Well, life is now settling down after a very busy week during which I have reached this landmark age, come to terms with it, begun to enjoy the Sod them All attitude that swept upon me Wednesday, and have just had a lovely weekend with a celebration lunch with my family and close friends. When you get down to it and really think hard, everybody may have lots of acquaintances, work colleagues and neighbours, but real true friends who have seen you through thick and thin, are usually not that numerous and I seem blessed with more than I deserve. They were with me on Saturday and we settled down to lunch in a private room at a local hotel. Not the Ritz, not Gordon Ramsay or anything like that, just a friendly, old fashioned hotel where we had a good lunch, good wine and lots of chat, talk and laughter.
I received some lovely gifts this week, flowers, chocolates, perfume, DVD's, books, book tokens, Amazon tokens, Covent Garden Vouchers and other assorted goodies, but without wishing to sound like a sentimental softie (well I am going to so what...) the best present I had was from my two daughters, both of whom gave a speech and toast at the lunch, that reduced me to mush and tears. Being a parent is a tough enough task and most of the time we stumble along wondering if we are doing ok, so to have my wonderful girls making it clear that they love and appreciate me as a mother and saying this in public, was incredibly touching and reassuring.
So, all in all, a simply wonderful week and enhanced enormously by the endless good wishes I have had emailed to me and posted on my blog from all you other lovely people. Thank you so much all and please continue visiting.
While writing this I am listening to one of my birthday presents, Verdi - Don Carlos and have just reached the wonderful baritone/tenor duet in Act I between Don Carlos and Rodrigo. Never fails.
PS - Hope you like the picture of this birthday take which Google threw up - love it...
