… and other (less important) matters.

Yes, Rachel had to be away from home on Wednesday, May 4th, and Sean, though at home, had to be in his office working, so couldn’t be in charge of Shannon full-time …. and the child-minder’s was closed. So even Grandads have their uses – or ‘Gaia’, as I am known at 14, Oakleigh Close.

I went over on Tuesday evening and found Mike, another Grandad, already in residence. Shannon was quiet once in bed so the evening was peaceful. Mike slept in the lounge on the convertible, and I slept in Harry, as usual, though his water pump is awaiting repair, but that’s another story.

Mike left soon after breakfast, so I was i/c Shannon – or was it the other way round? Her current preferred viewing is ‘Lion King 2’. We watched it through twice, or rather had it on while Shannon spread an assortment of toys and things over the lounge floor. She also gave me a lesson in ironing.

We decided to go out after lunch – or ‘dinner’ as I’m supposed to call it in Yorkshire, – and having driven past Pugney’s Country Park quite often I though we’d go there. Shannon doesn’t say ‘Are we nearly there yet?’, she just just keeps saying ‘Are we here?’. I tried to explain that we’re always ‘here’, but not yet where we’re going, which is ‘there’, until we get there. Hmm ….. might as well have been using subordinating conjunctions….. (Political rant on grammar for six year olds on my other site.)

Shannon’s concept of a ‘park’ is limited to a playground with swings and things; she hasn’t quite got the idea of an open space which may include the playground. But anyway, Pugney’s looked like a good choice, with a lake, boats, ducks, swans, Kaffee und Kuchen had we wanted them, and a wonderful playground.

We enjoyed all that, BUT – when we got to the playground, it was all shut up and fenced off! (Possibly not quite finished and ready for the season.) Park!! On the way back to the car, there was some compensation in that the swans – all six of them (collective noun, please?) – took off as a squadron (that’s not it, surely!) and “flew right over there”! Sorry, no photo.

‘Park’ now became a prority. The only one I knew for sure where I could ‘park’ close to the playground was back in Sharlston, so we set off back the way we had come. “Are we here?” was asked every minute or so, but then, quite suddenly, the questions stopped ….. Madam was asleep!  So I overshot Sharlston and did a circuit incuding Nostell and Featherstone – twice, incuding a 20 – 30 minute rest in Featherstone second time round, at the end of which Shannon woke up, quite happily, and we went to the park.

Back home, a message from Mummy told us she was on her way, and Shannon could stay up till she arrived – Sean having left to drive to Cardiff for a meeting next day. So I was saved from having to ‘do’ bedtime ….. probably just as well!

Was there something else? Dunno, really. Franky got hammered by a hailstorm:

– Put yer ead back inside, yer daft bat! It’s too soft to be oot i this!

Well, thanks for that – Pal!