Thank you...

... to all who left stars, hearts and friendly comments for my milestone entry yesterday. I really appreciate it - what a beacon of good feelings Blipfoto is, in an online landscape that can be so divided and demoralising.  I'm a bit behind with journal comments and visits, but will gradually catch up during the week. 
Today was our regular day with Simone, and Richard and I took her to Clifton Park in Rotherham. Neither of us had been there in several decades.
S had had a broken night and had then woken very early, so she was tired. But it all worked out fine - she slept in the car both on the way there and on the way back, and that helped. In between, we had a snack in the Museum cafe and then we wandered over to the play area. S is still a bit young for some of the equipment there, but then we spotted that the small 'fun park' next to it was opening, complete with some rides that were OK for a two year old.
This proved very entertaining. First of all she and I went on a little rollercoaster - and I do mean a really small one. I'm a complete coward about full-size ones.   Simone is a feisty soul and seemed quite excited at first. But then I think she became more aware of what was going on, and began to say 'out!!!' in more and more determined tones. This obviously wasn't possible, and I just cuddled her until we glided to a halt. There then followed a long conversation on the theme of "it was scary!" However, she was happy enough to try out a ride on a little train 5 minutes later :-) 
The whole thing reminded me of a long-ago trip to Alton Towers, which I think was for Jack's 9th or 10th birthday. Ruth would have been about five and a half at the time.  The one ride I thought she would manage all right was the pirate ship. What a mistake...! A the boat swung dizzyingly from one end of its arc to the other, she began to wriggle her way out between the safety bars. We spent the rest of the ride with me holding her in a sort of improvised armlock. These days her memories of it all are amused rather than traumatised, I'm relieved to say. So ... no pirate ship for Simone today. Or at anytime in the next 10 years or so, I suspect.