Apr 14 (Mon)

As we vowed we would, we are up with the lark. The girls are keen to get out to the pool, and they duly disappear for a while. There are housekeeping tasks to accomplish, and after plenty of to ing and fro ing it is midday before we set off for Blackpool.
We are there and at the Pleasure beach by half past. It costs an arm and a leg to get in, and we rue the fact that we were not there earlier to take full advantage.
We head for the "Grand National", an old wood and iron roller coaster that has decidedly seen better days. It is timeworn and very rickety, and seems amazingly low tech compared with today's tubular steel affairs,but it is great fun for all that. The kids want to go their own way, so we agree to meet at 6.
We get shot up in the air a la Florida on the next ride, then head for a succession of haunted houses, halls of mirrors, Alice in wonderland rides,many of which I remember from my last visit here over forty years ago. Good to know not everything has been sacrificed for progress. Whilst the place has moved with the times and installed some fantastic state of the art rides, it are the old fashioned ones which are coming up trumps, and which certainly give the place a British seasidey charm.
The "Big One" is a modern machine of superlatives, chief of which is a 200foot drop at speeds of up to 87mph. It's fun, but after so much rollercoastering these things start to lose their thrill. Maybe I need to take a break.
On of the best rides is another of the old rickety things, the "Steeplechase" Carousel type horses liberated from their roundabout and running round and round and up and an old iron course. It really is a hang on tight affair, and for the life of me I cannot see how no one falls off despite the seat belt.
We dine royally chez Burger King, and begin to worry that we have not seen the kids since arriving. After a few more rides I suggest the monorail from where we can scout for them. There's no sign of the girls,but at the end of the ride H spots Dan. He isn't happy. He lost the girls right at the beginning, and has been all alone for most of the day. I feel very sorry for him, though it transpires that he has still done more than his fair share of the rides.
We ride a few more tubular monstrosities. The panorama of metalwork, ancient and modern is quite spectacular. It looks like a wild chef has thrown a saucepan of metallic spaghetti over the site.
Eventually the rides start to close, and we head towards the exit. After a while we spot the girls who have had a great time, and we all swap stories. Emsy claims she was robbed of a giant shark, and implores us to return to the stall to plead with the manager. He is very pleasant, but it's to no avail.
The other four play a racehorse game. Your horse advances every time you through a ball through a hole, whilst the stallholder provides a frenetic commentary. Fun!
We walk to the sea front. It's high tide and the Irish sea is battering the sea wall. Whilst the weather has remained blissfully sunny, there is a chill in the air, and the sea gives hints of it's menace.
We stroll up a pretty disappointing pier, and then decide it's time to head for home. We stop at Asda for a few vital bits, then cook some lovely fresh tuna, before settling down in front of the telly whilst the kids go and raid the amusement arcade.