..... is a very special day for me.

Tomorrow I shall wake (or rather be woken) by a very excited new five-year old. She wants presents, parties, cake, fuss and hurly-burly. Tomorrow is her princess day and Dad and I will be just mere accessories to her fun.

So I have my private celebration all to myself on the night of February 16th - the last night I went to sleep as a childless woman. This time five years ago I didn't yet know that I was within 26 hours of becoming a mother. I was hoping and praying that it would be soon, as she was already late, being due on Valentine's Day, but I was getting ready to wait another week or more as she showed no signs of coming.

It was the last true peace and quiet of my life, before I stepped over the threshold into motherhood and found my true self. I had no idea from that side of the divide exactly how much joy and inner peace Anne-Sophie, and later her brother would bring to my life and to my relationship with their dad.

I look at the new buds of spring at this time of year with much more attention than I used to. Anne-Sophie chose to join us on earth just at that crucial point in 2003 - when I went into hospital it was still winter - when I came out six days later spring had broken out all over. Now I see a very smart sassy young girl, and I marvel at what can happen in five very short years.

I realise I'm ranting - trying to share a very personal private thing - a wonderful emotion. Maybe I shouldn't try to put words to it - maybe I should just sit quietly and experience it. But I shall take my moment of quietness, my small private celebration, and let it carry me with a secret smile through the chaos of a small child's birthday party. She will have her day of being cherished, of awe and wonder, and I shall continue to marvel at how God and DH and me managed to create such a perfect creature....

My wave of positivity and my latest diet/exercise programme have lasted a whole week.

I'm still loving all the spring flowers and even the recent icy blast hasn't dented my enthusiasm for the world.

As I sit here I love my 2 children and think they are the loveliest beings on the planet.

They've broken up for half term today - just how long do you think this good feeling is going to last?

Just to let you all know, my other blog, healthworx, is moving house today.

It doesn't have that many readers, but just in case any of you are interested, you can now find it at www.healthworx.co.uk/wordpress

I really love this time of year.

Daffodils are beginning to pop up all over the place - crocuses, snowdrops, and all the little tiny buds on the trees.

Although its cold outside, its sunny today, and you just know that the warm sunny days are just around the corner. The nights are beginning to get noticeably shorter - yesterday we noticed that we were coming home from my daughter's swimming lesson in daylight for the first time.

I can see why the Chinese chose this time of the year to be New Year - January always seems so cold and miserable and gloomy - it does feel more like the tired and sad tail end of the old thing than the beginning of the new. People talk about new starts on January 1st and all I ever want to do is crawl back under the duvet and sleep off the excesses of Christmas.

Whereas now I can really feel the New Year, I have new life in me, new enthusiasm and new joie de vivre. I'm going to make my New Year's resolutions now and march on merrily into the springtime.

I have no idea what the Year of the Rat is supposed to herald. But I for one have got a really good feeling about 2008.