Ness-mass

This beautiful faery is my friend Vanessa, aged 10, waving her magic wand at our Year 6 book day parade at primary school. Ness and I have known each other since we were 9 and were sent out of opposite classrooms for being naughty. She was new to the school and we instantly hit it off. 

I learnt lots of things from Ness, such as:

• never cut your eye lashes - they won't grow back longer, they just fall out
• fake tan doesn't work on white skin - it goes bright orange (or it did back then)
• blonding cream is for blondes - but at least being a redhead it didn't look as bad on her as it did on me
• onion tarts can be delicious - it was year 9 by then and she was already throwing dinner parties. She later featured in Vogue magazine as a talented young chef and went to work at one of the top restaurants in London. 

Last Saturday my beautiful friend suffered a brain haemorrhage and is in a critical condition in hospital. Since then we have gone from the possibility of never seeing her again to the possibility of a complete recovery. So that is good news. I am not ready for a Ness-shaped hole in the world and doubt I ever will be. I have had a lot of time think about our friendship, which has spanned over 30 years, and all the precious moments it has held for both of us. I can't think of one significant event in my life she hasn't shared with me. When the big things are going down, I want her there. This has really shaken me - she's too young, too beautiful, too talented, too clever, too funny, too Ness to not be here and enjoy her life to the full.

For Christmas her partner Brett asked us to write a sign and take a photo holding it and he would print them out and show them to her today. So the girls and I got together and did this one. 

Yes, I feel as strained as I look but hopefully she won't see it, just see the love and hope I'm holding for her right now. Please send all your most positive thoughts and best wishes to Ness and her family. She has a long way to go but I have every faith in her that she can get through this nightmare.

Ness, when you're well and reading this: love you to bits and please don't ever scare us like this again! xxoo