Soft Play

...is hard work for adults! But we had a lovely slow start to the day: turned on the central heating, ate breakfast, then I had a delightful bath and listened to the Bollywood show on BBC Asian network. Although I grew up in Ireland, my father grew up in India (Calcutta, as it was then) it is from him that I inherit his taste for music from many cultures. I also have an Asian breed cat, though he came from a rescue centre, not a fancy cat place!

So, while I was having a bath, my friend Kim was playing with her two year old daughter, Mari. Then Kim and I compared apps for iPads while CleanSteve played with Mari and also blipped her. See here.

The promised rain began at 10, so after a lot of coffee and procrastinating, we drove to town and, miracle of miracles, I bought a SIM-free phone for CleanSteve that actually works! It's the 15 quid one, not the iPhone 5! Recent phone troubles.

Having managed to overshoot the entrance to the gym, Soft Play centre, and Council Offices, I felt a total wally, but all became clear when we turned round and discovered that the 'normal entrance' had become a massive building site for new homes. How did that happen? The Soft Play centre was, well, loud and bright and full of kids, but Mari is capable of holding her own against other kids, and has no sensory 'issues' so she had a good time, while Kim and I took it in turns to keep an eye on her. We (grownups) had chips for lunch, while Mari had a more healthy option, then we got mildly excited about a machine in the loo that sold Pampers, Sudocrem, Wetwipes, Calpol, AND Nurofen! We felt all it lacked was condoms, tampons, chocolate, Cocaine, and Heroin. And that we could probably do with a customisable machine like that at home. When one spends one's working week with 'vulnerable people' and the weekend with toddlers, there has to be some light relief!

I chose this shot of Mari getting out of the Bob the Builder car for the seventeenth time. She is a natural cutie, and I've played with it in Photogene for the iPad, because I am learning what it can do, and because B & W is nicer than the lurid yellows of the original. Photogene is going to suit me better than iPhoto, because I can do more in it, and I cannot afford the college digi course or Photoshop at present.

All too soon, Kim and Mari left for London. I was a bit knackered, so I went back to bed where Bomble the Asian cat soon joined me, and we watched Lark Rise to Candleford on DVD till we both fell asleep. My, but it's good to have the central heating back on!