801-810

801. Peter Paul and Mary.
802. Completion.
803. Warm water.
804. Hospital school teachers.
805. Going on a bear hunt.
806. Space.
807. Buffet restaurants.
808. Blue skies with muddy grass.
809. Wheelchair accessible treehouse.
810. Wigs.
Tia

791-800

791. A bed beside my beautiful girl.
792. The privilege of lying here listening to the nighttime noises of Helen House.
793. Waking night staff.
794. Round the clock care for children, siblings, parents and friends.
795. Impromptu discos.
796. All-embracing love.
797. A small boy, reading his friend a bedtime story.
798. That same small boy leaping off the bed and running away before his friend could insist on a goodnight kiss.
799. "It's ok, I've had Jedi Knight Training" from a small boy before launching himself into death defying acrobatic stunts.
800. Egg mayonnaise rolls.

Tia

781-790

1. Friends in High Places.
2. Family preparing rooms for us and partying whilst they wait.
3. Gods perfect, unchanging and immutable love for us.
4. Friends here whilst we wait.
5. Rosé.
6. ROSY.
7. Children.
8. Chocolate.
9. The Utter Rightness of things we may not understand.
10. Love

Tia

771-780

771. Silence.
772. Friendships.
773. Beauty in brokenness.
774. God's perfect timing.
775. Helen House staff.
776. The resilience of small children.
777. The words with which to answer the question "am I going to die soon too?"
778. Touch.
779. A ten year old's song. Even if not perfectly timed.
780. Sleep.

Tia

761-770

761. Lined paper.
762. Sharp pencils.
763. Sunshine on puddles.
764. Perfectly cooked squid.
765. Crême brûlée.
766. Immaculately brushed gleaming golden fur.
767. Paper white narcissi.
768. Parents.
769. Fluffy socks.
770. Eye contact.

Tia

751-760

751. Lazy days
752. Peppa pig card games.
753. Family jokes.
754. Rain.
755. Cocalola.
756. Noisy bikes.
757. Shrink wrap chinstraps.
758. Lentils.
759. Giggle juice.
780. Clock-ignoring.

Tia

741-750

741. Shea butter.
742. Cocoa butter.
743. Almond milk.
744. Aloe Vera.
745. Honey.
746. Coconut oil.
747. Chapstick.
748. Vaseline.
749. Diprobase.
750. Oilatum.

(yes, yes I am feeling a little dry, why do you ask?)

Tia

731-740

731. Early morning snuggles with a sweet-breathed seven year old.
732. Maintenance men fixing drips.
733. Watching lives change for the better.
734. Remembering to drink the coffee and finding it just exactly the right temperature.
735. Hazelnuts.
736. Coffee mugs exactly the right shape to warm both hands at once.
737. Seizures which stop before the meds are needed.
738. Sweet smiles from a sleepy ten year old.
739. School transport.
740. Green shoots pushing through the last of the snow.
Tia

721-730

721. W. H. Auden.
722. Christina Rossetti.
723. Emily Dickinson.
724. John Donne.
725. Sylvia Plath.
726. Wilfred Owen.
727. Shakespeare.
728. King David.
729. John Betjeman.
730. And a thousand other wordsmiths, shaping wordless thoughts into eloquence and comfort.
Tia

711-720

711. Lifegroup.
712. The power of prayer.
713. The book of Job.
714. The ability to discuss differences of opinion in love and grace.
715. The freedom to believe different things.
716. The theology of plate tectonics and a new way of seeing God in action.
717. Potato skins.
718. The bigger God gets, the more we get to know Him.
719. The utter goodness of God.
720. The amazing fluffiness of the Norwegian Forest Cat.

Tia

701-710

701. Flexible respite.
701. Mog's sense of humour, deliberately adding a stridor as soon as the Dr waved a stethoscope.
702. A Dr. Who shared Mog's sense of humour and wouldn't let me declare Mog a monster.
703. Friends in difficult circumstances.
704. Porcelain beauty.
705. Snow on branches silhouetted against the sky.
706. Hot chocolate with the Guides.
707. Shiny coins.
708. Really, properly, clean floors.
709. Father God who knows exactly how hard it is to watch His own Son die.
710. Gingernuts.

