It's that lovely time of year again when daffs and crocus are daring to raise their heads above the parapet and the birds are starting their flirt-song. have you noticed how the evenings are lighter longer and there's some warmth in the sun if you find a sheltered spot? it always reminds of a poem my mother used to say on the first sunny day of spring
spring is sprung, the grass is riz,
i wonder where dem birdies iz,
the little bird is on the wing,
but that's absurd,
the wing is on the bird.
Hey i didn't claim she was a poet!!! or that she hadn't plagiarised it.
It's also the time that friends start talking about their unmentionables, the dirty word, the shhhhh.......whisper it.........holidays.
When my children were young we would simply find a cat sitter, pack up the car with bedding and food and toys, pick up several hours worth of comics and cheesy pop cassettes and head off to a far flung farmyard or half derelict cottage.
There was the caravan with gas lamps and a water pump in Scotland where they played with kittens in the barn high up on the straw and saw a calf born and rode on tractors. the cottage that boasted as it's only form of heat a temperamental wood burning range that they fought over in the mornings to clean and relight. the fortnight where it poured non-stop day and night and we played a game of Risk long enough to warrant an entry into the Guinness Book of Records. afternoons spent in coffee shops, down mines, up mountains, on steam trains, at country shows, in museums.
Warm memories of a time before my body's breakdown became too overwhelming.
Planning a holiday when disabled isn't quite so easy. will there be space in my room for Bassett the Wheelchair? is there a lift? is there parking near the entrance? if not is the car park gravel or smooth? can i have meals in my room if i'm unwell? do the toilets have an emergency cord? is there a choice of a walk-in shower instead of a bath? will there be room for the wheelchair in the dining room/lounge/bar? and that's just the hotel/guest house. don't get me started on visitor attractions!!!!
Finding this info meant days of trawling through individual companies on the web or expensive phone calls. it was easier to stay home.
Not any more. may i introduce you to ... Tourism For All
This wonderful site should make holidaying with any kind of disability a possibility for those who can afford to get away. with a few clicks of a mouse their easy to use search function gives options of location, hotels, b&b, self catering, places to go, eat out, shopping. all different types and ranges of limitations are covered from visual to hearing to mobility.
Pass on this link to your family and friends. wouldn't it give you a buzz to know you gave somebody a hard earned break?
Happy holidays to you all
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