You think my new avatar is OTT? Nah. Bob commented on my last post that I was branching out, and I can only assure you that this is what it feels like.

It's been a long time between posts, here, mainly because my ‘Add Post' spot wasn't working - at least not on Explorer. I've now found that it does work on Firefox (thanks, Sue) so I'm back. (Aren't you thrilled?) I've also been busy trying to promote myself in the wider world, and for my attitude to that, see (http://helenmeikle.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/a-squeak-from-the-trumpet ). Not something I'm good at, and an ongoing cycle of screwing up courage. That's why I love you all here. You're so much more tolerant and forgiving than the general internet jungle.

Added to that, I've been in Sydney again. Well, no surprises there. Maybe I should have an acronym for it. IBISA. This time, it was for my son-in-law's mother's funeral (not unexpected) and for my son's 40^th birthday - also not unexpected, believe it or not. Not confronting, either - at least not in the sense that it makes me feel old. It doesn't. What always amazes me, though, is that babies are such surprise packages. You look at this funny, wrinkled little human being and what you can't see is that everything they'll become is already there. And conversely, you look at your 40 y/o son, and you see all that he's already been as well as what he is - the acorn that's still part of the oak tree, if you like. A privilege not to be taken lightly.

I also made sixty-something mini meat pies for that party, and seventy-something mini pizzas (all eaten) so I was quite tired by the time I headed home. But that's not why I ran over a metal bar at 100kph and blew both back tyres. Bent the wheel rims, in fact. The road was grey and shimmering with heat, the bar was grey and covered the entire lane, and by the time I saw it, it was too late to brake and the swerving option was cut off by a large truck. Fortunately I belong to the NRMA (NSW equivalent of the AA) but it did take them a while to find me in the middle of nowhere-much. Just lucky it wasn't the front tyres, and that I had a mobile phone, a book and a bottle of water in the car. And I wasn't even a boy scout!