My Lovely Friends.

I have some really lovely friends....really really lovely in fact.

Four of them are called Martha, Moo, Ness and Emma.

Martha’s son passed an audition to perform in The Nutcracker in a town about an hour away.Emma’s daughter did the same. We were all really really chuffed for them and agreed that we would have a nice evening out to watch it.

Well, me being me, with quite a bit on my plate at the time, never really got around to getting the tickets.  I had planned myself some time to sort them out when Martha caught me one day and said “Emma, would you like some free tickets?”

“Free” I said, “You bet I would”

“Good, it’s all sorted then”

“How have you managed to get them” I asked, thinking that because her son was performing, they had given her some complimentary ones and she had already bought hers so they were spare.

“Never you mind” she said, and off she walked.

I thought to myself that I would find out eventually, how she got the tickets and when my thoughts were correct, then I would go halves with her.

A few days later, she asked if I was in on Wednesday evening just after 8 o’clock. I said that I was and she said “Great, I have a surprise coming for you”

On the one hand, how jolly exciting was that, and on the other, how bloody frustrating that she was wandering around grinning at me, knowing something I didn’t!

I am someone who loves to know what is going on at all times and I hate it when things are kept from me, and when Martha keeps a secret, then it is kept!

I asked her if I needed to do housework in preparation for this surprise. She thought for a minute and then said “Nah, don’t worry”...Hmmm, I thought. I kept trying to question her to see if she would slip up, but she is a hard nut to crack, that one.

I would have worked on Moo, Ness and Emma, had I have known they were in on it!

Wednesday came, and I did rush about doing housework, just in case, and there was a knock at the door.

There they were,Moo, Ness, Emma and Martha, dressed up in Christmas outfits, with Martha dressed as Father Christmas, singing carols, holding a big basket.

Well, blow me down, bloody well behind my back, throughout all of November, they had been filling the huge hamper type basket with lots of goodies.

Not only was there Christmas food in there, as well as crackers and chocolates for the tree, and wine and tins and things, they had also wrapped presents too!

Blimey, there was hot chocolate and marshmallows and sweets for the girls and chutneys and allsorts!

And what’s more, there were the tickets for the show which they had bought!

I think they enjoyed the silence from me for about an hour. They have never heard me silent before!

Steph was eyeing up the chocolates and Charlotte was quite overwhelmed and got a bit teary. I think Ady was a bit speechless too.

What a simply lovely thing to do and yet again, what lovely friends we have!

We are such a lucky family in many ways, we really are. How can you be down in the dumps when people are so lovely!

The girls worried that I might be offended at what they had done. Offended? Blimey, you must be joking!

I can’t put into words how lovely it is!

We went to the show on the train and had a really lovely evening. The show was fantastic. Emma’s daughter was beautiful and graceful and Martha’s son, well, he actually got the part of Fritz amongst others and he is only nine! He was brilliant. A really proud moment for the parents that we were able to share.

Thank you ladies, for such a lovely surprise. On Christmas day, we are going to do a treasure hunt with the presents. The girls are going to do one for me and Ady, and me and Ady are going to do one for the girls. Can you imagine how exciting that is going to be, cos none of us know what is in the presents!

I can’t wait. We are all really looking forward to Christmas this year!

Pictures to follow once I have worked the camera out!

We are Emma, Ady, Charlotte and Stephanie and we live at

Piss City Central,

WeHaveASurprise,

IAmSpeechless,

EnjoyItWhileWeCanLadies

ILoveMyFriends!