New Tastes...

Croma, Manchester

Last night was the first time since my friend's 21st in April that all 8 of my girlfriends managed to get together, and the first time I'd seen a fair few of them too with people being at uni, and Abi in New York. We decided to go for a meal so we could have a proper catch up, and so Abi booked a table at Croma in Manchester, which I had never been to before. We all went to her house beforehand for some mulled wine, and then caught a minibus into town.

It looked quite fancy from the outside, with a big blue sign and stone steps leading up to the glass doors, and it was on lots of mini levels when we walked through the doors. We sat down and ordered a couple of bottles of the house white wine to share. The menu was fairly big, and had pizza, pasta and salads, as well as a set menu with it being near Christmas. I was hungry, but fancied a dessert, so didn't bother with a starter as well. My friend Charlotte and I decided to get two pizzas and have half of each to sample a couple of different ones. I opted for the Tandoori Chicken, and she chose the Chilli Salsiccia.

Mine had tandoori chicken (obviously), green peppers, red onion, tomato, mozzarella, coriander, and cashew nuts on it, and was served with fresh lime and a yoghurt mint dressing drizzled over it. I would never normally choose an Indian style dish on a big menu, but I thought I'd be adventurous and give it a go, and I'm so glad I did as it was delicious! The Chilli Salsiccia had Tuscan sausage, sun blushed tomatoes, parmesan and mozzarella, and was served drizzled with chilli jam and garnished with rocket. I couldn't choose my favourite out of the two, as they were both so different, the Chilli Salsiccia was much more like a traditional pizza, and felt healthier, but the Tandoori Chicken had a lovely spicy kick to it which was brilliant with the cooling yoghurt dressing, and I'm an absolute sucker for cashew nuts, so that was an added bonus.

I still had a bit of space left for dessert, so opted for the caramel and pecan cheesecake. I don't normally enjoy cheesecake as I find the digestive base quite sickly, however I read that this one had a cookie base, so thought it would be nice. It had lots of pecans on, and the caramel was gorgeous and gooey, so I felt I had made the right choice!

The whole menu was very reasonably priced, especially for a restaurant in the heart of Manchester, and for my two courses, a generous tip and a bottle of wine shared between 3 people it was only £18, which I thought was good value for money. I wouldn't hesitate to go again, and can now see why Abi and Hannah are in double figures for their visits!

Weekly Update!

Christmas Preparation & The Big Day!

Now firmly settled in the house I'm staying in for three weeks, this week flew by as I attempted to keep on top of all my Christmas preparation, housekeeping jobs and petcare!

On Tuesday I babysat for the little boy I was a temporary nanny for, and he had a friend round to play. We went to see Happy Feet 2 (see previous post) in the afternoon as well as playing on his Wii, and in the morning we baked and iced some shortbread cookies. They didn't come out very well, as I didn't have time to chill the dough before cooking it, but they were fine to ice anyway. The two of them were very creative, even if the biscuits didn't look too great afterwards!

On Wednesday Chris came for the evening after work and we made baked enchilada that was lovely, and just watched some TV. On Thursday we went back to Timperley as I had a nail appointment, and in the afternoon we went to see Sherlock Holmes (see previous post) before I went back to the house after dropping him off.

On Friday I decided last minute to go to Crewe to see Chris, after plans to have a meetup with the girls fell through. We went to his friends house with a few others, and although we intended driving back to Chris' that evening, we ended up staying over so that I could have a drink. It was a very early start the following day so that he could get to work for 9am, and I had to drive home to get to the pub for my shift at 11.30am. In the evening my mum picked me up from the pub and we both went back to Millington for Christmas Eve, as my sister was out, and Dad was working. We cooked stuffed portobello mushrooms with veg, and then had red wine and mince pies while watching some Christmassy TV. We had a slight dilemma when the hamster escaped, but luckily she crawled back into her cage once she had had enough!

Christmas day dawned, and I randomly spent the beginning of it dying my hair! We then got dressed and headed back to Timperley, where Dad and Jasmine were waiting for us. We got the rabbit out to begin with, check out the cute picture!

We opened our stocking presents first, and apart from a few bits and bobs, I got an awful lot of chocolate, which will keep me going for the next few weeks at least! We then had an interval to eat Eggs Benedict with salmon for breakfast, and a glass of Bucks fizz, before opening our main presents. Once we had finished we watched A Muppets Christmas Carol, and then ate Christmas dinner, which was gorge as usual. We had duck this year, and luckily there were only four of us, as there wasn't a great deal of meat on it! Afterwards we watched the standard Christmas TV (Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper etc) and gorged on chocolate before I rolled off to bed at about 1am. Quite a quiet one this year, but we have the family coming on 27th, so that will definitely make up for it!

Winter Views...

