7909/20850
All my visits to Center Parcs have melded into one. I have no idea, without checking, how many times we've been to the Longleat one we're at now or the others we've visited. How many times has it been? Where did I meet the man who'd lost both balls and warned me to take care of my remaining one? Where did we try to get as high a score on the speed cameras on our push bikes? Where did we stay last time we were at this Parc?
Anyway, maybe the last time I was at a CP (I think the one in the Lake District) I fucked up my Apple Watch in the pool (there had been a crack in the glass which I realised too late had made it no longer water proof). Today we raced to the Rapid River as soon as the pool opened and had a few runs, where we seemed to be buffeted around more than usual. As we returned to the outdoor pool Phoebe happened to ask me the time and I realised my watch was gone. It was pretty obvious where I'd lost it, but the Rapid River is huge and loads of people are going down it every minute and the pool at the end is deep. So what were my chances of getting it back? Two watches down in two visits? It's expensive enough already.
The lifeguard recommended that I go down the River again to see if the watch had got caught up somewhere, but about a quarter of the way round he appeared from the side to tell me, amazingly, that the watch had been found and was with the life guard at the end. That seemed amazingly lucky.
Later I'd discover that I'd also lost one of Ernie's shoes as I raced to get our stuff in a locker. But again Center Parcs excelled itself and my little Cinderella was matched up with his missing Croc at the lost property desk.
What a liability I am.
I took a chance and went on one of the slides I hadn't been on yet. I was nervous as Hell and at one point it felt like I might fly out the tube, but it was fun. Maybe next time I will take bigger risks. Phoebe had been scared of this one too, as it was an enclosed tube (in the most part) but I persuaded her to have a go and she didn't enjoy it at all. But she did get to see me flying out of the tube after her, like a flailing hippo, which I think made up for it.
The life guard who had felt like they recognised me the other day, said they had been doing their homework and delightedly declared - QI! I knew I found you funny.
Sadly I have never been on QI, but maybe they will tell all their friends about how they met Alan Davies, so that's nice.
After my mild slagging off of the restaurants the other day, I managed to eat pretty good meals today, with Hucks the burger place, proving surprisingly good for healthy eating with a seared tuna salad that had loads of different stuff in it and knocked the socks off the other salad bowls I've been getting (yes, even at Pizza Express).
We played some soft ball tennis in the afternoon which was surprisingly exhausting and the kids decorated cakes (rather cheekily in the one for older kids they just gave you some fondant and said use google to get some ideas and get on with it) and just like that the break was pretty much over. We haven't seen the family from next door yet, but there are still people in the cabin, which would strongly suggest that everything has turned out OK for them (though Center Parcs is expensive enough that you probably can't give up your holiday just because someone is in hospital or worse).
Three days is enough in this lovely Hell hole I think. On to Cheddar tomorrow for my dad's 88th birthday. Unbelievable.
