Thinning Out My Life

Thinning out my life

I have too much.

Too many thing. Too many thoughts. Too much access to information and content and entertainment.

Although I would say I am an intelligent woman, I am also a bear of very little brain space and I honestly feel that I have filled it to capacity. I have hit the ripe old age of 28 and I have room for no more. There's no mental space left to process things which means that when problems arise I fly into a panic and cry rather than rationally sorting it out logically. This is turn makes me tired. So I go to sleep earlier. Which is great except then I run out of room in my day for all the content I crave. (Or that I have become accustomed to and feel I need to take in). As you might guess from my flying into a panic comment, I am an anxious person and even an unwatched video on my YouTube subscriptions gives me a feeling of not completing something, of missing a mark or a target. Oh yeah... that's not healthy. And finally physical space. I am in the very exciting position of being mid-renovation on a house that I have bought with my lovely Boy. That sounds wonderful. All that space. But what do I do with the 28 years worth of clutter and crap I've collected in the meantime.   (Ps. I really enjoyed that alliteration there, did you?) I don't just want to transfer it ALL to a new space and plus, the Boy's got to have some room for his bits and bobs too. I am a bit of a hoarder and feel guilt at getting rid of things. So my brain is full, my space is full and my time is full. Enough is enough. Time to thin out.

Step one: The brain.
I am sure once the house stuff gets sorted that will free up some room in my own personal head-hard drive but until then, stuff is getting delegated. In particular to my phone. Lists and reminders have become my go to coping device. Daily tasks at work pop up on recurring reminders. The shopping list is continually added to and ticked off in a never ending stream of not trying to remember what I've run out of. A spreadsheet for presents and events that require gift purchases. Yes. Yes I have one of those too. It hasn't solved all my problems but at least it's taken some pressure off my remains megabits of memory.

Step 2: My time.
So earlier this year I took the plunge and reduced my hours down to four days a week. And about a month after I did that I took on a one day part-time job at a bakers. This lasted a few months and then they wound down over the summer telling me they normally picked up again in the autumn and that they'd give me a call. During that time I bought a house and found my additional day off to be very helpful in a)getting stuff done and b) giving the aforementioned brain a break from all my work-related stresses. I found myself worrying about how I would cope once I went back to my second job. So with a heavy heart, but a brace decision for me I chose to quit. I felt guilty and like I was causing them difficulties but I had to do what was right for me. My time is precious and I can't fit everything I want to into it. Sometimes something has to give.

I have actively unsubscribed from various things across various social media. I figure less stuff coming my way with the potential to eat into my time has got to be a good thing. I am considering making a timetable of regular subscriptions like my podcasts so I know what is coming each day and where I am at with keeping up to date. It's a little thing, you might think it sounds like a daft thing, but it's a thing to help me stay in control.

Recently, with everything going on, I've turned down friends, great friends who I don't see enough because I haven't been able to cope with the idea of another thing, of losing the time for jobs and tasks and worrying. I am lucky that I have the most wonderful friends who understand and only send love and offers of help rather than get annoyed but this isn't how I want to live my life so I need to sort out some time management too.


Step 3: All. The. Stuff.

This is by far the biggest thing. Of course when I move I will have more than one room to fill with stuff but I truly don't want to move from one crowded space to another so I need to declutter and I need to start now. Things to tackle are:
* Clothes
* Shoes
* Bags
* Books
* DVDs
* Craft supplies
* Ornaments
* Keepsakes and memory stuff
* Paperwork
* Notebooks (I have so many notebooks!)
* Childhood toys
* Probably a ton of other stuff.

I never meant to leave my blog in 2016 and I wish I hadn't because I've done some amazing things that I wished I had blogged about. I'll have to see if I can't do a 'round-up' post to catch up. The thing is though, as well as all the fun stuff, this year has been a challenge and trying to blog in it just wasn't a good idea for me. But I know my little Internet corner will be there for me to whitter on in if I need it.

If you have read this far, or any of it at all, thank you.

I hope to see you soon
Love Charlotte x

Awards Ceremony #7PlaysIn7Days

Not quite the Oscars but I had a good time.

So...now I've had a couple of days rest from all of the constant play excitement I feel like I can write up my final comments on the Wakefield Drama Festival or as I have been, and always will be calling it #7playsin7days.

