Comments on: Vroom…splutter…

By: Maman Poulet » One year on

Maman Poulet » One year on — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:59:56 +0000

[...] Business Post’s story this week saying the publication of the bill is imminent. While the mothership is not parked outside Stephens’s Green awaiting smoke from the Ministers office I’ll be [...]

By: Tesco Price scalping…and increased EU consumer protection | Maman Poulet

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:51:38 +0000

[...] at Tesco. I’ve been getting deliveries from Tesco for the past few weeks due to the lack of wheels (ah that’s another story – life without the mothership [...]

By: Can I ram raid them now? Pretty Please!!! | Maman Poulet

Can I ram raid them now? Pretty Please!!! | Maman Poulet — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:07:11 +0000

[...] phone all geared up to take a pic/video or two when I came across one that would cause me and the mothership a problem or 20. (Rumours that I was planning to ram raid them in Henry St. are greatly [...]

By: Adios for the holiers! | Maman Poulet

Adios for the holiers! | Maman Poulet — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:33:05 +0000

[...] for the next two weeks I’ll be bombing up and down an Andalucian mountain in a rented mothership (extreme scootering) going for Tapas and drinking a bit of rioja and reading books – not a laptop or [...]

By: Maman Poulet » I hate Cyclists*

Maman Poulet » I hate Cyclists* — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:15:34 +0000

[...] That yoke I am sitting in is a mobility scooter for people with disabilities/walking difficulties. You are supposed to be on the road or on the cycle path – I am on the footpath. [...]

By: Maman Poulet » Rights not Charity - I rest my case

Maman Poulet » Rights not Charity - I rest my case — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:05:51 +0000

[...] 28 degree Tenerife turned into freezing Dublin quickly enough today and I had my first hot chocolate of the ’season’. Whilst waiting for herself to emerge from Butlers on Henry Street I had a first. I was sitting in the Mothership aka mobility scooter, loaded up with shopping bags having a smoke, snuggled up in my fleece thinking about my sunburn. A man in his early 50’s approached, fumbling in his pocket and produced a load of change in his hand. He looked at the basket of the scooter trying to locate the collection box. There wasn’t one – he looked at me. I exhaled in a cloud of smoke – ‘I’m not collecting’. [...]

By: Maman Poulet » Blog Archive » Naming ceremony

Maman Poulet » Blog Archive » Naming ceremony — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:50:23 +0000

[...] Well it’s been purchased…and it will arrive this week. The rush is on to find it a name – I wonder is that to make me feel easier about it, to personalise it or in fact depersonalise it. Anyway Mulley and my gf are intent on calling it The Pussy Wagon. [...]

By: sharon

sharon — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 12:32:52 +0000

Hope you don’t have too long to wait for the scooter. It’s a pity you’re having to put up with the ignorance of society. There’s a heck of a lot of work to be done on dealing with disability prejudice.

Perhaps you should make a few print outs of all the moronic quips that you don’t need to hear, like the L plates thing, and the speed limit thing. Then you could hand trangressors a copy.

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 10:55:21 +0000

Great post, I hope it doesn’t self destruct.
A good friend of mine has been suffering from MS for some years and up until recently, has been able to get around without the aid of a wheelchair. Having suffered a rapid decline over the last year or so, she is now adjusting to life on wheels, and the realities of this new way of life; for the rest of her life. When she realised that she could no longer go on without the aid of a wheelchair, she found it more difficult to adjust to than the actual disease itself, and the reason for that is what you describe as body fascism, and her own awareness of it having been able bodied for more than thirty years. For some months, she refused to go anywhere, and having fought the MS so well for so long, we feared that she may have given up on herself and that this would ultimately make her deteriorate further and faster. With a lot of support and encouragement, she finally gave in and has not looked back since. In fact, she now regrets having not taken the decision earlier, and feels a new sense of freedom and worth.
Having said that, I have accompanied her out and about on a few occasions, and it has really highlighted for me the absolute disregard some establishments (and people) have for the disabled.
Able bodied people take so much for granted, and far from making allowances, some flippantly turn a blind eye and choose ignorance over acceptance.
On the other hand, progress is being made, and awareness is more prevalent, so perhaps in time things will be better on a broader scale.

Best of luck to you, Suzy. You go girl!

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 11:19:37 +0000

I think I might understand your dilemma just a little. It’s not the same, I know, but I have Crohn’s Disease, a disease of the bowel and I’ve undergone numberous tests, pokings and proddings for it, taken millions of drugs all of which were hugely toxic and even had major surgery to remove most of my colon, in order to try to combat the disease. Every time I moaned about it, people would say ‘ah but sure it’ll make you feel better, go for it, it’s not a big deal’ and I know that, but it didn’t really help. I didn’t WANT to have the disease, I didn’t WANT to have to take the drugs or have the surgery. At one point there was talk of a possible colostomy bag, even a temporary one and while I know in my heart of hearts it probably would, in the long run, save me a lot of pain and hassle….I still didn’t want one, I was terrified! Thankfully I didn’t have to have one this time and I’m feeling well at the minute, but it is a possibility I’m going to have to face some time down the road. And I know I’ll feel the same then, I won’t want it, no matter how much it will help me.

So I kinda understand where you’re coming from. The scooter would make things easier for you, you’ve used them in the past and enjoyed your days out….but you still don’t want one. It’s a bloody tough decision to make.

This might not be any help to you at all, but I pushed on and did all the things I didn’t want to do, such as the surgery, and it worked out really well for me, so maybe if you take the leap, things will work out for you too. I really hope so.

I’m not disabled by my Crohn’s and I know it’s not the same situation at all, so I hope I haven’t offended you or been insensitive at all. Cheers!