1 August 2010

We popped over to Owlbeech Woods, on the edge of Horsham, for a morning stroll. There are pleasant paths among the trees and beside a brook that is crossed by many planks and small bridges, providing ample scope for throwing in sticks. Emily's mood was very up and down for some reason, and I felt ratty as a result. Her demeanour was not improved by falling over on brambles and scratching both knees. I'm afraid that perhaps I was not sympathetic enough, and gave her a hard time when she refused to walk afterwards. I worry so much about her being a spoilt only child.

After lunch at home we drove to Goff's Park in Crawley. Here there was a fantastic little model railway operating. It has a handful of tiny working engines running on coal and producing steam, that are surprisingly powerful. It is staffed by model enthusiasts and amazingly a ride cost only 30p each. I was astonished by how fast the train went round the short course, and we had to hold on quite tight as it rolled a bit and took the corners fast.

Following that, Emily tried out Tom's scooter with some success, on the way to the playground.

Here we found another set of very modern play equipment, though I would say that the majority of it is better suited to 5 years old and over. It has been a revelation to me how many play areas there are in the UK, though possibly the Home Counties fares better than average. Emily fell off one slide arrangement - onto thick bark chippings, thankfully - leading to a fresh flood of tears. I carried her all the way through the woods to a small cafe where we all had ice lollies. Emily picked a Fruit Pastilles one that dripped all over her top in five different colours. We finished off with another ride on a model train before going home.