CAR ASSESSMENT!

Sorry was too, too, tired to Blog last night. I spent the day at an NHS centre having an assessment for an adapted car.
Having left home at 11:30 to get to Ginnys , as she was taking me to Leeds, we eventually arrived home at 6:45... having stopped for much needed, fish and chips!
At the centre I had to do a strange test, crossing out E and F's in lines of upper case letters.. I got almost to the bottom line in the 1min 40sec allowed..... apparently this is good/fine!! I was asked why I wanted a car.. How long I had been driving ( 45yrs).. asked to read a yellow number plate, despite offering to read all... the accessors seemed to be following a script................. sadly,no concession to the person being assessed.... I did feel somewhat processed and dis-empowered.. I had gone thinking that this was my special day.. when professionals would help me to be able to choose an appropriate car!
Well having apparently passing all the tests in room 1...
I moved on to trying cars,
.( Via room 2 . Filled with the most difficult aids that I may have to deal with...... imagine rows of commodes, rows of naff chairs... and a continence room.... TERRIFYING!!) 
You see. you have to choose the adaptations you might need, as to change these in the future costs!  So whilst an automatic with a hoist for a wheelchair,would suit me at the moment (as my right leg is weak, but ok) I had to be assessed on hands only cars.
Well for a start, I have NEVER driven an automatic and despite my reiterating this, a level of competence with automatics, it seemed to be assumed.
The first car I tried had a ball steering mechanism, sited at the bottom of the steering wheel , with a push rod to brake and the same rod , but pull, to accelerate. After 1/2hr after driving round Armley I was shattered! My arms ached. So we then tried a steering ball on the top of the steering wheel, with a push brake but a door handle action to accelerate.  My arms couldn't cope with the steering ball once again. So third go round Leeds, with a steering wheel ring which is the accelerator, and a push brake on a separate rod. This was by far the most comfortable as you have both hands on the steering wheel, except when braking... so this will be written into the assessment. I gather that having got through this, a letter/report will be written to Motability which may reduce the price of the adaptations... but I am still in the dark.
 I now know sort of what I need... but don't know what wheel=chair I can have till the wall and lift are done.. this won't be done, till passed by a ctte... but the type of wheelchair which Calderdale issue is not findable on any web site... may be they are old models(?)  but I won't know till the wall is built and this is on-going to a ctte and the planning...and I can't order a car till I know the dimensions of the wheelchair.......it's sort of like a chickens and eggs position  ..................and what the hell comes first...!
And then, at the end, what car do I choose. ???
Well, today I have decided whatever I get from selling my Micra will not be saved ,but put towards a new car. I had hoped this would be savings, as theoretically ,you get a new car through Motability, but if you need adaptations they do cost...
So BMW here I come... !!!!! probably in my dreams!!!!!!.
.. .............but to answer my first question....................


Why do I need a car.. It's to be independant, to be able to visit my children, anD so many of you who have invited me to visit.............. That's why................ I JUST WANT TO BE ME!


...........and ,you know, it's Bloody Hard!!! but I'll keep going............




HUG ME, I'VE GOT MND