Where to begin? At the beginning where Paul the Announcer (I only found out his name in the last two nights) explained how the festival worked and I couldn't decide whether the idea of staying for the feedback was a good idea or not. Further in, where after Paul had made the same speech EVERY night and I was losing the will to turn up on time. I completely understand that not everyone went for all 7 nights and that he had to explain it for those who were new but it got pretty boring by night 3, I can only imagine the frustration of people who had been attending for years. Or do I begin at the end? Where the awards were given?

Yes... I shall begin at the end. I hadn't realised this at first, but there was opportunity to vote for your favourite play, actors and directors. I thought it was just a little gimmick in the programme but once the final play had wrapped up, 7 night ticket holders were invited to collect voting slips which I wholeheartedly did. 

If you have read my previous blogs on the festival, you might have guessed the Two was my favourite. And if you didn't, it was only because I was trying to be fair and positive about the other shows. Two was by far the best show, the best acted and the best directed. So that is how I voted. If they had had more than two actors I would have voted for them in the supporting actor/actress categories too. I did have my reservations though if they would win. Not because they didn't deserve it, of course they did! But they performed on the quietest night and they weren't the local companies which I had heard rumour generally pulled in the prizes. Myself, The Boy and our new in the real world friends fromTwitter gathered together to wait for the outcome. And boy were we surprised. Two practically did a clean sweep. I felt strangely proud for knowing it was the best. Clearly I am a theatre expert. Or, I just like a good laugh, well performed. Either way... I was happy and they looked shocked more than anything!

I would definitely attend the festival again. Although I might book the odd day off in between for a recovery day. I am not accustomed to going out so much! 

The audience was asked at the end to try to spread the word about the event, to help promote it and to make it more successful. I think this is a reasonable request, after all, I found out about the plays by word of mouth (well... Tweets but it's the sa,e thing these days) but it did feel a bit cheeky when the theare itself doesn't seem to promote its own event very well at all. It was hammered into me that this was the 16th year of the event but the first I heard of it was only a year or so ago. I didn't see that the tickets had been announced this year save for being told by my Twitter informant. The theatre have a Twitter account  but no one seems to have shown them how to use it. Maybe they advertise locally, in the paper... I admit I'm not in town very often and I don't buy the local rag, but I don't think I am that out of the ordinary. Having had my little rant, I will try to spread the word, I've got a couple of people in mind who might be up for at least a few plays if not all 7. It seems such a shame more people don't know about it and it was such an intense week... It really felt different and was quite a refreshing change, followed by what seems like quite a refreshing rest!

I'm off to try and think of something else to write about now... My #7playsin7days fodder has dried up now... Until next year!

Pip pip,

Charlotte x 

Trojan Women #7PlaysIn7Days

Night Seven.
They flogged that Trojan Horse. 

Night Seven! We made it to the end. But nothing could have prepared me for this. 5 out of the other 6 shows could be described as Comedy Dramas. Even Dracula had a laugh or two. But this. This was serious. This was a downer. Why on earth did they put this on for the final night? On Saturday night? I think it was because it would've put people off coming back. 

I'll apologise now, this isn't going to be very positive. I've tried but I just didn't enjoy it. 

A bizarre mix of ancient Greece and modern day refugee camps with bullet proof vests... I just don't think it was for me. Being made to watch what felt like at least 5 minutes of news footage about various terrorist attacks before the play had barely begun really put me off. I didn't understand what I had come to see and I don't really want to spend my Saturday night at the theatre being reminded that the world is a terrible place. 

The play itself lacked an interval and was a lot to take in without a breather. The choice to have cast members complete full costume changes on stage, in the dark, to wailing music was... unusual. I understand that they needed to show that a member of the general cast was now playing a specific role but why they couldn't just leave the stage and change there I just don't know. Especially since most of the time, immediately after the costume change, that character left the stage anyway! 

I believe was sat in the stalls, not that far from the front and there were several occasions where I couldn't hear what the cast were saying either because of poor projection, two many people talking at once or bad stage direction (talking into the floor is never going to work well). 

I did think Helen, frankly one of the only characters I can remember the name of, was quite good. She was strong, passionate and I could actually hear what she said for all of her scene. Winning. But this one scene couldn't save it for me. 

Closing the play with more news footage, this time including footage of a dead child was too much for me. I understand that it's real life. I understand it mirrored the death of a child in the play. I understand that I am in a privileged position to say that I would rather not see it on my Saturday night and that I will most likely never experience anything as harrowing myself. But, I still don't think it was appropriate, or at least that there should have been some sort of hint or warning of what was coming. I came expecting some sort of ancient Greek mythological thing, and that is not what I got. I'm glad I stuck it out and there were a few highlights but I wouldn't ever see it again, and to be honest I will be slightly wary should I attend the festival again, and that theatre group is performing. 

