I have rarely had as odd a week as this has been. Monday was uneventful, something I am glad of now, in hindsight, considering what else the week held in store for me.

On Tuesday on the walk to school I was the sole witness to a car crash. No one was hurt but Number Two had just crossed the road. I was still on the other side with the buggy and the dog. A car going too fast shot round the corner then suddenly stopped and reversed, completely overlooking the black estate car behind it. A child would have had no chance, if one had been crossing the road.

On the walk back home, having given my statement and details to the police the what-ifs began flowing through my mind. What if Number Two had been slower crossing the road? What if his friend, on his bike on the other footpath decided to cross the road to him? What if I had been a step or two faster? In the space of a few seconds life can change. Thankfully ours didn’t that day.

Wednesday was perfectly normal until I went to school to collect the boys. Suddenly in the schoolyard a friend of Number One came running towards me, visibly upset, yelling for an adult to help. A girl was bleeding badly.

I ran over. A girl was crying. Her foot was bleeding, cut on a shard of glass she said. When she turned her foot I saw a deep, wide gash. I phoned the ambulance. While I was on the phone a teacher and another parent arrived and tended the wound. Within minutes the ambulance had arrived and the girl was looked after.

At bedtime Number Two was warm. 38.4°C. Shock, perhaps? The blood had frightened him. Or too much sun? It was up on 30°C again and he’d played outside for most of the afternoon. I gave him something for the fever and hoped for the best. By morning he was hoarse and still quite warm. The doctor says it is a bit of a virus, nothing to worry about, but to keep him home from school for this week.

By the time Thursday evening came, I had almost forgotten that the Blog Awards Ireland ceremony was taking place. Around 9pm I logged on to Twitter to see how my friends there were getting on and see who’d win in my category. I had my fingers crossed for Awfully Chipper, my personal favourite diaspora blogger.

Suddenly notification after notification popped up congratulating me. “You won” read one. I was sitting here, alone, staring at the screen, grinning in disbelief. I had won first place in the Best Diaspora Blog category.

So, thanks to you for reading and voting and to the judges for judging me worthy. I’ll try to keep up the good work.