As I walked into a cake shop yesterday, one of my buggy's wheels decided to carry on down the street on its own. Its wonderful quick-release mechanism, useful for fitting a spare while off-road racing, chose to quickly release.
But though I've had some fun with errant pram wheels, my problem with prams lies elsewhere. Before having a baby, I just hadn't realised how despised prams were when out in the everyday world.
First up is public transport, and the odious law on the buses that states only two prams are allowed on at a time. It's already hard enough to get anywhere on time these days, what with perfectly timed nappy explosions and screaming sessions, but don't you dare accidentally find yourself third pram in a queue at a bus stop. Fights will break out!
Attempting to cross railway bridges at stations is another joy. Most of them are sadly lacking in lifts or helpful travellers (when you most need them). Then there's the wonderfully large gaps between platform and carriage at many stations. Obviously people in Victorian days, when most stations were built, had exceptionally long legs.And if you're not trying to get anywhere using public transport and decide to use the street, you're suddenly faced with trees! I'd love to know the name of the clever clogs who decided it was a good idea to plant trees in the middle of pavements. And of course, if it's not trees, it's grumpy pedestrians or, dare I say it, prams.
Just who has right of way on a pavement? So many times have I played chicken with a goliath of a pram and come off the worse.
It really does make you want a special lane on the roads just for prams. Bikes get one, taxis and buses get one, so why not buggies?
Sadly, in this fume-choked world, it would seem that the only real and welcomed option for transporting a baby from A to B is to find a pram that takes petrol.