That's #7playsin7days. Just the awards ceremony to go!

Pip pip
Charlotte x

Blood Brothers #7PlaysIn7Days

Night Six
The big hitter

I read Blood Brothers at school. I'm pretty sure we did an exam on it. I've seen the musical and have the sound track on my computer. It's a big well known show and probably the first time I've been to see a shown where I already had not only a vague idea of what the story was, but that I definitely knew.

They didn't go for the full on musical, although there was an attempt at Marilyn Monroe. I know it started life as a play, but I think the songs add something extra. I like the story, those that I was with weren't so keen. It led to some disagreement during the interval and afterwards. Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy disagreement though. 

I must say I thought they were brave to take on such a well known play but the bold move paid off in that it really pulled in the crowds. It has been such a shame to see the smaller audiences during the week, I'd almost forgotten what it was like to be in a large crowd sharing the expected. As a newbie to the festival I found it a little strange when Paul the Announcer suddenly appeared on stage as the Narrator/Devil. While he did a very good job moving the play along and delivered all his lines with great strength, I found it hard to move past him giving the nightly welcome speech and the same brown suit he'd worn all week. 

Just incase you don't know, the story follows twin brothers, Micky and Eddie who become friends after being separated at birth. The birth mother, Mrs. Johnstone is a poor, single and superstitious. Due to threats from the welfare she gives one son away to the well off, snobby Mrs. Lyons, her employer. There's a love interest for both boys in the guise of Linda who brought me my favourite moment for my the play.

Linda had always been the best shooter, beating the boys when they were 8 with their toy airgun. 10 years later they're 18 and at the fun fair. Micky pays for a go on a game where you have to shoot 3 ducks down. She shoots once, the first duck falls, she shoots again and both remaining ducks fall. Linda is epic. As it turns out from an admission during the feedback, my favourite moment in the whole show was apparently a mistake but I think they need to keep it in of they ever do it again, and the adjudicator agreed with me!

One little niggle, if I am allowed, is that the cast seemed to forget the birth mother's name is Mrs. Johnstone not Mrs. Johnson. It's a small point but that 'st' sound is important to me. The devil is in the detail after all.

Something I hadn't appreciated before though was communicated to me in this performance. I had always been under the impression that Mrs. Lyons wasn't a superstitious woman but that she played on the superstitions of Mrs. Johnstone to stop her accessing her son, telling her if he twins ever met each other and found out they were brothers that they would die. Fair enough... I understand this. What I hadn't felt before was that it was this very comment that drove Mrs. Lyons into paranoia and depression. She drove herself insane, believing her own lies and that everyone was out to kill her son by revealing the truth. Or maybe that's not what happened and I've missed something else all together. I don't care, I enjoyed the show and that's what mattered to me.

One night to go!
Charlotte x

Holiday Snap #7PlaysIn7Days

Night Five
Farcical

Another night... and pair of couples with marital problems. Unlike Abigail's Party though this play was honest about the what indiscretions are taking place.

To quickly summarise, two couples have accidentally been booked into the same week of a Time Share. Hilarity ensues as their host fails to realise that he had been talking to two entirely different couples due to a combination of broken glasses and an increasing amount of gin consumption.

It was, to use a football phrase, a play of two halves. Pre-Interval comprises of each couple believing the other is the staff, plenty of made up Portuguese and the discovery that 'Wife number 1' is actually on holiday with someone who isn't her husband. Post-Interval reveals that the second couple aren't who they appear to be either and are also engaged in an affair! The couples argue over who will stay and keep the week which looks to be settled when threats to reveal one pairs indiscretions are made but the unexpected arrival of a mother in-law flips everything on its head again.

The plot might not have been the best I've ever come across but I thought the actors were great. Their timing was spot on and the laughs were frequent and hearty. Plus we experienced the moment of the week where the extremely drunk host staggers in during a celebratory moment and casually tips the champagne bottle in the hand of one of the guests so it discreetly fills his own glass. So smooth. You had to be their to truly understand the beauty of the move.

Mostly what I am after from a night at the theatre is to coem out the other end with a smile on my face and this play made sure that I did.

