Perambulations

Today

Such a funny picture on Facebook today of my little great-niece Evie with her brother in the doll's pram. He looked very happy to be there!

In My Day

How Becky loved her doll's pram. It was a very neat little affair with hood and collapsible wheeled base. I think it may have been handed down from Lizzie who was given it for her fifth birthday. I had bought it using some money-off vouchers given me in the maternity ward when I was having Becky.

Becky had many dolls and cuddly toys and spent hours with selected "babies" tucked up in this pram, wheeling them around the garden at Montfort Close.

There was another little child of about her age living in the close, Heidi Turner by name, and she often came down to play with Becky.

On one occasion I saw the two of them, each with their doll's prams solemnly doing the garden circuit. I strolled up to say "hello" and peeked into the prams to see which dolls were being given an airing today. My relaxed demeanour changed rapidly when I saw that the "dolls" were actually our two tortoises, on their backs, most firmly and neatly tucked in with turned-down sheets and everything. Their little front legs were waving about helplessly and they looked most miserable.

I scooped out the unfortunate animals and popped them back into their enclosure. It was hard to be angry with the two little girls who were only about five years' old and who had clearly thought that Columbus and Bobbie would be all the better for their airing. I carefully explained the danger. Becky certainly understood but I'm not sure about Heidi because I later found her bouncing Columbus along the ground making the sort of revving noises that are usually reserved for playing with toy cars. I was less gentle with her that time. 

At least Max is more than capable of making his feelings clear when he gets tired of being wheeled about by his sister.