Questions, questions...

My 7 year old son loves to play games on long car journeys. Unfortunately, in the last few years he has also developed the need for a sick bag to be on hand during the same. Sitting him in his car seat in the front seems to be the best cure for the travel sickness, so instead of arguing with his mum about directions whilst I drive, long journeys now involve he and I keeping each other occupied with various competitive challenges.

The view from the window of our holiday accommodation in Northumberland this week: Red Squirrel

There's the obvious stuff like I-spy, then trickier games like the Red Kite game (who can see the most Red Kites first. Best played on the Winchester-Oxford stretch of the A34. Rubbish on the A31 through Dorset) and Car Cricket (choose a colour, then every car that goes in the opposite direction of that colour scores a run; four for a van, and six for a lorry. First to 100 wins. Or 50 if the traffic's quiet). When done with these, there's usually time for a round of Cheese-on-Wheels*.

But eventually he's had enough of these which is when the questions start. Yesterday, on the long journey up to Northumberland, where we are just starting a week's holiday, he announced 'I want to ask some 'I want to know' questions'. 'Is there any other kind of question?' I replied. 'Yes, there are 'I want to know if you know' questions'. A barrage of 'I want to know' questions followed, most well within my comfort zone:

Q. 'What's the last county in England before Scotland?' A: 'Northumberland'
Q. 'Where are we going?' A: 'Northumberland'
Q. 'How much further is it?' A: '378 miles', then, 5 minutes later, '4 miles less than the last time you asked', etc etc

Tiring swiftly of this, I encouraged him to switch to the 'I want to know if you know' questions, not quite sure what to expect. This is what I got:

'When was the first rainbow'? Followed by:
'Who was the first goalkeeper to die?'

And so it went on. I should have quit while I was ahead.


No 1 son also features this week, celebrating his 11th birthday with a water-sports party on the River Frome..

...proving in the process that you can have your kayak and eat it (Thanks to Jol, Secretary of the Dorset Bird Club, for that line. Proof that such high office needn't stand in the way of a career in comedy).

* The rules of Cheese-on-Wheels are too complex to explain here, but if you really want to know, ask any 7 year old, or email the Secretary of the Dorset Bird Club. He's a dab hand and thrashed me last time we played it on a twitch.