 Pip pip Charlotte x

Abigail's Party #7PlaysIn7Days

Night Four
Over the hump
This was the second play from the week that I had actually heard of. Abigail's Party. I had no idea what it was but I had a vague idea that it was from 70s and a quick scan over the blurb confirmed my suspicions. But still... I didn't really know what to expect.

The characters comprised of two couples and a single woman who all get together for a party.
Couple one was a very brash, bold woman (Beverly) married to a workaholic, straight-laced man (Laurence). I can only assume that have grown apart over the years and they were more alike when they met.

Couple two contrasted even more sharply. The woman (Angela) was... A free spirit shall we say, dressed in floor length skirt, floaty oversized blouse, poncho and hair ribbon. She also seemed, again being polite, to be a little dim. Having said that she was a nurse so maybe she just switches off outside of work. Her husband (Tony) however... Was a bloke. You know... Vest... England shorts... Spoke in single word sentences. I do not know how these guys got together at all!

And our final friend for the evening is a divorcee (Susan) whose daughter is having her own party down the road. We never actually meet Abigail... Even though the play is named for her.

Anyway... The general gist, is that everyone gets a bit drunk and either worries, stresses, shouts, flirts and argues. It was funny enough... But I really struggled with the surface level content of the play. It's so obvious that both couples are struggling in their relationships. Beverly is clearly fed up of Laurence spending all his time and attention on work, and he is evidently fed up of Beverly's lack of finesse, class and style. They are just not the same... He is so impressed with himself for liking olives and Shakespeare and I think sees himself as a bit posh. He tries to impress Sue, who seems to share his taste while Beverly makes it no secret that she is impressed by Tony's physique and 'manliness'. Angela is just happy to eat all the crisps.

There is a brief mention of childhoods which Tony snaps at, suggesting there is something deeper going on there and full on shouts at Angela at one point, ordering her to get up and leave the party even though she wants to stay. The tension between them really intrigued me as to what the difficulties were in their relationship, it felt to me that Tony might be controlling but again NOTHING came of the outbursts.

I won't spoil the ending but I was very disappointed that we didn't actually find out anything meaningful about the characters and their lives. Oh well... Can't have everything.

Pip pip,
Charlotte x

Two #7PlaysIn7Days

Night Three
Proper Laughs

So it turns out I have had reservations about all the plays in this festival. The idea that I was going to watch just two people for an hour and a half playing multiple different characters struck me as something that had to be performed extremely well or was going to be a disaster.

How was I going to tell who was who? Would the actors be talking to themselves? Not knowing anything about the play before hand my mind took me to places where I was going to be utterly confused.

Thankfully, no one had to talk to themselves, the structure of the play was that of individual scenes with either one character monologing or a male and female character interacting. At no point was the guy pretending to be an old man totalling to the landlord and doing some sort of terrible accent swapping which was what I feared would happen.

The actors themselves did a sterling job! Totally brilliant. If every they need a showpiece to prove they can do more than one thing, they should just tape that and put it on YouTube. If you can play, an elderly person, a boyfriend with a roaming eye and girlfriend who has had enough,a couple in an abusive relationship, a couple who have let themselves go, a weak man and a strong woman, a small boy and a married couple held only together by their business running the pub the play is set in you have my utmost respect. 

The characters came almost entirely from the actors themselves with only the slightest costume and hair changes to identify each new character on stage. The changes were extremely smooth and done at great speed. My favourite character had to be the woman in the fat couple who seemed to have headed to the pub just to watch telly and eat crisp. NEVER has eating crisps been so funny. But the most standout moment had to be the boyfriend with roaming eye jumping off the stage, shaking his bum in the face of one front row punter and seriously flirting with another who from my vantage point definitely looked to be a pensioner. 

From the feedback at the end it sounded like this was quite a different set up from the usual way of doing it and I think it would be a very interesting experience to see another pair attempt it. I don't know if anyone else feels this way about theatre but I always choose new shows rather than going to see something twice. However, there are a few things that I would be up for seeing again and I would definitely consider this one.


4 to go!
Charlotte xx

Dracula #7PlaysIn7Days

Night two. 
A classic.

Big thanks to @@YorkshireLawMan for the picture!

So, we've all heard of Dracula. Haven't we? Yes... Of course. Vampire of all vampires. Swoops about pretending to be a bat. That guy.

Despite his well known status, and the fact that as a child we went on a family holiday to the flat where Dracula was actually written in Whitby... I don't know the story.

