Yeah.... We did it!!!!!!!!!

Mum and Dad were super-anxious when we set off on Wednesday morning.

There were so many things that could have gone wrong... but we dealt with the challenges as they came along and had a really nice time.  I think my role as 'useful third person' contributed to this, but it's also fair to say that Llandudno is a great place to go with someone who has mobility issues.

 

We stayed at The Grand, which is right on the sea front and has fantastic views.

It's a cheap hotel to stay in and is very popular with coach parties.

(We chose it because we didn't know if Mum was going to cope with being away from home, and we didn't want to waste too much money on expensive rooms if we were forced to leave early.)

As it happens, the views from Mum and Dad's balcony were worth millions...

This was the view to the right, over the town and towards the edge of Snowdonia..

 

This was the view straight ahead across the bay...

 

And this was the view to the left, along the pier...

 

We were allocated a table on the edge of the dining room, with more superb views and plenty of space.  A seagull became convinced that Mum's hand movements were going to result in food, so it came to watch her eat at some stage during most meals...

 

The hotel keeps costs down by operating a buffet service for meals.  This is problematic for someone with HD so I got Mum's meal first, while Dad got his own, then they started eating while I quickly got my meal and caught up.  It worked ok because Mum has to eat slowly and I'm a fast eater (a teaching legacy I suspect!!)

 

On the first morning Mum managed to walk with her frame to the end of the pier...

 

 

..... then it was time for a coffee stop!

 

After lunch we even made it quite a way along the Promenade...

 

By the end of the day Mum had walked further than she had done for months.

We were all a bit bothered about how she was going to feel in the morning....

 

....To everyone's delight the gentle movement on the flat had loosen up some of her muscular problems, so we decided that everything was ok to drive up to the car park at the top of the Great Orne (the peninsular above the town).  Here's Mum with the spectacular view towards Conwy and Snowdonia...

 

Then Mum noticed the Tramway..... and the next thing we knew she'd decided that she was confident enough to tackle the steps (so typical of her fighting spirit when she's on form!).  Mum and Dad had an interesting hour riding the tram down into town and back up again, while I had a walk between the upper stations and took a few photos.

 

 I think the break/sea air did everyone a lot of good.

(Mum and Dad are very close, but they do drive each other a bit mad sometimes...

It was nice to be able to step in and 'head off' some situations before Dad's patience was tried and Mum got fractious - a difficult feature of the way HD affects the brain). 

I hope that we can do something similar later in the year.

 

AND the house was mostly in one piece when I got home!!

Jx