Sing Sleep Stress Repeat

Hi Everyone!

What a week its been! I have basically been stuck in a world of sheet music, backing tracks, stress and worry as I had my singing exam on Friday and, well it didn't go wonderful. I had my singing exam for my LCMDip in Musical Theatre Performance at the Sage and even though I knew my songs, blocking and MT knowledge I was still bricking it. Mainly because its cost A LOT OF DOLLAR and if I fail its a waste of money that I didn't have in the beginning. I was singing: Maybe I Like It This Way - The Wild Party
                                             As if We Never Said Goodbye - Sunset Boulevard
                                             Beautiful - Beautiful: The Carol King Musical
                                             Astonishing - Little Women

Which I had never sung before until my amazing singing teacher Sharon suggested them and I trust her 100% with anything so my programme was based on Musicals that are inspired by another form on media (etc, a Book, Poem, Movie and Pop Music) as this linked them all nicely yet they were all contrasting songs. 

As part of the exam you are given sheet music (16 bars) to sing after 15 minutes prep to the examiner and the song was something from Brigadoon which I HAD NO CLUE ABOUT! But it actually went really well. For this exam, the songs I were stressing about actually went better than the songs than the ones I was chill about. TYPICAL. In the exam the songs went ok enough like I wasn't cartwheeling for joy but I also wasn't a crying mess on the floor. It was just a shame the examiner was a bit of a dickhead. He had such a bitchy vibe and had such an attitude during the interview section of the exam. So if I've failed because of his snooty shitty attitude I will 100% be appealing. Like I paid so much to do this exam and did so much preparation whilst planning New York, stressing about Visa stuff and dealing with the crap from work, the least he can do is not be uninterested and snide. Thanks hun xoxo.

As well as singing exam drama I also have had a week of trialling contact lenses which has been amazing yet traumatic at the same time! Getting them in is no bother its the getting out with my nails and as I won't cut them, I've had to become 'inventive' with getting them out safely and no chance of blinding myself. I also have new glasses on order and they are the first pair f glasses I've chosen that I am 100% happy with and the fit was PERFECT! 

I find out my results later on in the week so please pray for me to whoever you believe in, God, Buddha, Allah, Kris Jenner, Stephen Fry. I don't care just send them a cheeky message from me cause I am going to require a miracle for me to pass that exam.

Charlotte x

Rob Brydon and the Farm

Hi Everyone!

Well what a week I've had! I have been super busy since I last blogged and decided that I would put it all in one post.

Last weekend I was performing the Nativity at the farm for DMTC and I'll certainly say it was an experience. There was one performance on the Saturday then two on the Sunday and I have never been so cold in my life, even with 3 pairs of tights on and three thermal tops I couldn't feel my entire body. It took a lot to warm me up after each performance and tbh I have been cold since. It was also quite a confusing experience but I'm glad I did it as I it gave me the chance to make new friends in Tash and Becki and Blossom the Donkey who was so precious! Donkeys are now my one of my fave animals. And it was a chance to do street theatre which I can add to the CV!

I also handed in my notice at work finally as I was sick to death of my shifts changing everyday and it was ruining my weeks like I wouldn't be able to plan or do anything as I wasn't sure if I was at work so now I have time to relax and properly enjoy my birthday and Christmas! It is a shame though as I did enjoy the actual work and the girls on Lingerie but I couldn't be bothered anymore with not knowing wether I was coming or going!

On Friday I went to see Rob Brydon at the Sunderland Empire and holy Lord I haven't laughed so much in such a long time he was hilarious! He is also my all time man crush (don't ask why) so I was having a really nice time! Just everything he said was spot on funny and when he did some bits on Bryn from Gavin and Stacey (my favourite character) I couldn't actually breath. Singing Islands in the Stream with Rob Brydon is something to tick off the bucket list! Only issue was the audience, bloody hell I have never been in such a rude and disruptive audience what a bunch of idiots. It was borderline embarrassing as not everyone from the north east is that scummy. (Well some people are).

But yes this is my busy week and now I can sit back and chill during Christmas! 

Charlotte x   

Christmas Past

Hi Everyone!

Well this is a little bit of cheat but as I this is posted I will be in a barn on a farm stood on a hay bale dressed as an angel in the freezing cold so I am pre writing this! It was orignally going to be a post about what I am looking forward to about Christmas but I decided against it and decided to do a blog post about my past Christmas' with the family and what it was like for me growing up! 

