Drayton Manor was great!
We spent the day there yesterday and it was lovely to meet some more Midland Bloggers (Jo Beaufoix, Tara, Dan who was only pretending to be a Midlander for the day, and Single Parent Dad) and their families.
The children all seemed to get on as well which was a relief, especially as IJ announced the other day that she did not like children. An odd thing for a five-year-old to say I know! The adults got on well too of course although there was not really much opportunity to sit down and chat as we followed the kids from one ride to the next.
IJ described the day as: "the best day of my life in the whole world!" which sums it up very well.
It was great to see her so excited about the whole experience, although less so when she was still awake at nine o'clock in the evening and insisting on telling me about her favourite ride, which seemed to change every five minutes. Then I had to hear the, "Let me tell you about my best-est ride" conversation all over again accompanied by various actions and hand movements.
We spent most of the time in Thomas Land where she loved the Harold helicopter ride and the little trains she could ride by herself (which meant she could ride into the back of other children!)
I loved the Bounty, the Maelstrom (which Dan kindly agreed to accompany me on, it took half an hour for me to recover from the ride, I have to admit, I couldn't stomach the thought of food for a while), and the fact that their PR department paid for us to get in free. Ticket prices did seem high but I'd have to say it's worth it for the experience.
Yes I really did go on this, can you see my feet?:
We didn't spend any money while we were in there, apart from the odd ice-cream, as we made the most of their fabulous picnic facilities which included a fabulous kids' play area.
We'd definitely go back, in fact IJ asked if we could go today. I sent her off to school as usual and no doubt she'll spend the day telling all her friends.
Next time we may try this:
Or maybe not!
Do go over and read what the others have to say about the day in these posts:
SingleParentBlagger and Glitterati and Drayton Manor Park and Zoo.
