My column for the October edition of the Hawkesbury Parish News
In the first hour of a trip to Legoland on an INSET* day in September (no queues – hurrah!), I spot several signs that I must be getting old:
- Realising I’m admiring the autumn colours of the landscaping as much as the theme park’s rides
- Being more interested in the opening times of the coffee shops than of the attractions
- Wondering how many plastic bricks the builders trod on in stockinged feet while assembling the hundreds of Lego models on display
- Considering whether the staff valiantly performing in character costumes are thwarted RADA** graduates
- Not minding the circuitous walks between attractions because they boost the step count on my fitness tracker
But such churlish thoughts are vanquished by lunchtime, supplanted by the childish sense of wonder that results from strolling, Gulliver-like, among miniature models of famous landmarks from around the world.
Despite the 17,777 paces notched up by my step counter by bedtime, I leave the park feeling rejuvenated. Expensive though Legoland may be, at least it’s cheaper than Botox.
*For non-British friends, I should explain that an INSET day is an In-Service Training Day during the school term, when the teachers go to school but the pupils do not. Each school has theirs at different times, so it provides the perfect day to take your kids to a popular attraction that is normally swamped at weekends.
**RADA is a leading British school for actors
My collected columns from Hawkesbury Parish News 2010-2015, is available as an ebook and in paperback.
Debbie we have one an hour or so from me here,in California so I can relate from.the last visit with my granddaughter and family !! I left England 67 years ago so have no idea what is over there now and too old to travel. I really enjoy your books as even after all these years I still get home sick and they,bring some of,it back to me. Thank you Marjorie Richmond
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Hello Marjorie, thank you so much for your kind message. Funnily enough I once lived in California myself, when my father, who worked in computers, was posted to Pasadena by his employer. I was eight years old at the time, and attended a local elementary school for a year – Bradoaks in Monrovia. It was a happy time for me – especially when we got to visit Disneyland, at that point the only one of its kind in the world! Best wishes, Debbie