Long time, no blog

Sawubona!! (for those of you who dont speak siSwati that's hello!)

Ok, ok, I admit it, I've been slacking in bloggerdom. So to satisfy all of you keenos who are greatly disappointed in me... voila! A brand new blog, and an update on the life of Charles...

On tuesday 4th March I said goodbye to my teenage life and stepped into the very highly anticipated age of 20 somethings. This was a great day for me, many may cry to be getting older but i'm embracing it, i'm not quite over the hill yet, merely a tiny mole hill! Plus, what can be better than celebrating with lots of friends who have fallen straight out of the 60s/70s/80s?! Yep, indecision led to a broad range of costume choice, good plan methinks. Alex (see right) was my birthday twin, the 2nd one i've found since being at uni... yay to us!

My newest hobby/slight obsession is ultimate frisbee...yes it is a real sport. And dont let me hear you saying that anything a dog can do isnt a sport ok?! It's strange how after only a few weeks of playing one quickly becomes very defensive. Already played in a couple of tournaments, and concluded that wind and frisbees are not a great combination (obvious you may say but you havent seen the way some people can play!). On the up side i'm getting crazy fit, (emphasis on getting) and have seen the most bootiful sunrises at our early morning training sessions (i never thought i'd walk down the curry mile at 6.30am without it being on the way home after a night out..)
And to prove how good some guys are check out this link (ignore the music, cheese on toast!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auqGozAKmBQ

Last bit of news for now... in the summer i'm going to south africa with a charity called tenteleni to teach kiddies for 2 months, it's gonna be immense. So... i'll be frantically fundraising over the next couple of months and here's a shameless plug for any ideas/pennies you have lying around. I'm hoping to maybe do a dinner party around eastertime so let me know if you'd be interested?! It also means that you may find me greeting you with random words such as the hello at the start of this blog as I swot up on some of the native lingo.

For now then my lovies, I hope your thirst for charlie blogging has been quenched for the moment. I'll be seeing many of you very soon, and for those who I won't... Sala Kahle! (stay well!)

Hair today, gone tomorrow...

Yay, I have found a much better time-wasting activity than bread-making, though one that can only really be done once a month at the most without having dire consequences ie. becoming bald... Today I got my hair cut...on a whim...without really putting all that much thought into it (ahem, that hour on the vogue website doesnt count). And suprisingly enough I like it!

As you can see I went for the classic bob haircut, dating back to 1909 when Parisian hairdresser Antoine became inspired by Joan of Arc. Made popular as a lady's hairstyle by the flappers in the 1920s, and even as a fella's in the 70s, the style was a symbol of the liberated woman.

For those of you crying out 'give me more, more, more...' then visit: www.bobhaircuts.com/worship_bobs.html

I didnt get past the first page myself so can take no blame for anything you may find disturbing.

Bread

Procrastination is something I pride myself on. With just a week to go until my first exam I can happily say that I have put revision off quite successfuly so far. Nevertheless, today I forced myself to spend a good few hours in the library trying to get my head around a number of subjects related to law, attempting to interpret the longwinded and convulated ramblings that everybody in the legal profession makes in order to say things of very little importance. So, when I got home I thought I had some well-deserved time to make up doing things that really needn't be done.

Voila... bread-making. Why hadn't I thought of it before? All this time I'd spent cleaning and tidying when I could have been producing sweet-smelling, soft yet crunchy, dough-based delights. Well there was no time like the present, so reaching for the trusty Jamie Oliver cookbook I pick out a recipe for courgette bread... I should have known that it was all downhill from here. Not having quite the ingredients necessary I scrabbled around til I had approximately what was required and set to work making courgette bread with a twist (feta cheese having a small part to play). After a good couple of hours kneading and proving (letting the dough rise) the only thing I had proved was that my dough was going to be stubborn and not rise. Not letting this hold me back I popped it in the oven and sending a little prayer upwards waited for a miracle to happen. And happen it did... the final product looked edible and in fact quite appetising:















Admittedly, I have photoshopped the second image a little. But can't you just imagine the Marks n Spencer sexy voice lady saying, 'freshly-baked courgette and feta bread with melted West Country butter...'?! I know you can. Unfortunately, this wouldn't be a Charlotte venture if everything went swimmingly... and so to the cutting of the bread. If it had been a wedding cake then this would definitely be a sign of a rocky married life. Sadly, though admittedly quite predictably after the no-rising incident, the inside of my beautiful bread beauties was far from delectable.














Not soft but solid as a rock, good for use as a doorstop or paperweight. Now I can see why breadmakers were invented. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, 'Doh!'

"Pop!"

'What's that?', I hear you cry. Yes, the time has finally come for my blogging cherry to be popped. I have given in, turned away from the dazzling lights of facebook to the supposedly more mature world of the blogger. Well, to those of you who guilted/bullied/threatened me into this new venture I say thank you. You have given me yet another avenue through which to focus all my attention, taking it even further away from such trivial matters as revision. You are my firm friends. On the slightly negative side I now have yet another resolution to maintain in this new year but where there's a will there's a way, and for those of you who know my brother I only have the way to find now.

So... to reminisce ever so quickly. This time last year I was in the final weeks of readying myself to set off around the globe, to see what I could see and learn what I should learn. Time has flown by in that way it loves to do and I am now looking to new adventures and new horizons, though this year I intend to keep my head and feet slightly nearer to the ground. The time of studenthood is upon me, the best years of my life I'm assured by those who are older and wiser than I, and having gotten over looking at it with fear and trepidation I am starting to agree with them. So here's to a year without the worries and tears of, but full of as much excitement and laughter as, last year.

News...

We have a murderer in our midst. Yesterday it was uncovered that a fellow blogger who we previously all knew and loved as being someone with 'the best personality' (music school poll 200?) has been charged with crimes against beautiful young women and stilettos. The makers of the murder mystery game should be charged with crimes against acting but that is neither here nor there. Yes, fun was had by all at Katie's "murder on the dancefloor" party. What could be more entertaining than humorously named characters, stunning costume design and discovering that your older brother really would suit coming out rather too well? Good one Ms Waltzwurk.

I have become ever so slightly addicted to Classic fm. Don't shoot me, it's just happened. I was sneakily drawn in by the sly playing of popular film scores and then got caught in it's web of beautiful melodies and countermelodies, syncopation and... Aled Jones. I dare you to be tempted...

I have finally been struck by the incessantly aggravating cold that is making its way through the nation faster than my uncle in his Maserati (ooh, what a lovely car). I would like to thank my mother and close friends for their part in this, I'm so grateful for the quality time we've spent together, really I am, honest.

Well, I think that's sufficient for now. I make no promises about the frequency of my blogs, I will aim to tell all sufficiently interesting news as it arises, and during the avoidance of more important tasks I may even stretch to news that my mother would pretend to find mildly amusing because she loves me and so must. Bye for now.