Days 5 + 6

Wednesday is Pirate Day at Blackgang Chine, so that's where we went. Daniel took it very seriously and insisted on taking the map (early male-pattern dominance emerging already). We visited every single attraction, went on every single ride, and I was totally and utterly exhausted by the end of the day. It's completely worth it because you get a different perspective visiting places like this with a child. To him it's exciting and magical and everything is fun, and that rubs off.

There were even real pirates. In actual costume. With long hair and beards and everything ;)

We stayed right until the end and watched the firework display (my firework photos have improved so much lately). It was a very long day, and a very late night for Daniel, but he really enjoyed it. And so did I.

On the way back, he said "Kate, what were you born to do?" And I'm thinking, what kind of question is that for a five year old? What was I born to do? Has he somehow stumbled on my deepest inner fears, that maybe there is no purpose to my life except to be happy? And while I'm trying to put all this into some kind of answer that will make sense without being too deep, he says "I was born to be a fireman."

This morning he was up late, and I would have been quite happy staying in all day. But no, Daniel has a schedule and he's sticking to it. Today was crazy golf. His technique left a little to be desired, being more like hockey than actual golf, and he dragged the ball across to the hole. Even so, he did actually manage to get a legitimate hole-in-one which made him a bit of a mini-celebrity with the other people playing (I heard the boy behind us announce to another group of people, "That boy got a hole-in-one" in an awed tone).

And we ended the day in the dinosaur museum. I've been here before, many years ago, and was all prepared for it to last about 30 minutes before he got bored. I was pleasantly surprised at how long it actually lasted. He loved all of the exhibits and seemed to have a great time.

Daniel goes home tomorrow and I am going to miss him. He's a great kid, and really quite easy to look after because he speaks up for himself. I don't have to guess if he's hungry or thirsty, he tells me. He's really good at going to bed. He gets really involved in all the activities we do, and hasn't complained or got miserable about anything. I've loved seeing things through a child's eyes, instead of as a (jaded) adult, and I've enjoyed seeing parts of the Island that I don't normally visit. I can definitely recommend borrowing someone else's child for a fresh look at life.