We had a quiet morning. After a croissant breakfast we spent time making special birthday cards for Maria (see Ben's, Gabi's and mine). As you can see, the kids put in a big effort and wrote some brief, yet touching words.
We went for a drive, then had lunch followed by buying flowers and spending time at the Cemetery (photos). It was actually quite nice, finally being blessed with a beautiful day. We sat around the grave and chatted. The kids ran around playing (it was lovely to see they can enjoy themselves so much - it is a lovely location) while I sat with Maria and listened to "Sons of Korah".
Afterwards we went to the skatepark. That's when things went pear-shaped. I had fixed Gabi's scooter and put my iPhone in my pocket. She complained about it so I leaned over to check the problem and my phone fell and hit the ground. The bottom of the screen shattered, but is held in place by the anti-glare film the kids bought for my birthday. It still works!
You should never assume things, like "well as least it can't get worse", because it can. I was skating and Gabi called something and ran around the corner. As I looked up I hit a stone on the concrete and the board stopped, but I didn't. The good news was that I was wearing the helmet I bought on my birthday, which took some of the force (right side of head). The bad news was that I didn't have other padding so my right elbow, thigh and left hand also took the impact. After icing my elbow and hand, the elbow has improved a little (hopefully just end up with the grazing and some bruising). My left hand is quite swollen in a couple of spots on the palm. Typing has been manageable. My neck has been pretty bad all week from what I believe was last week's crash. It started to settle after commencing anti-inflammatories last night, but today's stack may have put me back to square one. I haven't hit the pain relief yet, but may need some to get through the night. Tomorrow morning I'll probably feel like a rugby forward the day after a big game.
Our dear friend Janelle travelled down to see us. It was great to see her––the first time since she married. We all had Indian for dinner while watching "The Pink Panther" (Steve Martin version). She will stay with friends tonight and will come to church with us, followed by a picnic.
