Has anyone seen Gorbo?

I take my hat off again today to the resilience and imagination of children. And their trust in us adults.

What would we do without imagination? Especially now at this point in history where we are constantly having to rethink how we do things. And how we do without things…and people? I feel lucky to be in contact with my family and able to share what they are doing. Aged almost three, and five and a half,  my grandchildren and I are in separate bubbles but each day I hear and see them talking about their artwork and their many pretend and other activities.

Because I can’t go and visit them, the five year old decided that Gorbo, one of the family’s soft toys that live here with me,  would  go in my place. Gorbo has been in the family a long time. (My younger daughter fell for his charms in the local toy shop and paid him off from her pocket money.) Fortunately lock down and Level Three restrictions do not affect “pretend travel.” and so the story started.  Gorbo was excited to be going on a trip.  I helped him pack a bag and next morning my granddaughter got up early and made him an aeroplane to fly in. See below. It didn’t matter that the plane was in Auckland and Gorbo lives in the South Island. Gorbo was on his way. All that was needed was a landing space in the Auckland garden. But it turns out that there is even more scope for air travel to go wrong in pretend stories than in real life. Gorbo failed to arrive.

We know he got as far as Wellington. And after some persuasion my grand daughter contacted MagicAirways.com and was told that he was all right and had access to the Koru Lounge where he would be well looked after until a seat to Auckland was found.  Nothing more was heard of him after that. His hostess in Auckland seemed unpertubed. She had come to the conclusion that although her plane was definitely real perhaps the idea of Gorbo flying up to Auckland was only pretend and could therefore be delayed. I myself heard that he was last seen living it up with a bunch of other monkeys in the rafters at Wellington Airport but then yesterday I was informed by said granddaughter that MagicAirways.com had found him a seat to Auckland…No 7 to be precise and he was on his way again.

Watch this space and please keep an eye out for Gorbo and his plane (see photo to right) flying overhead.

Take care of yourselves.

Arohanui Helen