A little piece of heaven

After the hectic birthday weekend and tonight's pamper party

 (which went down really well with the girls)

Sipping a cocktail while waiting for a manicure

I'm going away for my own pamper party, with my best friend and it will be our own bit of heaven. We're off to this spa and I've been looking forward to it for 364 days!

We've been friends for around 25 years ago from when when we both worked in a care home, we both found ourselves there more by accident than design, she was a nurse but had a 2 year old daughter and a husband who worked shifts and I had trained as a beauty therapist for 2 years at college but strangely an unqualified auxillary in a care home earned more and my boyfriend (now husband) and I wanted to save to buy our first house. We hit it off from day one and I babysat for her daughter regularly. We talked about one day going away to a spa but the cost was far out of reach for both of us, time moved on and I got married, she made my wedding dress and accompanied me up the aisle as maid of honour, her daughter then 6, was my bridesmaid.

There was a very funny moment at her house when I had a dress fitting and only the front of my wedding dress was in place - knickers on show at the back - her daughter whispered to me " don't worry I'll stand very close to you walking into church so no one else sees your knickers!"

Anyway that daughter is now 28 and I have 3 of my own but we eventually made it to the spa in the end, and what a place it is. We book it year on year, for the same few days (there's an offer on in January) and I am so excited, not least to be spending some chatty time with my friend.

Our lives are still very different, she has re-married and lives a very grown up kind of life - I'm chasing kids and am constantly in a muddle! She is tall, very slim and very well dressed - I am none of the above! I touched on my dress sense here, it's not good! On one occasion my friend suggested a shopping trip and then proceeded to shove me in a changing room and ask the assistant to keep me in there until I came out looking more presentable!

She has also been known to raid my wardrobe and throw away some of my well loved (well worn) clothes - I felt they still had a few good years in them despite the holes/fading/colour running - and of course they no longer really fitted me, but by and large they still looked good on - in my opinion!

But when we get together the chatter will flow, usually non-stop!
This is a card she sent me just before we went one year an it pretty much sums us up!

So I will return home on Friday, some of the frown lines replaced with a couple of extra laughter ones and with nails and face a-gleaming. It will all be worn off by Sunday but by then I'll be looking forward to January 2014....

 PS I have packed wine in my overnight bag - I'm not ready to detox just yet!!