Every good child should be allowed a sickie. Life sometimes is just too monotonous and the weeks one relentless stretch of alarm clock, school, tea, bed. Little people have a TD day so middle child got a sickie and we all spent the day at Paulton Park. 

I thought Paulton Park was a not so great area towards Bristol but in fact in is a children's theme park. I am not sure what it is like on a busy day but on a very quiet, everyone else makes their children aim for the 100% attendance day, it is utterly charming.

I have had many fears in life and one has been theme park rides. I hate them. It is an accrued hate - I loved rides when younger but for some reason - I have ended up avoiding them like the plague as an adult. I am not entirely convinced if it is fear or self consciousness. I do have a bit of an issue with screaming when I am expected to scream and being on a swinging, turning thing in which 20 other people want to scream at the same time - is just a little to odd for me. I am not sure how all this happened but I think you show some hesitation, it then becomes a presumption and before you know it, it has become a habit.

There are some rides where I recognise the fear. Roller coaster are too like having a near death experience and if I only have to experience that once, I shall be happy. 

Its all about labeling, I have labeled myself as someone who doesn't go on rides. If you say it enough you believe it and so yesterday, I had to deal with a lot of demons and I did. Some of them I actually enjoyed and some things I learnt from - like I do not need to go on things that spin round very quickly whilst going up and down and if I do, I may vomit. In fact, I can only really deal with things with a goal - like going down.

I was so immensely chuffed that I breathed through vertigo palpitations to get up to a very high boat flume four times, that I was even prepared to get ripped off for the picture to prove it.

There were a group of us, no children had cross words, I had an accompanying teenage girl lest there were rides I really could not face and everyone got on, the sun shone and it was one of those rare perfect days.