That's what friends are for

This week I've been lucky enough to catch up with friends, old and new.

First, Thing Two and I went down to the south coast to meet up with some girls I went to school with. I know, I know, I shouldn't call us girls any more being, as we are, mostly wives and mothers and if not knocking on the door of 40 then certainly walking up the path to that scary milestone. But to my mind we will always be girls; nervous in our neat green uniforms on the first day of school, or bolshy in our DMs in sixth form.

It was a beautiful day and we sat in J's garden eating lunch and watching her gorgeous daughters play. We chatted about babies (J and C are both pregnant for the third and second time respectively), about work, about everything and nothing. And we laughed a lot. And I thought how lucky I am to be friends with these amazing women. G is single and glamorous, and something terribly important for a multinational oil company, while J is a hippy earth mother who works at a university and whose partner boxed up spiders (in separate boxes "in case they didn't get on") and took them with the family when they moved house last month. They're different as they could possibly be, but they're impossibly fond of one another.

I know that whatever I need; reassurance, a laugh, practical help or just a large glass of wine, they will always provide. And I am hugely grateful for that.

Also last week we caught up with some of my newest friends; the women I met at NCT antenatal classes when I was pregnant with Thing One. They are wonderful. Our older children are almost exactly the same age obviously and that is something that has proved so valuable over the last three years. Whether it was baby worries ("he's done ten poos today, is that normal?") or toddler tantrums and pre-school applications, we've gone through everything at the same time.

These women also taught me a lot about myself. I am often guilty of reverse snobbery. On paper I'd have assumed we had nothing in common; they are all fiercely successful career women with City husbands. But in reality, we bonded fast, ditched the other members of the group almost as quickly, and will, I hope, be friends forever.

So really I just wanted to let it be known that I am massively thankful for all the women in my life. You're all lifesaving superstars. With love. x