You Already Know

The afternoon sun shone gently through dainty wisps of clouds in the hazy blue sky; the emergence of spring marking its fight against winter’s determination to stay. Country scenery whizzed past as her train cut across it towards London, the grey city.

Denver stared aimlessly out of the window, catching a glimpse of herself from time to time. She really wished she had had her haircut last weekend like she’d planned, instead of giving into her laziness and vegging out in front of the television. Shrugging her shoulders, she subtly shook her head at herself. Reddish brown curls took this opportunity to free themselves from the loose bun Denver had piled on top of her head, and fell forward into her face. Irritated by them tickling her cheeks, she hastily tucked them back in place.

More beautiful landscape rushed past her window, snatching her attention once more. Why did trips like this make her feel so lonely? There was something about looking out and admiring the view that made her so wistful; watching the green space go from roaring hills and fields to the odd playing field the closer they got to the city. They reminded her of trips with him and the many trips she made, back and forth visiting family, without a companion.

It wasn’t that she was nervous about meeting up with him again, it had just been such a long time since they’d last been seen each other. He had called out of the blue and Denver remembered the heat that had rushed to her face as she answered. Okay, not just to her face. Denver fidgeted in her seat at the memory. The passenger next to her coughed loudly and shot a look of annoyance in her direction. He had been like that the entire journey from Bath. Denver wriggled a little more for good measure. 

There was a crash and a clang further along the carriage. Denver noticed everyone around her swivel their heads to look in the direction of the noise. She returned her focus to the window and leaned her head back on the headrest. It was at least another hour before they arrived at Paddington station. 

Oh god, why had she agreed to this again? 

Losing Grip

And so she held her breath once again,
Hoping that the wave of emotion seemingly taking over her body subsided.
She opened her eyes to see flicker of day light;
It felt like she was drowning.

The world around her dipping and swaying,
Pressure pushing hard against her chest, her head swimming in a drunken haze.
She hoped that she'd escaped feeling this again,
That she had control and yet her she was, feeling weightless, helpless.

She kicked her feet hard, praying that it would push her closer to the surface.
Running out of energy to fight;
Her mind began to slip.

Her lungs burned as they fought against a lack of air.
Her senses dulled to nothing;
Slowing but surely losing grip.

Finger Licking Good

My housemates and I have an inside joke about me and chicken. It's partially racist seeing as I'm half black and they say - the elusive they, not my housemates - that black people loooooove chicken :) but we know it's a joke; especially as we ALL eat a lot of chicken up in here!

Anyway, the point of today's riveting post... yeah it's chicken. I'm currently cooking it and it inspired me to write. I never really stay true to a recipe, I just kind of throw a load of seasonings on top of food and hope for the best BUT I have this one down and I wanted to share it with you because it's delicious!

What you need:
Chicken legs, drumsticks or thighs (could work with a whole chicken but you'll need to revise timings)
100% Pure Coconut Oil - I use KTC 
All Purpose Seasoning - I use Dunn's River
Jerk Seasoning - I use Dunn's River
Grated Creamed Coconut - I use Dunn's River

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Wash your chicken and trim off excess fat
Grate the creamed coconut

The Cooking:

Melt or warm a tablespoon of coconut oil in an oven dish.
Place your washed chicken into the dish.
Sprinkle a light layer of both the All Purpose and Jerk, followed by a generous coating of the grated coconut.
Pop it in the oven for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove from the oven.
Turn the chicken over and season the other side as described before.
Return it to the oven for another 15 minutes.
Once the chicken has cooked for a total of 30 minutes, reduce the heat slightly to just under 180 degrees and turn the chicken again. No extra seasoning is required.
Put the timer on for another 15 minutes.
When the timer is up, turn the chicken once more and return it to the oven for the final 15 minutes.

The sides:
Serve your chicken with sweet potato mash, buttered rice or cous cous, regular mash, basically whatever takes your fancy, and serve knowing your guests will leave satisfied - BOOM!

Mine never sits on the plate for too long.

Enjoy x

Short Story - Test Of Character

What am I doing?

Alex tossed and turned in bed as she fought the flutters of unwanted excitement she felt in the pit of her stomach. This guy was NO good, and yet she couldn't help but fantasise scenarios where she took him up on his offer.

Alex checked her phone again. No more messages received; not that it mattered. Her mind was running wild without the need for more interaction from him.

Was this guilt? 

It couldn't be. The thoughts she was having about him clearly proved that she wasn't as concerned about his situation as she probably should be, which was even more worrying. Did this make her an awful person? How could she even be considering this?

She mentally shook herself and stared out into the darkness of her room. Alex needed to have a word with herself, a bloody stern word. Nothing had even happened… but she knew deep down, if she could have her way something definitely would. 

Alex flung the covers from her body and kicked them off her feet. She was burning up. All these naughty thoughts about a man who was completely unavailable to her, was having the most ridiculous physical effect.

Alex snatched her phone from the bed side table and opened her messages. She typed a quite note to her friend, Nina, who knew them both, and then turned her phone off. She wouldn’t be able to settle if there was a chance he could message again.

