Over the last few days, we've had a sudden case of quite severe croup on our hands. Blake came down with a slight wheezy cough on Saturday afternoon, and by that same night we could tell he had definite croup symptoms. We steamed up his bedroom, gave him a dose of Nurofen and wrapped his throat with my Mum's old fashioned "1-2-3 Never Fail To Cure Croup Recipe". Just in case anyone wants to know, it's one part methylated spirits, two parts vinegar and three parts water, shaken up in a bottle. We dipped an old cloth nappy strip in it and tied it around Blakey's throat, and although the smell of him coming up behind me with that neckcloth brought back a surge of childhood memories, it did fail to cure Blake. So last night we finished up taking him into hospital, where the doctor said he had to stay the night under observation. That meant that someone had to spend the night there with him, of course, and that person was me. I'm pleased to report that Blake had a sound sleep and ended up quite improved, but not so for me. Having to huddle on a very narrow side of the one bed with my ear right next to his croupy snores isn't my idea of an ideal night. The nurses tiptoed in to assess his oxygen levels and temperature every few hours and it seemed that I was still awake whenever they came. My nerves were raw by the time we were allowed home this morning. I warned Logan & Emma that I was in no mood for listening to any bickering from them. "Tread carefully, I've got one nerve left and you're getting on it!"

Anyway, as a total change to one of my favourite subjects of stunning coincidences, I found the following in a book from the library and was blown away! I knew a smattering of American history but is this freaky, or what? The coincidences get more bizarre the further down you read. The question I have to ask my American friends is, were you guys already aware of all this??

Similarities between the Lincoln & Kennedy assasinations

1) Both Lincoln and Kennedy were elected to the presidency exactly one hundred years apart, in 1860 and 1960.

2) Both Lincoln and Kennedy each had to bury a child who had died during their occupancy of the White House.

3) President Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. President Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln.

4) Each of their secretaries advised them not to go to the places where they were assasinated: Lincoln to the theatre, Kennedy to Dallas, Texas.

5) Both were assasinated in the presence of their wives by gunshot wounds to the back of the head.

6) The vice presidents who succeeded the assasinated presidents were both former senators, both from the south and both named Johnson.

7) Both vice presidents, Andrew Johnson and Lyndon Johnson were born exactly 100 years apart, in 1808 and 1908.

8) Both assassins had three names totaling fifteen letters: John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald.

9) Both assassins were born 100 years apart, in 1839 and 1939.

10) Booth shot Lincoln in a theatre and ran to a warehouse. Oswald shot Kennedy from his perch in a warehouse and ran to a theatre!

11) Both assassins were killed before they were brought to trial.

12) Lincoln and Kennedy both left a legacy for the advancement of civil rights.

13) Both presidents' last names contain 7 letters.