A beautiful end to a relaxing holiday....

Yesterday I travelled to Meadowhall in Sheffield to meet some of the people I talk to on the readitswapit forums with Mrs.Sparky and daughter Emilie. It was a great day, though it took 3 hours each way to get there, and got to spend some quality time with some really amazing friends that I have made who are among of the most beautiful people in my life. I finally got to meet a dear friend, Glynis whom I have spoken to for ages online and who is the driving force behind the online bookgroup, Babbling Books. It was as though we already knew each other and she was just as I expected her to be and every bit as genuine and friendly in real-life as she is online. She's had a bad start to the year but, like I told her, that just means the rest of the year can only get better! I was also able to catch up with Kate, whose son is three months younger than Emilie and whom we alays joke that Emilie is going to marry when she is older, and my best freind Sarah, whom I absolutely love to bits despite the fact that she always gives me so much stick! We have this great relationship, all four of us, and it was soo great that they could finally meet Mrs.Sparky and that Sarah could get a cuddle with Emilie at last!! It was a really good day though I wasn't that impressed by La Tasca where we ate. There were 21 of us in total yesterday who went to Sheffield to get together and my only criticism was that was a few too many people as I never really got a chance to mingle with any new faces and spent the whole time just catching up with my three bestest friends in all the world! I actually felt quite sad when it was time to go, its been two years since I saw Katie and Sarah last but we have promised each other to not leave it that long before we see each other again! And I really want to see Glynis again too as she is an amazing person- I cannot get over how well we thought we knew each other already!

We did an anonymous bookswap via a lucky dip between everyone who was there and I got this really emotional tear-jerker of a book about an 11 year old boy dying from lukemia that was actually a much better read than it sounds and was a truly remarkable book! Started it last night when I got in and finished it this morning and I had tears down my face by the end. Truly made me appreciate the fact that my daughter has her health and made me want to pick her up and give her a big hug! It is told from the viewpoint of the boy who is dying and is very well written given the subject matter. The book is called WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER BY SALLY NICHOLLS and I would fully reccommend it to anyone! Especially if you liked THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME BY MARK HADDON which was all about Aspergers syndrome! Nicholls' book is written very much in the same vein.

Overall this has been a nice relaxing week off- monday I took Emilie swimming and the rest of the week has just flown by. I'm really sad that yesterday has come and gone and that tomorrow I will be back at stress-filled work but that is tomorrow! For today, we have a 30th birthday party to go to later so that should be fun! We have done so much together this year already, me and Mrs.Sparky, and we have more to look forward to later as well as we are going away for a wedding in May and spending a week in a cottage with her mum and brother. I think I must be making up for a lacking social life last year as, what with Mrs.Sparky's uncle's sixtieth party, her step-brother's wedding, her mum's xmas party and then this week Sheffield and her best friend's party, there have been very few weekends so far where we have not been doing anything!! I had forgotten what it had been like to be social.....

All for now, will speak to you soon- probably more stessed as I will be back at work! Still, at least I have a job which is more than can be said for some people in this tough economic climate!

Sparkyxxx