I’ve not been back blogging that long but already someone has seen fit to bestow an award upon me. I figure Peggy has just run out of good people to award things to but, hey, I’ll take it where I can get it. Thanks Peggy! A conditional requirement of the honour is that I share ten happy memories with you which, on the face of it, doesn’t seem too hard. In principle, it’s a little more work than that, since I hope that you’ll come back to read more about me so want to give a splendid mix of interesting and heartwarming. This could take a while. Are you sitting comfortably? Now I have my new desk and chair, I am!!

1. The birth of the Pocket Dictator. This should really be a given but is a happy memory for two reasons: a) we finally, after more heartache and struggle than we were expecting, had our longed-for baby and b) it meant an end to the excrutiating pain of SPD (until this pregnancy, that is!)

2. The day I met my husband for the first time.

3. A phone call from my University to say that I had actually, finally, passed my degree, thus bringing an end to the most painful, tortured, emotionally scarring four years of my life (needless to say that it wasn’t all related to Ecomoics, Politics and French.)

4. Watching the Mothership receive her MBE. It’s such an extraordinary spectacle and it was such a thrill to be there with my two brothers to witness mum’s other people acknowledge how wonderful and brilliant and giving my mum is.

5. Driving back from France by myself with the PD. Eight hours, two stops, no nervous breakdowns, accidents or speeding fines. I have never enjoyed driving and to realise that I could do this was a really empowering moment.

6. On our first wedding anniversary, DH announced that he wished he could do it all again, he loved our wedding day so much. It’s the greatest compliment I have ever had.

7. Watching the PD do anything new. It’s a regular occurence at the moment as she is only 16 months. It’s mind-boggling to think that she is a proper little person now.

8. The first time I cooked for someone else. I was working in France and the people had no idea I could cook so looked very nervous when my 19-year-old self offered to cook lasagne from scratch without a recipe. I found out afterwards they’d prepped the kids to say they liked it, no matter how dreadful it was. A year later they arraged for me to cook in a Michelin-starred restaurant.

9. Buying my first set of proper bedding from John Lewis. The awesome power of earning your own money and spending it as you wished.

10. On my 30th birthday, DH took me to a ‘singing Diner’ in New York. I was so happy I may have burst with joy.

I shall pass on the warm fuzzy feeling to Nunhead Mum, Crystal Jigsaw and Carly @ WADs

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