Cadbury world

Today was another trip that had been organised by Headway South Staffs. This time we were going to Cadbury World in Birmingham. 

Anne Marie announced the trip to the group and looked puzzled as the blank attendance sheet she was pinning to the notice board had my name already written on it by the time she put it up on the wall. She then reached into her pocket to find a crisp £10 note to book my place. 

To say I was excited for this was an understatement. You could say I have a slight chocolate addiction but you'd be wrong...I have a big addiction.

8:28

I catch the number nine bus ran by Select Bus Services which isn't particularly reliable. Regularly busses don't turn up, so when a bus does turn up it has all of the passengers that were meant to be on the previous bus. It does keep time pretty well though, when it turns up, it's usually on time. It's never early though, except for this occasion.

8:48

I checked the My Trip app and saw that the bus was early and was already at the next stop. Typical. I waited for another twenty minutes and caught the next bus. It normally takes me ten minutes to get into town, but the mini bus was due to leave at 9:00am. I texted Anne Marie with tears in my eyes, hoping she could tell my text was merely what I thought I should say, but I in no way meant it. The undertone of my message was "DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT ME!"

9:00

I got to town and could see the mini bus was still there. My bus goes past Headway South Staffs before it reaches its stop

9:03

I get off the bus by bouncing off the sides like a pin ball. Regular passengers must think I'm a dreadful driver...well to be fair, they've got to the right conclusion but for the wrong reason. You see the aisle is a few centimeters wider than my wheelchair, and the joystick is so sensitive, the slightest gust of wind from my hand moving near it is the equivalent of pushing the joystick hard. Pushing it in the other direction means you immediately run into the opposite wall.

I arrive and immediately head towards the back of the bus where the wheelchair lift is as I thought everybody would be waiting to depart.

"Tom...Tom! TOM!

I turn around and head back to the front of the bus

"Where are you going? They're waiting inside for you"

I head down the path at full power - all 4mph of the mighty iM.4 Elite is unleashed.

The gate is ajar but not fully opened!

There is plenty of room to get through the gate, but I'm in a rush! I don't have the time to slow down.

So I ram into it.

My entrance doesn't prompt any shouts of "what's that?" Or a startled inquisitive look, the crash of my arrival had merely told everyone the idiot they were waiting for was here. Anne Marie popped her head out: "Here he is, turn around we need you on the bus". 

9:17

I drove to the back of the bus where Richard (the driver) had set up the lift. When the lift reached the height of the bus, Richard took over the controls and drove the chair into the position he needed, my reputation has preceded me I thought. I could have been slightly offended, but I was actually slightly impressed, he'd managed to get into position without running into things, I didn't realise that was possible! He strapped me in so tight I think if we drove off a cliff I'd still be alright.

Cadbury World

We arrived, and, well I didn't see what I expected. I had watched the Inside Cadbury:Chocolate secrets unwrapped on Netflix. As you can see from the video there are shots of the Cadbury and Bournville Factories, what it doesn't show you is that directly to the left of the old looking factory is a very new looking building with glass from floor to ceiling. I was helped off the bus and rather than head towards what looked a gift shop at an amusement park, I headed for the factory. I was immediately told I was going the wrong way and to head for the shiny new building. If I wasn't sure which way to go I just had to head for the building that a line of primary school children had entered.

Access was pretty good though, the car park surrounded the building, there seemed to be plenty of disabled parking spaces and it was a short trip from the bus to the entrance. It started to rain as soon as I entered the not particularly busy building, there were a few people here but it wasn't bustling.

 

We were told the tour would take about 2 hours, which having watched the documentary would be quite an interesting 2 hours I thought and there would be plenty of opportunities to try the chocolate before it's made into the confectionary it's intended for. As the tour starts we go past a lady who hands us three chocolate bars - Wispa, Dairy Milk and Caramel. They were full size bars as well, none of your fun size rubbish, which definitely is not fun. 

