Wheelchair Fashion: Heat Wave Style

Wheelchair Fashion: Heat Wave Style

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disability, fashion, plus size, retro, spring, summer, vintage, Wheelchair

Gosh this weather is crazy. I mean it's lovely & everything but it's exhausting too. Weirdly though my pain is less & I have more energy. I'm going with it & am trying to make the most of it (mostly by playing Pokémon Go). So when my brother needed to go to a museum like an hour away for like 10 minutes research I decided to go with them. I mean I didn't just go to the museum, we also had lunch & went to one of my favourite places in the world (lavender world), but it's still not something I would normally even think about doing.

It's pretty unusual for me to pick bright colours. I'm pretty much a pastel/jewel toned kind of gal but the hot weather made me gravitate towards the brightest item in my wardrobe, this top. It's yet another peasant top by Pinup Girl Clothing but I really struggle for tops so when I find something I actually like I get it in every colour (or at least every colour I like...I'm totally fussy).
The hat is also from Pinup Girl Clothing, I have a straw boater I got from H&M ages ago which I love but is totally falling apart so I totally ordered this hat. It's got a much bigger brim & ribbons in the back...I'm not sure if I like it more than my old hat but it's pretty cute & much better colour.

I got the skirt from Modcloth so I have no idea who made it :( The skirt is nice, good pockets & everything but the zip is super cheap, it's a bit of a pain. Such a cute skirt though.

So guys how have you been spending the heat wave?

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Pokémon Go: A Spoonie's Guide

Pokémon Go: A Spoonie's Guide

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accessibility, chronically ill, disability, geek, lifestyle, nerd, random

Pokémon Go is everywhere & if it's not something you are into I can imagine you must be really bored by now.
I've played pokemon since it was on gameboy colour (mine was the purple see through gameboy colour & this craze is magical for me. I have to admit I feel like I'm back in primary school playing Pokémon in the playground with my friends.

Unfortunately my body has changed (in more ways than one) & I don't have as much energy as I did back then. That would be true even if I wasn't chronically ill but it's ridiculously apparent with my chronic illness.
I'm still Pokémon mad though so I kind of went nuts. I went out Pokémon hunting within hours of the game officially releasing in the UK. And then I went out the next day. And the next. And then my lips went blue & I found myself unable to sit up.... Funny how that was bound to happen.

I've seen a lot of things about how difficult Pokémon go is for people with disabilities & I'm here to tell you it is all true. I'm also here to tell you that all is not lost. Pokémon go is still totally playable, you've just got to play smart.

1. Reconnaissance. If you know anyone else who plays the game, get them to find you places that are easily accessible for you near a gym/Poké stop or where there are good Pokémon. Examples are in cafes or car parks, anywhere you can sit & rest whilst you discover Pokémon.
2. Parks are your friend. I've only been to my local park so far but I've read lots & parks are the key. Especially if the park has lots of gyms & Poké Stops & ideally some kind of water. Places like this spawn masses more Pokémon than anywhere else & usually more rares.
3. Evenings. Evenings have lower light, less people (mostly) & often better Pokémon, or at least less people to catch them.
4. Use incense & lures. Incense is used on you & draws local Pokémon to you, useful but not amazing. Lures are used on Poké stops & draw Pokémon towards it. Both of these are handy if you are in a wheelchair or have low mobility because you can just set them off & the Pokémon come to you rather than the other way around. Super handy.
5. Use lucky eggs. If you are not going to be able to play the game much you want to make the most of every opportunity & lucky eggs do that. Lucky eggs double your XP & the more you level up, the better the Pokémon you catch are.
6. Turn off AR. One of the best parts of Pokémon Go is that you can see the Pokémon 'in real life' via the augmented reality feature. The only problem is that this can make catching Pokémon harder & it can be more jarring and/or exhausting. Turning it off can help your energy last longer.
7. Know your limits. My biggest tip is to remember what you know about your body. If you know that you can't go out when it is bright out, or that you can't cope with more than one outing a week DON'T do it, even if there is a Squirtle in the area. It's not worth it. Although maybe take note of where it was? (Seriously though, somewhere near me is a Squirtle spawing place & it is driving me insane that I can't go out to catch them)

The hardest part (in my opinion) are eggs which only hatch after you walk a certain distance. My answer? Dogs, younger siblings or very understanding carers. Strap your phone to any of the above as they wander around the house & it won't take too long for your egg to hatch :)

Finally remember that Pokémon turn up everywhere & that if you are patient they will eventually come to you :)

 

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Wheelchair Fashion: Victoriana Pin-up

Wheelchair Fashion: Victoriana Pin-up

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disability, fashion, ootd, plus size, retro, spring, summer, vintage, Wheelchair

Oh my gosh this outfit post was a pain in the ASS to get done! For some reason whatever I did 99% of the photos didn't work out. I tend to get about 200 photos per outfit & of those 10% are up to my standards (lighting, pose & my face tend to be the main issues) & then I narrow down from there. This time I took outfit photos on two separate days making nearly 600 photos total & I ended up with about 10 maybes.....
The behind the scenes of outfit photos is super glamorous lol

White dresses with a delicate blue floral print hold a special place in my heart owning to a book I read as a teenager (Magic Flutes by Eva Ibbotson). Ever since then I have always had at least one dress like this in my wardrobe so it's kind of unusual that I come across a white & blue print that is really exciting to me.
This skirt kind of blew me away though. The cut is an incredible A-line shape but like super full rather than boxy like I'm used to which was special in and of itself. The key thing though was the
pattern. It kind of reminds me of the kind of old school willow pattern china but like the really old school stuff before they were mass producing it. It's the more grown up sophisticated version of the endless blue & white dresses I have owned.

Technically this isn't a dress so I'm not really filling that empty spot in my wardrobe yet but I actually preferred the skirt to the dresses that came in this print (all on Collectif which is where the skirt is from) but it is more versatile in the skirt, even though it's the wrong blue & the wrong white to go with my pin up girl peasant tops (no-one else sees it but the microscopic shade difference bugs me ludicrous amounts).
This skirt feels to me more 40s or possibly 30s than my other vintage repro pieces although the print makes me think of Edwardian tea gowns hence it being Victoriana Pin-up...

Do you have any absolute wardrobe staples? Has your style ever been inspired by a book?

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