I don't think I've ever seen a faithful film adaptation. The only I can recall seeing any of is Dracula: Dead and Loving It, which as the comedy title suggests wasn't really a line for line recreations. Nor have I read the book. I have seen the ballet, performed by the excellent Northen Ballet but even then I had to ask my sister what was going on and the lack of words and prior knowledge meant I didn't really know who anyone was. (I had worked out who Dracula was... Point to me)!

I must admit, I entered into this with some concern. Not because I was unsure of the event like yesterday but because of the length. In total, the performance was 3 hours and as someone who had to get up at 6am this morning to get ready for work (and allow time to write this post!) the anticipation of being tired really cast a shadow over the show.

We started the show up in the dress circle, slightly over to the left. There was a swing placed to left of the stage which from our seats was difficult to see and to the couple sitting well over to the side was practically invisible. Just a small set dressing comment... A more interesting point was that the actors did not confine themselves to the stage. They often entered and exited through the stalls which certainly added an extra dimension to the performance. Again, whilst sitting in the circle this was slightly hard to see and was very confusing the first time the house lights came up to allow the actors to both see and be seen. Once we moved to the stalls for the second half we got more of the full effect, although having a half-crazed Renfield hovering behind us at one point was very unnerving? Although, I thought this was a clever feature, the lights coming in and off and the doors opening and closing was quite distracting for me. I like the lights to go down and to get absorbed in what is happening on stage rather than constantly getting pulled out.

The actors must be commended though for their performances. Aside from one or two fluffed lines they were very confident and managed to get the VAST quantity of speech out with great success. My favourite performance has to be that of Lucy. She had possessed and crazy totally down and I would not have the confidence to get up on stage in that very see through outfit. 

A special mention as well to Renfield who spent most of the play on stage, laying on what looked like a very uncomfortable set during any scenes that were not his. Good for you Renfield! Very professional.

Overall, my understanding is that it was a good telling of the story, faithful to the original but don't quote me on that. Maybe... Dracula just isn't the story for me. Or perhaps my modern day attention span, spoiled by social media, just couldn't process rhr long dramatic pauses. 

Until the next time...

Charlotte 

Full Circle #7PlaysIn7Days

Night One.
Full Circle.

I didn't know what to expect from this event really so first thing was first, buy a programme.
After being told that the programme was for the whole week (I politely said I knew) I took to investigating what was on offer.

The first thing I didn't realise was that this festival was some sort of completion or feedback event. The programme has a page in the back where you can score the plays and each night an independent adjudicator sits and makes notes which he feeds back to the performers after the show.

But enough of the nuts and bolts for now, on with the show!

Night one offered us an original play performed by the theatre group Jaba. The story centres around the two grandmothers of a young woman who is about to be married. Despite being best friends when they were younger, something happened in their past which has left them bitter and spiteful and unable to remain in a room together without disending into trading abusive insults. Evidently they had been avoiding each other as much as possible, but that this family event had forced them together and the feud was beginning to effect the rest of the family as well. As the story unfolds we watch as the mystery begins to unravel and finally find out what had actually happened... Or not happened as the case may be.

Combine this with the parents struggling with their own relationship faced with their daughter getting married and the differences they have in what they think makes for a good life and throw in a very camp next door neighbour and there is plenty going on to hold the viewers' interest. Plot lines were nicely woven together and although some twists were obvious well ahead of the reveal, the show offered plenty of good jokes and enough suspense to avoid boredom.

The actors themselves were very good, some better than others but all had their moments and it very much depended on which characters they were up against in my opinion as to how well they performed.

We did choose to hang around for the feedback as it isn't something you ever experience as a non-actor or drama student. The last time inexperienced something like that was back in high school so the educational element was an interesting addition. I am not sure it is something I will stay back for every night, apart from anything it makes bedtime later and I have to get up for work! However, it would be interesting for students and I would recommend this event as something drama students to attend.

Overall, a positive start to the run which has reassured me going forward. Let's see what happens on night two!

Pip pip,
Charlotte.

#7PlaysIn7Days

Starting today, I will be attending Wakefield Theatre Royal's week long Drama festival (I am unsure of it's official name) which I, affectionately, know of as #7PlaysIn7Days. Much like good oil' Ronseal that is what you get. One week, a different play every night.

  

I have known about this event for a couple of years now, but this is the first time of attending and I must admit to having mixed feelings about it.