These aren't fun size, they're pointless size. 

First is a walk around some displays they've made to explain how chocolate came to Europe. Well that's what I learnt from the interactive screens. There was nobody with us to tell us what we were looking at, nobody had told me what to expect. I'm sure somebody in our group was told, but if you're expecting your customers to make their own way around, you should make sure they know. 

I've learnt since that we were on the self guided tour. They don't seem to offer any other kind of tour, the self guided tour is all that's mentioned on the website.

Then we went through a doorway as if we were changing zones on The Crystal Maze and emerged on a set similar to The Muppet Christmas Carol. There were dozens of
people here, most of which weren't from our group, not only were we giving ourselves a tour, but we had joined other groups. We were in the middle of an old English high street, there was somebody here who briefly explained this is like the high street where John Cadbury had a small shop before founding Cadbury. A short dramatised video from the founder John Cadbury was going to play. We turned our attention to the screen to see a man in a wig wearing clothes of the period speaking in a very proper English accent. Just before the video finished the person re-appeared and beckoned me over to some double doors, the next part of this tour was in the small theater next door. There was another short video of this fellah in a wig, sorry, John Cadbury. Next it was through to another small theatre next door, but this one was 4D. I was told however that I wouldn't feel the benefits as I need to be sitting on the seating provided to feel it shake. I can't say I was particularly disappointed to be excluded from this experience, I wanted to stay in my chair, it's got a comfy cushion, the benches looked hard and uncomfortable. I sat in the theater watching as a floating head of John Cadbury appeared on a small screen above our heads and his son appeared on the screen at the side of the stage. They spoke to each other as if they were in the same room.

Next we stood in a corridor for about ten minutes, I didn't know why at the time but I know why now. 

We were queueing to see a live demonstration. 

I could hear that there was a video playing on a TV, I don't know what was playing as I couldn't see. I could barely hear it either and there weren't any speakers for people further down the line, basically you couldn't see or hear it unless you were near it in the queue.

I know now that this queue was because there was a live demonstration going on up ahead. They were obviously only going to do this once, and the people who weren't fortunate enough to see it, could watch on the television...you see where I'm going? This demonstration is basically in a corridor, so the amount of people who will be able to see it is minimal and the amount who will be able to watch on the TV is minimal.

By the time we got to the demonstration area, there was nobody there, we just walked past it, giving it a glance as it looked fairly modern and not at all interesting. 

Rather than continue in my relentless assassination of Cadbury World I decided to have a look around the Internet and see what other people are saying.

What Others Say

A Google search for "Cadbury World reviews"

*--------------------------------*

It appears I'm not the only one with a negative review, although to be fair there do seem to be quite a lot of 4 or 5 star reviews and just about every review mentions whether their children enjoyed it or not. I would admit it's an attraction for small children, a demographic I aged out of in the 80s. 

Disabled Toilets?

The first set of toilets we came to didn't have disabled facilities. I was told by another customer in the queue that the toilets are very narrow, so that may be the reason. I looked for somebody to ask where the nearest disabled toilets were, but as we were on the self guided tour there didn't seem to be anyone around. I might be being a bit harsh there, there may well have been people around but I couldn't get to them as I WAS QUEUING IN A NARROW FREAKING CORRIDOR!

Is It Required By Law To Have A Disabled Toilet

How the chocolate is made

Next we went into a room where you could see into production rooms to see the chocolate being made. They were currently making footballs and football boots for Father's Day. The production of the balls/boots had already been done and the workers were basically piping a message onto the balls. Not particularly interesting, but that's the luck of the draw and depends on what's being made at the time.

As we got past the window to view the various choc balls and shoes, there was a sign that said choose your toppings. Toppings to what? There was nobody around to ask. I picked a topping of white buttons and sour patch kids, although I still didn't know what they'd be a topping for, I figured that would become clear. Jo went to get whatever it was, she returned with a small plastic cup of white and chocolate buttons and 1 sour patch kid. I've since learnt that the cup was meant to be filled with melted chocolate topped by my 2 choices.

