I normally take the train, which is so much easier, but following last week’s concerts I found myself in Glasgow with my little car and it gave me a great opportunity to go home for the weekend 🙂 so on Friday the 15th of November, I drove home from Glasgow for a little “me time” with my family.
It took me four and half hours, which began fabulously, my attention was focused and the excitement built as I felt like an explorer on a great adventure! Following the road as it meandered through the beautiful mountains it made me wonder about people who must have travelled this route before the motorways and trains had ploughed their way through the landscape.
But after my first rest break the scenery changed and with the motorway growing more monotonous I just wanted to get home. Boredom kicked in and I had to keep pinching myself to stop me from attempting doing to silly dances to my music playlist in the car.
After successfully reaching my Mum and Dad’s offices, I ran in to give them hugs and kisses before immediately dashing off for a long overdue hair cut. It was fabulous to relax after the long journey and I caught up with Christian and told him all about what I had been up to over the last few months. I decided I needed a change of hair style and talked myself into having a fringe cut in 🙂
I was then treated to a surprise late birthday meal by my Mum and Dad, which was truly delicious but to be honest the best part was spending some time with my family. I am such a family girl at heart and my parents provide me with support and help me to talk through my plans and aspirations. We chatted and discussed my coming concerts and repertoire and when we finished I felt tons better and ready to begin my term with renewed fire in my belly.
On the Saturday I was taken back to my childhood with the beautiful 😉 singing of our family friend Lee. When I was tiny we often duetted to the “Back Street Boys” and “Five” including all the dance moves 🙂 I felt compelled to join in and we both had a really good laugh. Then the door bell rang and my Nana and Granddad greeted me with big grins and even bigger hugs and before I knew it the whole family was almost back together.
We had a great afternoon my Nan, my Mum and me all together making Christmas and Birthday cards, it was brilliant fun. Thinking about it we left my Mum with all the clearing up to do 🙂 sorry Mum, but hey at least leaving home hasn’t changed me at all LOL !!
Lastly just before I set off to return home I received this lovely letter from the Kathleen Ferrier Society along with a certificate for the Audience Prize and I would love to thank them 🙂
Thanks for letting us reader enter a weekend of your life… Great writing..
I’m so tired today, I went out bowling as soon as I got back to Glasgow then had to unpack my case late and up early for a long day at college. An early night tonight 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Great !! Merci pour le partage Charlotte.
Merci Pascal, I had to look this up ‘thank you for sharing’, I must try to remember that sentence.
Best wishes
Charlotte
😉
Tous les bonheurs du monde à Vous Charlotte.
Pascal
as great as it sounds for you, I am sure your parents were equally thrilled.
My parents love having me home, although the suitcase full of washing and ironing probably wasn’t so thrilling but my Dad is a super steam ironer with his new gadget Mum bought him last year LOL.
Best wishes
Charlotte
that’s when you KNOW he loves you 🙂
It’s wonderful that you had a nice trip with your family. I hope you had a lovely birthday, and that you have a wonderful Holiday season. Love and prayers, Ann check out my blog at http://www.wwannwrites.wordpress.com
Thank you Ann, I’m looking forward to the holiday season it cheers up winter.
Best wishes
Charlotte
That you for sharing the wonderful time with your parents. Every one must be thrilled even they have to do a bit of clearing up work after 😉
Everyone says I’m like a shot of sunlight visiting, they especially laughed when I walked in wearing my bright red velour tracksuit 😉
Best wishes
Charlotte
Lovely and enjoyable post. 🙂
I hope it cheered you up Beth after your awful week. I had a plumbing problem from the upstairs flats this summer and its only just getting resolved now.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Next time the urge to dance strikes you in the car, stop! Get out and dance! Live’s too short to pass opportunities by. And it would be another opportunity for a post!
Hi Tom, I did stop and had a nice big English breakfast and stretched my legs but I was on a deadline to meet my hair appointment 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
I especially appreciate knowing that your family is important to you, no matter what stage or place where you sing. I agree with Tom. Step out and dance, but where it’s safe to do so.
