Books

Thursday 30 October 2008

Launching Pumpkins and Fondling Rabbits

We probably picked the coldest day of the year when we decided to go to Cantref Farm - a farm perched on the side of the Brecon Beacons that is too bleak to grow anything and therefore has had to become open to the public ...

My friend and I thought we would get there early to avoid the half term rush, only to find that we were the first cars in the car park. What a great place with a full day's itinerary. Eleven a.m - pet fondling. Eleven thirty, pumpkin launching - this involved fighting to stand on the side of the hill in the bitter cold and launching small pumpkins, via a massive catapult, at a Ford Fiesta that some poor soul left their keys in after parking it in a Brecon back street. The children were managing to launch them a pitiful two feet, my friend and I didn't get much further (although I really REALLY tried). However, the blokes there were rummaging for their protractors and trying to employ engineering tactics. I think that the Fiesta will be parked back in Brecon tonight with little damage apart from a few goat hoof prints.

We then managed to slide across the field for lunch and I foolishly forgot that the little one now eats two portions and sharing a sandwich is no longer an option. I managed a few soggy crusts whilst she ate her fill. We got another round in, which was then binned by an over-zealous cleaning assistant as we disappeared for two minutes to rescue the baby off the top of the drop- slide.

When I'd been before, the "tractor trailer ride" was great - hacking off around the fields, looking at sheep. But this time, the Health and Safety people must have been around, as we just went up the drive and back and then round the back of the sheds where they kept the Santa's Grotto and the chained up mangey dogs.

The highlight for me was definately the Mr Ev musical in which a horse dances to some very quiet music. All the kids had to line up to meet Mr Ev and the first one in the queue gave him a big hug and got a hug back and this set the standard and there were lots of ten year old boys rather awkwardly cuddling this pantomime horse. They all shuffled off to kick a guinea-pig afterwards and so their reputations were restored ...