Brrrm! Brrrm!
Aug. 14th, 2008 09:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blackberry444The batteries arrived first thing this morning, and contrary to what I was expecting, they were already charged up, although we didn't discover this until we had put them into the container and tried to charge them up ourselves. I was very surprised that anyone would send charged batteries through the post.
So this afternoon I took the scooter out for a short trip round the block with my walker (Charles) and while it's great to be able to get along so much faster and with no pain or breathlessness, it was a bit scary in parts.
Although the local authority has just spent weeks taking up the paving stones and re-laying them at enormous expense, they don't seem to have had much success at making the pavements bump-free and the scooter turns out to be a rather hard ride, so I think I shall have to find a cushion for the seat.
I took it round the extreme edge of the Triangle, along Hartington Street where the pavements haven't been done yet, and felt as though my teeth were going to rattle out of my head going over all the bumps and dips.
It's a bit scary crossing the road, because you have to find somewhere where the pavement has been tapered to road level, and round here it's all been done rather roughly and haphazardly and a couple of places had cambers on them which made me feel as though I was going to tip over. (The scooter is a three-wheeler)
At one point I stopped and put my feet down because I felt a bit insecure and this tiny red-haired skin-head, about 7 or 8, enquired solicitously whether I was all right. I explained that I had my Big Boy with me, thank you, and that I would be OK and he said "If you're sure". When we got round the corner we cracked up about it, bless him. To look at him you would have suspected that he had a pocketful of rocks to throw at windows, so that just shows me, once again, not to judge lads by their appearance.
The scooter will be wonderful for things like shopping in the city centre, going round the parks, visiting galleries and such like, and I'm very grateful indeed to have been given it, but I think it might not be quite the good thing I hoped for places like Kielder unless I stay on the tarmac, which isn't my idea at all. Still it's infinitely preferable to not having one!
Charles asked what the scooter is called, but I haven't thought of a name yet.
I'm looking forward to crossing the Millennium Bridge, (only 8 years after it opened!) and to visiting the Sage and the Baltic.
Of course, the weather is foul at the moment, so I shan't be able to use it a lot in the next few days when the forecast is atrocious, and for a while at least, I think I shall want someone with me, and they won't want to go out in the rain although it came with a rain cape for the driver. I do hope the weather improves before my Sis comes on Wednesday!
John is going to put down the two back car seats tomorrow so that we can put it straight in the boot without collapsing it. We'll still have seats for four, so it just shows how good Lucy is for my purposes. I don't know whether I shall have the strength to lift it in and out myself, though. We shall have to see. Maybe if I take the batteries out and manage them separately.....we'll just have to see how it works out.
Last night I had a really good night. It was the first time I've been pain-free in bed for ages. I wonder whether it was the result of the cardiac rehab exercise programme I'd participated in earlier? I must make an effort to do the exercises more regularly, but I'm often so exhausted that I simply CBA.
It's wonderful having the second hand rail on the stairs, too. I can go upstairs really quickly and get downstairs much quicker than I could before. As a matter of fact, John and Charles appreciate it too, because our stairs are rather precipitous even for able-bodied people.
I think I might have an early night with a book tonight. As usual, there's hooter-all on television.
So this afternoon I took the scooter out for a short trip round the block with my walker (Charles) and while it's great to be able to get along so much faster and with no pain or breathlessness, it was a bit scary in parts.
Although the local authority has just spent weeks taking up the paving stones and re-laying them at enormous expense, they don't seem to have had much success at making the pavements bump-free and the scooter turns out to be a rather hard ride, so I think I shall have to find a cushion for the seat.
I took it round the extreme edge of the Triangle, along Hartington Street where the pavements haven't been done yet, and felt as though my teeth were going to rattle out of my head going over all the bumps and dips.
