'Bring me my Chariot of fire!': My new rollator/stroller has been delivered!

As my regular blog readers will know, I suffer from mobility problems as a result of my axonal polyneuropathy. This means that although I can walk a reasonable distance – say 100 metres – with the aid of walking sticks, if I am walking for longer than five minutes at a time without resting, I need something more substantial to support me.

When I finally learned how to walk again in 2024 (this was only possible thanks to the excellent support and help I received from the Royal Borough of Greenwich's Reablement Team) I was issued with a rollator/stroller. This is a four-wheeled walking frame that has a seat and back rest that one can use as a mobility aid when walking longer distances. I have used this on many occasions when going for a walk or when visiting somewhere where I knew that I was likely to do quite a lot of walking ... but it is second-hand, the brakes are prone to not working as well as they should, and it is very heavy and cumbersome to lift in and out of my car.

As I needed a rollator/stroller on my recent cruise, I hired one rather than taking mine with me. This hired rollator/stroller proved to be much lighter and easier to use than my existing one, and after giving it some thought, I recently bought a new one that I can use from home and that I can also take with me on future cruises ... and here it is!

I have already taken it out for a stroll around the local area, and it is much better than my existing one. For one thing, the brakes work ... and this is important if – like me – you live on a steep hill.

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Most people know that 'Bring me my Chariot of fire!' is a quote from William Blake's poem 'And did those feet in ancient time' which became the lyrics of the famous song, JERUSALEM.

Fewer people know that the poem references Chapter 6, Verse 17 of Kings 2 in the King James bible, which states:

And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.