Wonderful day!

Today was a busy day! Much too busy, with J on half day (in honour of the immaculate conception), the boys’ school had their Christmas fayre and S had her ballet recital.

Isn’t she cute? No sense of rhythm or sign of grace, but my baby elephant was cute as she lumped about!

In amongst all this, I was set up. But in the nicest possible way.


I had to ask a favour off one of the moms at J’s school, because as they were finishing early and I couldn’t be in two places at once so needed someone to collect J.

But I’m not keen on asking favours, and I only met these people three months ago. Having said that there are a couple of women I have really clicked with. They came around to mine over half term, and we’ve fast becoming a solid little group.

So I dared to ask one of them, Abby (she’s also J’s best-friend’s mom, which is brilliant for me!), as she lives just down the road. She happily agreed but mentioned she didn’t know what she was going to be doing with her daughter for the few hours before her son finished nursery.

Well, I had a couple of hours between pick-ups too, so I suggest she come to mine for a bite to eat.

Great, and then another mom, Sally (this one’s wonderfully nuts and always makes me laugh), asked what we were planning to do with the afternoon, so I invited her too with only the mildest worry about when I was going to find the time to tidy up and make my home respectable. But Sally po-poohed the idea saying I didn’t need the hassle, and instead suggested lunch out, and by this time a third mom, Trish said she’d like to join us.

Except we all had to be back in town for the afternoon pick-up and there’s no where in town that has a child play area. It was proving difficult, until Sally shrugged and said we should all go to hers.

This was a great idea as we’ve all been hearing about her huge freshly renovated house, and were dying to check it out.

Because I was arriving from another direction to the others, I got there first and sat outside the gates unsure whether it was the correct place, but the gates swished open and her husband waved me in.

Her house is unbelievable! Big but cosy; not too posh, but stylishly French fabulous; completely to my taste, though not my pocket ;o), and she’s like me, and loves her kitchen best of all – the big difference being mine could fit inside hers twice over (and I thought mine was big!) I could go on but you get the picture.

Of course it was total chaos with a hoard of screaming girls running about the place and toddlers investigating anything that looked vaguely edible. Sally didn’t care a jot, and we sat drinking tea around the refectory table her husband made (WOW!) and adoring Sally’s home (especially her underfloor heating, heavenly, and we all kicked our shoes off and watched the kids do roly-polies across her rug).

So we were all in her kitchen when Sally excused herself and vanished into her utility. When she reappeared she was carrying a great big chocolate cake with a lit candle on top.

Then they all started signing happy birthday.

When I say it took me several seconds to realise who they were singing to – I mean it REALLY did not occur to me, that it could possibly be me!! It’s not my birthday till tomorrow and I’ve only known these women a few months!

Lost for words is an under-statement. All I could manage was a goldfish impression and I had to be reminded I should blow out the candle and make my wish!

I was near tears. I am still. No-one has ever done something like that for me before.

Trish was sitting next to me and I asked if she had known about the cake – she laughed at me, and explained that was why we were all there!

Can you believe it? I’m still having trouble! Don’t get me wrong, people do nice things for me. But to arrange an afternoon like that?

I’ve never liked my birthday very much, but this one hasn’t even arrived and yet it’s going down as the second best ever! (The best was my twenty-first when the BH proposed) In fact it’s going down as one of my favourite days EVER! I am so lucky and today I truly feel it.