Wide awake and mildly disturbed by her desire, Alex got out of bed and walked through the dark flat towards the kitchen. The rest of the house were fast asleep and as much as she wanted a cup of tea, it was unfair to boil the kettle so far into the night; she’d have to settle for water.

Winter was descending on them and the streets of North London were glistening under the early morning frost. Everything was very still, which made the scene even more beautiful. Alex stood at the window looking out on the world from her 4^th floor flat. Moments like this reminded her to be grateful for everything that she had in life. Though, this particular feeling of appreciation was tainted by her attraction to a married man.

Darren just had something about him. He was what I suppose you would call a “lad’s lad”. When Alex met him, she was instantly attracted to him. He was tall, held his own and was extremely well-dressed. He seemed to stick out for all the right reasons and yet wasn't quite centre of attention.

They had spotted each other across the bar and shared a flirtatious smile, which made Alex’s groin shamelessly tingle. They didn't speak until the very end of the evening but when they did, he won her over with his cheeky persona and intense gaze.

Alex had never wanted to kiss a stranger so much. She wanted him bad and despite after months of flirting, when she found out that he was in fact married and expecting his first child, that desire had never subsided.

Alex pushed herself off of the wall she’d been leaning on to gaze out of the window, crossed the front room to the sofa and settled on a corner, pulling the communal throw over her shoulders. She remained sitting in the dark room, resting her head against the cushion, listening to the sounds of North London at night.  

It was really grating on her that she had again unconsciously fallen for someone she couldn't be with. Over the years, Alex had noticed that this was a defence mechanism. She did it to protect herself from getting hurt but it didn't always work.

The sound of a night bus rolling past was closely followed by a few drunken giggles and shouts and then silence again. Alex closed her eyes, allowing the feeling of ‘home’ wash over her. Darren was bad news but he was a welcome distraction from the, occasionally overwhelming, loneliness she sometimes felt. 

And just like that, she drifted off into a comfortable sleep. 

How profound…

Are you actually having a profound conversation or are you talking shit?

I've just spent the better part of an evening discussing the fact that no two people take away the same meaning from any conversation. We've both been learning about the origin of communication and how we can use it more effectively and yet we've spent the last few hours confusing each other with thoughts and descriptions of feelings that, if overheard by the untrained ear, could sound… well nuts. 

That's not to say that the other member of the conversation understood where I was coming from or my intention of the sentences that seemed to escape my lips like an unexpected but not unpleasant verbal fart. She nodded and responded in all the right places so one can only assume that one was understood. 

Anyway my point is, does anyone actually pay attention to the receivers feedback (facial expressions, body language, etc) when talking/having discussions, are we all just partaking in monologues with such similar themes that it gives the impression that we are ‘conversating’ or am I just looking for meaning were there is none to be found? 

Raising Your Game

Self-discovery.

It sounds very wishy washy, doesn't it, and a lot of people believe that it is wasted time. Why spend time looking inwards? It means you're missing what's going on around you! And that's partly true. I suppose it very much depends on what you 'intend' to get out of your self discovery.

For me it started with finding myself again. When my last relationship ended I had 1,000,001 questions.

What had I done wrong?
What could I have done better?
Why wasn't I enough?
What will I do now?

And I felt very sorry for myself. I was obviously in need of improvement so I turned to the Internet and books.

How could I become a better person so that the person I loved wouldn't leave me? 

Now, you might read that and think I'm pathetic. I read that and think it's pathetic, but I don't think I am, well not any more at least. This journey I am on started with the right goal in mind but I was picturing the wrong person. The person that I didn't want to leave me was a guy, but over time, that person became me. And by better, I meant stronger. 

Have you ever found that when you're in a relationship, the things that used to be really important to you or that interested you and took up your time, they seem to just not be important any more? You don't see those friends, don't listen to that band, don't watch that show, don't play that sport or go to that gym class?

Your partner hasn't forced you to stop them, they just kind of fizzled out of your life. And regardless of whether your relationship ends or not, you just wake up one day and ask yourself "What did I used to do? What was I interested in?!"

Reconnecting with that you, that's self-discovery. Trying something new and finding out you're good at it or you hate it, that's self-discovery. Even being affected or NOT affected by something or someone after time has passed, that's self-discovery, because you're learning something about yourself.

Two and a half years ago I discovered that I liked training people.
A year and a half ago I accepted that I was quite good at it.
A year ago I decided that I wanted to get better at communicating so that I would be better at my job and that the people I trained would get more from the sessions I delivered.
Six months ago I pushed myself a little harder and discovered the power I held over my circumstances.
Three months ago I took a resourceful step towards the future I want.

The more I learn about myself and the capabilities I have and make use of the tools available to shape the world around me, the more flexible I become to meet my goals and 'be' successful.

Now that is definitely NOT wishy washy.

End Of An Era

Wow.

So the last few months have been a roller coaster and a half; emotionally, physically and professionally.

I have (literally) just finished a massive project at work that has taken over my life since March, and I am leaving my company in 2 weeks to start a new adventure in my career.

The next BIG step.

I'm sad as I write this because I have learned so much since being here; about myself as a person, a friend and a manager.

I've endured some pretty rough personal experiences since being here too and yet I am stronger than ever upon my leaving.

Really, this is a quick post just to say, watch this space... change is a'coming.