I love to dance, I can just imagine stopping in a service station on the motorway and getting everyone to do an impromptu flash dance that would be great fun 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
You and your family are lucky to have such a beautiful relationship. Keep making memories of love to pass on to future family members.
We are lucky and we work at it too. We all watched ‘Fools Gold’ on the TV on Friday night together, a nice romantic comedy when my little brother got back from The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester he’d gone with a friend to listen to a play he’d written being presented by audio into the studio so he was very excited from that.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Loved your article! Heartwarming 🙂 ~SueBee
Glad you enjoyed it, I had hoped to put some recorded music on the blog this weekend but the studio was fully booked when we went to record our Ferrier material sadly.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome Eric, when I visit your website now I can’t seem to call up your blog anymore?
Best wishes
Charlotte
I think I fixed it, thanks for letting me know.
A weekend with the family can do wonders to you! 🙂 I’m glad you had such a nice time at home. Like the new haircut! ^^
Thanks Cecilia it took some getting used to I felt like I was about five again, the last time I had a fringe 🙂 We had a really good long chat, listened to some new music, and ate well.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I know exactly what you mean! Felt the same way when I decided to get a fringe. ^^
Sounds really nice. 🙂
All the best,
Cecilia
How lovely Charlotte. Close family is such a gift.
Your right Gwendoline, I can tell them anything and they don’t judge me.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Family is always important.
I love the feeing of reaching my destination after a long journey: sit down with my folks and have a nice hot cup of tea in front of an open fire. Then fall asleep!
Why? Well our car journey back home to Nottinghamshire normally lasts about 10 hours with breaks along the way. It is very tiring, so Redbull is often needed.
My tip for long journeys: good music and a good sing-a-long if you have kids
X-mas cards; thanks for the reminder! Must get ours done soon.
Thanks for the post. Nicely written.
Wow Philip 10 hours is a very long trip to make in one day! We always used to have sing-a-long in the car on long trips to my Grandparents in Kent. I just remembered a dinosaur tape my eldest brother had, he learnt all the dinosaur names from it, he’d go crazy if I mixed words up or got the wrong names LOL.
Best wishes
Charlotte
You think that’s bad, we normally set off at 04:00 in the morning!
On a good day we can get to my home town in about nine hours, so it’s not so bad.
We do this trip about three times a year so the kids are hardened up to it. They have a laptop, Nintendos, etc, so in-flight entertainment keeps them happy.
What a fabulous birthday treat! Congrats!
Yes it was 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
So many great things at the same time. Having your family time, singing with your childhood friend and remembering those beautiful days and finally getting the certificate. That’s really awesome time you have and congratulations for the award 🙂
Thanks Gaurab, I needed a lift of energy and to actually spend some time with them not be dashing off to a concert or practising for one.
Best wishes
Charlotte
it feels really awesome when we spend our time with family…it fix such a beautiful memorable pictures in our heart and mind….ny wy nice post..:)
have a great day
Thanks Joshi, just finished my acting classes, we were working on scenes tonight, I have a long day on a Monday so I’m squeezing in my replies before catching up with my sleep 🙂 Glad to hear your feeling better now.
Best wishes
Charlotte
..:-) m quite well now…
Lovely post, Charlotte, how lovely to have such a wonderful family. We used to drive via Glasgow to Aberdeen and beyond, my daughter lives in Rosehearty on the north-east coast of Scotland past Fraserburgh (perishing nippy!) and the freeway used to get very boring indeed. And congratulations on your certificate!
I usually only do local driving around Cheshire and Manchester and don’t have a car in Glasgow, my brother is learning how to drive so it was very different; I usually just fall asleep in the back. It was lovely receiving my certificate I wasn’t expecting it and my Mum keeps all my mementos in a big white folder in plastic wallets.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Great reading and watching photos.
