Having spent much of yesterday cursing my youthful fecundity and fantasising about my children leaving home, I spent today being a lovely Mummy entirely focused on their needs.
Oh, alright, almost. Nina was very excited about my suggestion that we all go to Drayton Manor theme park. It was quite refreshing, to see her that way as more often these days she projects quite a serious, grown up image. At nearly 19, I guess she can afford to be both childish and mature. She had already woken me early, but I had stayed in bed, and as is our fairly common pattern Nick had come back to bed for..erm, the things that couples might do at 8.30am on a Sunday. Nina burst into our bedroom in the manner of a lively five year old to demand that I get up, then stopped rather abruptly, "Oh, are you...". She hadn't seen much, but she was lucky, just one minute earlier...Nina's boyfriend had stayed over, so once we got downstairs, there was much hilarity. It is to Nina's credit that she did not say 'Eeeewww yuck', but as I say, one minute earlier...
So the car was full of Nick, Nina, P, and H when I drove up the M42 towards the outskirts of Tamworth. I used to know the road well having worked in in Tamworth for a couple of years. I think I started there in 1996 and finished in 1998, that's a long time, and a lot has changed for both the road (now a difficult drive thanks to the junction with the M6 Toll) and me.
Nick and I spent the day sitting in the shade for the most part. Neither of us like the big rides, and we felt a bit silly going on the tame rides with the under 8's. We did go on the model railway though. I talked to a little girl who was bursting to tell me about the humongous pink cat that she was carrying. Her Dad was with her. He had the look of a man who was simultaneously proud of his manly achievement in winning this amazing toy, and chagrin at having to now lug the thing around on all of the rides. I resisted telling him that his inexperience of parenting had led him to this. Never try to win the big cuddly toy until the end of the day.
We also spent some time in the Zoo, which considering it is part of a profit making organisation, is well kept and has some interesting animals who all looked happy. There was a brilliantly camouflaged black leopard, its spots were black on black, and you could only see it against the foliage when it moved its head so that its green eyes shone. The rhesus monkeys were fabulous as well, with loads of little babies. Best of all was the Tigers, which were just tigers being tigers. That's all they need to be impressive.
We ate far too much ice-cream, and everybody got on well. I got everyone's tickets, but it was nice to be able to ask Nina & P to get their own lunch (they are both earning a bit). Nina even volunteered to get H's lunch too. It was only slightly incongruous that I spent much of the day reading David Baddiel's The Secret Purposes which is about the internment of Jewish refugees in World War II. I am enjoying it, but it was strange to juxtapose the subject matter I was reading with the people enjoying a carefree sunny day at a theme park.
Guess what? All's right with the world, I'm a good Mummy again.
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