Down with the kids

We started the week off as we often do - a leisurely stroll to the shops. Now there are a few of those kids rides along our local strip, all of them are $2 a ride, except for the horsey, he’s 40 cents.

Ironically, the horsey is the most fun - he’s an old style carousel type horsey who plays elvis songs and jerks backwards and forwards in an unreliable and slightly dangerous motion. Big Sis sits on the front and with a bit of help from me Little Bro sits right up behind her. I figure we’ve got about 6 months before they start fighting for the front seat! Big Sis always gives horsey a kiss on his nose after the ride - not very hygienic but very cute!

Anyway, when we got to the place where the horsey normally sits he was gone! The kids and I stared in horror and disbelief! Big Sis collected her thoughts first and leapt onto the school bus ride which was next to the gap left by horsey which, of course, costs $2. “Mummy”, she cried, “please put some money in!”. Now, my mind was reeling, where was horsey? Was he coming back? What exactly was my position on spending $2 on a ride?

I responded like any parent would - “Sorry honey, I don’t have the right money”. Big Sis didn’t miss a beat , “Give me your purse mummy I’ll look, it’s the little money you know!”. Meanwhile Little Bro had joined the chorus waving both arms and legs frantically from the pram and calling “Duck, duck, duck” as loud as he could.

It was right then that the strangest thing happened. One of the oddballs we often see wandering around the area, sometimes singing, often talking to himself and occasionally asking for money stopped and observed what was going on. This particular oddball cuts quite a striking figure - he’s a black man with full rastifarian dreadlocks and a Bob Marley t-shirt, a waft of marijuana smoke always seems to be lurking around him, I suppose it comes off his clothes.

Anyway, he reached into his pocket pulled out $2 and put it in the ride - when Big Sis thanked him he responded with a wave - “No worries Mon”, and walked away. So, for today at least, the problem was solved - the rastifarian man has bought me some breathing space to organise a new ride protocol.

I’ll end today’s post with a plea out into internet land - wherever you are horsey - please come back, we miss you!