I escaped work for a couple of hours today to take Emily to her appointment with the endocrinologist. She's growing beautifully, so no need to change anything today, and no need for more blood tests till December.

So that was good.

I always enjoy the time when we all arrive home in the afternoons. I like the bit where we sit round the kitchen table and have a cup of tea and catch up on each others' days; I like the bit where I'm cooking and the girls are doing their homework at the table and Stephen is puttering around. And I like the bit when, about an hour after the rest of us have got home, I see Bobby cycling down the driveway towards our kitchen window.

Whenever he's a few minutes late, though, my mind always turns to the thought of accidents and I think how small and flimsy bicycles are compared to cars, and I start to worry. Not real worry; just that background low-grade nagging what-if feeling, and I always feel a bit silly when he arrives safe and sound.

Today he arrived home a full forty minutes later than he usually does, and looking rather tireder than usual.

It turned out that he had indeed had an accident.

He had been coming down the very steep hill that leads into our town, and a car turned out of a sidestreet in front of him. The driver just didn't look, apparently. Bobby hit his brakes, but couldn't stop in time. As he describes it, he flew into the air, hit the bonnet of the car (leaving a large dent), bounced right over the car onto the other side, and landed on the verge. He said it all seemed to happen in slow-motion, and he was totally aware of all the details around him as it happened.

He is completely unhurt. Not even a scratch.

His bike is fine too.

He feels that this proves that he is invincible; possibly the possessor of super-powers (bouncing is pretty close to flying, apparently), and certainly the sort of person who has no need to worry about any future accidents.

I, on the other hand, feel ill when I think about the accident. He could just as easily have been flung into the oncoming traffic. Or through the windscreen of the car. Or landed badly and injured himself horribly that way.

I am so grateful that the worst thing we have to worry about at the moment is our real-estate saga.