Wheelchair Fashion: The Golden Leaves of Lothlorien

Wheelchair Fashion: The Golden Leaves of Lothlorien

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disability, fashion, lifestyle, ootd, plus size, retro, vintage, Wheelchair

Of the two in-accuracies in the title I'm not sure if I'm more bummed about these picture not really being in a wheelchair or not really being in Lothlorien...
Actually that's not true. I'm more bummed about not being in my wheelchair, especially after taking these photos. I HATE mobility scooters; why is the suspension always terrible & why is the turning so unnecessarily confusing? It's weird though, people notice me more in a mobility scooter than in my wheelchair... I still hate the thrice cursed things.

My wheelchair is out of commission atm & I feel like I lost a limb & an old friend all in one. Once it's repaired I should probably get a proper name for her, I've had her for 3 years now I think she's earned one. Especially if they don't have to replace the main control unit 'cause that would totally suck.

I was determined to get out to take outfit photos despite not having my chair. I mean, technically, I have the body just not the electrical part so I can use the manual wheels like I have in the past but my mum refuses to push me more than a few metres (especially if I'm going to do outfit photos) because I'm apparently 'fussy' which I don't think is that unreasonable but w/e....plus only one of the breaks works for the manual wheels so it's not really practical when taking outfit photos... Where was I?

Right, I was determined to take outfit photos. Autumn doesn't last that long, especially in the north of England (it's pretty much just October) & it rains like half the time so there is a very small window of time & since Autumn outfits are the most fun it's always kind of a rush to get a few taken. So earlier this week I braved mobility scooter hell (it's not literally hell but it really did f*ck up my hips) & went out to Harlow Carr Gardens near Harrogate to get my pictures taken.

Quick aside, if you are in Yorkshire & you want a nice, spoonie friendly day out Harlow Carr is pretty good. You can book mobility scooters, there is a wheelchair accessible path & the café is a Betty's so pretty awesome. The café can get pretty loud & the Betty's shop is almost impossible to navigate around in a wheelchair but there is an outdoor betty's in the gardens which doesn't tend to get so loud (less selection though) & you can buy most stuff from the shop if you have someone with you willing to brave the queues...

I am so in love with this outfit, every part of it worked so perfectly :) I ordered the cardigan to replace an old & much loved jumper in almost the exact same colour (the only shade of orange I can wear). I was hoping it would be okay but it's actually magic. Seriously. I think it's the cut; normally I find the neckline of cardigans to be too boxy but this one is just stunning! I think I'm going to have to get it in S-every colour honestly. It's the Charter School Cardigan in Ginger from Modcloth (XS-4XL, $39.99) & seems to run true to size although I got a 1XL & it totally worked for me so I guess check the size chart... It's also super soft & warm despite being quite thin :)

Other than the cardigan, the rest are wardrobe staples for me. The skirt is the first (& only) pin-up girl clothing skirt I own. I got it from Deadly is the Female last year & was so happy, it's still the best pin-up skirt I own but it was obviously limited edition & unavailable now except in tiny sizes :( I hope they do more prints like this though cause I love them so much :)
The top is also pinup girl clothing, it's the white peasant top & is (thankfully) available all the time (XS-4XL $56). The peasant tops from pinup girl clothing are a total basic in my wardrobe, I think I have 5...

The tights are in the shade conker from M&S (S-XL £2.50), the shoes are my old Burgandy B.A.I.T shoes & the necklace is from THIS etsy seller. I recommend looking at all their stuff because it's really cool :)

What's your favourite season for clothes? Also wheelchair or mobility scooter? And most importantly do you like the new hair colour? lol
Happy autumn everyone.

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Spoonie Survival Kit: Spoonie Friendly Bedding

Spoonie Survival Kit: Spoonie Friendly Bedding

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chronically ill, disability, lifestyle, M.E., spoonie

Being a spoonie seems to bleed over into every part of our lives. Things that you barely even thought about as a non-spoonie become complicated, time consuming, often costly decisions. Everything from what to eat to what kind of soap to use or what kind of light bulbs you have in your house become minefields, balancing symptoms with sensitivities, budget & about 100 other things.
When you are in bed you just want to get the best possible rest you can & not deal with anything, which can be hard when your duvet makes you feel like you are being slowly crushed under a matt of (incredibly heavy) nettles...
There are lots of things spoonie friendly bedding needs to do (every spoonie has different requirements) but as the nights are starting to draw in & it gets colder I thought I'd post some of my favourites in the hopes they spare people the sleepless nights I had under my old winter duvet (double bed sized, unbelievably heavy & feather filled! lets just say it did NOT work for me).

Heated Blanket

Last winter, or possibly the winter before (they are all kind of a mush) I found my symptoms had progressed to the point where my winter duvet was too heavy for me to cope with. Unfortunately however it was winter & in Yorkshire that means the nights get COLD. Even wearing layers (including a jumper) to bed I was too cold to sleep.  Luckily for me my mum is something of a genius & thought of using my heated blanket at night (which I have to be honest, totally freaked me out at first). Totally works; when it gets really cold I layer it up with my spring/summer duvet but most of the time I just put it on a low-ish setting & sleep like a baby.
I've had a couple of heated blankets before the one I have now, one of which was really narrow & wouldn't have worked for this at all & one of which was itch-y & died on me (not a great combination). The one that I recommend the most is this one from amazon. It's not the cheapest ever - ~£50 - but it's so big & comfortable I'm totally convinced it's worth it & it's about the same price as good duvet.

Silk Filled Duvet

This is a bit of an extravagance if I'm honest, although I'm not sure how I'd cope without it. You know how I mentioned my mum is a bit of a genius? She's also a bit obsessed with finding things that will make my life easier, which is both a blessing & a curse sometimes :) This is one of her finds & for all that I thought it was just her being crazy when she first mentioned it I'm really glad she found it. Weight of my duvet is a massive issue for me, I'm not sure if that is a common symptom or just something I get but it's something I really struggle with, especially when the surface level pain (pain in my skin rather than pain in muscles or bones or organs w/e) is especially bad & this silk filled duvet is less than half the weight of the duvet I had before & is slightly warmer.
As I said, the duvet is a bit of an extravagance, I have a medium weight single duvet & it cost £145 (which I'm glad I didn't know when my mum bought it cause I would have freaked out) but it really does make a massive difference & it's not at all itchy which is also amazing. Possibly a good thing to ask Father Christmas for? Or do what my brother does & tell everyone you just want money because you are saving up for something & then get this ^^

Sheets & Pillow Cases

I wish I could tell you guys what kind of fabric would not trigger your touch sensitivity but unfortunately I'm pretty sure that depends on your body. My brother has dermographia (his body makes too much histamine & he gets unbelievably itchy) & prefers jersey cotton bedding. I'm mostly okay as long as my bedding is cotton although I have silk pillowcases for a number of reasons (silk is kinder to your skin & hair, but I also used to get rashes & spots under my skin when I uses cotton pillowcases that I don't get anymore & it doesn't burn even on really bad days).

I have to include my bottom sheet, another one of my mum's finds, mostly because it saves me from throttling my mum. I have a profiling bed (one of the only house adaptations the council could help me with) & I tend to toss & turn a lot in my sleep - I did before I got sick but I'm a LOT worse now - & most bottom sheets elastic can't keep them in place under that kind of stress. I don't really care but it really bugs my mum. I'd be laying in bed, barely able to move & my mum would start fidgeting with the bottom sheet, trying to get it tucked back under the mattress. The bottom sheet I currently have seems to hold up a lot better & is very comfortable (which is always a bonus).

Sorry for mentioning my mum so much but things like this are where she tends to excel :)

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