Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Barbados Beach Babe!




I'm on a well deserved holiday on the beautiful Island that is Barbados!
Days have been spent strolling along the beaches, gazing & dipping into the endless turquoise blue sea, reading, resting my bones & just basking in the hot rays from the sun.
Every time I come here, I am in utter awe and reminded of the beauty of God's creation. Pure perfection!
I feel so blessed.
Life is so peaceful here & I've been enjoying every moment.





Lots of love & May God Bless You!

Charlene xXx

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

cleaning out...




Too much stuff. I seem to have an on going battle with clearing out my junk.There's just too much! Every time it feels like I'm getting somewhere I take a look in another drawer or cupboard and it just seems never ending. I may be slightly blowing it out of proportion here but to me it seems huge.
I've been taking bits & bobs to the charity shop, some things I've never even used, Just an accumulation of stuff over time adding to my clutter.

Since the last post I wrote on this subject I didn't get very far on my sorting but at least I have not really added to the pile.

I dream of bright & open space, white walls. Starting over, a fresh canvas to being again.

Changes are very much needed

With my birthday approaching, I'm getting into reflection mode.
Embarking onto another year of my life and I'm definitely feeling the wiser. As the saying goes "You live & you learn"

I'm definitely learning.

Much Love

Charlene

The Wedding: August love in the air!




My friends wedding In August was wonderful! The weather was fantastic, the sun blazing all day long. The bride was stunning! & the bridesmaids scrubbed up pretty well too. It really was a great day.

As we entered the church I almost shed a tear. It was as we began walking down the aisle Cristina turned around looking at Stephanie & I with what looked to be complete joy and fear all rolled into one. It was a look that said to me " I'm really doing this right now!I'm getting married & every emotion possible I'm experiencing at this very minute!" That's pretty much what I imagined in my head anyway. I felt so nervous & happy for her and at that moment all of these emotions came up settling into my throat so that I really thought I was going to burst into tears. Thank God I managed to swallow it all down and hold it together.

I was asked to do a reading at the church service of 1Corinthians 13:4-8 which I was more than happy to do, although a bit apprehensive I would get tongue tied and mess it up but all went well. Yay!

I was very happy with my hair, the photos I took didn't really do it much justice, but it really was a job well done by the lovely 1950's hairstylist.

It really was a fabulous day, with great company, a beautiful venue, delicious food and oh so romantic!
Hearing the speeches especially the grooms and seeing the connection & love between the wedded couple was so lovely! Don't you just love, love?!?!?!

The month of August saw two of my friends get married, another engaged and my parents celebrating over 30 years of Marriage! I'm so excited and totally happy for them all!

Stay blessed & know that you are very much loved

Charlene x






Tuesday, July 31, 2012

July



My first post for July, on the last day of July.
It's been a strange month. Stormy, Cloudy, Sunny & wet weather.
 A month of discoveries, beginnings, endings, loss & sadness.
It's been good & not so good.
I'm looking forward to August.

Keep looking up!

Love & blessings

Charlene


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Sunday



I adore this photo. To me, it's full of anticipation & expectation...

 Just thought I'd share it with you.

That's all.

Love & Blessings

Charlene x

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Hair Trials...







In preparation for my friends wedding we had 'Hair Trials' which is basically a run through of styles for the big day.

I was a tad apprehensive on how my hair would be treated & managed but to my complete pleasure it all went really well.

The 1950's are renowned for their intricate hair styles with lots of curl & kink detailing on sleek and smooth hair. (Pictures are of the Singer & Actress Lena Horne, I love her hair!)

I have thick & tightly coiled Afro hair which has a lot of volume, I love it!

The stylists who are 1950's specialists in hair & beauty were super gentle with my hair and made me feel so comfortable & relaxed. I almost fell asleep whilst my hair was being styled!

To save on time on the day of the wedding and to help enhance and define the style that will be achieved, I will prep my hair before hand by blow drying it semi-straight on the lowest heat setting to protect it from heat damage & to stretch my hair, which will help to achieve more length and reduce volume.

