Family Updates & Everything Else

George sitting in a wheelchair, next to a dinosaur head

miscellaneous

There Was Always More to It Than Being “Bendy”

Looking back at George’s childhood with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome — the appointments, orthotics, specialist equipment and the long road to finally getting a diagnosis.

A tall, weathered stone monument with carved figures, part of a garden ruin at Shugborough Estate, surrounded by trees and shrubs.

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Shugborough Estate – A Huge National Trust Day Out in Staffordshire

It had been around 40 years since I last visited Shugborough Estate. My rather vague memory of that visit involves a teddy bears' picnic, and I certainly don't remember appreciating just how enormous the place was. I do now!

A view from the top of some stone steps, over the garden, with flowers, trees and hedges

Accessible Attractions

Exploring Biddulph Grange Garden: Tunnels, Stepping Stones, and Accessibility

We used our National Trust memberships to visit Biddulph Grange Garden in Staffordshire, We’d read it was a quirky Victorian garden, but it turned out to be a brilliant, immersive adventure—complete with secret tunnels, stepping stones, and hidden thematic "rooms" around every corner.

Two monkeys sitting close to each other, with a newborn monkey between them.

Accessible Attractions

🐒 Our Day at Trentham Monkey Forest: Baby Monkeys, Steep Hills & Ticket Blunders!

We had a long-overdue trip back to Trentham Monkey Forest. It was a day filled with adorable baby monkeys, plenty of family banter, and a very valuable lesson in pre-booking!

A close up picture of the outside of Little Moreton Hall, showing how the walls and floors sag

Hearing Issues

Little Moreton Hall: Accessibility, Tudor Wonkiness, and Vertigo Warnings!

If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’re walking on the deck of a rolling ship while firmly planted on dry land, Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire is the place for you!