Last weekend we took the kids camping to Bendalong Point, which is about 2 hours drive south from us. It is the most gorgeous, spectacular place, with crystal clear water, deserted beaches, and wildlife everywhere, like kangaroos, stingrays and dolphins. Yes, real stingrays! They glide back and forth in the bay where the fishing boats come in and wait to be fed. They come in so close that their 'wings' ripple above the water and you can see their bulbous eyes poking out. Declan was in 7th heaven. He attached himself to a group of young teenagers who were feeding the rays and lanaged to pat a stingray and then feed it. While this was going on we looked up and there out in the bay was a pod of dolphins flinging themselves merrily through the air. Absolutely magical! We will definately be going again sometime. We were with a group of families who all have a child in Simon's class, so the kids were off all day riding their bikes through the camp ground, having a wonderful time.

But on our last day there, Sunday, my mother rang with the news that my Grandma had fallen at home and had shattered her ankle and was now in hospital, waiting to be operated on. She ended up being transferred to another hospital, closer to her home, where her private physician works, and having the surgery on Tuesday. But things are not good, and I am just so worried and upset about it. Physically she seems to have come through the surgery ok, and yesterday was able to get up for a short while and have a shower. But my grandfather, who is extremely frail and unwell himself is beside himself with anxiety, which is making him even more unwell. They live in their own home still, you see, and Grandma will not hear of moving into a retirement home situation. But when Grandma fell, (we think she fainted) it was Gramp who had to drag her into the house and then get her to hospital. (Can you believe it, apparently he called an ambulance, but they wouldn't come because at that time Grandma thought she had sprained her ankle- the woman is 86 and has had a fall! How would she know what she has done to herself?) Anyway, that act in itself nearly killed him and so my mum has been going over there every day and ringing him all the time to check on him. My mother still works basically full time, so this is of course very difficult for her, she has taken time off, but can't take anymore. I'm hoping to get up there this week, but I have to find someone to look after Ruby... etc etc.

Apart from that drama, this week had the good result of Declan's follow up visit to Westmead Children's Hospital. The paediatrician has decided that he does have quite bad bladder instability and has put him on medication. Thank goodness for that. I am hoping we will see an improvement very soon.