E is back to work again, so for two days a week Dizzy and I are now hanging out. Two weeks in and it's going fine, I take D for her singing and nursery rhymes down at the local Sure Start Tuesday, then bundle her up into the pushchair and take her out into the world. I'll admit it, I stick the telly on for her too - and it's not always edifying viewing. The channel of choice as for all under fives is Ceebeebies, a mix of the worthy (like Let's Play), the rewarding (like Rastamouse) and the downright sinister (Pennywise.. I mean Mr Tumble). I've found myself keying into the vibe of conversations on Mumsnet: for instance, should the presenter girl with half an arm cover it up instead of leaving it for impressionable young minds to view? Does Andy look like the long lost son of Fatima Whitbread?
Mostly however, my idle imagination settles on certain shows or personalities, and gives them a little tweak for my amusement. For instance Dr Ranj gives diagnoses to puppets who are under the weather after listening to their symptoms. It's pretty innocuous stuff, food poisoning, urinary infections and the like. How about something more exotic? 'Buboes and a fever of over 102 degrees? That'll be bubonic plague, Penny!' Would Dr Ranj be so genial dispensing out that kind of diagnosis do you think?
Ceebeebies is a godsend. Diz cannot take her eyes of it at times, so it serves a purpose when needed. Still, there are certain moments when aspects of the unsettling do come up... or maybe I'm just reading too much into things? I'll leave you with a pic of Mr Maker about to ambush someone parked on a quiet country road and let the decision be yours.
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