Anytime I go, I have to present it, they stamp it, and after x many stamps Bradley gets a present. They'll even send him a birthday card, at least that's what I'm lead to believe why they wanted me to add his birthday to the forms I had to fill in just to push this around Telford Shopping Centre. I guess the company's country wide.

Wasn't like this in Esme's day. New flanged consumerism!

On the way we pass the Co-Op. Otherwise known as the centre of Dawley village life.

They've had posters up for a couple of years now, and everytime we pass we each take a giant apple, and pretend to scoff it making pretend scoffing noises.

Of course giant apples give us giant bellies, but at least they keep the giant doctor away.

I had the hat, Bradley had the rocket skittles, and Esme had the disco dress.

She looks a picture. Though the singing is pretty awful. I guess she'll get better when she knows the words.

I wasn't going to pull any other pose, it's enough I'm wearing my new hat.

A little diversion. I needed to entertain the kids for a few hours. So, after picking up my Lottery winnings of £10 we head for Ironbridge.

She washes it and puts it into her pocket. I wonder if she's still got it. Did she bring it home? I remember her showing me as we walked up towards the bridge.

Esme finds a pretty stone. It's a slag stone, from the foundries here abouts. I used to find them when I was a kid on old railway lines, thrown out from the steam trains.
Takes me back in time for a second.

But, boy is it in full flow! Must be nine feet above the level back in the summer. In the photo below, taken in October, you can see the trees at the top left, that we're standing by today.

The muddier the better. And Esme wants to go for a paddle, even though I explain 40 thousand times that the water is very, very cold. "You'd get frost bite and your toes would turn black and drop off." This shuts her up for a while, till she starts on about the frostbite...

We're off to feed the ducks! On the bus too, which is always a great adventure, by itself. Bradley has to sit at the seat with the stop button. And I'm asked to remind him re: the procedure for pressing the bell. "Not till we're ready to get off!"

We end up in the ice rink on the video games. From bad to worse?

No need to put any money in though, it's just fun pretending to drive or shoot badies.

We get there at last. But it's a cold day, so once we're done, were on our way home again.

We bought him this luminous yellow coat and a hat, complete with handcuffs, whistle, etc. for Xmas. But he didn't wear it, it was Esme who was in it most of the time.

This is a fleeting moment, perhaps the only time he has worn it.