My New Wheels – Christmas Bling and Other Add-Ons!

Before I take off the decorations (I know, I know – they’re supposed to be taken down on 6th January but I’ve been too tired and too busy!) I thought I’d photograph my new wheels with their Christmas bling. I didn’t go to town with the decs quite as much as last year because I didn’t feel well enough in the run-up to Christmas for anything very spectacular, but I felt a yen for purple this time. I put on my original black sparkly spoke guards:

Here’s the front frame, with purple and silver tinsel, and one set of LED lights. The battery and switch are concealed in the bag underneath the chair.

Finally the back frame, to which I have added some baubles and the other set of LED lights. Their switch is hidden in the nifty little pouch that Quickie so thoughtfully added to my posh new upholstery!

Following on from previous posts about my new wheels, you can see the power add-on installed, with the battery pack on the back, and its cable going to the LH wheel. The spoke guards cover up the wheels nicely – they have huge hubs containing the motors, which are not very attractive. They are still quick-release (in theory) but they are so heavy that I can’t manage to take them off myself, and my hubby has to do it, not that we do take them off very often, because we have a ramp in the back of the car so that the wheelchair does not need to be disassembled when we go out. Really the only time they have to come off is to change the spoke guards.

The bag underneath is the “Wallaby Catch-All” (lovely name!) that I got from Advantage Bag in the USA for my old Rolls Royce:
http://www.advantagebag.com/wheelchair_underseat_catchalls.htm
Unfortunately these are all designed to fit wheelchairs with a lower frame, but my new Helium doesn’t have this, so the bag is too high and doesn’t hold enough. I have plans to adapt it by adding sides to it, and moving the Velcro straps to the top of the sides. This will also help things not to fall out – a few months ago I bought something while out shopping, and when I got home, it had gone, having presumably fallen out of the side. I need to do this alteration soon, because there’s another craft show coming up, and we all know I’m going to be Stocking Up again!! I must have a rummage in my fabrics boxes in my ARTHaven and see if I’ve got any suitable strong black fabric.

There doesn’t seem to be any equivalent to the Catch-All available in the UK; there are plenty of bags which hang underneath, but these have limited capacity for an enthusiastic shopper like myself, and one who likes to carry her whole life in her handbag!! I also need to carry my fleece blanket in case I get cold, my camera and my water bottle and various other odds and ends.

I’ve got a great deal to catch up with since Christmas, so I don’t know when I shall get round to putting the new bling on my New Wheels. I’d like to have done it before the craft show at the end of the month, but I don’t see that happening. Anyway, watch this space…