...a host of golden daffodils.

I got some wonderful news today. A lifelong friend of mine was recently diagnosed with cancer and has been preparing for her first round of surgery at the Marie Curie centre in Paris on Tuesday (for biopsies to assess the size of the tumour she has prior to any treatment/further operations)...the news is good with the tumour reducing in size since her original diagnosis meaning she will only need radiotherapy as opposed to chemotherapy...this journey of healing is not yet over for her but this news made my day...

We were born in neighbouring hospital beds in 1969 (she on July 31st, me on August 1st), two little Leo ladies who then went on to live on the opposites sides of Brisbane and then the world as our lives unfolded. As kids our Mums would visit each other - I remember we would get to play in their empty (of water, anyhow) in-ground pool (very special at the time as we only had an above ground one) and I would marvel at her independence and worldliness (she was visiting family in France from quite a young age and I just thought that was so-o-o grown-up).

The last time I saw Nat was in 2000 when Mum & I were in Paris for a week - the view from her window over the Paris rooftops was incredible - and I was so inspired by her love of life and her passion for her art (photography/documentary film-making). There is part of me that felt sad that it was her cancer diagnosis that opened up the flow of communication again but I am enormously glad of the opportunity to reach out and be part of her support network...

Nata was in surgery on Tuesday...and whilst I got the news today, my daffodils finally bloomed on Tuesday...the sight of these beautiful flowers breaking out across parks, gardens, roadsides back in 2004 (when I was really struggling with my relocation to London) were such a beacon of hope with their happy, hopeful faces and it seems perfect that they have appeared for Nata too...