Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

Everyone needs a best friend. It doesn't really matter who that friend is, just so long as they're kind, loyal, listen, make you laugh and you have each others backs, because that's what friends do. I am really lucky to have some amazing friends. People who have got me through the toughest of times, people who are always there for me and who I hope, I am always there for too. They are everything friends should be, even though I've never met many of them. They are my Tweeps. A community of friends on Twitter. Some are other bloggers, others are authors, others are just fabulous people who like to socialise with like-minded folk!

As 'real-life' friends go, I have few and that suits me just fine. Quality rather than quantity; and those I do have are the best of the best. Which given the way things are going at the moment is a flipping good thing. Yes, a true friend is worth their weight in gold and one or two of mine really have been absolute diamonds this past week.

It's fair to say, after a rather fun weekend and another week of half term to come, what should have been a good week, went a tad pear shaped. What is it with holidays and illness? I swear I'm fine all the time I keep going, but the minute I think it's safe to relax, I am overcome with germs. I'm almost certain the little buggers hide, lying in wait for the optimum time to infect me.

Last week they attacked on Tuesday, with a rather nasty and severe bout of Cystitis! OMG ladies! Not something I suffer from often, in fact, only once have I suffered it. Good grief, I drink a whole lot of tea, so it's a bit of a running joke how many times I need to visit the ladies room. Last week, I swear to goodness, I covered more miles than Mo Farrah does on a marathon run! The dog was less than impressed as he didn't get a walk and didn't seem to understand that unlike he, I am not able to just stop and pee up every bloody lamp post, blade of grass, bin and hedge we pass, though I could have done, that's how bad it was! Needless to say, he did his best, 'I'm feeling neglected,' look all day long and I wore a well trodden path from the lounge to the 'wee' small girls room (pun intended). Thankfully, the GP was fabulous and by the end of the day I had a course of antibiotics.

It should all have started to improve after that, but no. No, the germs were really out to get me and having heard me tell Miss. D that we would go to visit grandad in hospital on Wednesday, they pounced upon me once more, with the cold to end all colds! OK it wasn't that bad, but it was bad enough that the hospital was quite adamant that I could not visit. Fair enough really, it wouldn't have gone down well had I infected the entire cardiac ward. Thankfully, Dad has recovered and is home, though he's not at all happy because he is not allowed to do much.

By this point, I have to confess to feeling just a tad sorry for myself. I don't like being ill, it's very annoying, not to mention inconvenient. However, it got worse. No, I didn't go down with anything else thankfully, the phone call I received was enough to scare any scheming germs well away. The Estate Agent called with what I thought was an update. The chain is now complete and there is only a tiny bit of paperwork left for the solicitors to complete, but rather than an update, he dropped the bombshell that the buyers at the bottom of the chain have pulled out! Excuse my french here, but WTF! Really! They've been pushing for a while, but I stupidly assumed since we were now a complete chain they'd hold on for the last few weeks. I'm still not sure how I feel. Part of me is absoflippinglutely livid! Part of me is trying to be more understanding, because let's face it, life happens. To be fair, more of me is understanding now, but it's still very annoying. On the bright side, at least everyone else in the chain is ready and wanting to go, and I have longer to pack.

The problem for me is, all these silly little things add up and my poor little head goes into overdrive. Anxiety begins to kick in and I start to feel scared, teary and well, a bit low. And that's where a girls best friend comes in. I'm not on my own. I may have less 'real life' friends in my support network now, but I have friends who are always on hand. Friends who also live with mental illness and understand how silly little things can seem like huge obstacles. We look out for one another. We know what to say and what not to say. Sometimes, all that's needed is a silly gif. Sometimes, it's a somewhat over enthusiastic hug.

Meet one of my bestest (yes, I know that's not a real word) friends in the whole world, Tia! Tia lives next door with Molly (also a doggy) and their humans; who also happen to be the best friends in the world. Tia's human dad makes a rather fabulous G&T and her human mum is lovely and almost as bonkers crazy as myself. We go out most evenings with all three dogs and after the events of the week, I was feeling just a tad delicate (mentally). Tia's human mum gave me a hug whilst we were out on our walk because my eyes sprung a leak. Tia decided, at least I like to think she decided, that I needed some Tia love and hugs. Now I am a great believer in the power of pooches to make you feel better, but I'm not sure that Miss Tia's attempts worked out quite as intended. As you can see, if you know your dogs, she is part greyhound, which means she's bloody fast. She's also young, so still very excitable. Now, combine said speed with said excited enthusiasm and you have a recipe for disaster. There I am wiping my leaky eyes, when out of no where a blur of black and tan love comes flying towards me, before jumping up to give me a much needed hug. Which sounds lovely, except Tia doesn't understand basic physics and clearly hadn't factored in speed and force. I've fallen backwards (fairly gracefully, so I'm told) in to a heap, my fall broken by a soft pile of leaves (thank goodness it was just leaves and not dog poo) and a young sapling. Tia ran off again, having showered me with love, leaving her human looking absolutely mortified, and myself sat in a heap with my eyes leaking once more, but this time because I'm laughing so much. Oh and my boobs were covered in muddy paw prints (I'm told it's all the rage on the Paris Catwalks).

It has to be said, that young Miss Tia really did knock the anxiety out of me. I'm feeling much, much happier now. I'm still chuckling to myself , because it was very, very funny. It was one of those priceless moments that money can't buy, although it could have made us £250 with You've Been Framed, if only we had caught it on film, but you can't have everything and I now have a fabulously funny memory to think back on next time I'm starting to feel a little stressed.

And that is what friendship is all about. Looking out for one another, helping one another, laughing at and with one another, sharing, caring and making memories. And friends, really do come in all shapes, sizes and species, but the good ones are all diamonds!