The 4D cinema

Next was the 4D cinema. We took an elevator down to the cinema. The roof of the elevator is a large screen, with a view of the elevator shaft that has a troublesome parrot pulling on the falling elevator so it's falling unevenly. It was fun and would be a hit with small children. The lift feels like it's falling quickly, I imagine if you're a small child it would feel quite convincing.

The 4D cinema is easily the highlight, although far too short. You sit in a purple leather recliner and wear 3D glasses. I was able to transfer into the recliner, although I couldn't see in 3D, which I expected but it didn't really impact on my enjoyment. The enjoyment was to be had with the fun roller coaster ride, the chair dips and raises and tilts as you hurtle around Cadbury World. You go up in a hot air balloon and feel the air blowing in your face.

Adverts

There have been hundreds of famous Cadbury adverts that stick in the memory. The Cadbury Milk Tray man, all of the Cadbury Flake adverts, the Cadbury's caramel bunny voiced by Miriam Margolyes, the blue car and the red car had a race Double Decker advert and the iconic gorilla playing the drums along to In The Air Tonight. I'm not sure how this was done, whether it be CGI, puppetry, a guy in a suit... But if you're going to recreate it, you've got to make it exactly the same as the advert or at least close to it. The advert was brilliant because it looked so real, it moved like a gorilla/human. What they showed at Cadbury World was embarrassing. It probably cost them a lot to make and all it does is show up the fact that it's a very unconvincing animatronic whose limbs can only move in a specific direction. It was as convincing as those toy monkeys that bang two cymbals together.

End of tour

Well, it was for us anyway. I'm not sure if the tour was meant to stop there, but as nobody was giving the tour...We finished at the gift shop which was by far the best bit in my eyes. Although I expected there to be lots of different flavours or fillings of chocolate bars that you don't find elsewhere, there wasn't. Everything available you'll find in supermarkets and likely for less money. Everything was under one roof though and Cadbury chocolate is the best chocolate in my opinion, so I was happy.

In conclusion

I was very disappointed. I think that was largely my fault as I was expecting to see what I saw in the Inside Cadbury:Chocolate secrets unwrapped on Netflix, and as I found out, that documentary is filmed in the factory, not the building we were in. However if I hadn't gone in with any expectations I still don't think I would have enjoyed it. For the amount of money they charge I think it's ridiculous they don't conduct the tour. The queues are incredibly annoying and you are joined with other tours to get as many people through the doors as possible.

The wheelchair facilities are woeful and in one case non existent.

I am not the demographic though, young children are and I can see they would love it. There appears to be a whole outside playground, with picnic tables and booths selling hot and cold food that I can't comment on as we didn't go there.

@fatpigeonsbook

@fatpigeonsbook

Wheelchair Worries - Laser Tag...Really?

Don't mess with the security

It was about 10:25am, I'm supposed to be at Headway by 10:30am but I wasn't seen until 10:20am for my 10:00am appointment. As the doctor's surgery is about a fifteen minute ride on my iM.4 Elite from Easy Living Mobility I thought I could make it, along with my usual stop at Starbucks.

Ring Ring 📞

Me: Hello.
Annmarie: Hello, are you coming in today?
Me: Yes, I've been at the doctor's, I'm on my way now.
Annmarie: OK, where are you now?
Me: Just by Mill Street, I'll be there shortly
Annmarie: Great, we'll wait for you then, you're about five minutes away?
Me: Five or ten. Wassup?
Annmarie: We're going to Laser Tag
Me: .......................

My silence wasn't because I disliked Laser Tag, I can't say I'd really thought about in the years since I'd become reliant on a wheelchair for my mobility. It's an able bodied person's game. I associate it with people who can walk unaided. My silence was a substitute for a phrase that has become my catchphrase. I'M IN A WHEELCHAIR! But Annemarie's answer is always along the lines of "that doesn't mean you can't do it. Just try it" Knowing that would be her response I decided not to utter a word.

