With a little help from my friends...

It was planned to perfection, months in advance. It was to be a Flaneuses reunion of friendship, fashion and food. Apart from celebrating being together again after nearly a year, we were also in Paris to bid farewell to yet another friend.

In January, my Italian Super-Mum friend had declared they were moving to the US this summer; in the same breath she also complained that no one was left to see her off, apart from myself. Since I am now down to one, I decided to change my status from Flaneuse to Welcome Committee, especially since it looks like I won't be leaving Paris anytime soon.

Therefore, jumping into action, I called upon Les Flaneuses in Kuala Lumpur, Michigan, Stockholm, Istanbul, Milano and Rome, proposed a date to surprise Italian Super-Mum with a farewell reunion and after a few e-mails back and forth we were all set.

Of course, I had to come up with a programme that would make this reunion enticing as well as unforgettable. A combination of fashion exhibits at the Grand Palais and the Musée Galliera, lunches with prime views onto the Eiffel Tower, and a dinner served at Paris' trendiest terrace sounded perfect along with some time at home to chill and catch up with each others lives.

The Italian delegation had some trouble with their flights but managed to improvise and even the Japanese-American contingency who did not commit until the very end pulled through and arrived just in time. We didn't quite manage to get all the girls here physically but certainly in spirit each and every one of Les Flaneuses were with us in Paris this week.

When we turned up at school, Italian Super-Mum didn't believe her eyes. She is never at a loss for words but today her giant smile said more than 1000 words. Bon voyage mon amie! I will miss you! But as the saying goes: "Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave and impossible to forget!"