Tia

691-700

691. Grit.
692. Watching one child help another.
693. Unexpectedly quiet days.
694. Men and women who follow their dreams.
695. Compassion.
696. Warm boots.
697. Conversations with my non-verbal child.
698. Church coffee.
699. Small boys on trikes.
700. Silly jokes.

Tia

681-690

681. Manners.
682. Hot buttery waffles.
683. Solid walls.
684. The NHS.
685. A Father who welcomes all the little children who come home early to Him.
685. Comfort for those who mourn.
686. Caramel fudge chip cookies.
687. Cuddling down to read books together.
688. He sets the lonely in families.
689. Freedom to grow down, in order to grow up.
690. Kindness.

Tia

661-680

661. Snow days
662. Snow sculptures.
663. Skiddy wheels sliding up the ramp.
664. Snowflakes at sunrise.
665. Paw prints on virgin snow.
666. Soggy cats looking cross.
667. Snow hush.
668. A full pantry.
669. Coats roasting on radiators.
670. Hot chocolate steam.
671. Scrunch and snap underfoot.
672. Icicles on bushes.
673. Schoolboys having snowball fights.
674. Smiling bin men.
675. Grass tips peeping through the snow.
676. Snow angels.
677. Small children in snow suits.
678. Telephones.
679. Sensible decisions.
680. Infinite beauty.
Tia

651-660

651. School transport.
652. Popcorn.
653. Memory foam.
654. New to us books.
655. Tangled miscommunications being sorted with good humour.
656. Hibernation.
657. Shelter.
658. Feline truces.
659. Cats with cardboard boxes.
660. Kindly neighbours.
Tia

631-650

631. Accessible taxis.
632. Clear roads.
633. Compassionate surgeons.
634. Friends in waiting rooms.
635. Ice in puddles.
636. Solo teenagers, freed from their peers, delicately snapping the ice and forgetting to be cool for a moment (and not noticing the audience in the house in front).
637. Back up plans.
638. A well stocked freezer.
639. Fluffy socks.
640. Justice.
641. Children asking for bed.
642. Brownies.
643. Knitting.
644. The continuity provided by More than a decade of the same carer.
645. Imagination.
646. Spontaneous apologies at bedtime.
647. Forgiveness.
648. Jasmine rice.
649. Cheerful taxi drivers with pleasant and appropriate conversation.
650. Cats with winter coats.

Tia

621-630

621. Today, for the first time in a very long time, when I told my daughter I was proud of her and that she had done really well, she didn't cry or shout or throw a tantrum, she didn't order me not to say that, she just smiled and took the compliment.
622. And she shared the biscuits with her friend.
623. And let other children choose the television programmes.
624. And decided the chicken was a little too spicy but just told me nicely rather than screeching and weeping.
625. For another child who got the giggles.
626. For blended chocolate biscuits as a sneaky morning snack.
627. For safe journeys home for visiting friends.
628. Warm slippers and the ability to stay inside all day.
629. Cuddles with a finally feeling better little visitor.
630. An unexpectedly sociable cat.

Tia

611-620

611. Sociable Saturdays.
612. House guests.
613. House visitors.
614. Sag paneer.
615. Snappy cats.
616. Special needs siblings.
617. Chicken makhani.
618. The shortcuts of shared experiences.
619. A hint of snow to come.
620. Salmon lajobab.

Tia

601-610

601. Baked potato soup.
602. Friends to share it with.
603. A day with only social phone calls.
604. A battle fought and won; a child now accepting her ability to do something independently.
605. Late Christmas presents.
606. Blended raspberries.
607. Two hours on the phone with Friend.
608. Future possibilities.
609. A girl in a Minnie Mouse hair band.
610. Another girl laughing at a light up Winnie the Pooh.

Tia

591-600

591. Dignity and courage
592. Smooth untroubled features in a child who knows she is much loved.
593. Ruthless Rhymes.
594. The hint of trees through fog.
595. Gleaming golden brown hair in the sunshine.
596. Watching a child discover the truth that 6x2=2x6.
597. Words.
598. Tim Hughes.
599. Toblerone.
600. Hugs.

