Show Day

Friday is a day off in Canterbury (No? Really?), so we got the day off and went into town nice 'n' early to the Canterbury A&P show. Initially, I went to Mitre10 because Gaby, who has a plot at the show selling oil skin coats and raincoats and bush jackets and the like had her gazebo wrecked by the Canterbury winds, required a new one and they were on special. Once at the show we took the gazebo over first. I didn;t fancy carrying that all over the place. We wandered around for a bit, checking out what's there. Coffee huts, farm machinery, animals, coffee trailers, amusement rides, food, coffee, entertainment, balloons, help and information, police, political parties, TV cameras and oh, coffee. You could smell it everywhere. Well, it is the no.1 traded commodity in the world, after all. I liked the Bavarian sausages which I thought I'd have for my lunch but it was out of the way so didn't end up going back there. The kids were hungry from 11:30 but I only had a $100 note and people wouldn't change it. I finally went back to Gaby to see if she had some change, which she did. Then the first (disgusting hot dog and chips) place we got to we (they) had lunch. It happened to be right next to the Lincoln University tent. I thought about going there and grabbing a ....coffee. :-)
After lunch, we had a wander and waited in line for an hour for Bees to have a jump on a trampoline for $10. Like she can't do that at home. Kids are strange, but then I can make a long sandwich and a coffee at home too so I can't talk. Jamie saw a great car model stall there but we couldn't find it the second time around wandering and we left with Jamie very very sad and crying. Lesson 1. You can't always get what you want.
After that I asked them if they wanted an ice cream. It was a very windy and sunny day and my face was red and I was hot. So we popped into Hornby MacDonalds for ice creams....and I also had a coffee. The kids played for a bit and then I said did they want to go to the Hub shopping centre there. They said yes so off we went. As we got down the escalators from the carpark at the top, we passed the $2 shop, that's not $2 anymore due to inflation. Jamie had wanted a curly straw for ages and I thought I'd get him something from there seeing as he'd missed out at the show. He picked something straight away for $39. I said "no way". He said "I doesn't want anything then" in a loudish voice and went all huffy, as he does. I don't put up with this shit. So I said "Come on, we're going home" and we marched out of the shop, up the escalators, into the car and off home, with a crying screaming shouting kid in tow. Lesson 2. Have a paddy anywhere and we will stop what we're doing and go home.