Splashdown

Yesterday was the 5th annual Lambeth Cemetery open day, I’ve been to the past four.  If last year’s open day was putting the fun in funeral – kiddie train rides, horse-drawn hearse rides and balloons – (I wrote about it last year on my work blog) then this year was a whiskey-less wake.  More a trade-show for the death business, though I’m sorry I didn’t stick around for the tombstone engraving demonstration.

After a thrilling hearse ride last year (seriously it was a lot of fun), I sort of geed up the boy for a horse and buggy ride, but it was too hot for the horses.   And the three year old left grumbling about seeing horses.

A quick trip to the Wimbledon Park playground was in order to bring the day back from the dead.  This is one of the best playgrounds we visit and I was really looking forward to letting Bill run riot in the water feature.  An awesome collection of fountains and gushers and sprinklers all on a non-slip, fall safe surface.  It’s either been too cold or he just wasn’t interested, but as hot as it’s been in London, I thought we’d give it another go.

But sadly, the water fountain wasn’t on.  I’m not entirely sure why.  But there were a lot of disappointed kids there running around in bathing suits – as most families had clearly expected a splash-down.   Still the Wimbledon Park playground has plenty of fun things to do, an awesome sand play area and adventuresome slides and climbing frames.   Bill was very proud of his improving climbing ability and nimbly clambered up a scary ‘ladder’ made of looped pipe that we’d seen other older kids come a’cropper on.  (Our first ever visit to the playground we stumbled on a crumpled and crying 7 yr old beneath the frame).

He was doing so well, that I retreated to a park bench to read a novel.  Something that until now I hadn’t felt secure enough to do.  Some time later I heard a sudden cry that I knew was my boy.   I rushed to his side where other parents were already trying to comfort him.  Apparently no one saw exactly what happened, but they thought he’d hit pretty hard.   He had a big old bump on his head and a scrape on his shoulder.   In an attempt to re-construct the incident he told me he was up high and then he fell down and then he went to sleep, but that he was ‘very careful’.  Hmmmm.  I think he must have  hit his head on the climbing frame on the way down and then landed on his shoulder.

While I was comforting the boy, I heard a joyous noise arise.  Aiiieeeee!!!  A hundred kids squealing in delight.   The water was back on!

A few more tears needed to be dried, but Bill was soon ready to try out the water. And it was fantastic! He splashed around and ran through the fountains and had a whale of a time. Only downside is that it was very heavily chlorinated, the whole place reeked of bleach. The boy ran full tilt through the fountains and it stung his eyes. And I’m still not sure why the fountain was off in the heat of the day. I can only imagine it was some kinda warped ‘elfin safety’ measure, for as soon as the shade of mature trees fell on the water-play area the water was back on.