Roger got a phone call from Anne on Friday morning to say that things were not looking good for Brenton - the doctors were talking about possible internal bleeding and had said there was nothing more they could do and could Roger go up to the hospital and give him a blessing. Of course this was an upsetting phone call and we decided that Roger would go up and I would take care of the ward camp shopping. Roger called Alan Scofield to meet him and they went up to the hospital. I had some urgent work that morning too, so went in to the office and got through that then went shopping for the camp.
We were planning to pick up the kids, take them up to see Brenton, then go camping that night.
Nicole Edwards rang - she had Brian and Garrett in hospital so I offered to take Asher on the camp with us.
Roger came back from the hospital to say that Brenton had rallied a bit and was doing better - though still had abdominal swelling.
At this stage the plan was still to pack for camp, bring the kids home from the Stradbroke camp, shower them, then go up to Brenton etc.
At about 2 pm while we were packing, Roger phoned Anne, who said that Brenton was doing better - so we decided to just go on camp.
The kids were due back from Stradbroke at 3 pm, so we went into Pine to wait for them. Turns out that Sue's car wouldn't start, so Noel was going down to the ferry to pick up the boys -who should have been in Sue's car - and bring them home. Sue would wait on the island till the RACQ came to the rescue. Noel rang at 10 to 3 to say that he was still trying to get on to the Gateway so that meant that we were now looking at a 4.30 pm return at earliest.
Sensibly Roger went in to the school, found an old futon and lay down on it to sleep for the next hour!
Caryl came back with the Tarago at about 4 pm, but all our kids were in the other two cars. Sue phoned in the meantime to say that it was actually a starter motor and that she was on the ferry with her car idling all the way because she couldn't turn it off.
Roger took Max and the Tarago home and I waited for the kids. We were due to pick up Asher at 5.30pm and I was wondering if we'd make it. But Noel and Patty arrived at 4.45 - so we loaded up and went to pick up Asher.
Wish I could say that we went home and I cooked a nutritious and delicious dinner - but we actually had KFC - which is neither. Then we finally got to camp at around 7.15. We set up tents - Mark Parry was already there with Jess, Madi, Daniel and Jasmine Whitney. Tim Cole followed Alec and Peet up the mountain.
One of the great things about the ward family camps is that we all take tents for the adults and little kids and all the big kids lay their mattresses and sleeping bags out in the shed.
David and Beth arrived at around 8 pm and that was it for campers - except for Peter Harlow who came up for a couple of hours after breakfast.
We made some Milo - and sat around while the kids played tackle red rover, and hide and seek etc - not the little kids - all the kids. Samuel (who is 4) got tackled 3 times! But he tackled big kids more often and the little ones can always win since the big kids are being so careful to not trip them and so end up on the ground themselves!
This was still going on at 11.30pm when we said it was really bedtime. Louisa, Asher and I slept in one tent and Roger and Max in another. The teenagers stayed up talking and playing board games till about 1.30 - which accounts for these bleary eyed photos:
Feeding the kookaburras:
Doing handstands:
The fabulous thing about the camp was that all the kids played together - there surely can't be anything much better for a teenager's sense of perspective or a little kid's sense of self worth than an all in together game of tackle red rover, or a jumping game, and so on. And it was a delight for the 6 adults there to watch. The teenagers were so attentive, and had such fun and the little kids presented a picture ranging from contentment to joy.
We got home at about 1.30 in the afternoon and Peet was getting worse rather than better.Lee rang from Melbourne to say that I had accidentally booked him into a gay hotel for the next 3 days - good thing he is secure in his masculinity!
Peet was screaming by this time so we hurried around and unpacked, then Roger and I took Peet to the hospital for x rays. We dropped Asher home on the way - Brian was home but Garrett was still in hospital.
Not broken - just badly sprained and he was rewarded with crutches. The whole time we were in the hospital Peet smiled and chatted, then the second he got in the car to go home he started screaming in agony - and continued all the way home.
We unloaded him, dosed him up with 3(!) panadol, moved his mattress in to the lounge room,put on a compression bandage, and raised the ankle.
In the meantime Alec had changed the windscreen in the forerunner, and Jesse did a few loads of washing (there was a mountain of it - 2 camps at once!).
I went to the shops for groceries, and Roger got ready for General Conference Priesthood meeting broadcast.
When I got home with the groceries, Roger and Alec were on the way out - we made Chicken and Broccoli for dinner, finished the washing, bathed and shampooed Louisa and Max and finally the day is done!
Almost - Roger and Alec are home and just finishing off Alec's forerunner so that he can drive it to church tomorrow.