Using heat on my hair is something I rarely do any more but I'm cool with it on this special occasion & I'm surprised to find I'm becoming a lot less precious about my hair. Not a bad thing at all I think.

Love & Blessings

Charlene x

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Weddings & Bridesmaids








I love weddings!

Unfortunately the invites have always been few & far between, but in August one of my loveliest friends is getting married! & I'm going to be a bridesmaid!

I'm so excited!

The wedding has a 1950's feel to it hence the pictures above, so our dresses & hair will have that cool retro edge and styling.

I've been a bridesmaid once before for my Aunt years ago, so I'm super happy to be doing it again with this creative and fun twist.

Love & Blessings

Charlene xx



Sunday, June 03, 2012

Jubilee

This Mug made me chuckle.
Jokes aside, I'm really disappointed with this unpredictable and miserable British weather!
Just last week we had the sun finally giving us some ray's, but now back to the wet & miserable downpours.
I feel sorry for all of those whose plans when to pot in their celebration of the Queens Diamond Jubilee.
I know a lot of tea and street parties were planned. I'm sure all was not lost.

Love & Blessing

Charlene

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Thankful





I'm having one of those moments where I'm feeling so grateful & thankful for everything!

 Thank you LORD!

For My life, family, friends a roof over my head, air to breathe, eyes to see, ears to listen a voice to sing! so much to be thankful for.

It can often be so easy to grumble & complain about the things that aren't going right & to dwell on the negative but there is always somebody worse off. Always a story you will hear or read about of somebody else's pain & suffering.

It's not always easy but as long as we persevere through the tough times, trust in God, ask for his strength and believe we can make it, things will get better!

 Believe!

Love & Blessings

Charlene

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Where have all the gentlemen gone?!






Every morning & evening I get the train to work & home again. I seem to get saddened every day by the distinct lack of gentlemanliness that I see around me, its awful.
Men practically running & often barging others to get a seat on the train.
Its a frequent sight to see a row of men seated & women holding onto the handrails nearby. These men seemingly oblivious to the women desperate just to sit down or even the fragile elderly and obviously pregnant women! Come on now, have a heart.
Now I know not all men are like this & its so encouraging when you do see the odd few letting a lady take the seat instead, but from what I've seen it's so rare.
Nine times out of ten I will see women giving up their seats for the elderly or a pregnant woman while the men just look on! What on earth is this about?!
Take today for instance, I was seated between two men, one who was seated in the 'priority seat' (see pic above) which is placed above the few priority seats on all trains. From what I could see this man did not appear to qualify for this category. A fairly old lady walked onto the train which was pretty full, standing in clear view of the seated men. I deliberately waited a few moments to see if any of them would get up making sure they had ample time to register her presence & offer her their seat but surprise surprise none of them did so as usual or so it seems another woman, me, offered her my seat.
As I said before its not all men, & there are ailments & injuries that are not always visible to the eye which could be preventing some from getting up and holding onto their seat.

But those few that are considerate to the needs of others around them, women included, always stand out in my mind. I almost want to applaud and hug them, putting the others to shame.

Come on men, man up! Make us women proud!


Saturday, May 05, 2012

You are what you eat



I love food, especially the sweet variety!
I'm happiest when indulging in chocolate or some form of sugary substance.
But recently I've been majorly over doing it and now I'm experiencing the side effects.
I gave up the sweet stuff for lent so I'm really feeling and seeing the difference in my body & skin since reintroducing it back into my diet.
My skin has broken out into unsightly spots, I've gained a few pounds my energy levels are low & I'm exhausted.
Its time for a detox a radical overhaul of my diet,eating habits and a exercise plan.
No more junk!



Yay! It's May!







Okay, I'm a few days late with this one, but here all the same. I'm so happy we've reached May & I'm looking forward to brighter & warmer days ahead. Just a matter of time... sun soon come!

I found this photo taken by Davincipoppalalag of Binney Park. Its beautiful & really captures the colours of spring.

