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Miles Hunt at Cox's Yard, Stratford

Two grinning individuals standing in front of a rustic wooden door. On the left is Sha, a woman with vibrant red hair and round glasses wearing a light grey cardigan. On the right is Miles Hunt a chap with wild curly hair and circular specs that make him look like a cross between Harry Potter and Einstein after a particularly shocking discovery. He's sporting a colourful plaid shirt that appears to have been designed by someone who couldn't decide on just one pattern. Both look rather chuffed, possibly because they've just discovered the perfect cup of tea.
Sha with Miles Hunt @theaardvark

So, we've got the powered chair. We've got a car that the chair fits in nicely. We've built the boot shelf so the chair goes in and out easily. We've got the ramps to get the chair in and out. And we bought some tie-straps so the chair doesn't move around as we drive.
We're ready to start going places like gigs and shit.

So, we thought we'd go to a gig, as a test run.

Some friends had tickets to Miles Hunt at Cox's Yard in Stratford-Upon-Avon that they couldn't use. What better excuse could we be waiting for, right?

It was a fantastic, warm day. Perfect for taking a little walk before the gig. This was just as well because everybody was in Stratford yesterday, and the nearest car parking spot, blue badge or not, was a good ten-minute walk from the venue.

So we took the Rueba for a stroll through The Recreation Ground and alongside The River Avon to Cox's Yard. A nice test trundle.

The gig itself was upstairs at Cox's Yard, which wouldn't usually have been an issue, but their wheelchair platform stair-lift was out of action. (I wasn't sure it could handle the weight of the Rueba either, tbh). So Sha had to manage up the stairs. But the promoter found us a place right at the front as compensation.

Selfie at a pub with my magnificent purple beard stealing the show and my wife sporting vibrant pink hair and round glasses, both grinning like we've just heard the world's most British joke. We're holding drinks at Cox's Yard in Stratford-upon-Avon before a Miles Hunt gig. Because nothing says 'responsible middle-aged couple' quite like colourful hair and beer on a weekend afternoon..

Miles Hunt was his usual entertaining raconteur self. He played a mixture of tunes from The Wonder Stuff days, from his solo albums and from other colabs. We've seen his solo gigs several times, but there were only a few anecdotes we'd heard before; most were still new to us. We really enjoyed it.

As we headed back to the car afterwards, a violinist was playing some popular classical tunes in a little amphitheatre next to the river, so we stopped and listened for a couple.

My wife beaming with pink hair, round glasses and a cheeky grin as she sits in her wheelchair at Stratford-upon-Avon riverside. Behind her, a violinist busker adds a bit of culture to the scene while looking like he's attempting to serenade the swans under the iconic red brick bridge. Her star-patterned trousers and bright pink Doc Martens prove that disability doesn't mean sacrificing style. Just another day in Shakespeare country after a proper gig.

We stopped for a quick photo op outside The Swan Theatre, it's one of Sha's favourite buildings, apparently.

My wife showing off her pink hair and stylish star-patterned dress by the River Avon, with the magnificent brick and glass façade of The Swan Theatre behind her. Several boats drift by on the water as tourists row past the theatre in what looks like a daft attempt to get cultured by osmosis. There's a sign for a 'Foot Ferry to town' nearby - because nothing says 'Shakespeare's England' like avoiding a five-minute walk by paying for a boat ride. A rare bit of spring sunshine has graced Stratford for our post-gig wander.