Going to the park!

 

We had the Granddaughters on Saturday, aged 6 and 3 (henceforth known as No.1 and No.2).

After lunch, the familiar cry went up. We want to go to the park! OK, I said, just let me finish my cup of tea, and we'll go. Tea finished, I went upstairs and brought down the pushchair.

Right, does anyone want a drink before we go out? Yes says No.1, so she has her drink and I put both drinks under the pushchair. OK, does anyone need a wee? Yes says No.1. Well off you go, I say. She runs to the bathroom, but oh calamity, Aunty is already using it! So, I say use the potty instead. So No.1 sits down and does a No.2! So now we have a smelly potty waiting for Aunty to finish so we can clean it out. Potty cleaned, I put it under the pushchair.

Get your boots on girls, and we'll go. They put on their boots, and then the cry goes up, I need a drink says No2! So I get her drink back out from under the pushchair, she drinks, I put it back. I come back into the front room to see a boot that was on, now off. What's wrong with your boot? Its got a stone in! Well shake it out and put it back on. Yay, we're ready. But....... Grandma, I need a wee! Ok, get the potty back out from under the pushchair, wee accomplished, wash it out, put it back under the pushchair! Come back in to the front room, the other one now has a boot off! What's wrong with your boot? The insole has bunched up! Ok, I sort that out, the boot goes back on. Coats on please!

Yay, we're ready its only taken 20 minutes! Oh! Its now raining, but we're invested in this trip now! No.2 gets in the pushchair, No.1 walks with Granddad. Its not raining too hard, so we'll be OK. We get to the playground and the heavens open! Hey, we're wet, but we're staying! Everyone else heads home, so we have it to ourselves – bonus.

No.2 decides that she's not doing any of this running around and sliding lark, so she makes herself comfortable on the hammock swing and gets her willing slave (aka Granddad) to push her – for a whole hour. He's going to have aching arms later!

No.1 meanwhile, is running around climbing and see-sawing to her hearts content, screaming with laughter as the rain runs off of the equipment. Then she climbs up onto the climbing frame and goes for the slide. No, I yell, there's a big puddle of water at the...................to late! In true log flume style, down she goes, displacing a plume of water. She thinks this is the best thing since sliced bread and doesn't in the least mind that she is soaked to the skin.

Eventually the rain stops and the sun tries to come through, but by this time, they are getting tired, so we head off home. No.1 immediately dashes to the pushchair and climbs in, leading to No.2 wailing and saying she's tired. So, she then tries to sit on her sister's lap, but the poor old pushchair struggles to cope, and apparently she's hurting poor old No.1 because she's heavy. So, No.2 jumps out and grumbles about being tired but walks half way home. No.1 then recovers miraculously from her fatigue, jumps out, and plays jump the puddles, while No.2 speedily installs herself in the pushchair.

Yay, we're home! We're all soaked and need a change of clothes, a drink and a sit down. But did we have fun? You bet we did. Grandma even got a sneaky go on the swing, even though she got a very wet botty.