This weekend my husband and I had a party to celebrate our joint 50th birthdays (his last May, mine next March) and our 27th wedding anniversary. It was his idea to do it, and I hadn't been overly sure about it, but agreed anyway. We had open house on Saturday, but a few guests stayed with us from Friday evening till Sunday early afternoon.

I was nervous beforehand because I'm finding being in the middle of a group of people very intimidating at the moment. But I knew all the people there were friendly, which helped. I wore a top with a silky velour feel, and a few times when I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed I stroked my sleeve, and that worked quite well - it felt soft and safe, if that makes sense.

And I didn't have any major wobbles at all. Not one. This is brilliant. OK, I had a few unsteady moments, but in general it was fine.

I feel like I've taken a big step forward.