As a child I loved Christmas so much because it meant no school, Santa and that we had the Christmas tree up looking so sparkly and festive! We would alternate years of having Christmas at home or at my Grandparents up until I was about 15, then we started going to my Grandma's for Christmas Eve, sleeping over then going to my Uncle and Aunties for Christmas Dinner. I am feeling rather nostalgic at the moment and think that this post is a suitable start to December!

I have hunted down photos from our vast collection of photo albums and thought it would be easier to write about the Christmas' by using a photo/ collection of photos! 

In this photo I was probably 1 year old so it would have been my second Christmas and I can't remember this at all so its a new photo to me too! I would like to apologise now for the awful carpet and nasty green walls with the curtains matching the sofas. The early noughties were a dark time for interior design and it definitely doesn't look like this anymore!

I would have been about 3 or 4 in this photo (I can tell by the length of my hair) and this was when I got my first bike with stabilisers and a baby doll seat because I was that extra! I would later add sparkly tassels to the handlebar. I do remember this year vaguely as we had Christmas Dinner at my grandparents but being that young and being so excited for Santa was so magical as a child, its such a downside to growing up and losing that magic.

Now Ladies and Gentlemen, here is Charlotte Forster's Stage debut as a dancer in the nativity aged 4. I mean we all remember the dancers at the Nativity! In this version though we had elephants, giraffes and zebras. By all accounts there was a rave at this nativity in the stable! Please ignore my fringe I had no say in how my hair would look until I was 12. As you can tell I was totally thrilled at being a non credited dancer when I was destined to be Mary. (This would never happen for me)

 And here we have Charlotte the Angel aged 5. I was working my way up the Nativity ladder to a character that was actually at the birth of Jesus. I remember that only a few of us were picked to be Angels that year and getting my name picked out of the quality street tin was like a ticket to ticket to being queen bee! Doing the Nativity or end of term play was my favourite thing about school as it meant no lessons and a chance to do what I love which was performing. Little did I know that I would remain a bloody angel until I was 18. 

 After consulting with the family we came to the conclusion that this was taken on boxing day sometime ago but the exact year who knows! Can we all appreciate the fashion of a young Charlotte. The tartan dress with knee high socks and jelly shoes was a classic. I was trendy before it was cool!

 This year I was really unwell for both my birthday an Christmas as my birthday is the 21st. I basically slept my way through Christmas on my Grandads lap and kind of trapped him but I don't think he really minded. This was when I was 7 I think and this year was one of the best as I saw my first proper show at the Sunderland Empire which was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and its what started y love of Theatre. This year I didn't eat much Christmas Dinner because of how ill I was. Also loving the poncho life!

Here's another photo of me sleeping. What I do best!

 Here is the whole family on Christmas Day at my Grandparents which is the only photo of all of us. This was I think the last Christmas before my Grandad sadly passed away in 2007 but I can't really remember.  

 This was boxing day from the same year as the whole family photo as me and my cousin both got these Disney Princess Dressing tables and I was obsessed with mine! Here you can see me eating my breakfast at it making it a multi use present. 

This was the last photo of my proper childhood Christmas' when I still believed in Santa and that Christmas was at my Grandparents but it was the year of the Groovy Chick scooter! Any of you the same age as me will remember Groovy Chick! This was also the last year that we had a real tree as the next year we got the artificial tree. Maybe this was the sign of the end!

So thats my family Christmas Past and what better way to start December than reflecting on good times! Let's hope the Nativity is going well for me and that I haven't frozen to death or fallen off a hay bale!

Charlotte x

My Top 5 Books

Hi Everyone

Heres Week Two of the weekly blogging that I Promised and I've decided to do something different this week and do a blog post on the Past 5 Books I have read and thoroughly enjoyed that I want to share with you guys. I kind of fell out with reading for a while and rarely read any books but in the past couple of months I have picked the book back up and started reading a lot more! I read on the bus to work, in Bed and in the bath as it really relaxes me and makes me feel like I've accomplished something when I've finished a good book! 

So lets get cracking!