I got to Headway and everybody was waiting for me. We set off straight away without even asking if I wanted a few minutes rest. Rude! It was only a ten minute walk to Ten Pin and - get this - I didn't run into anyone or anything!

There's No Backing Out Now

The Briefing Room

The staff at Ten Pin didn't think there'd be any problems playing in a wheelchair. "I'll show them" I thought, let's see if they have that attitude at the end when there's wheelchair shaped dents in their walls and scrapes and scuffs everywhere. We were split into two teams and told to make our way into the briefing room. We went through a door into a corridor that was slightly wider than the wheelchair and a ninety degree right turn into The Briefing Room. No scrapes or scuffs yet.

On either side of the room were vests and guns for the two teams - red and green. It was handed to me as they were higher than I could reach. There is a target on the front and back of the vest for the opposing team to aim at. Unfortunately the back target on my vest was covered by the backrest of the wheelchair. I tried draping the back of the vest over the backrest, but it was too tight to my body to stretch like that. Oh well, I'll just have to play with this unfair advantage. What a shame... The gun has two handles and is held by both hands, but people generally don't have to ride around the arena and have both hands free.

Don't Try This At Home

We went into the arena which had the lights on at the moment. And what I saw was basically the most inaccessible maze imaginable. It was designed to give you things to hide behind and there wasn't one straight wall, presumably to make it harder to shoot somebody if they're constantly zig zagging and turning corners.

The two teams went to their respective bases, the lights went off (well, they dimmed down considerably so that it was harder to see) and my team started moving to the other side of the arena. 

Rookie Mistake

To get into the base I had driven in forwards, I could have just turned on a sixpence so I could drive forwards to get out. I'd driven straight in I thought, I'll just reverse back out, how hard can it be?

It turns out very hard when some joker puts a wall behind you! How? I thought, a wall didn't suddenly appear behind me, so somebody must have put it there. My eyes were taking there time to adjust to the lack of light, so craning my neck to see behind me was pointless. Fortunately my back target was hidden by the backrest of the wheelchair and nobody could get in front of me, so, if I was smart I could just stay here all day and I would win...It took me about three minutes of edging backwards and creeping forwards to get out. My eyes started to adjust to the light and I started to make out what was blocking me...nothing. There was a wall in front and behind me. I think being able to see where you're going is actually quite important.

Better Watch Out Tom Shaw Is About

Headway's post on Facebook

Now I was free I made my way over to the opposing team's base. Slowly...very slowly. I was pinging off walls like a pin ball machine, fortunately all the walls are black and now that the lights are off you can't see the scuffs and scrapes I must be leaving on the walls.

When I said earlier this was inaccessible, the lights were on. Now they were off I had absolutely no chance. I saw somebody up ahead and pushed forward with all the power of the iM4.Elite, but I suddenly stopped dead as I'd hit a wall. I was actually looking through a hole in an otherwise solid wall. I did have the advantage that anybody fleeing from me were exposed to me shooting them in the back. I also had the disadvantage that my eyes are crap! I thought I was pointing the gun at there target, but the red laser would appear on there shoulder.

@fatpigeonsbook

@fatpigeonsbook

Wheelchair Worries - West Midlands safari park

Red Panda

Today was a trip organised by Headway South Staffs.  I've been on a few outings with Headway before but they were local or close by so travelling wasn't an issue. This time we were going to Bewdley and oddly enough they'd invited me...no wait, I think they did...Yea, they musta done...Either way who cares, I was going to be there whether I was wanted or not.

Wheelchair bus

A mini bus turned up with one of the rear seats taken out and space enough for me to slot in. It appears this modified bus was pre-planned, so in answer to my earlier question, yes I was invited. They've met me as well so they know I'm an idiot. Oh well, there was no backing out now.

