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Grace grew more and more excited as each station passed by. Only three more stops! “This train will be calling at Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse…”
“Daddy, we’re nearly at the Brick House!” she enthused.
Whilst our son Martin set off to fetch the fish and chips, Jane and I, with Sam and Grace, went by car to the library. After accumulating a stash of books for the weekend, we walked to the playground at the park to expend some energy before arriving home for supper.
Grace took a long look at the Brick House before exclaiming,
“Grandpa, your house is the wrong way round! The front’s there and there”, and she waved towards our front door that’s at the side, leading out into the drive, “but it should be there and there!”
With that, she waved towards the lounge window that faces out into the street. I could see what she meant…
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The following morning, our daughter Helen arrived promptly at 10 a.m. We left her dog Tank sitting comfortably on the settee with Martin, who buried himself in his laptop. Helen somehow squashed into the back seat of our car between the childseat and the booster, and we set out in glorious sunshine for Ponderosa Zoo.
We arrived just in time to for an ‘otter experience’. The zoo keeps two Asian Short-Clawed Otters, a small variety with a total wild population of around 5,000, threatened by habitat destruction. Sam is developing a sympathy for animals and was very interested to hear the keeper talk from his personal experience of caring for them.
I wonder if the otters ever gaze out at the playground where the younger members of homo sapiens display their strange behaviours? Sam busied himself climbing ladders and zooming through tunnels whilst Grace mastered a sort of pogo stick with a block on the bottom.
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Ponderosa’s cafe offers a menu that ‘hits the spot’ for a family day out although the chef Jamie Oliver would throw up his arms in dismay. We finished with the inevitable ice creams before piling back into the car to head home for a rest. Sam’s idea of a peaceful interlude was to bury himself in a Pokemon book, learning about ‘Zee moves’ (sort of superhero moments, I think?) Grace, meanwhile, explored the dolls’ house which is now hers to keep. At teatime, we laid out a salad spread which included beetroot.
The evening sunshine looked promising, so Martin and I boarded the car again with Sam and Grace, collecting Tank for a dog walk on Norland Moor. This place is a favourite of mine; after a rugged ascent onto the moor amongst oaks, birches and bilberrry bushes, you emerge onto a path surrounded by saplings that opens out to reveal fine views across the Ryburn valley to the little town of Ripponden which nestles in its folds.
The children took turns at walking Tank, although it was mainly 4-year-old Grace who held his lead. Sam stood still for long periods before zooming past, each time announcing he was doing a ‘Zee move’.
Grace slept well that night. P’haps she was still thinking about her tea as she dropped off whilst cuddling Grandma’s teddybear, Bertroot.
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Our tickets for the National Children’s Museum, Eureka, were still valid so the following morning, off we sped for a half day visit. Sam’s interests have evolved so that – surprise, surprise – he’ll have a go at any interactive screen attraction.
Grace loves using her imagination although spent a long time designing an eco-friendly car and performing a maintenance check!
We said goodbye to our family at Brick House railway station. We’d packed a lot into two days. Jane and I made two huge mugs of tea, sat down and put our feet up…zzz…
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