Peter Rhodes on summer, sailing and a plethora of safety warnings

We celebrated the passing of the legendary summer of '25 at a garden party where the attractions included a bouncy castle. I have never seen any product that came with so much small print and so many dire alarms, including a warning against “rough games” and advice that the bouncy castle must be overseen at all times by a trained supervisor.

Our immediate circle of friends does not include any trained bouncy-castle supervisors but it is good to know that such skills are, presumably, still being taught. I wonder how many of this year's crop of graduates will be recognised with a BSc in Inflatable-Plaything Studies. I was tempted to ask the bouncy-castle supplier for a list of training courses for bouncy castles but thought better of it. After all, the only truly risk-free and legally-complying toy is the one you never take out of the box.