No Crackling Matter

"Don't worry, he hasn't been to Mexico."

Seven words, all far from deadly sins, but boy did it then kick off.

Austin and I were in the doctor's waiting room, ticking off some of the twenty-five or so minutes we always seem to have to wait for our appointment. It was time for his second round of twelve month vaccinations, and perhaps it was somewhere between the anticipation of his tears and the frustration of the long wait that having a joke with the thirty-something mum seemed like a good idea.

Scratch that. It was a good idea.

Austin's a friendly and proactive wee kid. Whether in the playground, waiting room or reception of Kate's office building, he'll happily wander over to make friends with strangers. We think this is a good thing, and most adults are taken in by his smile and excited babbling. Before today, most was actually all.

He waddled over to the Balmain Mum true to form. Not impressed, however, she gave me the 'control your child stare'.

How was I to know she'd mistake our olive complexions for Mexican sun tans? How was I to know she'd take offence and launch into an outrageous tirade?

Is there no sense of irony in the inner west?

What there is is a lot of hype about swine flu. And, with the Federal Government suggesting we could end up with four million cases in Australia, I for one choose to laugh, not cry.

And, let's face it, even if Austin had infected her it's not as if she didn't have ready access to medical assistance.