GO MAN, GO!

#failstival

It's a lovely sunny Bank Holiday Monday - if that's not a contradiction in terms. I give the kids a choice: stay indoors and watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on Film4 or head across town to Cossington Park Recreation Ground, to enjoy Leicester's first Mango Festival. Gracie votes with her feet, Harry is his usual biddable self.

I think we might have misjudged the start time of the Mango Festival. We hang around the park for longer than feels comfortable, but it doesn't get any more exciting than the scene you see in the photo above. There's an ice cream van on this far side of the park, but even as we're walking toward it, it drives off. That's how quiet and slow things are.

Rather than rely on being served our entertainment on a plate, we make our own fun - just like in the olden days (as Gracie would say). We go for mega chip butties from a local eatery on Melton Road and bring them back to the park. Nothing's changed though (note to self: if ever I get another one of these mega chip butties, make it a small one - if that's not another contradiction in terms). As we sit and eat as much of these as we're able, we count the number of times a mother and son walk around the park in their casual but committed exercise routine. We see them do six circuits before they call it a day. We were thinking of getting up and joining them next time they came past us.

With memories fresh from the Tirath Yatra Walk I took part in round here hardly a fortnight ago, I take the kids off to have a look at the Shri Ram Mandir on Hildyard Road and the Shri Siva Murugan Temple on Ross Walk (photo below). We just look at the outsides, since Gracie's not really dressed for going in. She's 11 and she came out dressed for a fun day in the park. After that diversion, we return to the park to join in the festivities, which we hope will be in full swing by now. But very little, if anything, has changed. Harry points out a dad and a little kid, leaning over a partially erected crash barrier, looking at nothing in particular. The elephants remain covered and there's not the slightest hint of mango anywhere.

Having hung around till we can't hang around no more, we call it quits and leave. The kids are bored now and want to go home. I'd rather hang on a bit longer as I'm sure things will pick up (surely they have to pick up). But, as you'll surely know faithful reader, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few - or the one."

We head back to town shortly after 1300 and thence to Wigston Magna, where I'm back on the couch in time to see most of the movie, courtesy of Film4+1. Now that's my idea of how to spend a Bank Holiday Monday.