Home for the holidays

Oh sob - it's back to school tomorrow...which means Tone and I have to wake up early. Argh! But very exciting for Jadie - she could barely sleep tonight, so excited about being form captain.

We've had a fab holiday tho' - here at home - with a constant stream of gorgeous friends from around Australia. Tone and Phil and all their childen have been up from Melbourne for the past 10 days. Tone (Wits) and I both noticed how not one person at their resort's swimming pool actually stopped to stare at Tara - even tho' she was hopping around the pool and diving in sans her prosthetic leg. I think she was just acting so 'normal' and so full of fun that nobody had a chance to even see anything out of the ordinary.

There have been a few moments tho' when the kids have played games - and the boys aren't as keen as the girls to have Tara on their side...coz she's a little slower. But the girls have so made up for it that I don't think Tara's really noticed. And if she has - it's just more impetus to learn to run faster.

She's been learning to ride her new bicycle (which was donated to her by a very kind cycling shop owner in Melbourne). And even tho' she fell off twice - she got right back on it again. All 3 girls are also learning to play squash and, as Jadie mentioned in her blog entry (where she had a go at Cassie!), they also had daily swimming lessons during the holidays. Tara's stroke is great - she was placed in a higher group than even gorgeous Cas! (Very funny & soooo fab to see Cas laugh at herself. Nothing like your younger one-legged sister being a better swimmer than you!)

Donna & Fraser came for a sleepover; and Steve & Sian, Zoe & Portia and friends also stopped in from Noosa. All divine. And Tara just loved playing tennis with them. Love her get-go attitude. She didn't think twice about playing with the older girls, even tho' she's only just begun learning tennis and it's a rare miracle when that ball gets over the net.

We had another media interview - this time over yummy milkshakes at Bahia - for the Queensland Events magazine which comes out next year.

And most importantly, Tara got a cast taken for her next leg!!! Hopefully she'll be in the new leg by the end of October. Wow! She had to go in and get the current leg fixed a little - was hurting her around her knee so she couldn't wear it. Blah.

Saw such a funny interview on telly last night with Andy Hills - the Aussie comedian who has an amputated foot. He was talking about doing the Leeds show (UK) - where he let his prosthetic leg do some crowd-surfing. It is funny how people do react to seeing a prosthetic leg - even on the beach with Tara - people are less likely to stare at her, as to stare with huge grins on their faces at LouLou, propped in the sand. It's a novelty people seem to love. Tone and Phil's little twins have just loved stroking Tara's stump - very loving.

OK - must get ready for school tomorrow! Hope you all have a fab week!