Gin & Lemonade is a disability lifestyle and parenting blog, sharing my adventures fighting ableism, promoting accessibility, and picking up all the toys in my house.
I’m Lorna, and I started this blog in 2010, after moving to Edinburgh. More recently, after experimenting with country living for 4 years, the family and I are back in Edinburgh.
I’ve always written about my life as a disabled person. And now I write about what it’s like to be a disabled mother.
Back in 2010, I had just moved in with my boyfriend, and I wanted to write from my perspective a youngish, disabled person (a wheelchair user with Cerebral Palsy) in a relationship and living in not the most accessible city in the world.
Bubble tea and me on honeymoon in Barcelona. Neil was there, too.
I’m also living in a country I wasn’t born in.
I moved to Scotland from New York when I was 12. I’ve always had a weird relationship with both places and as such, fit in nowhere.
Also. My boyfriend has become my husband and we’ve made a human. I’m a parent who blogs, but wine gives me heartburn.
I appreciate everyone who reads me, but I love connecting with other sarcastic souls and disabled people.
I am a mother who drinks and swears and tells her kid the truth. I’m also her soft place to fall/climb.
I love my husband like no one else, even when he annoys the shit out of me. Sometimes because he annoys the shit out of me.
We used to live in a medium-sized house in the country, but have moved back to Edinburgh, trying to find wheelchair-accessible things to do.
I also have anxiety issues, but I’m working on those, too.
I’ve been trying to blog more consistently and connect with people that don’t live in my house with me. Hi.
On this blog, you will find personal essays on disability, parenting stories, road trip rambles, and posts on maybe trying to write a book.
I have some blogging advice over here and reflected on 8 years of blogging over here.
More about me is here: 25 Things About Me, and Why I Write & Why I Blog
Ways to connect:
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If you’ve just found the blog, nice to meet you. If you’re an old friend, thanks for sticking around.
Lorna
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Also published on Medium.
35 Comments
Good god the only differences between us is I’m the states and I don’t have a wheelchair. But dude, we are seriously twins I everything else. I could not heart you more.
I haven’t been blogging and keeping up on my reading list lately, so I didn’t know you’d made a human! Congrats. <3
Hello! Isla was 3 last week! Please tell me you’re back to blogging again? xox
What! 3! Goodness gracious time flies! Now I’m going to have to go blog-stalk you to see what’s been happening. I’m back to blogging for the time being. Anger over healthcare has brought me back. Hopefully it’ll be a kick in the pants to keep writing, I missed it. 🙂
Hi back! We are similar in some ways (I grew up in New York City) and different in a lot of ways (senior citizen, no wheelchair, never been off the North American continent). So it’s really nice to meet you!
I love that you are comfortable speaking your mind about how you feel around others. That’s refreshing. I may just try it.
Hello, How are you? it is a pleasure to meet you and I appreciate your comment on my blog. I enjoyed learning about you, your family and your blog and I look forward to visiting again in the future.
Hi – this is the first time on your blog so nice to meet you. Seems like you have a pretty realistic and healthy idea of motherhood and family life! Look forward to finding out more about you!
It’s nice to meet you, Lorna. I’m glad I found you, I’ve started following you and I’m looking forward to learning more about you. I’m a special needs mom who advocates for members of the disability community to have more access and involvement in their communities.
I know in other another post you said you’ve been blogging for years but I’m a new follower and excited to read your future posts!
So excited to follow along. I love your story and how passionate you are!
This post oozes charm…you are very engaging….thanks for sharing 🙂
And you had me at your Mary Tyler Moore post. Hi.
Thanks for taking the time to make me smile 🙂
Hello Lorna, I just found your blog through Janice’s blog party. I must ask, how do you find living in another country? That seems like a daunting prospect to me.
Hi Josh, I’ve been in Scotland 25 years next year. Not another country for me really. I just kinda have two. It gets interesting.
My sister studied abroad in Scotland for one year, and she had many wonderful things to say about it. To me Scotland seems like a country that shares some similarities with the US, but is still very different.
Do you identify more with Scotland than the US now?
Thanks for following my blog! I’ve been married to the same man for five decades and he STILL annoys the shit out of me! You are a profile in courage, dear!
Thank you. Yes, being married to a cheese-phobe is quite brave.
Lovely to meet you Lorna, and look forward to reading your posts 🙂
Thanks, Judy! Happy reading. 🙂
You are such a fabulous human, Lorna!
Takes one to know one, my friend.
That’s so true ??
3.5
Lovely to get a new insight Lorna! 🙂
I enjoy your blog! I love that you are living your life and writing about it. Keep doing your thing.
So fun learning more about you!!!
My favorite part is that you love your husband sometimes because he annoys you. I think that’s the perfect way to describe good love.
It was great learning more about you, Lorna! Thanks for sharing!
Not new, updated about page, ha!
Cool! I didn’t see it the first time around so it’s all new to me. 🙂
And I plan to stick around for another while!
Always good to read your words! Can’t believe I’ve never read your about page before either.
This isn’t the same one as in the header menu, but um, inspired by.