My mother passed away on Thursday 17th January 2008, after a short illness. 

Well it's now 1.57am on the morning of Charlotte's birthday. All the presents are wrapped, the cake is baked, and the balloons are ready to be inflated.

The question now, is how long can we keep her busy in the morning before she insists on opening her presents - they're currently hidden in the bedroom, but I think it's wishful thinking to hope that she'll not ask about them as soon as she gets up! However, we do need to go to church first - which tomorrow includes the baptism of our Vicars first grandchild - so we're going to have to wait until 12 noon before starting the traditional "ripping of the wrapping"

Probably best to get some sleep now, I think I'm going to need the energy!