Tia

581-590

581. Global villages.
582. Instant communications.
583. Prayer conversations.
584. Warm cat-heat seeping through blankets onto my legs.
585. Three days in a row being able to walk home from school together.
586. Pleasantly aching muscles after exercise.
587. Unphased school staff.
588. Small child approving the new babysitter.
589. Snappily fresh cold winter air after an evening's rain.
590. Friends walking similar somewhat self inflicted paths.

Tia

571-580

571. I am loved.
572. Precious in His sight.
573. Worthy.
574. Purified.
575. Part of a bigger family than I can ever imagine.
586. Playing my part in a bigger picture than I can ever dream about.
577. Good enough. And more than good enough. Even when I'm not.
578. Counted.
579. Able to receive.
580. His.

Tia

561-570

561. Rice pudding.
562. No prayer is ever wasted or unheard.
563. Hoovers.
564. Teaching assistance telling me how happy they are to be telling my daughter off for the same reasons other children are being told off.
565. Watching her grow in confidence.
566. Seeing my older daughter smile repeatedly on realising she had another day at home and could choose her own music without interruption.
567. Daffodils.
568. A deep and restful peace.
569. Super squelchy deeply satisfyingly sticky mud.
570. Moppable floors.

Tia

551-560

551. Mercies new every morning.
552. Unconditional love
553. An ever widening definition of family.
554. Guppies.
555. A church service which could have been prepared just entirely for me, after several weeks of "church lite" over the holidays
556. Strength for today and
557. Bright hope for tomorrow.
558. Proper level access after a week of bumping over raised lintels.
559. School tomorrow.
560. Interesting times.

Tia

541-550

541. Safe journeys home.
542. Selective hearing, tuning out noises unrelated to my girls without even waking me to do it.
543. Meeting friends from far away.
544. Friendships which last beyond distances.
545. Bouncing boys.
546. The amazing variety of fish and other underwater creatures to be found in the average pet shop.
547. The endless entertainment afforded by doors and small sheds when you are either young or with children.
548. Vanilla slices.
549. My own wonderful bed in my own bedroom with all the comfortingly familiar noises of home.
550. Holiday landlords friendly and relaxed.
Tia

531-540

531. Wheelchair tailspins.
532. Peepbo around a statue.
533. Sausages and baked potatoes.
534. Driving free days.
535. Children pairing off to entertain themselves.
536. Triple dimples in a toddler's cheek.
537. Multiple giggles.
538. Sunshine.
539. Friendly natives
540. A lovely week.

Tia

521-530

521. Helpful teenagers.
522. Pencil sharpeners.
523. The shared joy of a new and pristine notebook.
524. Friends who don't get cross when my sense of direction goes AWOL.
525. Christmas sparkly penguins in otherwise formal gardens.
526. The eternal optimism of ducks.
527. Soft, soft knitting wool.
528. The trust of a child.
529. Synchronised coughing.
530. Pink sky at night.

Tia

511-520

511. Supper cooked by a handsome junior masterchef.
512. Entertainment provided by said masterchef's guide dog.
513. Child amusement provided by the masterchef's sister.
514. Companionship provided by the chef's parents.
515. The opportunity to spend time in friend's now beautiful house, after a gap of too many years.
516. A handily situated adapted bath, and the chance to use it mid holiday. Even if we didn't, quite.
517. Spending time with a very precious friend in her own home, having helped to spring her from hospital.
518. Snuggles from a toddler deciding I was at least less scary than some of the less well-known friends around.
519. Rice pudding made with coconut milk.
520. Shiny wooden wipe-clean floors.

Tia

501-510

501. Round tables.
502. Steak knives.
503. Sainsburys.
504. Rosebud lips on a pouting toddler.
505. Short journeys.
506. Bleu d'Auvergne.
507. Eye pointing for communication.
508. "I got a picture in my head Mummy of a cloud and sun and a hill."
509. Peter, Paul and Mary.
510. Moments like the picture below.

Tia