I did it ALL this weekend, how I'm still awake I don't know! I left for Devon at 11am Friday and arrived at just gone 3pm. As I parked up a people carrier with 2 wheelers and a walker pulled up and got out. One was a para, 26 years old, and the other a quad with some arm and hand movement - enough to propel a manual chair. The walker was a carer and he helped carry our cases to the conservatory of the centre and once we were allocated rooms took our bags into our rooms. I was paired with a walker, a mid 20's solicitor who was lovely. The majority of the group were male and my age but there was an older man. The only disabled women were members of staff.
On the first evening wee all got to know each other and played some games like throwing a ball and saying each other's names, we even got competitive with football style games split into teams. We all retired to our rooms by 11pm ready for Saturday and I did my Peristeen.
Half 7 Saturday morning I peeled myself out of bed and wheeled to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I got undressed in my chair then got onto the toilet for a good wash with my sponge and shower gel. I put my towel on my chair and got back onto it to get back to my bed. I put my clothes on and make up and went for breakfast and we were split into groups for the activities. I was in the group to first use the pool and prepare for kayaking on Sunday. I was a bit daunted as I know how much I hate the water but I went over, transferred onto the ledge and lowered myself into the jacuzzi while we waited for each pair (one disabled, one not) to go in the Kayak and deliberately capsize. I was bricking it. I so did not want to do it. I got hoisted out of the jacuzzi and wheeled to the pool where I transferred into a crate with a cushion on then put a cushion over the edge of the kayak and placed my feet gently in the kayak. One move and I was in. My partner for the day followed and the kayak pulled into the pool. May I add that I was strapped into a buoyancy aid! We paddled in the small area til they asked us if we wanted to try capsizing. It was just in case we capsized in the lake so it was for our own good so we did it. I soon bobbed to the surface and was happy the buoyancy aid kept me afloat!
Our next activity was archery! The one lad is in a team and competes and we all had a go and tried to get the highest scores. In the evening we played games again and went to bed by about 11pm.
Sunday I put leggings on with thigh high socks and tracksuit bottoms, a thermal jumper, vest and jacket and waterproofs and headed to the lake. In our doubles we got into our kayaks and went around the very windy lake until they decided it was too rough and we had to gingerly creep around the edge of the lake. No one fell out, I was scared though (I had my life jacket on, don't fret), and we all went to the sports hall where we climbed a rope (with a harness on). Outside we abseiled (in a wheelchair haha!) and then we did this swing thing which gets pulled to the ceiling and let go. It was quite exciting! After all that we went to the woods and had a campfire.
All the early mornings have certainly got to me, I'm tired now and it's not even 3pm. I did get some footage of my weekend and I will be piecing it together soon so watch this space!
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