Friends

In a previous post I mentioned about my internet friend Joan in New Zealand & how we had never met. Well, that will be changed in May 2013.
As my sister Lynda turns 60 in May & my eldest great nephew will be celebrating his 5th birthday 4 days earlier, I decided that I would go to England to be there for both milestone events.
Allen wont be going with me as he will be playing in the Spanish Nationals, but I am giving them a miss this year.
I got onto the internet looking for a flight at a reasonable cost & managed to find one into Birmingham on the day before Haydns birthday - perfect. I have hired a car to go to Gloucester & will stay with Lynda until the day after her birthday.
Amazingly as I was booking my flights to UK Joan was doing the same from New Zealand so she could visit her Mum in Sandbach. The dates coincided (spooky), so on 23rd May 2013 Joan & I will finally meet in person in Cheshire. I will have 2 1/2 days there before I return to Birmingham for my flight home.

My Kiwi Friend

Many of you will wonder how you can have a friend who you have never met but who means the world to you. Well, I assure you it is entirely possible.
About 18 months ago a lady in New Zealand asked a question in the Craftsuprint forum about a card design. Having bought the same design in a different colour I was able to help her along the way to make hers up.
This led to various emails & it turns out we are alike in so many ways. Similar looks, size, sense of humour, hobbies & also in life events.
We are now firm friends & are in contact daily just to chat, sometimes to moan about life in general, but mainly just for friendship.
Joan is originally from the UK but has lived in New Zealand for a lot of years. She is currently having treatment for breast cancer but she stays positive through it all & if she is having a down day she knows I am here to lift her spirits & to sometimes chide her.
It would be so lovely if at some stage in the future we could meet but that will have to wait a while.
Until then we will continue to have our long distance chats with a 12 hour time difference - while one of us is having breakfast the other is having dinner.
Joan has recently become a designer for Craftsuprint & is going through a learning curve but I am always here to encourage her in her efforts & she will shortly make silver as a designer & gold as a crafter.
So if someone says how can you have a friend you have never met, just tell them EASILY.