As you have noticed I haven’t been posting here of late and with good reason.  I had been on a lovely holiday in Australia visiting family.  Although only a week long (too short), we had beautiful warm weather, fun at our young niece’s fifteenth birthday party held on the Esplanade (waterfront) of Cairns with family and friends.  A few days later, down near the Gold Coast of Australia with my younger brother and his family of four sons for three more days. The youngest who I had not met before, now three years old is tougher than his older brothers; a rugby player in the making and with dark brown eyes will win hearts with his soulful good looks.  The second youngest is a character, slight of build, witty and at six years is already attracting attention of professionals in his board diving.  Next is Eddie, sweet, bright, top of his class in science and maths at eight years of age, although he wants to be a farmer when he finishes uni.  The oldest, at thirteen years a typical teenager, has his moments, but is considerate, respectful, and adored by his younger brothers.

I have to admit, it has been hard to concentrate on writing even in the lead up to my trip, as an upsetting phone call from my brother regarding young Eddie giving them cause for concern.  While it’s hard to go into details, what I do know is that Eddie over the last couple of months had lost interest in schooling finding it tedious, boring and he had started humming to himself, added with his continuous chatter at 90 miles an hour, doctors had thought all manner of reasons for this including a brain tumour.  Naturally we were all very concerned.  Tests have only recently proved them wrong; we are still left wondering what the reason is for his overactive brain.  Mild Asperger’s, one wonders!  All this had lead me to follow closely a fellow 12x12er and admire her strength and faith as she too has had to deal with a young son, dealing with finding a cause and correct treatment for him through test after test.  It is hard for young families watching their child undergo hours of treatment if only to find a name, a cause, to give meaning for why this is happening and how they can help and move on.

The good result out of this was that Eddie was still able to come back home with us on a week’s holiday, his first on a plane and we watched closely his excitement and of cause his anxiety.  I should also mention he is an asthmatic, and his Mum was naturally a little anxious about letting him go although she knew we would look after him well.  However, she did follow a few days later and stayed elsewhere without Eddie’s knowledge in case we needed her. Over the time he was with us Eddie was taken to spend overnight in Hobbiton country visiting the houses of the Hobbits, now being kept as a permanent mini village for tourists they are working on a bar/café inn for tourists to enjoy (he was named a Hobbit being the perfect size), he will be the envy of his brothers.  This was after he had visited Candy land, and please tell me what little boy would not want to enjoy wandering through isles of candy followed by making his own lollypop?  I ask you!    Following this he visited the Museum, Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater world, learning to ski at Snow Planet with his Auntie, Dracula’s Transylvania – an indoor Mini golf in the dark, a train ride, boat ride in the harbour which was followed by a surprise my other brother had set up for him, which was a ride in an old American Chevy done out as a sheriff car complete with working siren.  Ending with a visit to the Sky Tower.  What I enjoyed most was spending each night with him as he wrote in his scrap book of his days outing complete with a colourful drawing and photos.  Watching him do his homework on the computer and listening to him reading to me.  Always questions, curious and attentive, he has a lovely sensitive, gentle nature, polite and sometimes shy, when he is excited he can’t get the words out fast enough, and one smiles at his enthusiasm.

On his last night he made a huge cheesecake for a large gathering which included his Mum who is accompanying him home again.  You should have seen the mile wide grin on his face when he presented his work of art to a round of applause.  Soooo cute!

Today is my first day without him…. Boy is it quiet!……lol.

Below is a link to the latest updates on Hobbiton….