And the Battle wages on....

If that command training was inadequate before, it was pretty useless today (26/09/06), Family Day at the Oktoberfest! Phil at work, I accompanied Felicity, Mia and Lucy, and family friend Cora, with her two daughters and 1 year old son, to the Fest. Bear in mind that the Oktoberfest park is an amusement park that just happens to have thirteen odd (very odd) beer tents in its midst. Getting there was a challenge, particularly when little Amelia got her foot caught between the underground train and the platform, but once there how do you control five ultra-excited kids in a huge toyshop? Well, you play with the toys. Regardless of any fear of heights it was a matter of joining the children in flying chairs, water rapids and huge slides. Only the carousels, something that might have been relaxing, was I spared. As it happened the scariest thing was holding on to Cora's infant son while zooming down the slide. I was terrified he'd squirm or move or otherwise get out of my arms. Thankfully he just sat easy and let me worry about height and acceleration.

Some of the scariest moments over we went for a well-deserved mas of alles and some food in the Schotthamel(?) Beertent. Of course, glasses of apfelschorl (apple drink) will not keep children amused for long, so the resident mobile amusement ride - me - had to suffer more attacks from the little cherubs. Little Victor wasn't into this so much though preferring instead to go on long unaccompanied tramps around the huge tent. All the better to practise one's running.

Out in the open large helium balloons were deemed a suitable reward for sparing our lives. The rain, another nasty addition to the day, weighed the balloons down enough to stop them floating off, but unfortunately making it into a Caketent (can you believe it?), the rainwater dried and Mia chose to let her balloon float to the ceiling. At this point my height was against me and it was up to Felicity, borrowed umbrella in hand, to rescue the errant balloon. She succeeded too, and got a round of applause.

We made it home, balloons and bodies intact (and travelling in a crowded tram with two laden buggies, three active girls and four balloons ain't easy). The weekend will just be so easy.