“Lou…What are you doing?”
“Nothing”
“Come round”
“But it’s cold”
“Oh come on”
“Have you got biscuits?”
“Yep”
“I’ll be five minutes”

Of all our little escapades my favourite times with Charlotte was on her sofa in Moseley Gate, drinking tea and eating biscuits. We didn’t have to talk about anything much and at other times we didn’t stop for breath. We laughed so much in that living room, we cried a bit too, I tickled Otis for the first time in that living room and then I had the honour of holding a newly born Seb in that living room….. I had complete meltdowns in that living room and I also performed a rather special version of ‘My Humps’ by The Black Eyed Peas which until this day is one of Charlottes favourite highlights of our friendship. Needless to say I had had a few wines! (‘Check it out!’)

Oh yes we had fun…. : ) Charlotte would mediate between Chris and myself as we purposefully wound each other up, “Chris, leave her alone!” I was the little sister and Charlotte my rock…. my little anchor. Ha, I say ‘little sister’ but I’m seven years older!

It’s funny how relationships evolve. We have known each other maybe only ten or eleven years but Charlotte became so blummin important to me. More recently the physical distance between us has made it difficult for us to see each other often and our lives have taken different paths but you know when you have an amazing friendship, when non of that matters and when you do speak or see each other you just pick right up from where you left off.

I was troubled last Summer and had spent weeks worrying and stressing about something. I remember walking through Clapham Common feeling down and confused and suddenly I knew what to do. I sat down on a park bench and phoned Charlotte. She picked up! Was in the car with the kids doing the Supermarket shop and immediately my shoulders relaxed and my stress ebbed away….. I had connected with my soul mate. She knew immediately there was something wrong and opened herself up to me after politely reminding me the kids were in the car, I was on hands free and not to swear : )

Charlotte and I drove to Wales once and camped out in a real Tipi. We had no idea what we were doing! We made a fire and the whole tipi filled with smoke and I remember us crouching down low to get some air. All of our clothes and blankets stank of smoke. Then it started raining …. really badly and we had to try and arrange the tipi pole to close the top but we couldn’t remember what the man had said and had an awful job trying to protect ourselves from the dreadful weather. Eventually we managed to snuggle into our smoke stinking sleeping bags and exhausted I felt myself dropping off to sleep….. only to be woken by a little voice “are you awake?”
“I am now”
“it’s raining on my head”

Charlotte is so part of my life that her opinion means everything to me and she’s the one who usually steers me in the right direction every time.

When I met my now fiancé Rob, I explained to him that we would have to drive all the way to Portishead for ‘boyfriend approval’ before our relationship could develop further. I remember being so excited phoning her and excitedly announcing that “I think you will like this one. He’s a Libra like you and Chris…. just what I need to balance me out!”

I have one of her paintings that she kindly gave to me some time a go and that I adore. I’m a bit of a gypsy and move around a lot dragging my Charlotte Latham from pillar to post where ever I go. When she see’s it she winces at the sight of it’s well worn appearance, I think someone else in a previous post mentioned her wonderful disapproving stare. So every now and then I get the rubber out and do my best to restore it…. it’s exhausting! I cherish that painting, it’s not well worn – it’s well loved.

…..And to think it all started at an interview. Yes, Charlotte interviewed me for a position at The Artlounge. She actually phoned me to apologise that I hadn’t got the job and although I was her first choice I wasn’t the bosses. Then there was a second call a little while later, much to Charlotte’s jubilation it hadn’t worked out with the first choice so would I like the job? I thought, mmmmmmm she’s a bit off the wall but I kind of like that and so I accepted and our friendship began. As it turned out I was rubbish at the job but that didn’t really matter in the grand scale of things!

I love Charlotte for so many reasons. I love her for her natural beauty, honesty and straight talking. I admire her for her passion and dedication to her art. She has a strong aura that is genuine and really glows brightly especially when she is around the people and things that fuel her spirit….. her husband Chris who she worships and her two adorable children Seb and Olivia.

Thank you Charlotte for giving me the job, not the Artlounge one but the position of being your friend and friendships like ours last forever….. and ever and ever…. and ever.