Tag Archives: wheelchair

Mar 16 2025
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Daily Post, Landscape

The Rock, from the runway

Saturday 15th March 2025, 2.45pm (day 4,951)

Rock of Gibraltar, 15/3/25

Gibraltar is my home for the next few days. I have been here once before, in 1991 — my “Inter-Rail Summer”, aged 21. Then, one could only enter the territory by walking across the airport runway, and this is still the case, as seen here. Presumably one gets a decent amount of notice before they close it, but let’s hope that one’s electric vehicle doesn’t run out of juice halfway across. The huge lump of limestone that is The Rock has always been a landmark, and a fortress, and the peninsula on which it and the city stands is now one of Britain’s last remaining outposts of Empire: an Overseas Territory that is sort of still part of Europe, only not. A gatepost to the Mediterranean beyond.

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Aug 22 2013
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

Still life, in the rubbish yard

Wednesday 22nd August 2013, 4.35pm (day 728)

Wheelchair in trash, 22/8/13

Back home, but don’t get used to it. Beautiful sunny day today. Why someone had dumped this hospital wheelchair, the pile of metal chairs and the old stove in this little corner, I have no idea, but at least it provides some variety.

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Dec 05 2011
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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait Gallery

Doug in his wheelchair

Monday 5th December 2011, 4.10pm (day 102)

Doug in wheelchair, 5/12/11_low-res

Doug is my friend and has been using a wheelchair for at least 10 years due to an autonomic disorder. What amuses me slightly – but I also think it says a lot about stereotyping – is that because his legs are in full working order he often propels himself around using his feet (kind of like you’d move a kids toy car). But you’d be surprised how many people look askance at him for doing this, as if they can’t balance the equation ‘in a wheelchair’ + ‘can use his legs’ = ? Many look at him like he must be a faker. After a while you get tired of pointing out that only a small minority of wheelchair users are paraplegics, and just start finding their confusion amusing.

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