A Very, Very, Very Long Saturday

Poor Craig. This was a very long day that ended with a ride on a bicycle that was a bit too long and that went far too late into the night.

The day began quite well however with a morning at home with Dad before lunch at the nice outdoor cafe near where Craig's Mum studies chi-gong.


The next photo is smudged because a certain little boy keeps opening up the camera cover and putting his grubby fingers on the lens.


Craig's afternoon nap was cut slightly short by a registered mail delivery that woke him up. Craig's parents then took him to the Nangang Sports Center
http://ngsc.tms.gov.tw/en_index_red2-1.htm
where he first spent a bit of time watching trains run through a nearby level-crossing instead of playing in the sandpit. The "sand" is more half-dirt/half-sand and not very good to play in anyway.


Craig had a much better time playing on the one and only slide in a small park at the side of the center.


Every time he went down the slide he had a big smile on his face.


Then, it was time for an early dinner at, where else, TGI Fridays! At first Craig concentrated on the LED lights across the street that fascinate him every time he eats there.


Craig's Mum took care of breaking up Craig's chicken into bite-size pieces so that he could feed himself.


But, Craig preferred the fries to the chicken.


Craig's Mum fed him some pieces of mandarin for dessert.


And then, while Craig's Mum stayed at home to tutor mathematics, Craig and his Dad got on the bicycle and went for a long, long ride. They went all the way to Chungshan Soccer Stadium to watch Taipei City FC play against Taiwan's national team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chungshan_Soccer_Stadium



Just like the last time Craig attended a football match,
http://craigalexandersworld.blogspot.com/2008/04/taipei-city-fc-lady-killer.html
Craig didn't pay much attention to the football, preferring to play with other people and his ball.


Craig's Dad tried to get Craig to kick a big soccer ball but with very limited success.


After the end of the game, Craig wandered off to be by himself. He seems to like big open spaces.


Young women in Taiwan all love Craig. (Yes, Craig's Dad is stating this as an indisputable fact. If you could see the way young women react to him you would know that it is true.) However, when two young women showed up with a puppy Craig became very excited. He wanted to stay close to the puppy but couldn't bring himself to touch it. Every time someone tried to pull his hand close to the puppy he would quickly pull it away.


But, with the game finishing after 9pm and Craig not having had a long nap in the middle of the day, the long ride home was always going to be difficult. Craig's Dad thought that making regular stops would make it easier for Craig to stay awake until he could reach the comfort of his bed at home. But, he didn't. He fell asleep in his little chair on the back of the bike about 20 minutes before reaching home. And, one older child that saw him asleep actually laughed at him!! Kids are cruel like that and sometimes Dad's are not thoughtful enough.


But, Craig's Mum always take good care of her baby. As soon as Craig had been carried upstairs, Craig's Mum gave him a nice warm bath and put him to sleep where he could sleep comfortably right through the night.