The Cake Crawl that Wasn’t!

Today’s blog is the Cake Crawl that wasn’t – a bit late being published – sorry! I write my blogs and Jane uploads them online. I’ve been barred from writing them for a few days because she’s meeting herself coming backwards. With everyone reopening she’s been rushed off her feet with work. Hopefully things will settle down soon!

So we’re going back to last Wednesday, the week before the 17 May reopening. It was a funny afternoon where we were finding out things that we didn’t really want to know…

The Cake Crawl that Wasn’t…

What a nice day Wednesday 12 May turned out to be too, sunny and such a lot warmer. We decided to go to Burnside to do coffee and cake or should I say chocolate and cake. We’d missed the week before due to the weather and Jane being busy etc. So we thought we’d venture out into the big wide world and try to feel ‘normal’, whatever that is, I think I’ve forgotten, I don’t know about you.

Off we went for an afternoon of sunshine and cake, yum yum. I did mention to Jane that maybe we should check and make sure the café was open. But she said that as outside eating is allowed everywhere, they should be too. You all know what I’m going to say don’t you…

When we got there I suggested going for our drink first before we looked round. It was about 2.20pm and we were already thirsty. Off we went in the direction of the food – or so we thought! What a surprise we got, the entrance to the café was all fastened off with stacked tables and the lights off. Looking at the barricade, they didn’t intend anyone going near at any time.

No cake – but lovely to go out again!

Thwarted and with a ‘what shall we do now’ look, we decided to have a look round and see if they had the one or two artist things Jane wanted. I must say, the whole place has had a re-shuffle and a massive tidy up which is a lot better.

We did buy a few art supplies but a lot of the stock has gone to be replaced by new things that we didn’t want. As a result, we won’t go there purposefully looking for arty things as they have gone to the great God in the sky!

Anyway, not put off, we weaved in and out of the aisles with Jane trying not to tip me out with of my wheelchair. No easy thing to do when things are stacked on the floor. We managed anyway and had a look outside where the sunshine was a shock after being in the cool inside.

U Turn Required

We did have a problem with the bit outside where the outdoor plants are. One part joins another with pebbles laid instead of a path – well we well and truly got stuck there. Another lesson learned. So we had to double back and go all the way round to get to the other side of a 2′ patch of pebbles!

Anyway we got our bits and pieces and considered where we were going to go for that cake crawl that wasn’t looking likely to happen. By now we were gasping, or at least Jane was. We thought about popping to Poulton but after looking at my watch we decided to go to Cleveleys instead.

The place was very busy and all the seats in the outdoor cafes were full, even at that time. It was 3.45pm by now, and as we wanted to do a bit of shopping, off we went, making do with a bottle of water! It was the cake crawl that wasn’t happening at Cleveleys either, judging by the lack of seats.

And so to Cleveleys…

I’m going to tell you a little story now about my stupid antics and the rest of our afternoon in Cleveleys.

The other day, while outside at home with the dogs, I turned round and caught a very small rise in a corner of a flagstone. I sailed – not ladylike at all – into two tubs and a ceramic crane (a bird not a lifting device). The garden ornament isn’t small and came with us from Yorkshire (thankfully I didn’t smash it).

There was such a bang as I landed on my right side – my ribs bearing the brunt of it as I knew from the pain. I did wonder if I had done something awful to them as they were very sore. As nobody must have heard me, there I stayed in all my glory on the floor until hubby came to the back door, which was wide open. They are used to me falling by now as I do seem accident prone. But now I can add very sore ribs to my collection, along with a sore shoulder which I’ve had for ages, along with my other ‘itis’ problems.

Inaccessibility

What I’m coming to is (remembering that I’m sat in a wheelchair) when we started walking on the pavements and roads, I knew what it was like to be in a boneshaker. As a pedestrian you’re aware that the pavements in Cleveleys are awful but you don’t realise how appalling they are until you’re using a wheelchair.

We came out of the back door of M&S as per their covid requirements, to go through the alley to the high street. There was only one place where the pavement looked slightly sunk, so we headed to that. Of course, it wasn’t was it. Expecting to be able to get up what looked like a dropped section, Jane rammed me at it, not her fault by the way, except it wasn’t dropped enough and I jolted to a stop. It’s a wonder I didn’t tip out. It gave my bad arm and sore ribs a good old jerk which made me yell out I can tell you. But off we went again.

Everywhere we went, we discovered that roadside kerbs and paths are not made for the likes of me, that I can tell you.

Lack of access

We’d sat on the seat outside Poundland while Jane drank her water (remembering we couldn’t get a seat at a cafe). Once finished we wanted to cross the road to go to M&S. There are two or three dropped pavements outside Poundland but guess what, none at all on the other side! There’s one right outside the Heart Foundation shop near the cross roads. The next one is at the Zebra crossing near the clock garden at Nutter Road.

Not content with a 10 mile round trip, when you get to the M&S side of the Zebra crossing, you can’t get back onto the pavement via the dropped kerb. Oh no. You come to another juddering stop, still in the road and have to turn round and go up it backwards.

The repairs, holes and general state of the pavements was revealed to us from a different angle. I wobbled all over the place, up and down. It just felt as though I was going to be tipped out like a sack of potatoes.

Overhaul Needed

Jane was really mad and said she was going to complain. Why I don’t know as it will fall on deaf ears, that’s for sure. By the time we got back to the car, we’d both had enough of wonky pavements and dropped kerbs. She’d mostly had to turn me round, pushing me into the street with cars whizzing by. Not only is it difficult to heave me up onto the pavement, it’s a dangerous thing to do. And to top it all, Jane’s got her own ‘itis’ complaints. With a bad back and neck and two bad wrists. You’ll have seen her wearing compression bandages for a year on her videos!

It would be nice if Wyre or Lancashire Councils would do something about it. Especially in today’s culture of everyone claiming money for accidents. But nothing will happen, as is the usual reaction when someone complains. We all know about finances being short or whatever, but this isn’t a new thing. The state of the roads and pavements are deplorable but it all falls on deaf ears.

For a start we should have been allowed to have pedestrianisation as was promised. There could have been outside eating areas and plenty of space, along with better access. At that time in the afternoon and no eating seats left anywhere it would have had a lovely atmosphere. Everything that Cleveleys wants to do is met by a big fat NO and poor excuses. So that’s my thoughts on the subject!!!

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