It's a bit scary crossing the road, because you have to find somewhere where the pavement has been tapered to road level, and round here it's all been done rather roughly and haphazardly and a couple of places had cambers on them which made me feel as though I was going to tip over. (The scooter is a three-wheeler)
At one point I stopped and put my feet down because I felt a bit insecure and this tiny red-haired skin-head, about 7 or 8, enquired solicitously whether I was all right. I explained that I had my Big Boy with me, thank you, and that I would be OK and he said "If you're sure". When we got round the corner we cracked up about it, bless him. To look at him you would have suspected that he had a pocketful of rocks to throw at windows, so that just shows me, once again, not to judge lads by their appearance.
The scooter will be wonderful for things like shopping in the city centre, going round the parks, visiting galleries and such like, and I'm very grateful indeed to have been given it, but I think it might not be quite the good thing I hoped for places like Kielder unless I stay on the tarmac, which isn't my idea at all. Still it's infinitely preferable to not having one!
Charles asked what the scooter is called, but I haven't thought of a name yet.
I'm looking forward to crossing the Millennium Bridge, (only 8 years after it opened!) and to visiting the Sage and the Baltic.
Of course, the weather is foul at the moment, so I shan't be able to use it a lot in the next few days when the forecast is atrocious, and for a while at least, I think I shall want someone with me, and they won't want to go out in the rain although it came with a rain cape for the driver. I do hope the weather improves before my Sis comes on Wednesday!
John is going to put down the two back car seats tomorrow so that we can put it straight in the boot without collapsing it. We'll still have seats for four, so it just shows how good Lucy is for my purposes. I don't know whether I shall have the strength to lift it in and out myself, though. We shall have to see. Maybe if I take the batteries out and manage them separately.....we'll just have to see how it works out.
Last night I had a really good night. It was the first time I've been pain-free in bed for ages. I wonder whether it was the result of the cardiac rehab exercise programme I'd participated in earlier? I must make an effort to do the exercises more regularly, but I'm often so exhausted that I simply CBA.
It's wonderful having the second hand rail on the stairs, too. I can go upstairs really quickly and get downstairs much quicker than I could before. As a matter of fact, John and Charles appreciate it too, because our stairs are rather precipitous even for able-bodied people.
I think I might have an early night with a book tonight. As usual, there's hooter-all on television.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-14 09:22 pm (UTC)The weight is one of the reasons I don;t think Ma would be able to manage one except for to and from home (although we'd have to install a shed with power and make sure she could get it in and out properly).
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-14 10:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-14 10:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-14 09:33 pm (UTC)Lead-acid batteries (which I'm 99.99% certain they will be, and probably 'gel' types too) have to be stored, and maintained, in as close to a fully-charged condition as possible, otherwise they deteriorate ('sulphate') badly and quickly. I expect there'll be something in the instruction book about recharging them straight away after use, for the same reason.
(I use gel lead-acid batteries for my radio equipment, and build my own chargers for them).
I'd imagine they were in some sort of strong packaging, so that nothing could touch the terminals, and that they're the sealed, possibly 'gel' type that won't spill acid.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-14 10:13 pm (UTC)Yes, they *were* in strong packaging and the terminals were covered in plastic doobries. And they are sealed, although I don't know if they're gel type or not.
There are instructions to recharge the batteries weekly, even if they haven't been used.
I think it's amazing that the Post Office can transport electricity around the country like that!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-14 10:26 pm (UTC)They'll be lead-acid, then; with most other common other battery types, the state of charge isn't that important for good battery life.
Unfortunately, unless they refuse altogether to carry them, there's no alternative - sealed batteries are safe enough when properly packed. To leave them discharged for any significant length of time would ruin them (as one local chap, who was forgetful about recharging his scooter batteries after each use as his instructions stated, found out to his cost - the local health authority started refusing to pay for new ones).
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-14 09:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-14 10:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-15 09:38 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-15 10:05 am (UTC)Long may your Dad continue to use it.
Thanks to OB for the thought, though!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-15 11:06 am (UTC)