Yesterday it was raining cotton wool
Translator BL
Yesterday it was raining cotton wool
Translator BL
(translator’s note: The Mouse, a popular character from German kids TV) escorts me since 2,5 years, already at the time when I was still in hospital, back on my rucksack, in my wheelchair life.
Meanwhile I also have the Mouse as figurehead and a Mouse-toolkit on my hand cycle.
Two people from the Aids foundation have pinned an Aids ribbon on it a couple of weeks ago.
My wife has even baked Mouse muffins and Mouse cakes for me.
The Mouse can witness everything what I have experienced.
It will be 40 years this year.
Because I am also facing the 40 and even Wiki couldn’t reveal to me who is older I went to the homepage and have asked the Mouse itself.
The editorial office has sent a very nice e-mail to me.
According to my opinion the exact age of the Mouse should not be concealed.
Extract from this e-mail:
Because the Mouse has entered the world already on March 7th 1971 while you have set foot on this planet as new arrival only 6 months later, the Mouse is clearly the older one.
Of course I had to report this to you.
I am asking to put the date in your calendars and wish the Mouse a happy birthday on March 7th.
Translator BL
Some days ago I made a ride on my hand cycle.
(see older blogpost, trade hand cycle off for therapy pony).
My wife accompanied me on her bicycle.
I was more than positively surprised that the city of Frankfurt eventually managed to tar the old gravel path on the river Main after centuries.
It was going downstream, the cycle was rolling and rolling…
Unfortunately there is an express highway between the bicycle path on the river and two districts of the city. Because I can’t take the pedestrian bridge with my wheelchair and wanted to go to the street fair in one of the districts I had to ride further until after perceived 20 km, probably really 3 km, there was eventually a traffic light.
I had fairly shot my bolt.
After a bratwurst and a hop blossom ice tea * my motivation for the return ride was shattered.
When I was slowly riding home, I already fancied using the tram, I coincidentally met a former colleague, let’s call him Harald, with his
Didi Thurau – Memory Bicycle.
(translator’s note: famous German road bicycle racer from the 70’s and 80’s)
We had rather the same destination.
He pushed me sitting on his bike!
Without breaks, we reached a top speed of up to
26 Km/h on the 8 km way home.
My electric wheelchair tractive Speedy-Elektro only makes
max. 6 Km/h, otherwise it would need a license plate.
If Harald should have had a license plate???
Thanks again from this side.
Comment of my wife:
I am not used to such a speed any more as I usually roll with perceived 5 km/h behind the hand cycle and my biggest sporty challenge is not to fall from the bike at this “speed”, so that today my muscles are kind of sore for the first time.
Translator BL
As described in my blogpost Eigude Shame VI (see older blogpost) it was then impossible to worm out of a
bottle of grease
the grease for my hand cycle chain because the hole was way too small. After extensive correspondence with the supplier I was sent a
bottle of oil
free of charge. The resemblance with the
bottle of grease
is misleading. I can’t imagine that such a renowned German company sells grease and oil in the same packaging. Probably it is a manufacturing error.
I still don’t know how I can get the grease out of the bottle, but instead I can now start looking for a
collection point for hazardous material
for the bottle of grease.
This could be the destination of my next hand cycle tour .
This stuff is really
hazardous material.
I should have been informed better upfront!
Translator BL
My hand cycle chain was yelling for oil or grease.
This wish was my command, and I purchased a bottle of
German multi-purpose grease with the little chimney sweaper.
The top of the bottle was regularly cut off so that it was still possible to close it.
Now it was all squeezing, squeezing, squeezing…
The quantity of grease “wormed“ out of the bottle was comparable with the secretion of a
lugworm.
25 kg per year, corresponding to 2,85 g per hour.
The hole at the top of the bottle was way too small.
The chain remained dry to avoid a major mess.
At enquiry at the supplier (among professionals I am already called a notorious complainer) why a bottle supposed for oil is filled with grease, and how I could get the grease onto my chain, I received the following technically mature reply:
In your case we recommend to enlarge the hole by cutting off the top a little below.
Should you then still have difficulties with the usage of the product please get in touch with us.
Thereupon two valium, and everything is fine, isn’t it?
Don’t give me that!
Translator BL
During the winter I had
built according to my ideas to brave the quantities of snow.
Just in time with the thawing in Frankfurt the tyres were ready.
To conduct an endurance test with the tyres anyhow they were subject to a two week testing in the
Alps
Extreme up and down Snow-Riding!
Extreme Off-road Hand cycling
Extreme Haldensee- Rounding
Extreme Wheelchair Jumping
All tests were completed more or less successfully.
Broken axles, flat tyres and broken spokes were incurred only sporadically. As three to five defects per week are usual in the technical aids area there are no hurdles for serial production.
Translator BL
Exercise of all kind is in spite of the paralysis extremely important. My daily morning 1 – 1,5 hours of
wheeler yoga in bed
are showing the first results. Additionally a bit
leg training,
Swimming Pool,
Hand cycle,
Physio therapy (see older blogpost)
and I am ready for the next
Paralympics.
I am not sure about the discipline, any ideas?
I only get tired quickly!
Translator BL
“Cyclists dismount”
“Hiking zone / Strictest driving ban”
At disregard of these signs you get sentenced with
“sitting“ for at least two years !!
Translator BL
This winter during snow drift I have bought a
run-in hand cycle
The main reason was probably my guilty conscience after I stood with my wheelchair on a platform laundry scale. I can eat whatever I want, the wheelchair is getting more and more heavy
The bike was auctioned for charity. The proceeds should be used to purchase a horse!
Swapping “donkey on wheels” for therapy pony!
This is really true, donations are still accepted.
The bike was allowed to have a rest in my cellar after the long journey from the north.
It was run-in so well that around 200 gram unnecessary
dead weight in screws and nuts
were thrown off in the last years and thus missing.
The driving noise
was probably planned that loud for safety reasons so that you are heard by the other traffic participants, like a fire engine on duty.
The bike chain
reminded of a hammock and was as dry as the Namib desert. (I haven’t been to the Gobi desert yet.)
The universal fastener,
with which the hand cycle is adjusted to the particular wheelchair, was locked with two high-quality steel weld seams, so that the adjustment to my wheelchair was made a little more difficult than planned.
The person who welded the fastener knew what he was doing and is probably working in the shipbuilding in a dockyard. The weld seams were bombproof…
The original handles and gear shift
have been adjusted by some friends for me so that I can use them with my buckled fingers and hands.
I could have used the original special handles only limited, they cost 230 € and I didn’t like them anyway.
The rack
was additionally mounted with two small
iron plates
of around 10 cm length to keep it up horizontally.
My mate calls such constructions usually:
Russian-style: Looking sh…, but working well.
Why the previous owner didn’t take the provided clamps from the rack and turned them around will remain his secret.
Now I can take on with any granny at the
Rollator race.
Equal opportunities at last!!!
As you can see my pot belly still didn’t get smaller, but I keep you posted!
Translator BL
I have bought the
with an extra amount of snow.
The costs of such a bike start from 2400€ when it’s new
(no typing error).
It doesn’t even have 2 wheels!!!
One day it should look like this (see newer blogposts).
I have to clean instead of writing
Still no clue how I should hold the handles…,
let alone how I should shift the gears?
The handles issue should work out somehow with lots of duct tape, construction foam, sanitary silicone and super glue so that I can hold them with my buckled fingers.
There is a variant to shift gears with the chin.
Attach a toothbrush to the lever,
and I sell the bike in Ebay in the beauty section for double the price.
Translator BL