Richard (the driver) secured me in place using straps attached to my wheels and clipped into rails on the floor. While he was securing my seatbelt he told me he drives for Headway quite often as they go on several trips a year, and it used to be on the other bus but he will use a wheelchair bus from now on.

On Safari

Me looking at an Elephant

We arrived there in about an hour and a quarter and we immediately joined the queue of cars - after a quick toilet break and stretch of the legs. As I was strapped in like Hannibal Lecter I chose to stay on the bus and slowly fry as today was the hottest day of the year...so far (well let's hope we will get hotter days but there's no guarantees). The windows on the bus opened just enough that the breeze coming through felt like a gerbil breathing on you through a straw. 

Everybody got back on the bus and the day started with a nice leisurely drive around the park, regularly interrupted by Giraffe, Rhinoceros, Ankole Cattle etc, sauntering across the road, The Rhinoceros in particular walks around with the authority of knowing it's the toughest thing on the park. The thing is basically walking around wearing metal armour, and with a horn attached to its face, nothing's going to argue with it. So confident nobody would say anything it decided to open it's bowels while it was walking and as the bus passed, it stared at us as if to say "and what?"

Unfortunately I have to say the access on the safari drive is abysmal. The ground is very uneven - in many sections it's pure mud with animal faeces trodden in. There are no ramps to be seen, there are no smooth walkways for me to roll along...There are even wild animals roaming around. 

I repeatedly asked Richard to open the rar door of the bus as the asthmatic gerbil breathing on me wasn't keeping me cool, but he shouted something about health & safety from the front. I think that's what he said but I couldn't hear properly because of the Hannibal Lecter mask I was forced to wear. Apparently it was on Anne Marie's insistence as I've repeatedly tried to bite her.

We spent a lot of time over at the Giraffe enclosure. Many of the giraffes were in the road blocking our progress, especially 1 female and 2 males. The female was trying to get away from the 2 giraffes I've nicknamed Donald and Weinstein. #MeToo obviously means nothing in the giraffe world.

While we were waiting I recalled 1 of my previous visits to this safari park, a story I tell in my book Brain Tumours, John Bonham and Fat Pigeons

We decided to go to West Midlands Safari Park. I was in the Nissan - a car I despised; I probably intended to stick red meat all over the car’s body and hope the monkeys would rip it apart. 

Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be seen, they had all run inside because they didn’t want anybody taking photos of them in the Nissan’s vicinity. 

Giraffes were the last set of animals, wandering amongst the line of cars as we queued to leave. Food pellets could be purchased from the gift shop, something we weren’t aware of. As we reached the giraffe section, we saw people putting the pellets on the roof of their cars. These awesome creatures were walking right up to them to eat the food. 

I was jealous, so I said, “I’ll stick my hand out like I’ve got food and when it comes over it’ll be close enough to touch. 

I opened the window and stuck my arm out as if I was offering food. A giraffe clocked me and started trotting over. “It’s working” I announced excitedly. The giraffe approached, didn’t pause to investigate and swallowed most of my forearm. When it realised there was no plant-based food on the end of this meat stick, it released me. My arm was dripping in a gallon or so of giraffe spit, which has the viscosity of the thickened drinks that would later become my staple diet. 

I reached for the sachet of wet wipes to find there was one left. 

Wet wipes are tiny.

Source: Brain Tumours, John Bonham and Fat Pigeons

We got around the park in about an hour and a half. I couldn't reach my arm out of the chair this time as I was tied to the chair like I was being held for ransom and after I told this story nobody else seemed keen.

Inside the park

A poser

The entrance to the park is very wide and completely open so there are no doors to contend with. There are shops either side of you before you emerge next to the penguins in the 'zoo' part of the park.

There is acres of space here, there are various attractions like the Penguin aquarium, Reptile World, Sea Lion Theatre and the Dino Diner Restaurant.

