Best friends 4 eva 💓💓

I guess I've always been quite lucky that I've had quite a few friends over the years. My first best friend I met at the tender age of 5, Gemma. We were thrown together as her mom worked at the pub next to my parents shop. She was younger and when she started school she got a new best friend but we still hung out. I still see her occasionally now more than 40 years later.

 My next best friend was Kate we bonded in the playground, she was a year above me and I was in awe odf her. Her family lived in a big house, I lived in a flat. Her mom baked and was a bit of a hippy. She Introduced me to Holland & Barrett and the weird Intoxicating smells that were all new to me in there. She also had older brothers which Was a new experience for me. She had another friend called Sally and one day she decided she couldn't have two best friends and so that lunch time whoever called for her first was to claim sole best friendship. It was back in the days when all kids went home for dinner from school. I though had a working mom, unusual at the time and would have granted me the permission to stay and have school dinners. I hated them though so as we lived over the shop my Dad was around so I went home. This gave me the advantage over Sally as her mom made her go in and eat a proper dinner. I was lucky that day that my dad was busy so I hastily made a jam sandwich and rushed back to Kate's to be victorious. I will never forget the look on Sally's face when she arrived and I was already there. Brutal but that was the law of the playground.

Kate and I were best friends all through my formative years. I found her family fascinating and wanted to be there all the time. Her mom did yoga, meditated used wholemeal flour.  her brothers played guitars, her dad painted, rode horses and collected vintage cars. This was a whole new world to me. They also had a caravan in the country and we used to go off there at weekends. I only realise now that my own parents might have felt a bit left out in all of this but my grandad lived with us and I would do anything to get away from his horrible mean ways.

Kate's family moved to Redditch but this didn't stop us, we would take it in turns to stay the weekend at each other's. Kate started high school and a year later I started secondary school. We started to see less of each other as we both made new friends. We still had crazy weekends together sometimes at the caravan under the very lax supervision of her brothers. I also went to my first concerts with Kate. We saw Chic, Gary Numan, Japan, Depeche Mode and Duran Duran to name a few. Then we both got boyfriends and started to drift apart. We would still spend hours on the phone though. I made new friends. I met up again once with Kate years later when we both had kids but we didn't stay in touch. Last I heard she was living in Malvern and home schooling her kids.

In about the 3rd at senior school a new girl came into our class. She merged into our friendship group. Her name was Jackie and over 30 years later she is still my bestest best mate. We see each other as often as we can and go out with our spouses too. They have to get on whether they like it or not. She is my rock and has been there for me through thick and thin. Good times and the very worst times. We both have the same sick sense of humour and enjoyment of taking the p out of everyone including ourselves. We know what the other is thinking and can finish each other's sentences. We also share a love of shoes. The friendship group from school was a strong one and we all still see each other all these years on. We laugh until we cry and our now larger in most cases, bellies ache.

 I also have my old bank days friends, two lots. We see each other about twice a year.

My other group of friends, known as the conservatory club are a mixed bunch. The foundations come from the kids school but we've all bought along a friend or a waif and stray. We all have one thing in common and that we are mad as a box of frogs. I would wouldn't have it any other way. I love them all and am. Truly blessed.