Many years ago there were three friends who were just dipping their toes into the strange and wonderful waters of this thing they call grown up life.
They had all been through the 'uni' years, and the 'first crappy jobs' years, and were travelling through this period of life sharing a lovely little house in a grey Northen Town. I was of course one of this trio, together with my two BFF's.
They were inclined to the path of rightousness in pursuing worthy careers in social work, whereas I was tempted over to the dark side by pursuing a career in law. Nevertheless we rubbed along famously.
There were inevitably ups and downs whilst sharing a home. For me the downside was definately having to share the house with one friend's incontinent and diorrhea prone house rabbit, whilst she would probably mention my inability to hang the bathmat over the side of bath after use and my other friend will recall our merciless teasing over her phone addiction. However I remember this time as a rose tinted one; of shared laughter, tears and female friendship at its finest.
After a couple of years our house sharing days came to a natural conclusion as we moved onto new living arrangements with our then boyfriends, all of whom have since bitten the dust. However we made a pact with each other. We agreed that on a regular basis we would get together to relive our co-habiting days. This would not be an occasion for pub or club, but instead in each others homes where we would stay overnight for the pure reason that this meant we could wear our pyjamas, drink too much cava (always cava), order pizza and just catch up with each other.
Fast forward 11 years and you will whizz past the heartbreak of relationships ending, the giddy joy of new ones starting, three fully fledged careers, two weddings and five babies with the sixth due in two weeks time. I am more than proud to say that despite all of this change the P & P's as they are now known (shorthand for pizza and pyjamas) are still going strong, with one taking place every two to three months. Indeed I am just about to nip out for a bottle of cava for tonight!
We are all now busy working mums with all the pressures that brings, but our shared past, present and future binds us together. The fact that we have managed to cling onto our tradition, and the fact that we can still laugh and cry together, is an achievement which ranks highly in my life.
Ladies, make sure there is room in the fridge for my bottle, and see you around 7.30pm tonight. xx