We went up to Dino Diner as all that sitting around in the bus had worked up our appetites. The Dino Diner was up a not insignificant incline, well it probably is insignificant if you're walking, but it felt quite steep to me. It was nothing my iM.4 Elite from Easy Living Mobility couldn't handle however. West Midlands Safari Park can't dictate the level of the land, but they can dictate what terrain is on the ground leading upto the entrance, which is why it's curious that they would choose cobbled paving stones. Those walking on a warm sunny day like today probably wouldn't notice a difference. I however lose all the fillings from my teeth when rolling over them. That's a lie actually - I don't have any fillings. I jangled like you were shaking a piggy bank as all the loose change in my pockets rattled around. That's also a lie actually - who carries cash nowadays? They changed the terrain from perfectly appropriate tarmac (whether rolling or walking) to something that rattled me around like a maraca and is surely quite slippy to walk on when it's wet.

Dino Diner

Tiger

I didn't have to do battle with the doors as the back of the queue was all the way outside. Based on the shops I passed on the way into the park, I'm sure the doors wouldn't have been very easy for a wheelchair user to operate.

The floor is tiled and smooth as silk to roll across. I could get everywhere in the restaurant, everything is on the one level. The tables were nicely spaced out, some were round, some were rectangle and there were no legs to prevent me from getting close to my food. A lot of the time I'm sat some distance from the table or have to sit at an angle to get as close as possible.

You order your food when you enter and your given a disc like a miniature ice hockey puck. When it bleeps and all of the lights light up, your food is ready. Word of warning - Don't go for one of the Loaded Healthy Pasta options. They're cheaper than the other options (which at these prices is very appealing). I ordered the Beef Bolognaise which came in a plastic/polystyrene/paper cup thing with a woody/plasticy fork who's handle is so small I was constantly wiping bolognaise sauce off my hand. All of the sauce is plopped on top of the pasta, So you have a cup of plain pasta underneath. I looked on with envy as everything else on my table came out on plates. The fish and chips looked so fresh it must have been cooked just before it was put on the plate.

A Trip to the Loo

I took myself over to the toilets. The door into the toilet area (gents, ladies and disabled) has an inward swinging door that was light and very easy to prop open with my outstretched leg. Once inside there was plenty of room with the door into the gents to the left, ladies in front and the disabled loo to the right.

TOILET watch 

The door to the toilet was unlocked and open to the public but didn't appear to have been used. I assume because the disabled toilet was around the corner, people didn't know it was there. The room was tiny, it was barely long enough to fit the wheelchair when the door was open. The door must have been about a millimetre from the back of the wheelchair. I couldn't turn the chair around to lock the door, so I pushed the door shut behind me and did my best contortionist act to lock it. I had to line up the chair directly in front of the toilet and do a complete 180 mid transfer. I did the same in reverse when finished, reached behind me to unlock the door and opened the door while edging forward...which I achieved after several attempts.

1/5: 

 

A walk around the park

The upkeep of the park left a lot to be desired. That might sound a bit harsh actually, like I was commenting on how the animals were kept. I'm not, in fact the Hippopotamus are a good example of the big areas they are kept in.

I was referring to the pot holes. There are quite long walks between animals and there were several small craters scattered all over the path. I was studying the ground, not wanting to look up as the chair would have just fallen in to one. Just about all the paths are covered by brown thin dust that is very slippy underneath your fo...wheel. A number of times Richard had to grab my chair as I was steering in a different direction than the one the chair was sliding. I had no control.

All in all it was a pleasant enough day, but West Midlands Safari Park isn't somewhere I would choose to visit again. I think the wheelchair access is pretty poor, there are areas where no effort has been made. For example: There was a white lion enclosure, but the lion was nowhere to be seen. Some of our party walked down some steps to get close to the glass and could see the lion was sunbathing. You had to press your cheek against the glass. I had to take their word for it.

