To my sister.

I've tried to keep most personal details of my friends and family out of Henrietta as it doesn't seem fair to drag everyone else out in the open with me, but I think this is called for. Hope you don't mind, Smeggedd.

I just don't understand how my sister does it. She is actually superwoman.

Does anyone else in the world have a birthday book? Yes, a birthday book (I am now relying on most people NOT having a birthday book or this could backfire). Every morning my sister looks in her birthday book to make sure she won't miss any upcoming birthdays of her hundreds of friends.

That would be fine if you had literally nothing else to do (and you had a birthday book). But she does!

Typically she will have spent a good portion of the night with a teething baby, who wakes every hour. She will have got up and made breakfast and got the three year old ready for nursery. Driven her there. Come back, skyped me for a chat, cleaned the house, cooked lunch, picked the three year old back up from nursery and driven them all round to my house - where she'll promptly provide cooked food, two impeccably behaved and turned out children, look after anyone else hanging around with me and then CLEAN the HOUSE.

She'll bring me a hot water bottle on the sofa and tuck me in, she'll entertain EVERYONE while I sleep the afternoon away, oblivious.  And then I'll wake up and she's making tea, organising children and she's called the doctor for my sick note. There's potties and babies and food and general motherhood things to do, and there's all this on top. How?

So then we have tea, for everybody, its just been magicked up. She cleans the whole kitchen, changes the kids to pyjamas, has them in the car and ready to go and I've still not got off the sofa. She drives home then, and puts them to bed (not a five minute job). Maybe then she gets to see her own husband and house and get some time. But she's usually skyping me again by then so it's not likely. Finally she can go to bed and not get any sleep, because the baby is teething all night.

If that was you, would you get up and look in a birthday book?

I have the best sister in the world and it just astounds me what she can do at the best of times. But she always has the capacity to do even more for everyone else. And she always does. Here's to my sister - you're the best, thank you so much xxxx


Mum, Oliver, you would be next but I'm more scared of you so I probably won't.