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Showing posts from May, 2009

Sadly, nothing.

Sometimes on a weekend when the kids ask what we will be doing that day I say, "Sadly, nothing" in order to prepare them for the brutality of a day that will be spent around the house doing odds and ends and chores. Normally Archie will throw himself down crying "Why nothing? Why? Why?" in amongst his tears but today a new maturity showed itself as he wondered about repeating "Sadly . Nothing " in various intonations to get as much humour out of it at my expense as he could. Wish I had it on video.

Second Hand Books

Flu worse than ever - hate to think then what would be involved with swine flu! Had both kids home with it all last week too. Luckily Col (still in cast and collar bone not yet healed) was able to do all the cooking and walking to the shop. As I am the only one able to drive I got us all up the shops on Saturday to Beyond Q - the local second hand book shop which also has a cafe with great coffee. I exchanged some unwanted books for $35 worth of credit and we were all able to choose something then have coffee and cake. I got an old copy of Mia Freedman's The New Black which is the perfect book to read when you are sick - short little article sized chapters on light topics. Ruby got the first in the Lemony Snickett series for $8 too.

An unexpected turn of events.

Monday night while bathing kids and getting dinner a stranger rang to tell me Col had had an accident while riding home and needed me to come pick him up. I knew immediately it must be baddish because Col has had accidents before and still managed to drag himself and bike home. "Is it bad?" I asked. "Uh, yes" said stranger in clipped tones (a mental image of Alain De Botton, only in cycling gear, made itself available to me). Slipping effortlessly into the role of Panicky Wife I took down some confused coordinates for a bike path in Aranda, thanked the man and went to get the kids rugged up so we could go and find daddy all bruised and broken somewhere on a bikepath in the dark. Fortunately Col managed to collect himself and call me on his mobile before I had left the house and I convinced him to call an ambulance. Then worried he would fall unconscious again before calling I decided to call them myself. Yes, they assured me without any patronising or making me feel