Naked trampolining, HGS, 27 Apr 2005
Tash Ziff - Carly and Sam (Ziff not Brass!) had just got their new trampoline and I invited Char, Solly and baby Sam to come over for lunch and a bounce! We'd just finished lunch when the heavens opened so Carly and Solly decided to turn the sofa into a rocket and proceeded to entertain themselves by flying into space. An hour or so later the rain had stopped and we ventured out into the garden leaving baby Sam to amuse himself in the baby gymn in our kitchen. The trampoline was still quite wet but the kids were adamant that it was fine to go ahead. Solly and Carly proceeded to bounce around falling over in the wet with our Sam watching to his great amusement and envy. In retrospect we should have anticipated what happened next.....Carly and Solly both decided that they were far too wet and proceeded to take all of their clothes off. I have such a wonderful recollection of Charlotte's beaming face as we watched our 2 giggling toddlers bounce naked in the spring sunshine. I am so sad that I didn't record the moment with a photo but am so grateful to Martin for enabling me to keep the memory alive.
Text message from Charl, 12 May 05, 09:17
MRB - I guess I am not the only one who has kept as many of these as I can. This is the one that I look at most of all. Thought I would share it with you. I think it epitomises and in some strange way immortalises her.
Did i tell you that i love you today?
..More than you know. Love. your charl x
Diana Memorial Park, 13 May 2005
Annicka Terry
- Char & I often hung out together on our free Fridays, enjoying
the boys. Char was great at suggesting new places to go and play. This
day Diana's park was her suggestion - a brilliant children's
playground with a huge pirate ship. The picture shows picnic time on
one of the smaller boats. Char had brought double of everything so it
could all be shared between Sol & Eben - she was ever the diplomat
when dishing out treats ! It was a gorgeously sunny day, the boys were
on top form and Char was especially energetic. I toyed with the idea of
telling her I was pregnant that day... of course now, I wish I had. But
I think she knew anyway. I remember her handing me Sam as she bounded
off to the climbing frame with Solly - 'You'd better get used to
handling two' she said. This was the last of our Fridays together. But
we still sometimes hang out with the boys on Fridays and continue the
tradition Char started.
Beckonscot, 15 May 2005
MRB -
It was James' birthday and Annicka had arranged for us all to go to
Beckonscot model village with the kids for a picnic. It was a really
hot day and it was very busy. I remember Solly loved the model
trains and managed to derail a few of them. I also remember going
on the mini train around the park with Sol. It is a fairly short
ride and clearly not long enough for him. He just didn't want to
wait in the queue and ran up to the engine and driver explaining that
he would drive.
This picture is the last picture we have of Char. It is taken just 4 days before she died.
Charlotte and Martin on the Triumph, 17 May 2005
Martin Hofman - It was about 8 in the morning on May 17th - I was in my car waiting for the light as Golders Green to go green. A tap on the window. Two helmeted, leather clad figures on a big bike. A momentary blank before visors were lifted and I realised it was you and Charlotte grinning at me. Off to the hospital for another round of chemotherapy. A quick exchange of greetings and then Charlotte's big smile and last words to me : "Goodbye, lovely boy". Then off you sped (at a sensible pace, I hasten to add !) down Finchley Road and out of sight. I remember smiling at her farewell to me and thinking how lovely the two of you looked together - a sight and a feeling I will always hold dear.
Charlotte – the wonderful friend, 18 May 2005
Sophie Stannard - I spoke to Charlotte the day before she died and we had such a lovely conversation. She was so positive and just so “Charlotte” she didn’t really want to spend time talking about her and was much more interested in checking that all was OK with me. That will be my abiding memory of Charlotte that she was a truly compassionate girl who really felt deeply for those around her.
I am not sure if this is fitting but I can’t get it out of my head so I am going to put it down, I keep thinking of the words of a song from Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat (I hope you and Charlotte will forgive me for quoting Andrew Lloyd Webber … )
“There’s one more Angel in Heaven
There’s one more star in the sky
Joseph we’ll never forget you
It’s tough but we’re gonna get by.”
Charlotte, you are an Angel and a Star, I’ll never forget you, All my love, Sophie
My final time with Char, 17 May 05
Joanna - I picked Char up from Chemo on Tuesday 17 May. Our final hour or so together was that normal sisterly type of time - a few gripes at each other, that nice easy paced conversation with ebbs and flows of catching up from the last couple of days, a few laughs and the other norm of Char worrying about this and that and me telling her not to worry and trying to work things out with her.
The subject was whether or not she should get help with the boys whilst she was going through chemo to give herself a bit of extra time and energy (virtually everybody in the family thought she should but Char wasn't sure.). She was being so Char - she kept saying she couldn't get her head around the problem of what this person would do; would it seem like she was giving up the boys? She wanted to know what was going on with the boys; what if mum and Janice were around would it be too many people? How would she organise them?......and many other worries along those lines. We never came to a firm conclusion. Char would make her own decision - although you had to talk these things over every which way with Char, she was very determined and would always make up her own mind.
Anyway on the way back we stopped in Golders Hill Park for a coffee. It was a little chilly, although the sun was out and we were laughing because I already had flip flops on whilst Char was in her boots with thick socks, as she said she doesn't get her feet out until it is 90 degrees!!
On the way back home the legendary filofax appeared for arrangements for that weekend and the next few weeks ahead - when we could see Dad? Friday nights, when we could get the kids together? Always so organised with lots of little lists in the notes section.
Char's beaming smile is my final memory of her. Leaving the car and making a little joke about leaving some of her hair on the car seat - molting like a dog she said.
I wish I had kept some of her hair now - just to have a little piece of her still with me.
19th May 05
Sophie - The day you died, I flew to India. We spoke about four or five times that day. The first phone call was when you rang around 7 am that morning and I was still in bed. All the conversations followed the same pattern – how I was anxious to be going away, how I would miss you more than anything, how I loved you with all my heat and soul. How you were to be strong and you said it was totally fine as it was just one chemo session and that I was to go away and enjoy my yoga and the mountains.
The second to last phone call was just before I boarded the plane – I think you were making dinner, always multi-tasking when you were on the phone. We repeated how much we loved each other. You told me how gorgeous the boys were. How Sam Sam was always smiling and what a beautiful boy he was and how Sol Sol was so full of energy and how you danced in his bedroom with him. His favourite song at the time was Bobby McFerrin's ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’. You told me how you had played the song in the car on the way to work and even though you played the song 4 times over you still couldn’t remember the words to the song. You made me laugh – we never could remember the words to anything!
When I got on the plane I turned my
phone off and about 10 mins later there was an announcement to say we
could use mobiles until we took off. Jez had dropped me at the
airport so I thought I would call to say thanks. Just as I
turned my phone on again you called! I can’t remember what we
said – the same as always that I loved you to the moon and back and you
meant the world to me. One last phone call, but I was never to
know that. One last chance, to tell each other how much we loved
each other. You had sent me a text and told me not to read it
until I landed in Delhi. Of course I read it and it sums up
everything, it read:
I don’t want to say goodbye.
I love you so much and you make me smile.
You make me happy. Thinking of you.
Dance Snoopy Dance. Love BFT. Charl x
I sent a text back and I’m not sure if you read it but it still rings true.
Love you more. You are my life.
Keep well and positive cookie. Soph xxxx
You are my best friend twin forever and you are always in my heart, soul, body and mind. I love you my angel.