Another Delightfully Disasterous Dog Walk

So I don't know if it's just me and my unique combination of clumsiness and craziness or is everyone's life like this?
Today I decided that the gloomy weather was not going to get the better of us and I, (sorry- the fairy who lives in the fairy door in my daughter's bedroom) sent my little girl a treasure hunt list of things to find on our dog walk and with her enthusiasm ignited- (she was not interested when I had previously mentioned 'just a dog walk'!), I loaded dog, daughter, baby, pram, wheelchair, wellies and waterproofs and off we went to the park.
Avoiding goose poo park after my last post's escapades, we set off to the 'big park with the cool playground', on agreement that we'd only play on said playground once we'd walked the long suffering pooch.
Because the eldest monkey agreed without a five minute negotiation and had been worryingly good so far today, (it was only 12.30pm but we parents take our wins where we can right?), I duly gave in to the request for an ice cream for the journey around the lake.

This is when things took a little turn for the worse-
After little lady had politely requested a cone of chocolate ice cream with extra sprinkles with the required 'please's and 'thank you's, we set about on our dog trek and treasure hunt.
Once again that warm and fuzzy pride feeling was beginning to sneak back in, I tried to brush it aside, but clearly not soon enough...

The heavens opened. The dog wondered off. The baby started to object loudly to being confined to the oxygen tent that was his buggy with the rain cover on and then you guessed it...

THE BLOODY ICE CREAM FELL ON THE FLOOR!!!!!

She didn't shout. She didn't scream. She didn't cry or even whinge.
She just looked completely and utterly heart broken!

That's worse than all of the above put together!

The sucker that is me, set back across the park to buy another, this time in a tub!
Rightly or wrongly, I couldn't bare to see her little face like that.

And, as i'm feeling particularly honest this evening, I will admit that it was actually me who had dropped it on the floor after doing the Mummy lick to clean up the dribbly bits down the cone!

The rain was getting heavier so we went the quick way to the lake this time to allow the dog to swim. Although the way the rain was coming down, the path would soon be a lake itself!
Less than five minutes into our new trek and treasure hunt, I heard the words all parents dread hearing...
"Oh mummy look!"
I breathed. I looked.
It was only on the bloody floor again! Or my footplate of my wheelchair to be precise.
We were both now covered in chocolate ice cream from head to welly capped toes!
This time we were not going back.
Urgent distraction was needed.
The fairy's treasure hunt list was ceremoniously pulled out from the hunting bag and we set about finding a stone, a stick, a leaf and a pine cone.
Despite the trauma of dropping not one, but two ice creams- for those of you not familiar with three year olds, this is the equivalent of loosing your home, job and marriage all in one day!), emotional order was not only restored, but despite the rain that was now lashing down through the canopy of the      




trees- I had the best time I had had with my little girl in weeks!
She jumped in muddy puddles, she collected her treasure, she laughed at the dog swimming in the lake, we played Pooh Sticks and best of all she enjoyed no queues for the swing and slide!
It was a Saturday afternoon in the summer holidays and the park was deserted.
We were the only ones brave or crazy enough to enjoy/endure the Great British weather.
But were we crazy?
Despite ice-cream-gate, we had an amazing time and it was all topped off with hot chocolate and a film by the fire when we got in.
It was all pretty idyllic apart from the flippin' enormous tantrum that took place about not wanting to go in the bath before the hot chocolate and film that resulted in her losing today's star!
This is real life after all!!
And despite it's ups and downs, and lately those downs are difficult ones to ride- real life is pretty bloody lovely!

Comments