Monkey's Blog - with a little help from Alice

"Babysitting"

Vera took me with her when she went on this "babysitting" lark recently.

It meant travelling on one of these great yellow and blue buses.Vera mostly sat plugged into her iPod, playing her "Waves". They're just compilations like people used to do on tape casettes (remember them?) to dance along with. She was tapping her feet, jiggling her knees and sometimes (most embarassing) even flipping her hands about.

I sedately enjoyed the view. However, when we got to our destination, it turned out there weren't any babies as such, just a delightful little girl and boy who did all the usual stuff children do - viz being utterly charming and horribly annoying by turns. I recognised some of my own characteristics, I have to admit. That's probably why we all got on so well together. And there wasn't a lot of sitting, either. Not until after kids' bed-time. Exhausting. Although great fun.

Yes, I did succumb in the evening to watching an episode or two of that brilliant Game of Thrones (based on a series of books). No cardboard, clichéd characters there. Everyone is a fully rounded mixture of "good" and "bad". I took quite a liking to young Bran: he's a pretty deep one, more than meets the eye, I suspect. Just you wait and see if I'm not right. Frightfully (yes!) exciting all round, even if it was somewhat gory in places.

The next day, we went with the wee boy to collect his sister fom school. After the obligatory swings, slides and climbing frames in the Park, they asked for ice-creams. They had no trouble at all remembering the way to the shop... Their ice-lollies came in spiralling different colours. Vera forgot all her resolutions about dieting (she could do with a pound or two less round the middle) and had a frozen Mars. So many calories. I was hot and bothered too, so the little girl kindly gave me a lick of her Twizler? Twister? - whatever. 

On the way to the Bus Station, before finally going home, we stopped to buy a Big Issue (not only a very worthy cause, but usually a good read too) and paused beside this statue of a famous man.

 Then it was back on the bus again.

Altogether very satisfying trip.

I think I'll go the next time too.

P.S. Alice has been grumbling again, just behind my right ear, while I watch Vera struggle with placing the photos. It's most frustrating not having fingers! Alice says this post is very boring, and she is threatening to "tell all" (what can she mean?) if I don't tell you a bit more about her. Oh dear. . . . Next time - I promise, honest.