Days Out

As the time we have left to go places while everyone else is in school is limited we are taking full advantage of it over the next few weeks. We had a pile of supermarket clubcard vouchers, so cashed them in for free tickets to Chessington World of Adventures, Whipsnade Zoo, Cadbury World and Wicksteed Park.

Today we went to Chessington - all five of us, as Tevye took the day off from work and came too. For him it was a trip down memory lane, as a trip to Chessington with an East End Children's Synagogue was an annual childhood treat. Since then it has changed beyond recognition. (As we are talking 35 years or more since his last visit this is not exactly surprising!) Last time he went it was a zoo with a fairground and circus; now it is a theme park with a small zoo section.

Angel, Star and I are all rollercoaster fans, so the highlight of our day was the Dragon's Fury, a rollercoaster with spinning cars. Star was delighted that she managed to stretch herself just tall enough to get onto Rameses Revenge, which spins the riders through a few full turns before tipping them upside down and squirting water at them. Tevye thought we were mad to go for that one! Little Cherub rode on a pink elephant, a boat, and a vintage car ride, but didn't seem overly impressed by any of them. We were lucky with the weather, which for once did exactly what the forecast predicted - rain in the morning, dry in the afternoon. We got there just as the rain was finishing. Just as well as I was in incompetent parent mode and left the raincover for Little Cherub's pushchair at home. How we are going to miss being able to go to theme parks when they are quiet and have no queues! The only downside to the day was an hour stuck in a traffic jam on the M25 (London's orbital motorway, which teeters permanently on the edge of gridlock).

No photos, I'm afraid, as I was too busy riding on things and Tevye hasn't yet mastered the digital camera.