Travelling backwards......

I come on to my blog regularly to keep up with the blogs I follow - and everytime I come on I am faced with the title 'tears' and photo of the Christmas tree - time for a change...... But right now the fog has been down on us for the last 10 days with the sun completely unable to make it's way through, work is not so great, I will be 45 tomorrow and my heated rollers that I so desperately wanted have not yet arrived (I know bizarre, who wants heated rollers in 2012 - I do - I want curls, I want to be pretty....) - anyway, as you can tell, all a bit grey here in Ravenna so I'm going back in time to before Christmas - My mum was 70 on 6th January - she has had/is having the birthday that just keeps on giving - birthday celebrations started off with us flying her out to Rome for her first trip to this fantastic city - she loves my children and she, how can I put it, accepts and is gradually learning to trust Robert - long story - but my brother and I are still her main focus - so whenever we see her, wherever we are she really only wants to see me (or my brother) so I went to Rome by myself - without the boys or Robert - she had my undivided attention - and she loved it - and we had a great time - it all went off much much better than I had ever imagined (if any of you want any indications for Rome, hotel, restaurant , itinerary etc just let me know.....boy had I studied for this trip....) then actually on her birthday my brother and his wife took her to the Ritz and then had a party for her at home, then Leo and I flew over for a few days, various lunches have been going on (she has a huge circle of friends) and it all carried on right up until two days ago when she went to meet an old colleague for tea and discovered there was a surprise party for her - like I said, the birthday that just keeps on giving ......and here is where it all began......