@fatpigeonsbook

@fatpigeonsbook

Wheelchair Worries - The Bookery and Amerton Farm

A New Independent Bookstore

I saw a post from The Staffordshire Spotter on February 13th that a new independent bookstore - The Bookery - would be opening at Amerton Artisans in Amerton Farm. The post asked "Do you know of an established local author who would be interested?" Well I'm not established, but I am local. Oh and it said there would be cakes.

Well say no more!

I mounted my trustee steed (iM4.Elite from Easy Living Mobility) then immediately dismounted, folded the wheelchair up and stored it in the boot of a taxi from Westside/Aerobrights taxis, as it took me to Amerton Farm.

Brain Tumours, John Bonham and Fat Pigeons

Brain Tumours,
John Bonham and Fat Pigeons

In case you didn't know - as I don't mention it much - I've written a book - Brain Tumours, John Bonham and Fat Pigeons - who am I kidding, if you've read any of my posts you'll know this poorly kept secret because as I'm reminded regularly by friends and family - I'll repeat that, FRIENDS AND FAMILY -  "you're always banging on about your damn book!" well sod them, none of them have written a book...actually, that's not true. My dad's written three. The Larks, all this way for a shilling and Yellow Impi. See, I'm capable of banging on about other books as well, but back to mine now. 

Any Jem Shaw fans should know that he edited my book. Feel free to leave a positive review on my book for this reason if you wish. Only positive though please, I'd rather people buy the book to find out it's only worthy of a one star rating.

Here was an opportunity to bang on about my damn book to a different audience. As I've learnt it's not easy to sell millions of copies on Amazon if people don't know it exists.

Amerton Artisans

As you go in through the main entrance, immediately to your left is the entrance to Amerton Artisans. It's basically a very large room with several small businesses. It's fantastic. I'd never been here before, there are several types of business here, for example homeware, gifts & cards, metalwork, arts & crafts... The list goes on. Check out the Amerton Artisans Facebook page for more info as this blog is about my wheelchair worries, of which there are a few to be found at Amerton Farm.

The Bookery

As you enter the hall The Bookery is on the opposite wall about fifty yards up. What a charming little shop. There are post cards pictures of 'Indie Authors' and short descriptions and multiple copies of their books. Indie Author means independent author. This store appears to be a great supporter of local authors. The store is quite small, I only stayed a few minutes before excusing myself as I felt I was taking up to much space. I was able to introduce myself to the owner and two local authors and showed them a copy of my book - well what did you expect? Afterall, I'm always banging on about it.

Amerton Farm

The access isn't brilliant, but I'm fairly sure it will be a listed building, so their hands will be tied with regards to what changes they can make. If it isn't listed I certainly don't hold it against them for not making changes that wouldn't be in keeping with the style of the farm.

For example I went into the tea room for a hot chocolate (the best hot chocolate I've had by the way.) But the door was quite old fashioned with a pull down handle. I was struggling to get in but a couple came to help me. They had to open the second door so that I could get through. If you've read previous posts on this blog you will know that inaccessible doors are a particular bug bear of mine. But I think in this case, keeping the old fashioned doors is acceptable.

However, the access when I got in wasn't much better. The tables were so close together it was a struggle to get the wheelchair through. I was having to move empty chairs from there place at the table or if people were sitting in them, they would inevitably have to move because the chair would be infringing on the tiny walkway.

As I was leaving the tea room I felt a tap on my shoulder, it was the lady I had spoken to in the bookery. She said she was looking on Amazon for my book but couldn't find it. She was keen to read about my story. I had hoped my appearance would open the floodgates and I would be inundated with requests for my book. I can't say it worked as I hoped, but I delved into my bag and retrieved a copy I had on me. She went to the table she was sitting at and returned with a £10 note and a copy of one of her books - The Haunted House 2. This was fellow author Ann K. S. Thayre. I say fellow author but that would imply I think I'm an author but I have only written one memoir, Annc has written five books.

Anyway Ann was a lovely woman who offered me very kind words of advice. Please check her out.

@fatpigeonsbook