Thank you for being a friend

Pic: View from our table at Pelican Cafe, Wynnum

Before I came up here I had the most amazing week. My lovely friends and workmates wanted to farewell me and there were breakfasts, lunches and a few dinners - I was afraid I'd be the excess baggage on the flight!

And one of the highlights for me was a lunch on the Saturday that sort of stretched into the early evening and probably would have gone on longer had one of us not had to go back to Caboolture. The lunch in question was at the Pelican Cafe on the esplanade at Wynnum and my partners in crime are my two very good and very dear friends from high school - Julie and Moya. In fact Julie and I go back even further - we met in year 3, or grade 3 as it used to be called.

What's brought this on is that both these beautiful women have texted me to tell me how much they're enjoying reading my blog. It's such a buzz to know that people are taking the trouble to log in and read my musings, but what's even more humbling is when they take the time to tell me, either through texts, email or comments. So guys - thank you so much xo

But back to the lunch. Picture this: a cafe across from the beach at Wynnum with views of the water and neighbouring islands. There is also a park which is very popular with young families - there's a playground and lots of paths and grass to ride bikes and play around.

The cafe is basically a fish and chip shop with plastic tables and chairs out the front. You order at the counter and they call your number when it's ready. Julie - being the project manager of this lunch, had phoned ahead and asked if we could BYO - after all it was a special occassion. Of course, no problem - just bring your own glasses too :)

So here we were - 3 not bad looking chicks in their mid 50s - yes girls, come on say it out loud "mid 50s" - sitting at plastic furniture, eating fish and chips and drinking champagne out of very elegant flutes. And just like the wine, conversation flowed freely and laughter was very much on the menu too.

After lunch and before coffee, we went for a stroll along the jetty and came back to our table to continue. And to our delight, in our short absence an entertainer had set up with her sound system and we were now privileged to hear some wonderful singing from a lovely young woman with a husky voice.

That day is in the bank, in the memory vault - to be brought out at times like this when I want to reminisce and share. I can remember savouring every second of that afternoon. It didn't fly by - it went at the right pace.

Old friendships are so precious. Unfortunately we go for months, even years, without seeing each other, but when we do get together, it's magic. The time falls away and we pick up from where we left off. All three of us have been busy with life - stuff good and bad has happened - and we shared it openly because we knew that we were with friends, we trusted each other with our hearts and our feelings and we knew that those feelings would be looked after and cared for.

So - Julie, Moya - I'm looking forward to my welcome home lunch, I'm looking forward to carrying on from Saturday afternoon. I'm looking forward to sharing food, wine and more laughter, looking forward to photographs, funny stories, family stories, husband stories. Looking forward to telling you .....thank you for being a friend. S xoxo