July 2008

Now where did I leave off? That's right Ashley's birthday - the beautiful princess. About a week later I was literally horsing around on all fours with the kids on my back. Ashley falls off my back (so about a foot and a half, two max) straight onto her right shoulder. An audible crack, that silent 'What the?' look your child gives before their minds can process whats happened and I knew she had broken her other collar bone! So another trip to the emergency room, another xray, another sling and another 6 weeks of behavioural regression ie. assistance with dressing, feeding, toileting the lot. The funny thing was that when she had done the left side just 6 months before it had been on Simon's watch whilst jumping on the bed or perhaps 'falling' would be a more appropriate term. He had felt sick to the core with guilt and whilst I sympathised with him I told him not to worry it could happen to anyone. Subconsciously I think I was really saying "Don't worry hon it could happen to anyone, not me mind you, but yeah it could happen to anyone". The guilt was awful, I thought all the medical staff were looking at me questionably and to make things worse when we were in the car on the way home Simon asked Ashley to tell him how it had happened. Ashley said "Mummy pushed me". Oh the pain!

Friends have made the not so subtle suggestion that we are bad parents in need of reporting to the authorities and that we simply move to a new country when the trail of broken bones and abuse becomes too obvious.

Despite the sling Ash was a real trooper and was not deterred from pool fun, pre-school or other activities like our day at the circus courtesy of our friends Helen and Bill Wilson (Bill stayed with us in East Doncaster at the end of 2007)

Simon had a busy month in July working at US tournaments, presenting for Titleist in Norway and then the British Open in the UK. At one point he had done 7 flights in 7 days. Travel might not be so glamorous anymore but hey, I'm looking forward to the frequent flyer points!

Simon would do the following photos from the British Open more justice but the first shows Aaron Baddeley playing a round with Greg Norman (purple top) and the others show a bit of the course terrain - a little different from the norm.

Who needs Tom Cruise when we've got Liam to personify 'Risky Business'.

We were informed this month that we were entering Hurricane Season not that we did anything about it because well we just didnt. It was on that perpetual list of things 'To do'. Anyway a friend tells me a tropical Storm may be heading our way and whilst it was not likely to develop into a hurricane we should take some practical steps just in case. So I meander along to the local Walmart to pick up some torches and bottled water only to find the wall of torches half gone, no water at all and two ladies squabbling over batteries. My friend Alice told me not to be alarmed but when you see this sort of stuff you start to question the severity of it. Anyhow like so many others it blew over (sorry couldn't help myself) and either got downgraded, took another course etc.. We've been told that due to Hurricane Katrina and then Rita who closely followed, people often panic with each warning. Friends who have lived in Texas all their lives told us to have a hurricane specific box with torches, batteries a radio and some canned food. I made a start on that box but it wasn't like we would ever need it? Right? . . . .