A day with a boy

So last week I took GrandDaughter1 and GrandDaughter2 out separately for Granny Days. This week it was GrandSon2's turn.

We started off at Plantasia, which as its name suggests is a large greenhouse thing filled with tropical and varied plants, but also a variety of creatures largely of the creepy-crawly type. Except for the meerkats, marmosets and wild cats - not big cats but very pretty 'wild' cats.

My least favourite was the box of cockroaches, and if you remember that there was also a python, as well as a tarantula, you can imagine how bad the exhibition of cockroaches was. (I can't think of the right word for a glass container for animals.)

After that we headed across to Denny's Diner. I believe this chain began in America, at least that's what I gathered from one man who was taking his son in. 'This is the only one in England,' he said. 

The steam was just starting to come out of my ears when he corrected himself, 'In the UK.' He nearly felt the full force of my Welshness - of course he didn't: I would have just simmered quietly and not told him off.

Anyway, Denny's was very well-organised. They had a temperature machine - we were both fine, in fact, I was only 35.5 - as well as scanner for Track and Trace. We sat outside and I was just congratulating myself on my tech-expertise having very nearly ordered and paid online on my phone at our table, when it asked for the phone number. I mean, seriously, it expects me to know? Can't it work it out?

I gave up and went inside to order.

I've never been to Denny's before and in case you are unaware it's primarily a pancake restaurant. American pancakes rather than a creperie. We shared a dish of Oreo puppies.

When they arrived GrandSon2 and I both stared at them. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting. GrandSon2 screwed up his nose and said, 'They're burned,' and that had been my first thought.

I prodded a bit tentatively, and then tasted some. I didn't want to send them back as burned if they weren't.

'Mm,' I said, 'they're not burned. Those are chocolate bits ... I think.'

GrandSon2 picked one up and took a closer look.

'Taste it,' I said. 'It's not as bad as it looks.'

By the time we'd cleared the dish we'd decided it was really rather nice. But very sweet and filling.

Then I said, 'Have you seen the Mummy?'

'No, but I've got a computer game where a Mummy falls out of the roof.'

Deciding I needed to include a bit of education in the day we set for the museum - which was closed.

So our day finished in the park, or rather in the woods, where I allowed him to choose the path to take at each crossroads. This resulted in me having to scramble up a mountain-biking muddy hilly trail several times on my hands and knees. But he enjoyed it.

Bad Hair Day Duck in the lake we walked ran around. Even with my sandals off and running as fast as I can GrandSon2 is still twice as fast as me.