result, I had just passed her over to him. She knows which side her bread is buttered!) So off I trotted with her to the disabled/baby changing. Turns out it was less disabled and more baby. Elin has just become too big to fit on one of those fold down baby changing stations. The only  concession I could see to the disabled was extra room and a handrail. Luckily I carry a special sheet for occasions like this but never really had to use it. I really didnt enjoy changing Elin on the floor of the toilet, but there was nowhere else to do it. A full change of clothes was needed too- not easy. Thankfully she is still small enough to pick up from a lying on the floor position. But it kind of hit me, rather ridiculously I guess for the first time, that when she is bigger these things will have to be meticulously planned, that you would have to be sure anywhere you were going had a full range of disabled facilities, not just wheelchair accessibility. (Our local shopping area has a really good one thankfully) It's probably fairly easily worked out, it's just something I hadn't considered. Hmm. Stick it on the back burner for another day. In the meantime I am just grateful we had such a lovely break and most importantly of all that Elin enjoyed it. I was so proud of her. The last time she was there, she was an embryo inside my tummy right at the start of life and we had no idea what lay ahead. We couldn't know back then that our amazing daughter's life would certainly bring plenty of storms, but definitely and undoubtedly more precious and beautiful rainbows than rain, any day of the week. Right there with you, Dolly ;-)

Elin sneaking around on Daddy's back! Cheeky!

Brrr. Lake Windermere.

Elin loves (fake) fur!

Not sure about this boat thingy, Mummy!


Ahh dry land, that's better!
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