Family fun

As the Boy Wonder and I were walking towards the park, he stopped to admire a roller that was parked close to where a piece of road is being dug up, and asked what it was for. I explained that it was for flattening and smoothing new tarmac.

B: "But why is it here?"

J: "Can you see over there, behind the safety fence - there are some diggers. At the moment they're digging up that bit of road - I don't know why, maybe to mend a cable or a piece of pipe or something - and then when they've finished, they will put some new tarmac down, and while it's still warm and soft they'll use this roller to make it flat like the rest of the road."

B (frowning): "But. If they do that, they will all fall in the hole."

Yes of course they would, because silly Grandmother had omitted to explain that they back-fill the hole before putting the new tarmac on. Good thing one of us was on the ball. So, I apologised for telling the story badly and explained the process properly. Then waited for another objection... but none came. Instead:

B: "I would like to drive that roller."

J: "Would you, darling? I think if I was going to drive one of those machines, I would choose the digger. It looks quite exciting."

B: "When I grow up, I'm going to be the man who drives the roller."

J: "What a good idea!"

B: "What will you be when I'm grown up, Grandma?"

J: "When you're grown up, I will be a very old lady, and I'll have to sit in a chair all day. But you'll be able to come and have a cup of tea with me, and tell me all about the exciting things you've been doing."

B: "You can drive the digger!"

J: "That's very kind of you! But I don't think they let very old ladies drive the digger."

B: "I will let you do it. But we'll have to keep it secret. So we'll do it at night, so nobody sees you."

J: "Perhaps I should wear a hat too, as a disguise?"

B: "I don't wear hats much."

J: "Neither do I."

At which point he lost interest, let go of my hand and skipped off down the road. I doubt he'll forget the conversation though, so in about twenty years time if you're driving through the Principality at night and happen across some unusual nocturnal road-mending going on, check out the digger driver. It might just be a tiny wizened old crone, wearing a hat as a disguise.