Mayor or sofa....?....

I’m on my sofa in my pyjamas. With good reason. I have a stinkin cold. I’ve also had a week of stress due to a family member being unwell. So I’m in self imposed quarantine to give me time to make sure everyone is ok, including myself.......I’ve coughed so much the past few days that I’m totally scunnered. It just won’t stop! 

A short time ago I received a phone call. As I coughed, spluttered and tried to respond, a very pleasant lady told me she was ringing from my local Mayor’s Office to invite me to visit tomorrow afternoon. 

I’d known this call would come at some stage but the date of the event was a surprise because I’d imagine the actual invite is lying in my post tray at work as I sit on my sofa, coughing. 

I tell the story because it’s a great example of how wonderful my friends are. When the Queens Birthday Honours are announced, each Council gets a list of recipients in their area. The address used in my nomination was a Belfast one. For that reason all communications go to Belfast first before being sent on to me. So I didn’t get added to the list for my area. It really made no difference to me and the Belfast Lord Lieutenant who awarded me my medal at Hillsborough Castle was lovely. 

What I was unaware of was that everyone named on the list and living in my area was invited to the local Mayors office for a small event to congratulate them. I was oblivious..... a good friend of mine was not..... She happened to see photos of the event and jumped to defend her friend. She rang the Mayors Office and demanded to know why I hadn’t been invited! Then she rang me, mortified, and apologised profusely for her misunderstanding. She was worried she’d embarrassed me but she hadn’t at all. Once I got past the laughing, I was really touched by her gesture. She saw what she believed to be an injustice against her friend and she took action. I absolutely love her for that! She’s awesome, what a friend!

So thanks to my dear friend I have just been invited to the Mayor’s Office, but thanks to my miserable cold I can’t go. I don’t mind because the important bit of this story is how wonderful my friends are. They never fail to amaze me with their support, love and fierce loyalty. My friends are the best!! Xxx