Outside in the Equiset garden at the rear of the Gallery,
the heat struck me immediately and I when I spotted an empty chair under cover my
pace quickened to claim this seat in the shade, before some-one else spotted it. Once seated,
I settled back with a cold drink and watched the kids having the time of their
lives. Much yelling and shrieking filled
the air and not one of them seemed to notice the heat in the slightest.
The big attraction was the carwash. Not a proper carwash,
with cars, water running over concrete and large piles of soapsuds, but a play
area, modelled on a real carwash. Five
bays with a base of hot pink astro-turf and wide white markings invited kids to
run and jump and generally have a lot of fun. Each bay, divided by cricket
netting and above the play area, hang loops of pink plastic. In the next-door
bay are wide straps, suspended from above, hanging down to a height where they
can be grabbed, twisted or gathered together.
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The fun starts here. |
One girl, a little older than most of the children and
sturdily built, set herself the difficult task of hauling herself as far up
the strap as she can manage. The first couple of attempts failed but undeterred she eventually pulled herself almost half way up the wide plastic
strap. Her height and sturdy build give
her an advantage but with height and sturdiness comes weight, and this was her
undoing. She slides down the strap, lets it go and stands grimacing, rubbing
her hands together and looking very unhappy.
Wide, hard plastic strips are very unforgiving, hard to manage and cut
into hands which are using them as a climbing aid. The sturdy girl has learned this lesson the
hard way. She disappeared into the crowd, still rubbing the palms of her hands
to ease the pain.
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And finishes here. |
Among the tiny ones, the big draw was the bay which dispersed a thin mist of water, wonderfully cooling on a hot day. Under the watchful eye of parents, they ran
through the mist, squealing with delight.
No plastic burns for this lot, they clambered up the speed bumps, lost their balance and rolled down, still squealing. Damp clothes didn't lessen their
enthusiasm and in such heat their clothes would dry out in less time than it
takes to tell.
My drink bottle is empty. I tossed it in the recycle bin, walked across the moat bridge, leaving the garden and the sound of happy kids having
fun fading to silence, as the door to the gallery closed behind me.
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