Today Lily went on her first playdate ever to her best friend's house - without her Mummy

Today I dropped Lily at her best friend's house for a play date - without me.

Asha is Lily's best friend. Asha is Balinese. She looks like an Indonesian princess; chocolate eyes, chocolate skin, chocolate hair and Lily and Asha just adore one another - they always have.

Asha's mum, Amy and I have always met up at the park or a play centre, but today the girls had a play at Asha's house. They are now talking sleep overs! We shall see in the future, it may be a different story when the sun goes down.

Being an only child (at this point) Lily loves the company of other children. The two girls have a really precious bond - having been drawn to each other very early on when they were both bubbies-in-cots at pre-school.

Funny how the parents of the friends that your children befriend, become your friends. Thank goodness Lily has exceptional taste in people. Perhaps she seeks out people with similar values to us/to me? I stepped into Amy's house today and it felt like I was walking into my own home:- colourful, mosaic pots everywhere, a strong sense of culture, love, family and nature infiltrating every room. Asha's family are beautiful people and we welcome them into our lives.

I feel a sense of relief and pride, that our girl has the intuition to find herself a wonderful, little person as her best friend. Let's see how the teenage years go - we probably won't even get to meet the parents then will we? Can one insist upon this? They are so protected when they are young. Lily can move in with my sister during this period and Trudy can monitor and interview her compardres!

[The photo above is of Lily before she left for Asha's house this morning. She woke early to draw copious amounts of pictures to take to her best buddy Asha].

Lily, the night before her play date with Asha

Last night, Lily went into her room and layed out all of her clothes(including her Strawberry Shortcake knickers) in readiness for her play date at Asha's house.

Today I...

began the first day of my holidays !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We walked our puppies and then I came home and did all of my Christmas shopping online for Lily. I finally tracked down the tree house that was around when I was a kid - you know the one that popped up and had a family of 5 with a car and a swing in it, that you wound up?! I think Lily and I will fight over it. My cousin Lisa had one when we were kids and I loved that thing!

Interestingly, when the Magic Tree house was first created 25 years ago in France, I doubt it was advertised in the way that it is now and I quote:

"The Magic Tree teaches children the notions of ecology, renewable energies and the protection of endangered species".

Vulli, the French company have since made the tree electronic, making the whole countryside come to life when you open it up, "recreating sounds of birds chirping and that of a running river".

The characters have also been environmentally named since I was a youngster. There is: 1) Martin - the forest ranger father 2) Begonia - the fruit and vegetable growing Mummy 3) Robin, the little boy 4) Cherry - the little girl 5) Basil - the dog who comes with his own humane kennel. How life has changed!

As Lily is starting big school next year, I also ordered cute little, 'Lily Kate' stickers and iron-ons for her school belongings and uniform. Beside her name are pictures of owls wearing sunglasses! Too cool for school. She will love these when she unwraps them under the Christmas tree.

I also ordered a little something for myself - personalised stationery, with my blog address up top - you should see the image that I selected for the paper - so cute and yet so totally unnecessary!

I also ordered 2 good books for my holiday reading.

How uplifting is this weather! Drowning in my own self-absorption and loving it.

This week I ...

- had breakfast with Lily in her cubby outside (view from the cubby, looking outside in the photograph above).

- sat in a tranquil garden by myself, surrounded by the smell of spring. I smelt Azaleas, reminding me of the tending of an old-fashioned garden - like my late-Pop's. I smelt real roses that have a perfume that makes you sigh - the colour red, like a Mr Lincoln.

- wrapped Lily tightly in a warm blanket and nursed her like a newborn, after she came out of surgery distressed. I felt the power of the love between a mother and a daughter. When Lily came out of the anaesthetic she was confused and screaming for her Mummy. The nurses came and got me and as soon as I held her, she stopped. Her little body relaxed and she went back to sleep in my arms. I patted her. I had a moment, a revelation, I felt so lucky. Our love for each other, our knowledge of each other, is instinctive - no words are needed. I have lived knowing the love of a child.

This week I ...
- let a handful of significant people into my life - almost physically feeling the accommodation and transition. I let go, let my guard down and realised their extreme loyalty to me and consciously accepted them into my inner circle. I resist intimately taking 'new people' into my personal and immediate world because each being requires; tending, love, water, sunlight and nourishment. I am aware that my time and energy only allows me to nurture a select few close friends. My priority is raising my family. As I get older the friendships that I forge are fewer, but stronger.

-laughed loudly and deeply, expelling sorrow and tiredness, breathing sunshine and colour into my soul.

- was affected monumentally by the depth of kindness, protection and support offered by my friends.

- took steps to alter my life and well being in 2011. I created a plan that suits me, enabling me to achieve a level of fulfillment, creativity, balance and harmony in my life next year and for the remainder of this year.

- scratched the surface and found profound joy.

The edited version of 'The Proposal'

Well over a week ago, I sat down to write an excerpt for my blog entitled 'The Proposal'. Over 3,000 words and a chapter and a half (of my book) later, I still haven't a short, sharp and interesting post to shower you with.

My apologies. I keep getting texts and emails from people saying "Where is the proposal story?" I need to tell it as a whole because it really was a weekend long memory and each moment leading up to 'it' was significant.

But to be brief though and because the purpose of a blog is to be a blog and not a novel, I will say that 'the proposal', culminated in two separate events.

The official proposal occurred whilst on a romantic weekend away at Blueys Beach.

A second proposal ensued a couple of days later when we returned home. On that occasion, Paul proposed to Lily, bending down on one knee and placing a "diamond" ring (please note the inverted commas) on Lily's squidgy, little, ring finger, asking for her hand in marriage.

Paul told me later that he had found Lily's ring, well before mine.

Lucky for Paul - both girls said yes!

The above photograph is of the beautiful pink lilies and roses that the staff at my work had sent to our door, after hearing the good news of our engagement. Rebecca our social club organiser - you are gorgeous!

When the flowers arrived I thought how wondrous it is that the very idiosyncrasies and peculiarities of our colleagues, who often create such vexation to our spirit, suddenly become the very personable and endearing qualities that reduce one to tears!

I cannot leave the place that I work. These people are truly beautiful friends.

Last night, three girl friends from work took me out to dinner to toast our pending wedding.

I am a very lucky girl xo

A sunny spot at our breakast table

The vase of lilies were from Paul for my birthday. An engagement and a birthday all in the same week!

The pot of parsley, from a friend at work, is sitting on my dining table as I attempt to de-mystify if indeed it is just an old wives tale, that giving parsley to a friend, makes that said friend pregnant!

For those of you who are also 'trying', save yourself the effort of trying to channel the blessings of the fertility Gods, by accruing and displaying bowls of quinces around the home. Quinces in bowls do not deliver.

Paul proposed on Saturday night! We are getting married!

Above and below are some old and fav pics of us since we have been together...

When time permits, I will go into a bit more detail...about the proposal, which was beautiful....

It will be a country wedding - a party, a celebration and we can't wait!

Us xo

I like this one of us smiling at each other ...

Us at the Hunter Valley

The early days