A long, long, long time ago when Rose was a shell of a child on chemo and tied to a traction bed two lovely volunteers from a fantastic charity called the Make A Wish Foundation came to visit her and to ask her what she would most like in all the world. A sick bowl? To be able to get up and walk away from her awful life? For them to go away so she could go back to sleep? It was really hard to imagine Rose ever doing any of the things they suggested and all seemed to belong to another world and another lifetime. But - luckily for us - they've seen it all before and knew that one day Rose would be back out there living her life and they persevered with ideas and thoughts, kept getting back in touch through the rest of her treatment and eventually when they could see the time was right started to put together the most amazing wish for her. Rose's wish was to be a princess for a day - what else for a little girl who's been known as Princess Pink for as far back as she could first throw a pink feather boa round her shoulders and clicky clacky around in little pink Disney heels? As the weekend grew nearer the calls from lovely Sally at the charity came thick and fast with requests for shoe size, dress size, seven different head measurements for a bespoke wig, favourite colours, interests, favourite food and so on and our excitement started to grow...
Well it was just all amazing and rather overwhelming really - 24 hours of being just spoilt rotten in the most beautiful surroundings and the rest of us all got to tag along too! Obviously just as general lackeys and bag carriers and it was firmly ALL ABOUT ROSE but we were on the ticket... Princess Rose's home for the weekend was beautiful Amberley Castle in West Sussex where we had a suite (king size four poster bed for the children, z-beds for Simon and I!) which was STUFFED with clothes, toys, make up, jewellery, a dressing gown with Princess Rose embroidered on the back, pink fluffy slippers, sweets everywhere, sparkly shoes, satin gloves, evening bags, THE DRESS (see pic), a customised Hannah Montana-style wig, tiara, I'm sure I'm forgetting lots of important freebies but you get the general idea. It was little girl heaven in a bedroom. Before we had even had time to bounce on the king size bed it was time for hotel brunch (princess style jam sandwiches and chocolate eclairs) and then Princess Rose's beauty treatments to begin. Almost whimpering with envy I watched Rose be manicured and pedicured and made up before she was escorted outside to her horse drawn carriage for a gentle ride through the Sussex villages to the local hostelry and back again (by this time photographer in attendance for added pap factor) to meet her chauffeur driven limo. Into Chichester to a branch of Monsoon where FOUR sales assistants danced attendance on her, having kitted out a changing room with a lacy throne and a whole rail of gorgeous 7-8 yr old clothes. Many many outfits later it was back in the limo with our enormous carrier bags for a much-needed cup of tea and breather back at Rose Castle before the grand finale of a three course a la carte dinner in a private dining room with open fire and Princess Rose in all her fabulous finery. Slightly knocked Christmas Day and all seven birthdays into touch really - it was a great day. Simon and I survived the z-beds with the help of a bottle of wine and a good sense of humour and chauffeured the princess and her brother safely back home the following morning after a breakfast fit for royalty. Rose is still putting it all away and arranging and rearranging her jewellery (some of which I have really got my eye on) and her new clothes and toys and we will be reliving it for weeks. Sally - thank you to you and to all the people who gave their time to Rose this weekend. You definitely made one small princess very, very happy.
So - back to earth with a bump and back to school if only to make all her friends green about her weekend. She has enough boast-and-tell souvenirs to keep her going for the rest of term at least... Normal business resumed - physio this afternoon, Kings tomorrow, a gastrostomy to sort out and exercises to do but she will never forget her princess weekend and neither will we.
