One Very, Very Fun Afternoon

Mum, Sophie and Gemma-Rose went out this morning to visit friends so Dad took Imogen and I to our piano lessons. Knowing Dad this day was going to be good. He has a way of making things very fun. I wasn't disappointed.

We had finished lunch, done the dishes and I was settling down for the afternoon when Dad came up.

"Do you want ride your scooters?" he asked, remembering that we usually went to the park on Thursdays.

"Oh yes please," I replied.

"I'll just finish this bit of work and then we'll go," Dad said, and went to find Imogen.

A little while later Imogen and I were by the door with scooters in our hands. We hopped in the van and headed towards Lake Alexandra. Armed with a thermos flask of coffee and backpack of things to do Dad settled down on a park bench. Imogen and I opened our scooters out(hoping we could remember how to put our scooters together as this was only the second time we've ridden a scooter). We managed just fine much to my relief.

Heaps of people were going around the lake on many types of transport. I saw fleets of scooters, two prams, several bicycles, a girl on roller skates and many people using their feet. In other words the lake was crowded. There were as many different speeds as there were people. The people on scooters zipped along while the prams went at a snail's pace, the bicycles weren't that fast, the girl in roller skates didn't move at high speeds and the walking people generally were looking at the ducks.

We left Dad at the bench and started along the busy pathway. Dodging the walking people, stopping for the prams and watching very carefully for the other people on scooters (they are really really fast) we rounded the lake. Imogen was just that littlest bit faster than me. She always has been. Whatever we do she is a little bit quicker. But I was just glad not to be left in the dust.

I never noticed the time passing. We arrived soon after lunch and by the time that we were tired it was well past four o'clock. The amount of people there had dwindled quite dramatically. It was two tired and happy girls that loaded themselves back into the van. It was a very good afternoon. I didn't think that we'd get to go to the park this week and thanks to Dad we did!

Speed Angel Sisters

For a while we have been going to the park after piano lessons on the few dry Thursdays. Sophie and Gemma-Rose always ride their scooters around the lake. One week Mum asked me, "Do you want a scooter?" I hadn't thought about it before. Would I like to whizz around the lake like the wind? "I think so," I replied. "I'll see about getting you one," Mum said. A few days later I had a brand new pink and white scooter. And then the inevitable happened. The rain poured down and the wind blew. No chance of going to the park in that weather. So my wonderful new scooter sat lonely and unused in the garage, awaiting the day when I could finally use it without the danger of being drenched.

Today, though it was cloudy and a bit chilly, the rain held off and we got to go to the park at last to ride our scooters. Sophie and Gemma-Rose are experienced riders and fly along the path but before today I have only ever ridden a scooter at friends' houses where they have scooters and will let me try. Slightly nervously I trundled off slowly down the path. And suddenly I started to push harder. The scooter flew and I put my foot up and cruised along. The feeling was wonderful. I loved riding the fabulous pink and white scooter immediately. The fun carried on. After a lap of the lake I stopped and said to Imogen, "Have a go." She doesn't have a scooter. She resisted though. "Go on," Mum urged. "It'll be fun."

With both Mum and I insisting that she try Imogen gave in. She wheeled the scooter to the path and with a little help from Gemma-Rose and me started off. She went slowly at first as Imogen has done even less scooter riding than I have. But she was caught by the scooter fun as well. Imogen zipped around the lake while I rested and caught my breath. My second go came soon. I hopped on and felt the urge just to go faster and faster. I vied with Sophie (who as I have said before is an experienced rider) to be the fastest. Naturally she was but that didn't stop me from trying.

Sophie has a scooter the same size as mine so when she needed a rest she lent hers to Imogen and we zoomed around the lake together. Being both beginners we had about the same speed so for once I wasn't left behind. Sophie and Gemma-Rose are super quick on their scooters. It would have been rather embarrassing if it wasn't so much fun. Rather tired and very happy we packed up the picnic.

All of us were exhasusted but the trip to the park was a complete success. Never before have I had so much fun at the park as today. On the way home Mum had a brainwave. "You should call yourselves the Speed Angel Sisters," she announced. "It's a lot nicer than Speed Demons." And so we are now the Speed Angel Sisters. Imogen is going to get a scooter of her own so that we can all ride at the same time. With a little bit of luck it might not rain next Thursday and we can go again.