Today is my best friends birthday. And by best friend I mean my mum. I don’t know how many 19-year-old girls can honestly say that their mum is their best friend, and I don’t know whether I should be so proud of that but I am honestly the luckiest girl in the world to be able to call this woman my mother.

Since I have left Australia so many people have asked me – ‘how do your parents feel about you doing this?’ There is no greater moment when I can tell them how incredible supportive and encouraging my mum is towards my decisions. I think if I told mum that I wanted to go to the moon she probably learn how to build a spaceship.

Mum. To me you are more beautiful than Santorinis sunset, stronger than the Scottish winds, more inspirational than the protesters in Kiev, more elegant than the streets of Paris, wilder than Barcelona’s nightlife, worth more than all of the cars in Monaco, more confusing than Venice’s canals, more spectacular than the icebergs in Greenland, more graceful than the music in Vienna, crazier than the tourists in Amsterdam, cooler than San Francisco, more breathtaking than the fyords in Norway, tougher than the vikings in Sweden, weirder than the phallological museum in Iceland and more phenomenal than the Aurora Borealis.

How do I know that? Because you gave me the opportunity to experience it all firsthand.

I wish I could be with you today but the hole I started digging to the other side of the world isn’t deep enough yet… So I want you to remember that… Սիրում եմ քեզ. 我爱你. Volim te. Je t’aime. მიყვარხარ. Asavakkit. Ti amo. 好きです. ನಾ ನಿನ್ನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸ್ತೀನಿ. Jeg elsker deg. Te iubesc. Я тебя люблю. Ah loove ye. Jag älskar dig. بحبك. Ich liebe dich. Σ΄αγαπώ. मैं तुम्हैं बहुत चाहता चाहती हुँ. Ik hou van je. Mä rakastan sua. Szeretlek. Kei te aroha au ki a koe. Amo-te. Em yêu anh. Të dua. ᓇᒡᓕᒋᕙᒋᑦ. Gráím thú. Aku cinta kamu.

…Ég elska þig

PS I know this doesn’t redeem the fact that I didn’t get you a present but I promise I’ll shout you lunch when we go to Antarctica.

PPS I want to go to the moon mum…

• Birthday
• Daughter
• Happy Birthday
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• Mum