While reading I was driving through a certain landscape myself, picturing the landscape from the movie ‘The Holiday’, love that movie. Wish I had a longer drive to my parents and experience such a drive. My parents live nearby. It’s a half hour drive… 😉
Hi Erica, I think it’s better to have them close by.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Yes, of course, but the drive would be great as well as I had in mind… It’s some kind of romantic. Like the song ‘Driving home for X-mas’. Hahahaha!!!
There is nothing more refreshing to recharge our batteries than an afternoon of crafts. It looks like you all had fun and trust me as a mum myself I would love the clean up to have all my children home. And Erica, The Holiday has also become one of my favorite holiday movies, I would love to have a home like that and to have some good looking man come knocking on my door!! LOL
Hi Patty, I will have to check out the movie 🙂 it was a fantastic afternoon and we had a great time together, I love crafting as it is so relaxing and the time just flies.
Best wishes
Charlotte
So good to hear of your lovely family time together. Quality time spent with loved ones is so important. And I’m sure you deserve that rest as well. Have a great semester back at university.
Today was great, but by the end of the evening after acting class I was ready to get back to my flat as I am ready for a good sleep tonight. But tomorrow is another day so bring it on 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Sounds like a great weekend – thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Cynthia, It was a great way to chill out and re-energise 🙂 but my poor Mum ended up clearing up again, just like when I was little. I would paint, sew and paper craft moving from project to project and by the end of the day my Mum would be left putting things away after me as I protested my exhaustion and fall asleep on the sofa 🙂
I hope that you are feeling your normal self again 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
Sounds like a lovely weekend, glad you had a nice time with your family – so important to treasure our families and make the most of each second.
Hi Lucy, what you say is so true my family is so important to me and love the time we spend together 🙂
Best wishes
Charlotte
What a nice insight into your life and your talents at creativity.
Home made Christmas cards — a lost art it seems but one worth practicing with family that you love.
Always a treat to read what you’re up to.
Cheers Jim, I love making cards because I like to make my friends happy and it’s a great way to say thank you. I’m glad you enjoy reading my blog 😉
Best wishes
Charlotte
Hi Charlotte, I’m happy you got to spend some quality time with your dear family and also able to recharge! 🙂 Love how you all make cards together, seems so fun indeed! Happy belated birthday!! Wishing you a year filled with joy, love, peace, good health and blessings and dreams coming true! ^^ xo
Hi Violet, my Mum is so difficult to buy gifts for when she took up card making the family loved it because we could get her fancy cutters and papers and I get the benefit of using them all 😉 thank you for your lovely message.
All the best
Charlotte
Watching & listening to you sing, I’m viewing a very talented performer. It’s great to read about your home activities– especially where you’re helping to make cards (reminds me of my wife’s scrapbooking projects.) Then your down to earth aura comes more into perspective. Thanx for visiting my blog, good luck with your singing and writing, and have a wonderful day.
Hi Loujen, I have a fabulous scrapbook made by my Mum with photos provided by Dad every double page is a year of my life todate. I have had a great day today thank you.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Ah…my best friend and I used to make cards for each other like that…one of those things I miss, now that we’re grown-up and boring and busy.
We were like a production line on Saturday, Nana was cutting out shapes and greetings, Mum was scoring and making the cards including triangle cards which looked great and I was designing, sticking and making (the fun bit). Thanks for visiting.
All the best
Charlotte
Charlotte, I missed this post last week. Must have accidentally emptied it. I love hearing about you and your mom and gran creating together. It reminds me of my mom and projects we did long ago, and things my granddaughters and I have done. And, I’m spying on your projects pictured … maybe I’ll get some ideas 🙂 Always enjoy your posts.
Hi Cheryl, it’s great fun, I made lots of Christmas cards and a couple of special birthday cards but the time zooms by. I love your art ideas too. I’ll have to take a photograph of my framed pictures now I’ve finished them.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Great that you got the time to sit back, re-charge and mostly enjoy your family. Take care!