Friday, 10 January 2014

For the want of a seat



 The French holiday is off.

Why you might ask. We certainly did.

We’d got as far as having the room provisionally booked. I was set ready to pay the deposit when it was confirmed there was some sort of seating in the shower & there was a wheelchair space on the trains for the journey down to the south.

I couldn’t believe it when I was told the hotel couldn’t provide any seating in the shower area of a disabled room. It sounds as though there are grab rails to hold on to, & to help you get up if you are seated but that’s it. I can’t stand long enough to have a shower. A seat of some sort is essential, even if it’s an ordinary plastic garden chair. Most places will oblige with that suggestion. I’m not prepared to go for a fortnight’s holiday without a single shower. A weekend I’ll manage without but two weeks are too long.

Well, how small is this shower cubicle I asked.  I was told it’s a walk-in shower. So how on earth can’t they fit a stool or chair in it, even if it is only on a temporary basis while we’re staying? They surely having plastic seats for guest use in the gardens surrounding the hotel or around the pool area.

The agent is continuing to pursue the matter but it seems highly unlikely the holiday is on. So now we’re back to the drawing board.

When I told Linda, our new home help, she suggested she could lend me a chair that fold up that can be put in tubular bag like a tripod & which is waterproof. Having spoken to the Fox about the idea I’m now thinking I ought to at least see the thing & try sitting on it to see how stable it is. If we are travelling by train there is no weight limit to worry about. The only question is how easy it will be to manœuvre all the luggage & me in my wheelchair to & from, on & off, the trains. If the seat is stable enough it may be worth buying one for future holiday use. It would avoid such disappointments.

Meanwhile it’s back to the brochures…..

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