Maybe Jerry stole Tom's dole money...

I've been meaning to show you guys this picture for a while, but I never quite knew where to start with it. It was taken on a visit to Rufford country park in Nottinghamshire. A jolly good day was had by all, especially when we stumbled across a children's merry-go-round with the following decor -

Before I go on, I just want to draw your attention to the enormity of what you are witnessing here. Here are your childhood memories, stamped on and mangled by dodgy men who run the waltzers on a weekend.

Where do I start? Jerry's newly acquired beer belly, which is so huge it actually drags on the ground? Tom's casual stroll, with which he's apparently still able to catch up with Jerry, who is at full sprint? The way that Jerry is near enough the same size as Tom?

All these are fine features indeed, but what really makes this fresco true art is what Tom is holding in his hand. He is chasing Jerry with a baseball bat. A baseball bat with a goddamn nail through it. I don't remember this in any Tom and Jerry episodes, ever. Sure, there were pianos dropped on heads, and dogs set on cats, but at no point did Tom plump for the average northern skinhead gang's weapon of choice. It all seems so wrong somehow, like Tom is about to start Drinking Stella and wearing a vest.

Having said that, I still would have gone on the merry-go-round if I'd been able to. It was one of those ace ones from the 80s, with a double decker bus you can sit on. Unfortunately, I just missed the height and weight limit by about 2 feet. And about 6 stone.