I was dozing off while typing up a post earlier tonight (or is it this morning?) Anyway I took a break from writing to look through my photos for some relevant images and came across this.
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This was one of several photos I took late last year, when I was watching 
But of course when I make a plan something usually intervenes, and this day was no exception. It started to pour down rain, so I had to adjust my plan... So I added a bit of a drive to the front end of our day. My plan was to either drive out from under the weather or figure out a plan B while driving. It turned out to be a little of both.
Also this has 2 upsides. First the littlest ones (or the sleepiest ones), have a nap and they are then less grumpy later (hopefully). Second, I keep them confined inside my vehicle (in restraints) well seatbelts for an extended period of time. You gotta love the Motor Traffic Act !
So having prevented them all from running about in the mud, rain, wet grass and whatever else one can accumulate on one's person in the wet weather, I had to gently wake a couple of them that were still asleep and we arrived at a 24 hour Maccas. Actually I just shouted 'Maccas!' and they were upright, beaming and mobile in about 10 seconds...
Now this particular Maccas is beside the major north/south motorway (the M1) and more importantly. First, it has an enormous great undercover playground, so should the rain continue to drizzle down it would not prevent any frivolity my grandkids wanted to throw at it. Second, it would let the grandkids run off some of the pent up energy they acquired while restrained, I mean seated, in the car.
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Yes, even Miss 12 felt the need to run around like a crazy person after a relative short period of time couped up in the car. And as luck would have it I was able to secure the table right by the undercover playground door at Maccas so I could ensure there were no unauthorised entries or exits. It also allowed me to supervise any trips to the bathroom as well. OMG the logistics!
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Now up to this point I had been getting quite a bit of help from Miss 12 with crowd control, but then she discovered the Salted Caramel Frappe and the two of them developed quite the relationship. In fact they became inseparable over the next 30 minutes or so, then she was out for quite a while and felt a bit unwell... Go figure!
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So while Miss 12 was still willing to help with containing the hoard, she was kinda doing it sitting down on the job! Let's just say Miss 1 was less than thrilled with this method of containment and with all the vim, vigour and determination of a peeved toddler, very shortly discovered that there was a second unlocked door into the Macca's Kids Party Room on the other side of the undercover play area and escaped via that door. Forcing Miss 12 to give chase. It's a cruel world...
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Realising that they had now discovered an exit route, it was time to move on. So Miss 12 and I loaded all the little ones back in the car (Master 9 was absent this day on a playdate) and we headed for that place where all good Aussies go on a Saturday afternoon... The pub!
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OMG I hear you all saying, you took your grandkids to the pub! And now you really need to brace yourselves, I have maybe 1 drink a year so yes this is quite an odd choice on my part. But ye of little faith, stick with me, I have not completely lost my marbles (although my family say the jury is still out on that one).
I took my adorable grandkids to the Sandstone Point Hotel because it has the greatest play area for kids... And they make a great latte!
As you can see Miss 1 is tickled pink with the park and her lollipop purchased from the pub lolli shop.
Master 7, Master 5 and Miss 3 (the later as usual going up the slide the wrong way) are lovin' the slides (I have no idea what happened to their lollipops).
Finally got Miss 3 to come down the slide the correct way and what happens, Miss 1 sits on her head! Well you can't win them all.
Miss 3 left Miss 1 to the slide, she knows when she's beaten and took over the wobbly toy...
But this folks is where the real action happens... They have a small petting zoo. They have a couple of sheep, some goats a whole selection of chickens and other fowl a donkey I think and there are set times during the day when the kids can go in and pet them.
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This had been my main reason for bringing them to this location, swings and slides and great parks and even great coffee you can find in lots of different places, but a petting zoo, 7 days a week not so much.
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While I knew I would face some difficulties with the grandchildren and their autism the petting zoo presented problems I had not anticipated and did not handle as well as I could have. Consequently, there are not many photos.
Miss 1 loved the geese! She happily waddled around after them giggling like crazy, but you don't see Miss 3, Master 5 or Master 7. That is because they are all up my butt!
This was a combination of inability to tolerate the noise, particularly that the geese made, not liking the smell of the animals, too many people in close proximity to them, the wet floor, animals moving and acting unpredictably. Meltdowns began to ensue!!!
Miss 12 had been my life support all day but I had relieved her of her duties to go spend some time with kids her own age on the trampoline, so I was handling this crisis on my own.
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So having realised the whole petting zoo thing was not going to work and was causing chaos on a grand scale, plan C was immediately pressed into service.
Fortunately the pub also has a whole are dedicated to video games and movies to keep kids amused while their parents, drink I guess. As this is what our autistic kids find calming and it is right next door to the playground I gathered them all up, Miss 12 too, and ushered them into the Playroom. Peace, love and harmony, restored!
So then of course there was the issue of getting them out of the playroom again after a reasonable amount of playtime and back into the car for the trip home... Again Maccas came to my rescue. It is amazing what the promise of a 30 cent cone can do!
Anyway a salute to one of my favourite places to take the kids to play and thanks to thegrungygodess for bringing it to my attention.
Thanks for reading...
Steem on!