In honour of International Women’s Day on March 8th, I’ve written a list of love to my women friends. They are all magnificent in different ways, and I’m grateful for each of them every day. In the interests of writing a blog-friendly list I’ve categorised those friends (some of them land themselves in more than one category) and I hope you can recognise your friends too…

1) Independent Business Lady Friends – these women understand the struggle and triumph of being self-employed and they are endlessly supportive and basically run around with metaphorical pompoms cheer-leading and helping you up on their shoulders. Metaphorically.
2) School Gate Friends – the tribe of women at the school gates who don’t judge you (or your husband) when you are filling in the reading log crouching in the corner of the playground at 8:43am on the day the books are changed.
3) Chatting Until 1 In the Morning Friends – you feel like it’s been 20 minutes, but in reality, 5 hours have passed, and you haven’t actually covered half of what you wanted to discuss.
4) Old Guard Friends – you might not see each other in the flesh much because life gets a bit bonkers sometimes, but when you do you do it’s like old times.
5) Sense of Humour Friends – the friends who don’t bat an eyelid when you say you’d call your imaginary funeral business ‘Funique’.
6) The Niche Interest Friends – the friends who understand your obsession/fear of killer whales and know who Georgette Heyer is.
7) The Shared Experience Friends – you might have worked, studied or lived together. They know where the bodies are buried.
8) The Heart-to-Heart Friends – your hearts are joined by an invisible piece of string and they know you to your core. They are also the best placed to remind you not to be a banana.

I’ll be celebrating International Women’s Day with my pals all year round because they are basically the bee’s knees and I’m so thankful to each and every one of them.