Cannot enter the new year without making resolutions....

                                   
As 2011 draws to a close and I sit in the Clibery computer room, full of good cheer and gratitude for my life and lovely friends, (and a glass or two of very good wine), wanting to wish all my followers (yes all 7 of you) a very lovely and happy 2012 and put down my resolutions. Not got many at all (I do have 30 things to complete after all) but the few I have are:
1) Keep track of ALL my spending for the next year, even a 65p chocolate bar will get written down
2) Give more presents and send thank you notes - just got given a 'Paris je t'aime' DVD by the Cliberys and I realised how happy receiving a present makes me, so want to give more and make others happy
3) Discover new music and sign up to Spotify - said as listening to Dobet Gnahore on the Cliberys' Spotify and realising just why Ms Miel loves her as she does, so need more new music exposure especially of the African and Latin American variety.
See you next year kiddos.

Goodbye 2011 - you've been the best in a really long time

Wowsers, it's that time of the year again, post crimbo excess, compiling New Year's resolutions etc, but I really just want to say  a massive thank you to 2011 for being the best year of the last four years. The absolute best. I feel so different, more together, more optimistic for everything and really feel that I'm on the verge of something great, dunno what it is, but just a feeling y'know? Anyway before dashing off to spend NYE with 'my sisters from white mothers' (i.e Ms Love, oops now Mrs Clibery and Ms Barrett) in Brizzle, thought it'd be good to bid  farewell to 2011 and say thank you, thank you, thank you for ALL the amazing experiences I've had, all the wonderful people who have made those experiences so amazing, all the food I've eaten, all the music I've listened to, all the concerts I've seen and the list goes on. Unfortunately it is not as fully visual as I would have liked but hey there wasn't a Kodak available for every precious moment and will do my best to show photos where they're available. See you round the other side kiddos.

Here goes starting in January - of course it was always going to be a good year when it started by welcoming it with Cally:

Then in February went to Italia for work and fell in love with lovely beautiful children, but for child protection reasons, here's a pic of the Montecastello di Vibio, the smallest theatre in the world instead (which I visited whilst in a picturesque village in Perugia)

March was the month of serious bacchanal, all night joverting and Puncheon fueled mass in Trinidad and Tobago, where I was truly in soca heaven for six days straight:

19: Find the perfect handbag for under £50

Changing this goal of building a sideboard as saw lots of carpentry workshops in Sierra Leone and it will cost me a lot less to learn carpentry there and also I have nowhere at home to keep my sideboard, so don’t want to make something and not use it. So this one is being changed to another ‘fun’ challenge. Finding the perfect handbag!! I hate fussy designs and ninety percent of handbags that I see out there. I need one that looks good, big and sturdy enough to hold all my stuff and to travel with, so needs to be able to hold my laptop, papers, books, food and drink. I’d prefer for it to be leather and under £50. So definitely a challenge.

Bike ride in Hyde Park in spring

In needing to save money, traveling abroad has to be limited so changing this from bike ride in Amsterdam during tulip bloom to bike ride in Hyde Park during spring.

Walking the South Downs

Walking the Camino de Santiago route is still something I really want to do but having worked out the expenses, realised I can't, so heading a bit closer to home and spending a day walking the South Downs instead. Not quite two weeks, but I reckon setting off really early on a Sunday morning and doing a full day of walking will suffice. And if I’m able to do more, then I will. Just seen the South Downs Way walk but it costs £205 and lasts for nine days, so maybe I’ll just try and go nine times in the year and complete the trail BUT only committing myself to one day to fulfill my target.  

Perfect a signature eye make-up look

Decided to change my goal of collating family history and folk tales, as basically it makes no sense for me to do it half-halfheartedly through hurried phone calls with family overseas, so will do what I can now, but mainly going to be done when I move back to Sierra Leone. Sooooo, realised that there wasn’t enough ‘fun’ stuff in my list, so after seeing a girl expertly apply eyeliner on the tube and the difference it made to how her eyes looks, decided that I’ll learn a signature eye make-up look instead and post my various attempts. Ms Smalls is my inspiration. Clean lines and not too heavy. Great day and night looks. This is going to be fun, given that I'm not allowed to buy new products, but can always liberate some from Ms Olusanya.