First of all, I am excited. I love a good live show and would much rather see a play or musical than go to the cinema. In fact, upping my live theatre intake this is something that I am quite proud to have been able to achieve over the past couple of years with great thanks to The Boy for coming along. It is one part of my fantasy self that I have managed to achieve! And the prospect of cramming so many new shows in in such a shot space of time is very appealing. There are only two shows that I have heard of which makes the other 5 days nice and intriguing.

On the other hand though, I am a little... Concerned? Not for the shows particularly, if it's a bad show, it's a bad show. The first thing me and The Boy saw was a thing called the Three Penny Opera. Now we LOVED it, but the couple next to us were clearly unimpressed and failed to return for the second half. Their loss. But in my opinion, if it's a bad show, it's only a few hours out of your life and you'all probably get a good rant out of it in the office later anyway. No big shakes. My concern is my staying power. I am not a big socialiser, nor do I go 'out-out' that much. I like a set routine and bedtime and I've just done a trip to London where we saw not one but two performances in one day (reviews to follow soon!) which has left me a little tired. If only I liked coffee! This week at work is going to be tough. 

Overall though I am looking forward to it. It is certainly a very different way to spend a week and I look forward to posting my reviews on the shows here as the week progresses. 

Here's hoping I can stay awake!

Charlotte

2016: What have I been doing???

I decided 2016 was to be my selfish year. The year where I try my hardest to do what is best for me.

Not what I think other people want to do.

Not what they want me to do.

Not what I think I should be doing.

The things that are actually good for me.

 

I decided to take a break from blogging. I had been struggling with it and I found I couldn't think of much to I write about. Instead I would focus on making myself better, happier, healthier. To be less stressed and more positive was and is what is important.

 

I am a worrier and a bit of a stress head. And quite frankly it isn't good for me.

So the only thing I want to do in 2016 is work towards being a less stressed human. No goals. No specific things to achieve. Just that whatever I do, should be related to that theme.

 

The reason for not setting hard and fast targets and goals is that they are (for me at least) easy to miss. Easy to fail at. Which makes it very easy to jack the whole thing in and go back to how things were.

 

So in January I focused on having a good time. On enjoying myself and making the most of my time off. I had planned well for this as I had a weekend break and a week off to look forward to and frankly I think it spoiled me. Nothing like starting high but it's hard to keep up that level of awesomeness when you have other life commitments and a limited budget!

 

In February, I decided to take physical action regarding what was best for myself and try to resolve on longstanding skin condition around my eyes. It started out looking promising with a referral to a belpharitis specialist. However, two weeks of trailing a new eye care regime (which involved a rather expensive bottle of lotion) I was told it didn't seem to be belpharitis after all. Now I have to make an appointment to see my GP to try and get another diagnosis and a referral to see a dermatologist. All the while I get to have dry, flaky, scaly red skin around my eyes. Attractive.

 

March saw me hit a bit of a set back. At the end of February I started with a cough. And by the first of March I was off work sick. Several trips to the doctor gained no advantage except an interesting morning out to the hospital for a chest X-ray. Again, no result. Just a rotten old cough. I maintain that I think it is whooping cough but by the time I had a sample check it had been over three weeks which is apparently when the infection would have cleared up anyway. I was still coughing a bit but got myself back at the administrative coal face. While I was off work I did manage to sort through some clutter but nothing nothing like the amount I could've done had I not been so shattered, never mind.

 

April though is where things started to look up for me again. I started a second job, one day a week at a bakers as a trainee. Even though it's only the one day, it has been a real confidence boost for me. I've learned some new skills and have shown myself that I can do new things and take on new challenges without totally collapsing and failing.

An old friend of mine got married enough and was so kind, and generous in inviting myself and the boy along to the wedding. Seeing her and her new husband so happy was one of the most heart-warming things I think I've ever seen. Not only that, but it was such a well planned, beautiful day. No fuss (at least that I could see). No stress and worry. Just happy people having a good time. Just how life should be.

And... In a very abrupt turn of events... I'm buying a house. Well, to put it more accurately, we're buying a house. Me and the boy, together. Oo scary. I have no idea what I'm doing, and I'm sure he won't mind too much me saying I don't think he does either. It's very much a make it up as we go along thing and hope for the best. We have in no way got the keys yet but it's looking pretty positive. Things seem to be moving in the right direction at least.

Now May is nearly over too and still have so much swimming around in my head. So much I want to do. So much that I feel like I could change or do better but I feel positive that I'm doing well with 2016 so far. I just have to keep going and try to build on these foundations.

 

I hope to see you soon,

Charlotte