Friends of Friends

For the most part, I've been lucky whenever a friend has said, "Oh, you've got to meet [so-and-so], you'll love them!" Because I've got such lovely friends, that usually works out in the end.

Such was the case last night, when I erased the memory of a decidedly anxiety-filled afternoon of workstress with dinner with some girlfriends.

The friend who had organized the evening had said that she wanted to introduce us to her best friend, who, along with her husband, was visiting from way out of town (London, to be exact!). We talked up a storm, ate mounds of delicious food, sampled lovely wines they brough to the tiny vegetarian BYOB we visited and generally laughed so hard my face still hurts.

In between, there were little side conversations with friends in attendance to catch up on old news, reminisce about cakes we have known (a certain victorian sponge with fresh cream stirred up great food memories!), rehash the state of the economy both here and in the UK, and realize that things truly are tough all over, thanks to the global economy, such as it is. Conversations hovered between serious and light, but friendly all the while.

It was immediately clear why my friend has stayed close with her bud all these years; they're two peas in a pod, those two. Finishing each others' sentences, shopping with the same aesthetic inspiring their selections, laughing at the old days and poking fun at embarrassing schoolgirl popstar obsessions (Paul Young!?). Aside from the surface bits, you can tell the love of family runs deep with these two, who are clearly sisters by choice if not by birth. Cheers to you both!

It's amazing how restorative a night with friends - both old and new - can be when you're at wits' end at work. Gives everything a bit more perspective.

And it made it easier to face the end of the week with determination, what with a nicely busy social calendar for the weekend looming ahead, with a 90th birthday lunch on Saturday and a lovely dinner on tap for Sunday.

Now, where's the wine?