Happy Birthday to My Beautiful Mum

I have a beautiful mum.  Quite literally, she was and still is a beautiful woman, both inside and out.  She is one of the strongest women I have ever known, although she probably wouldn't think that of herself.  She underestimates her strengths and fails to see just how amazing she is.  But I can quite clearly see how brilliant my mum is and how proud I am to be her daughter.

 My mum was born in 1933, so is eighty years old today.  She is as strong as an ox and in excellent health.  Her dress sense is inspirational and puts me to shame.  Colour co-ordination, layering and accessorising come second nature to my fashionable mum.  She always looks fabulous whether she is dressed up or in her rather trendy jeans.  She will be an octogenarian style icon for sure!

I love that my mum has embraced social media so that she can stay in touch with her grandchildren and find out what they are all getting up to on Facebook.  She truly is a silver surfer!  She is a regular reader of my blog and leaves me brilliant comments which never fail to make me smile.  Although she doubts her technical ability, I think it is great that she uses her computer, surfs the web, enters competitions and sends Facebook messages.  Sometimes it goes a little bit wrong and a comment will go in the wrong place or a private message will appear in everyone's newsfeed, but that simply adds to the charm.

My mum has thirteen grandchildren and two great grandsons.  She is a brilliant Nan to my children, who absolutely adore her.  She revels in her role as a grandparent making cakes, knitting blankets and reading stories.  She does a top job.

Although she is a very demure lady who minds her P & Q's in public, my mum has an obsession with films filled with violence, blood, guts and gore.  The more brutal the better.  I Spit on Your Grave and Deathwish rate among her favourites. But she also loves her soaps and Downton Abbey and Strictly.  I love that complete contrast in her personality!

I am closer to my mum nowadays than I have ever been before and for that I am eternally grateful.  I love spending time with her, chatting, gossiping and laughing.  I wouldn't swap our time together for the world. We get on so well.  My current relationship with my mum makes me feel valued, loved and respected.  This is the ultimate gift a mother can give to her child, giving her daughter self belief and self worth.  Even at my age I want to feel validated by my mother's love, and I am blessed to have that.

So thank you mum for everything.  Happy 80th birthday.  I hope that when I am your age I am as strong, as well loved, as fashionable, as down-with-the-kids, as open to new things, as full of surprises, as happy and as passionate about life as you are.  I love you xxx