Oct 26, 2006

Toddler Mayhem

At Nicole's suggestion I went along and signed E up to Caterpillar Kids this morning.

We drove out to Ashgrove, about a fifteen minute drive, and pulled up at this country club type affair, with swimming pools, squash courts etc. I followed the procession of mums getting out of their Chelsea Tractors weighed down with day bags full of God knows what, sunlight reflecting of their raybans and silvikrin ponytails and looked myself up and down in my worse-for-wear shorts, beaten up trainers and dodgy socks, and white collarless shirt, tails floating freely... at least I had a shower this morning!

Soon we arrived at a large room overlooking the pool, where we were greeted by an athletic gent by the name of Rob, and as I filled in the ubiquitous disclaimer forms, Eloise played with one of his accomplices and the room filled up and filled up until there must have been twenty little toddlers with attendant mothers/fathers/etc.

"Now then my little ones, let's begin!" shouted the previously calm but now transformed Rob and started running around the room like a Whirling Dervish who's overdone it on the Bolivian Marching Powder. "Everybody Stomp!" And all the kids started doing just that. Eloise's eyes lit up.

A succession of highly energetic antics followed, involving running, ball games, hoops, and enormous parachutes, climbing frames, slides and various other playground thingummybobs that appeared out of nowhere. At one point on excellent little bubble gun came out and the effusive Rob jumped around the room spraying bubbles everywhere to unanimous delight. Eloise insisted at every opportunity to escape the games and commandeer the bubble gun which was later left on the side.

Yesterday, I took her to the doctors for some jabs. Over here they immunise for Hepatitis B and Varicella (Chicken Pox to you and me). So she's perhaps not on top form. In fact about half an hour into the Caterpillar action she laid down on her back on the floor with a look on her eyes that said "No more please...!" But she recovered when the playground magically appeared from nowhere and never looked back.

She was out like a light when we got home.

Later we went up to Nudgee Beach and threw some balls into the River for Tiny. I was looking at the map and the river that comes out there is actually a later incarnation of the brook that runs just near our house.

The dogs are obviously getting used to things here, they are quite chilled out generally speaking although they have a tendency to hang around by the front gate and bark at passers-by. That seems to be the modus vivendi for canines round here though.

Some mornings a Jack Russell by the name of Jeb has been sauntering around in our garden, and sitting on our deck out front and barking. This wouldn't be a problem, except a) it means we have a breach in our garden defences - which I'm pretty sure I've located actually, and b) he does this at half past five in the bloody morning.

I'm not sure about boundary ownership and responsibility here. Yet.

Anyway I was sufficiently irritated at 5.30am yesterday to go and shout at the little bugger. The dogs picked up on this, and, ever sensitive to my state of mind, chased him around the house.

Later on he poked his head out of our utility room where he'd been hiding! It gave us quite a fright, and we gave him one right back - he wasn't back this morning.

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