Mr Bean on Holiday

It's half-term week and of course we have builder in to put in new cupboard/desk/etc to maximize a small room for our son. He's outgrown his room (again) and at last I have agreed to built-in furniture because, well, we don't really have a choice.

Also, having worked through Scott Joplin's The Entertainer on the back of his piano book all by himself, we asked if he would like a treat and he -- surprise, surprise -- asked to go to see Mr Bean at the cinema.

This was the boy who has refused to go near a cinema because of the loud noise level there for years. Then another parent from school took him, with cotton wool balls as ear plugs, and he now seems to be more open to the cinema.

I too was pleasantly surprised that the sound level was not as high as I remember it. Either that or my hearing has gone very bad.

Or maybe enought sensible people have complained and the management did something about it. Or maybe the Health and Safety people called round and told the cinema off. Or, I don't know. I don't care.

The thing that puzzled us was children have to pay £1.50 but an accompanying adult goes free.

There must be a catch somewhere. Ah! The popcorn is £4!

Also, we now buy tickets either from machines or the young people who serve food. No counters dedicated to selling tickets any more!

When we got into the cinema I was amazed to see the number of people, young and their parents, coming in with what appeared to be a very long (like a foot-long) hot dog with ketchup on the top, or people with tacos and gooey-stuff that I wouldn't think of as cinema food.

It was a 10.30am!

Any way, I've concluded that we live in a different world from many people.

We eat our breakfast and other meals seated at the table. Never in front of the TV, and certainly not in a cinema. Where have we gone wrong?

It was a milestone for us: son going to the cinema for the first time with his own parent!

Most importantly, son enjoyed the film.