Love & Blessings

Charlene

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Can you stand the rain?



This wet weather has bought to mind a Boyz II Men song I used to listen to years ago.
 My dad bought himself the album but my sisters & I claimed it for ourselves soon after.


On a perfect day
I know that I can count on you
When that's not possible
Tell me, can you weather the storm...

...Sunny days, everybody loves them
Tell me
Can you stand the rain
Storms will come
This we know for sure
Can you stand the rain...


Monday, April 23, 2012

Love Notes...








I think, I may be falling...


Sunday song sessions


" The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought"

 Loving this pic I found on Tumblr.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

The Ballet





Ever since I was a young girl, I really wanted to go to ballet classes. It was after seeing the tv series 'Anna Ballerina' that I became hooked. I admired the grace, poise and serenity that each dancer appeared to possess & their muscular & athletic frames. I wanted to pirouette, wear ballet pumps & a tutu!

Well, I never got to go to my Ballet classes but I have been to a couple of performances. The most recent was last week where I had the pleasure of attending 'The Royal Opera House' in Covent Garden (second pic above) to see three performances titled: Polyphonia, Sweet Violets & Carbon Life. All three performances were a pleasure to watch I enjoyed them all immensely but it was the final performance 'Carbon Life' that made the most impact.

On stage behind the ballerina's was almost a full live band! drums were the only thing missing. This was lead by Mark Ronson on bass guitar & singers who included Alison Mosshart & Boy George & a rapper called Black Cobain. It was so fresh and unexpected a complete contrast to the previous two performances. At times the singers were walking close into the ballerina's space.
It was such a new thing for me, seeing this fusion of classical dance being interpreted into another form by the music & seeing contemporary music & this classical art form of dance coming together in a space that you would never expect it to be seen. I loved it. It was like ballet being taken out from its comfort zone & some of the more mature audience members definitely appeared to be taken out of theirs.
The visuals were very strong, with light projection of shapes & various screens coming down over the band & the ballerinas. The costumes (see last pic above) were designed by Gareth Pugh & had a very abstract feel to them.
After the show when speaking to my companions they felt that the beauty of the ballet got a bit lost with so much going on visually and musically. I loved it all the same!

Much love & Blessings

Charlene x

Sunday, April 15, 2012

What becomes of the broken hearted...?


Just a question I thought I'd put out there.

We live & learn & hopefully will gain something positive & significant from the pain & suffering we so often endure. I believe in happy endings!

Be open & receptive to something good appearing in your life.

Trust in God, he is more than able!

Keep loving,trusting, praying & learning on the journey that is your life.

Lots of Love, prayers & Blessings

Charlene x

Friday, April 13, 2012

Beautiful Brighton






Yesterday I went to visit my lovely friend, who not so long ago moved to Brighton to get away from the hustle and bustle of London with her boyfriend. I think it was after several long weekends here together, that they both fell in love with the place and decided to make it their home.

Brighton has always been dear to me. It brings back childhood memories of me sitting on a deck chair, walking & playing on the hard pebble beach & eating fish & chips with my big sister & Aunties. Mum having packed us both off early to go with them to their church convention.

I love the sea, the clean salty air, the colourful streets & houses & the laid back attitude of the people I meet here. There is so much creativity everywhere you look.

We were blessed with a beautiful day, clear blue sky and lots of sunshine! The sky & sea appeared to melt into one. The shades of blue were mesmerizing. There was a brief downpour of rain but fortunately we didn't get wet as we were tucked away in a cozy tea house indulging ourselves with cream tea, scones and clotted cream. Afterwards we left for a brief ponder around some of the independent & charity shops then for a long walk beside the sea. Bliss.

Much Love & Blessings

Charlene

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Who is your Number1?


During a conversation with a gorgeous friend of mine who is currently 'seeing' someone, she said to me
" you know what Char, I just know I'm not his number1"
It really made me sad and got me thinking about friendships & relationships, men & women, the way we treat those around us.

