Life and (near) Death Experiences!

Life: It's a BOY!!!! Zachary Brayden Bidwell was born at approx 6.50pm on 20th February, weighing 8 1/2 lbs, 52cm long, and is a good looking baby (according to his unbiased Dad, lol), and his Uncle who has photographic proof. I received phone calls yesterday morning as there was a glitch with the cell phone here which did not receive any messages that were sent the night before. Hence I have yet to receive any photos. Cannot wait to see him. I did get to speak briefly to number 1 grandson when I had a phone call from his Dad with the news too and it was great to touch base with them. That was the best part of the day which went pretty much down hill from there.

(Near) Death: I had decided to take the girls (the three that remain while the others are on camp) into Gton for a mornings shopping, followed by lunch and a movie. As another staff member wanted to go in to get her nails done and there was a shortage of vehicles available on site due to camp, she offered her car for us to travel in. As she doesn't drive (hubby away at camp), in I hopped and off we went. Not far down the road, I noticed a knocking sound, which neither of us could identify. Went a bit further up the road and finally pulled over to have a look as it sounded almost like a flat tyre (this is a four wheel drive beast that I am talking about so wasn't entirely sure what a flat would be like in one of them). Herself said everything was OK on her side, my side was fine, the back of the vehicle where the spare sits was clipped on properly, nothing else was loose, so off we went again. I had been going reasonably slow down the dirt roads (80k) and had moved up to the speed limit on the tarseal (110k) when there was a loud clunk like I had hit something on the side of the road, except there was nothing there. I had begun to slow down and was doing about 100k, when the car started moving like I had a flat or a blow out a back tyre. So, by now I am breaking gently but with serious intent and managing the car as it slew across the road ,to a stop as we went off tarseal and onto the dirt on the left hand side of the road. I remember saying to the girls to hold on (to what, I have no idea!!). Got out to have a look at the damage to the tyre only to find it wasn't there!!!!! The entire wheel had come off!!!!! The wheel was lying on the road about 25 yds up the road. Fortunately, we were all fine, not a bump or a scratch. As we were looking at the vehicle, the wheel, the vehicle, and thinking how lucky we were, a car passed us and stopped. It was a teacher from Mullewa school who carried on to Mullewa to see if the garage was open to come and get the car. (It wasn't). We had rung one of our ex teachers who now lives and teaches in Mullewa , thankfully she was up and heading to town and she offered to come and pick us up so we could continue on our day out. While I was contacting her, my colleague was busy ringing back at school to alert the Brs to our plight to see if they could come and get the car. We were not all going to fit into the ex teacher's car so my colleague decided to stay with hers and get it back on site.

Once we got to Mullewa I realised there would be 7 people for 5 seats in the car going to Gton so what to do next. Rang my co-worker back at school who was meant to be having the day off to see if she would come and pick us up and she said she would take us into G'ton if I drove back. No worries. We waited until she arrived and then went to get petrol. The cell ph rang just as I was standing next to the petrol pump when one of the girls said, "miss, you can't answer a phone near a pump" so wanting to avoid a Saturday morning Armageddon type explosion, I moved around the corner of the store to answer not one, but two calls. I had just finished when my co-worker came out having paid for petrol and off we went. We had barely gone 3ks when she looked at the gauge and hello, it was nearly on empty. She asked me how much petrol I had put in, I said none, that I had answered the ph round the corner as we got out, and then she said, but I have just paid $40 for petrol!!! Oooops, so back we went. After a discussion with the shop, she finally got her $40 of petrol and off we set AGAIN. There was some debate whether we should in fact turn round and go back to school as in how many messages from upstairs did we need not to go into town that day. We were nearly ready to go back and try again for today but I remembered I had promised to cook tea for the Brs tonight and we would be back too late from the movies to do that, so with a deep breath, off we set to Gton once more.

We had travelled nearly 80k and were about 20k out of Gton when in the middle of the road was a bloke with a sign saying stop. He approached the driver's window and said there would be a 10 - 15 min delay while they tarsealed the road up ahead. ARRRRRGGGHHH. Well, that was number three I figured, and we were still alive, so the day could only improve now, surely ....... The temp outside the car was in the late 30's if not 40's so my co-worker found a skinny bush that was casting the merest shade on the side of the road and we parked beside it until being given the go ahead to drive on. Meanwhile, as it was cooler to have the car windows open whilst in the dubious amount of shade provided by said bush, the car filled with flies ( I have not told you yet have I, that the flies are back in pestilential proportions out here!). Great. Could the day get any better. Four hours after we left school, we finally made it to Geraldton. We went straight to Maccas for something to eat before checking out what was on at the movies. We had 40 mins to spare before the movie began so we did a quick run to the shopping centre where I bought a very, very cold ice coffee and just sat while the girls did a scurry round to get their bits and bobs.

We had decided on seeing "He's Just Not That Into You" which was a total chick flick . It's probably worth just about the three stars I saw it reviewed at. The movie has Jennifer Conolly, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Anniston and Kevin Connolly to name a few, starring in it. Not an Oscar in it for any of them I would think, but would provide spending money for them at least. At least the picture theatre was air-conditioned and by this stage that was bliss as travelling in the car, the air conditioning was intermittent at best.

I drove home and had a uneventful drive all the way for which I was truly thankful. Got back to find colleague was all good, her car had been taken to Mullewa after the wheel had been put back on. (it would appear that it had not been put back on properly the week before when it had been changed over after a flat tyre!).

I was asked if I had been scared, when the wheel came off and in fact I wasn't at all because I thought I was dealing with a flat tyre or blow out and once I had bought the car to a halt and we were all OK, that was it. I think I would have been terrified if I had known the whole wheel had come off and it would have been horror on a busy road, but there you are, the angels were on our side yesterday. However, if it is anything like the snake story, by the time this one does the rounds, no doubt it will sound much more dramatic, LOL. And who says a misspent youth in vehicles cannot come in handy some time, heh, heh eg sliding on gravel roads at speed etc.

It's 10am here and the girls have just got up as they have had a sleep in this morning. We are having a very relaxing, home base day today. I need to go and get some bacon and eggs for breakfast so will sign off for now, alive and well, LOL.