About Me & This Project
Hi, my name is Leanne (though, my friends often call me Lippy / LippyArt). I am a disabled artist, born and raised in Kingston Upon Hull (Yorkshire, England).
Despite being born with physical limitations, caused by Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (I know, right? Such a mouthful!), I consider myself lucky to have been raised by my Grandparents, who - in a world full of barriers - were determined to show me that I could do anything I put my mind to! Consequently, I like to try to do the same for others, which is one reason I decided to start this blog.
I absolutely love travelling, adventure, and finding walking trails I can access (especially with my dog, JD - she’s awesome!), but I found there isn’t much online information on this subject for wheelchair users - especially those with pets. Whether you’re looking for an outdoor challenge, or just generally wanting to find some new scenery. Those pages that are available (with respect), seem to either be written by non-disabled people making assumptions about our limits (which I feel is a very individual thing), or by people in fancy all-terrain wheelchairs. Let’s face it, that sparkly tank may be the dream, but for many it’s rarely reality (although, if anyone wants to send me an Extreme X8, I won’t say no! 🤣💜). So anyway, I thought I would create a blog following my own personal experiences and challenges, and offer some insight based on my own perspective, so that you can make your own informed decisions whether or not you’d like to explore there too!
It’s worth noting that I cannot walk or weight-bear at all, if staying away from home I require use of a hoist (a standard piece of disability equipment which, for some reason, is a rare find, at least in UK accommodation; it helps me in/out of bed, into my wheelchair, and to the toilet), my wheelchair - which I have been driving since 18 months old - is nothing fancy (not all-terrain, just your basic standard-issue wheelchair, with sub-standard battery power, provided by our local NHS authority), and I travel with my own personal care assistants (PAs) - who honestly deserve a medal for some of the muddy adventures I have put them through! 😏
I guarantee you will experience a combination of shock, awe, humour, and probably a mixture of everything at some point as this blog progresses; so, I ask that you stick with me, and I hope you enjoy! 😊
So, WHY - of all things - Are You Calling This Project “Coddiwomple”?!
The word is an old English expression meaning “to travel in a purposeful manner towards an - as yet - unknown destination”, which I personally find very inspirational and fitting; some of my best adventures were often unplanned happy accidents! By that I, of course, mean that we got completely lost but found somewhere unexpectedly interesting and/or beautiful! 😅 haha.
Most times we got lost accidentally; however sometimes it was deliberate — like shouting random left/right directions at my PA until we find a brown signpost for something interesting! I encourage you to try it, it’s great fun! Honestly, there just doesn’t seem to be a word that fits this more perfectly than coddiwomple!
Most of all, I just feel that “Coddiwomple” is an awesome word to say, and I want to bring it back into modern-day common English - seriously, how can you not love saying that word?! It rolls off the tongue so pleasantly!