1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K Rowling

I am slowly re reading the Harry Potter Series as they are my fave books of all time and this was the last one I read before I started different books! I forgot how much I loved Prisoner of Azkaban and how it introduced one of my all time favourite Characters (Remus Lupin) I also think the Harry Potter books are absolutely hilarious at times and most of the humour was missed out of the films which is a shame but I always think that they are two different things really! I absolutely recommend the Harry Potter books and if you haven't read them then where have you been for the past 20 years?! They are so beautiful and exciting and sad and just so bloody fantastic! I mean I am a huge HP Fan which may make this choice slightly biased but I strongly recommend reading them or re reading them!

2. Eden Summer - Liz Flanagan

I originally bought this book in London at the Waterstones in Covent Garden and started reading it down there however, Summer happened and I ended up putting it on my bed side table and forgetting about it. I then started reading it once I finished work and holy Jesus this book was good! Its a mystery book about a girl who's friend has gone missing and how she is piecing her Summer back together to try and find her friend. It is a Young Adult book but the writing was superb! It had so many twists and turns and the ending was definitely what I expected but if you enjoy mystery books set in a small English Town then this is definitely for you! I had never read anything by Liz Flanagan but I really enjoyed her work and can't wait for her to write more books!

3. 13 Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Everyone knows that 13 Reasons Why is a hit TV Series on Netflix and yes I have seen it so when it came to reading the book I was a tad sceptical but it was surprisingly really good. This book is about a boy called Clay who finds these tapes which are the stories of the people who had a link to a girl called Hannah's death (Not a spolier trust me!) I would however say that there are some intense scenes in this book and it at times was really heartbreaking but the writing is so mint! Each chapter is a different side to the tapes so it was easy to read and there was so much more detail than in the series but I would advise there are some upsetting themes in the book such a suicide so just a heads up if you get very upset about those types of topics!

4. The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher

Now this book is an autobiography written by the absolute legend that was Carrie Fisher, it took me a while to actually get round to reading this book and I was hooked 10 pages in! It is an autobiography about her time filming Star Wars and her relationship with Harrison Ford. I found the whole book so interesting and she writes so eloquently that each page was an utter treat! She goes into so much detail and she's so honest that you feel like you know everything that could have possibly happened! None of it was covered up or glossed over, she literally went into exact detail and had no shame which is why I admire her so much. She was honest and this is one of my fave autobiographies I have ever read.

5. A Tragic Kind of Wonderful - Eric Lindstrom

This is the latest book I have read and I was so engrossed in this story. The character Mel is so mysterious and has such a sad past that in every chapter there was another plot twist which keeps the reader on their toes. I feel it did take a while for the story to progress but overall I would 100% recommend. Its a book about Love, mental health and Mel's past. I mainly read this book on the Bus to and from work and I was so hooked by this book that I read it in 2 weeks which is super quick for me as I am a very slow reader. I now really want to read Eric Lindstrom's other book as his writing was definitely my cup of tea!

I hope you all found this interesting and maybe gave you a few ideas for Christmas presents as I have become so passionate about reading and hope you all enjoy these books as much as I did!

Charlotte x

*No Copyright Infringement intended. All artwork belongs to the Illustrators/Authors.* 

November Update

Hi Everyone

Well its already November and I feel like I blinked and missed October but what a busy few weeks its been! However I am going to be weekly blogging again as I have so much I want to write before 2017 is over so lets get cracking!

Since the last time I blogged I am still working at the Metro Centre but have moved to Lingerie and I am really enjoying work now! I get to spend my time around gorgeous pyjamas, bras and pants and the fluffiest of socks which is one of my addictions. Yes the travelling's a pain but I finally have gotten a routine sorted and now its do able as Im only 16 hours a week and I work better times!

As well as work I have decided after a 3 year break to go back to my old dramatic society as I don't want to be rusty for next September and if I'm honest I've missed doing the shows and the excitement! Plus everyone has been so lovely and welcoming I forgot how close I was to the society all those years ago! I have been asked by them to be in the nativity which is performed at a local farm and is a piece of street theatre which is really exciting and different, I start rehearsals this Tuesday and its so weird (good weird) to be going back to the traditional Tuesday Rehearsals!

I'm also nearly finished Christmas shopping which is helpful because I like to be extra organised and ready before the 1st December as its usually a hectic month for me. Just got a few extra bits to buy then the wrapping commences which is one of my favourite parts about Christmas.

Anyway, all my weekly blogs will be posted on Sunday at 6.30pm so make sure to pop it in your diaries!

Hope you are all doing splendid and heres to a decent month!

Charlotte x