Stirabout

Rather muted stirabout today, on account of my mum dying and whatnot, but toddlers have to toddle so I grabbed my lad's camera and we drove down to DeMontfort University (Leicester Poly for those of us who can remember further back than last week). These aren't my favourite buildings in the world, but each to their own.
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Walked up past the hospital/ almshouse thing towards Newarke Houses.

This place has been shut down for nearly two years, but enjoys taunting us with its "Admission Free" tag.

Jewry Wall Museum is also shut, and walking past Leicester's shut museums on a grey January day is no kind of antidote to incipient feelings of bleakness. We diverted into Leicester and Domino's toyshop, where things began to look up. The lad enjoyed watching the train weave its way round the track above goods, and I enjoyed browsing through the toys. I quite fancy a magnetic responsibilty chart for the teenagers in the house...

...though I can't really see the point of these anodyne looking rejects. Surely "monocultural puppets" would be more appropriate; they seem to have no character or personality at all, other than looking exactly the same.

The "It's Political Correctness gone mad Health and Safety nonsense" brigade would have had a field day. These "Lace-up lads" carry a warning that they are not suitable for children under 3 due to an "Entanglement Hazard."

We hung out with the bear

and then the boy played with the trains

while we availed ourselves of the new cafe. A Latte, a smoothie made out of cranberries and stuff and the engine (makes a noise AND lights up) I bought for F. I know photographing your food is irredeemably naff, but once you've started photographing items in a toy shop you know you are beyond the pale.

The whole of Leicester seems to have fallen victim to a post-12th Night curse, as the whole city still has its decorations up - this sad leaning tree outside Rackhams just one example.

By now it was getting dark and we walked back along the river in time to watch Leicester beat Tottenham, wondering throughout why it was peeing it down there and we didn't see a drop of rain all day.
Not the most thrilling day of my life, but it was never going to be -you know?