Today I am thankful - birthday, friends and wishes

- for the most wonderful birthday yesterday! Yay - I am 48, what a lovely number :) Melissa popped around the night before with gifts as she would be working all day on Friday and gave my some goodies from Lush and an enormous Cherry Ripe :) Then the morning of my birthday, I got to have a lovely lie-in in peace and quiet. Luckily I was up and dressed when MIL & FIL turned up bearing a diary and small, glass elephants. While they were still here, Kaitlyn arrived for our arranged expedition - she, Molly and I were headed to our favourite Mornington for lunch, with some shopping thrown in :) First stop was Paper Squared to get supplies of a chocolate theme for scrapping her Hen's Day photos, then we went to a new pet store (huge) where Molly acted like it was her birthday instead. Then down to Main Street where we lunched outside in blazing sunshine - a first ever for my mid-winter birthday! Then to the second-hand bookstore before we drove to Mount Eliza to another second-hand bookstore, this time successful in getting the next two books in the Debbie Macomber series I am reading. Back in the car to Tully's, a local produce store, where we stocked up and savoury and sweet nibbles for the evening festivities. Back on the road and over to Kaitlyn's work to get some extra sweeties! Then home for dinner and red roses from my husband.

- for friends: evening came and so did my old NMAA group crew - they were the core members when I was group leader in the mid to late nineties and we formed a friendship circle that saw us at many trivia nights and other nights out. This was to be a night in :) With classic Countdown clips on DVD and a table groaning with cheese, chocolate and other temptations, we talked and laughed until after 11. I had requested balls of yarn for my friendship blanket in lieu of gifts and they brought riches in colours that are exactly right :) Genevieve broke the gift rule and came bearing much more than wool - also the most gorgeous orange cup and saucer from T2, which I have lusted after each time I visit, plus tea and as well as wool, a gift card for Lincraft which I discovered when everyone had left! Plus some books she was passing on and a set of LOTR on tape - we have the CD set and she thought us a fitting home for the set she had!! THANK YOU! I had the most wonderful time and we really must get together again soon.

- for birthday wishes: Remember that scene in Harry Potter, when his uncle tries to stop Harry's mail and masses of letters come from everywhere? That's how my Facebook Wall and inbox felt yesterday, as friends around the world wished me a happy birthday :) I felt awash in love and appreciate every single friend who took time to post such nice things. I think it quite made my day to look at my phone and see the stream of notifcations through the day :)