Rain Made Holiday Treat For Children

Press, Volume C, Issue 29511, 12 May 1961, Page 2

Rain Made Holiday Treat For Children

A torrential downpour just as cinemas emptied their crowds made an unexpected holiday treat for Christchurch children yesterday afternoon. Cathedral square rang with excited squeals as children hopped and skipped over puddles and between cars. The tiniest children had to be carried over the biggest puddles by their elder sisters, and one very small boy was seen escorting his mother very carefully on to the few drier patches. The elder sisters, forgetting their best clothes and their lady-like manners, slipped off their shoes and paddled in the water with their brothers. Women were seen with their shoes off too. wading ankle-deep in water to reach their cars.

Right through the deepest puddle went one boy on his bicycle, his feet stretched out in front of him. Two other boys with an umbrella, tried to get their bicycle under way. Traffic was almost at a

standstill for much of the time, and cars filled the road behind the Cathedral. A bus rumbled slowly past, making waves in the puddles. Later, when the crowds had cleared, cars moved faster, sending up huge sheets of spray.

Within half an hour it was all over. The rain eased off, and the puddles ran into the storm-water drains. The children caught their buses, and the Square was quiet again.