So, who is your number1? Who do you give priority & preference to in your life?
Is it to the people who really matter?
Who do you take for granted? or carelessly string along, knowing you will never take them to that next level of commitment they desire in your life, but, you continue to keep them around?Maybe for comfort, convenience or even out of fear. Food for thought right?

For those who are in that grey and foggy area of dating, 'seeing' or 'checking' someone, where on their list of priorities do you rest?

In my past experience it's not a nice feeling when deep down you know that special someone who you would love to be exclusively yours just doesn't feel the same or they have other 'options' to explore so are not yet willing to cement your union. Before long you start to realize you are compromising yourself & your standards to remain in a situation that is in no way beneficial or pleasing to you.

I believe its all linked to how much we love & value ourselves.
If we don't respect our own body, mind & soul & have clear standards & boundaries ready and set in place, then how can we ever expect anyone else to?

Much love & blessings

Charlene .x.






Sunday, April 08, 2012

Sunday, Sunday...


"Daughter of the diaspora" An image I found on the tumblr of Omari T.Davis

Saturday, April 07, 2012

Happy Easter: & I'm not talking about bunnies & chocolate eggs


Wow, Its Easter again. Time is flying & it was only six blog posts ago that I was last writing a post about it! (shame faced) I really need to get writing more. Get the sea of words that flow around my brain out here onto this world wide web.

So this post is dedicated to my Saviour, JESUS who Easter, for those of you who don't know, is really all about. It was Jesus, the Son of God, who died on the cross at calvery to save YOU & me from our sins. BUT he wasn't dead for long! He rose from the grave three days later, defying death! He LIVES! JESUS IS ALIVE!
If you don't know him, then I urge you to get to know him. it's easy, just pick up a Bible. The word of God. And pray! PRAY, PRAY,PRAY!!! He listens, He cares, He Loves YOU!

Much love & Blessings

Charlene .x.


Spring Clean: Love & Need

Just a few days ago I gave some of my old clothes, shoes,books etc away, Stuff I haven't touched in ages to charity.
I'm currently in the process of getting rid of a lot of stuff. Clutter & basically junk I no longer use or need, but I find it so difficult parting with it all! After leaving it all at the charity shop I felt so anxious and uncomfortable about it & its madness because I really don't need any of that stuff! But it was all once mine, it played a part, a small one but still, a part in my life.
I guess we just get attached to things, objects, people. The thing is we can't take any of this with us when we die! Sorry to get morbid but it's the truth and someones gonna have to sort out our mess. So, I really want to down scale and be as minimal as I possibly can because I just want things around me that I love and need.
I'm also fed up of living in disarray, forever searching around for bits & pieces I've mislaid due to the heap of stuff I've amassed!
I'm going to start by buying (only if I really need it!) a lot more consciously on my new 'love & need' only basis, and also to continue to detach and cleanse from myself the things that no longer meet this criteria.
I want to live in a light, bright,open and clutter free space. A place where my family and friends can drop in unannounced & I will feel happy & prepared to welcome them in with no fuss or worry about the presentation of my home.

Much Love & Blessings!

Charlene

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Pretty Wings

I have this song by Maxwell stuck in my mind. It's very bitter sweet. I love the lyrics and music, wish I had the talent to write such soul touching songs. Maybe one day... Here's a little snip:

"Time will bring the real end of our trial, one day there'll be no remnants no trace no residual feelings within you, one day you won't remember me. Your face will be the reason I smile but I will not see what I cannot have forever I'll always love you, I hope you feel the same. Oh, you played me dirty, your game was so bad you toyed with my affliction had to fill out my prescription found the remedy, I had to set you free. Away from me to see clearly the way that love can be when you are not with me. I had to leave, I had to live, I had to leave, I had to live. If I can't have you let love set you free to fly your pretty wings around...

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Happy Brand New Year 2012!

Happy New Year! I'm thanking God for the year just passed and the new year we are now embarking upon! I pray for joy, peace, laughter and lots of love for us all! ENJOY!!!

love & Blessings

Charlene xxx