The Bunny Miracle

We lost Bunny for the third time on Saturday - but this time it looked like it was forever. That night, as he was getting ready for bed, Sam realised he had left Bunny at Dylan's football match that morning. He was inconsolable, worried that Bunny was cold and scared, and blaming himself.

Jason was dispatched to King George Oval with a torch and instructions to look in the bins. He returned an hour later. No Bunny. Sam woke a few times that night asking where Bunny was. None of this makes for a happy house.

The next day we looked around the oval in daylight, and asked one of the Rugby League managers if they had a lost property. No Bunny. We trekked over to the Westfield in Bondi Junction to see if we could find a new Bunny. But nothing even came close.

Sam was still sad that night. Jason told him Bunny had gone on a holiday with The Snowman (as in Raymond Briggs... we were reading it at the time). He looked dubious.

On Monday night, Dylan had football training again. Jason checked with the canteen lady, just in case. She hadn't seen Bunny. But a few minutes later, a boy raced after him holding... Bunny! He had been put up on the top shelf of the canteen.

The look on Sam's face when he saw his beloved friend again was priceless. I had to prise Bunny from his fingers the next morning to give him a wash and stitch his ear back on a bit better. He has been telling everyone he meets about Bunny's adventures - his holiday with The Snowman, his wash and his getting fixed. And Bunny is not going to football ever again.

Preparing for school...

Dylan has been counting down the sleeps until he finally starts kindy (again). Now it's just 14 hours to go and he is beside himself with excitement.

There is a sense of deja vu - this time last year he had just started at Hilltop in England. But this time it feel like a real rite of passage, rather than a hurried item on my moving-to-do list. All his friends start tomorrow (or today) and we spent the Australia Day weekend at various BBQs, holding photo shoots of the school age group.

He has spent so much of this summer holiday wearing his uniform that both t-shirts are stained and need soaking (I realise this 15 hours before the big first day, of course - lucky I found that extra emergency t-shirt still wrapped in the back of the wardrobe.)

I will probably need a few more emergency t-shirts, as we have just lost our laundry. We are starting our big renovation (phase one) and the back of the house is completely sealed off and wrapped in dusty plastic. In 6 weeks time (if it doesn't rain) we should have a brand new shiny bathroom/laundry. That seems a long time to be doing my washing outside in the tarp-covered machine.

Dylan spent his last day of school holidays being completely indulged by me (what's new?) After a swim at Leichhardt pool with his pre-school friends (who are also in a frenzy of excitement) we saw The Waterhorse at the cinema and had a special mummy-dylan lunch. I will miss his company during the week. But I feel very ready to let go too!

At least tomorrow is not forecast to be cold and windy and wet - as it was on his first day of school last year. I am sure it will all go according to the plan he has formed inside his expectant brain. When asked what he is looking forward to most about school, he replied; "the work." Asked if he meant the reading and writing he said: "no, the cutting out and colouring in!"

Fashion trends for 2008

Sam says:

This year I will mostly be wearing underpants on my head. And sometimes on
my bottom too.