Nov 5, 2007

Big Kids' Day Out

Drummer We'd seen the Big Kids' Day Out advertised around the place so I decided to take Eloise along.

It was held at the Mount Coot-tha Botanical Gardens, and promised rainforest trails, face-painting, kite-making and other such activities which I thought would probably be a little painful for me but fun for Eloise.

When we got there it was immediately apparent from the overspilled overspill car park that it had been popular. We parked up on the verge of a road and made tracks for the gardens.

They've just opened some sort of rainforest walky thing so we got a guided tour of that, which Eloise enjoyed. She followed the other kids and the guide around looking at water dragons and tarzan trees and all those sorts of things, which took up a good hour.

Then we went and had a look at some geckoes and snakes and mice and went to get an ice cream, had a look at some bats and watched a brass band setting up.

Pretty soon an Irish marching band made itself heard with rolling drums and bagpipes and they played quite a few songs and were actually really good.

Eloise enjoyed them too and started bopping around. I don't know if it's genetics or what but she seemed to think she was at a Caelidh and took an Indian girl by the hands and started twirling around with her.

After the band had finished there was a fancy dress competition and a lets-make-animal-noises competition compered by a ridiculous clown which Eloise insisted on climbing up on stage for. "Make a noise" he said. She looked at him, turned around, and walked away. What was she thinking.

Anyway after a while the brass band started up and with the opening number as Copa Cabana, craply played, I knew our time had come.

The complicating factor in the next part of the day was I got a phone call from a woman we met down the beach a few weeks ago inviting us to a birthday party and I'd said that I'd try to make it.

But Eloise was falling asleep in the car, it was two thirty, the party started at three, what to do?

By the time we got home she was zonked out so I gently got her out of the car and into bed, and I was knacked too so I thought I'd have a lie down.

But she woke up again five minutes later, apparently fully refreshed, so after a bit of food and some farting around we made it down to the beach for about four thirty.

Where much chocolate and sweeties were consumed and a pinada unveiled which the kids took turns at bashing until it broke spilling more sweeties, which were consumed. On top of the Coot-tha ice creams.

Sugar High was achieved around six o'clock.

No comments:

Post a Comment