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows- 4 stars ****

Having seen the first of the new Sherlock Holmes films last Christmas Eve, I wanted to watch the latest instalment to see if it matched up to it. It has the same actors playing the infamous Holmes and Watson (Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law) along with some new faces in the form of Noomi Rapace (who rose to fame in the original swedish Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy) as Madam Simza Heron and Stephen Fry as Sherlock's brother Mycroft.

The plot is quite complicated, and to be honest, I wasn't very awake when watching it, so missed a few important bits! The most basic outline, and this is cutting bits out, is that Holmes is investigating a series of crimes that he thinks are all linked, and planned by his nemesis James Moriarty. Holmes takes Watson out for his stag party, accompanied by Mycroft, where they rescue a gypsy from being killed by Moriarty, and after a meeting with the villain, Holmes stows away on the train that Watson and his new bride (the stunning Kelly Reilly) are on in order to protect them from him.

On his next mission to stop Moriarty, Holmes is captured, and it is revealed that he plans to start a war by creating a disagreement between world leaders at a peace summit, which will make him very rich due to shares he owns in arms and cotton. At the summit, the team realise that a set of twins Moriarty has been using, are in fact two different men that have been modified to look like each other, and one is Simza's brother (the reason why Moriarty wanted her dead). They figure out which one it is, and stop him from carrying out his plan, while Sherlock is playing chess with Moriarty.

After realising that a deal that the pair have made will mean Holmes losing, he begins a fight which leads to both the characters falling off the edge of a cliff into a waterfall, to their death. Of course, he isn't dead, but I'll leave the details a surprise at least!

This was better, in my opinion, than the first film, and that one was still good! It is definitely worth watching, but go when you are feeling full of concentration to make the most of it, unlike me!

Winter Views...

Happy Feet 2- 4 stars ****

I went to see this with the five year old I was looking after for the day and his friend, and to be honest it was the ideal opportunity to see a kids film without looking weird! We got there in plenty of time, but there were only premier seats left, so we had to take those (luckily I wasn't paying!) so we had good viewing spots.

Having not seen the first film, I didn't really know whether it would be my kind of thing or not, but I can safely say it was right up my street. Aside from it being animated, having cute animals and a host of famous voices in it (such as Brad Pitt and Robin Williams), it also included a plethora of chart songs that had been remastered for the creatures to dance to, and some of the choices were just genius. They not only had great little beats for the critters, but also were all completely relevant to the part in the film, making it funny for the adults, and easier for the children to understand the messages.

The main story was that Mumble (Elijah Wood), the character from Happy Feet that first got all the penguins dancing, is now an adult with a baby of his own, Erik. Struggling to fit in, Erik runs away with his friends after an argument with his dad, who feels he is failing at fatherhood. He encounters another colony of penguins, being led by the magnificent Sven (Hank Azaria) a penguin who can fly. Spurred on by him, Erik believes he can make himself fly and therefore leave his own colony and feel like he really belongs. Little does he know that Sven is actually a puffin, who was rescued by humans when he was injured in the sea and escaped to the colony. As well as this, there are a few sidelines, such as two krill on a mission believing the grass is greener, and an Adélie penguin with a crush on the queen bee.

Then, disaster strikes, and a massive iceberg traps Erik's own colony, including his mother Gloria (voiced by P!nk) so that they can no longer get to the sea to find food. It is the penguins dancing in the end that frees them all, with a little help from some fabulous Australian elephant seals, leaving Erik to finally realise that he can fit in after all. There is a very cute ensemble denoting Mumble as his hero, so father and son rekindle their relationship. This bit, as well as a couple of others actually stirred a few tears in me (though as my friends will tell you, this is not that difficult to do).

Despite not really having a Christmassy message, the plot revolves around family and making amends, and so I feel that it is the perfect feel-good film to see over the festive period. If you have kids to take, then even better!

Weekly Update!

Dining In & Carols!

This week has been quite nice and chilled, which makes a nice change! On Tuesday I went into Altrincham to buy my Secret Santa present for the pub, and one of my friend's birthday presents as it is her 21st on New Year's Eve, and it saves me braving the post-Christmas rush!

In the evening Chris came over and we bought one of those two dine in for £10 deals from Tesco. We had French onion soup for a starter, and then Aberdeen Angus steak meatballs in a tomato sauce, with mustard mash. It was all delicious, and washed down with a lovely bottle of Merlot. I'd originally picked up one from Marks and Spencer, but after spending ages choosing the dishes, I then realised they only had white wine as the drink, which was a bit annoying. I'd like to try one there next time instead, I'll just have to remember to go in earlier than 3pm!

On Thursday I had a completely lazy day, staying in my pyjamas until 2pm watching television, and wrapping the presents I bought on Tuesday. I also recieved my new iPhone that I bought off eBay through the post, but I had some problems with it, so couldn't get accustomed to it straight away. On Thursday night I went to see New Year's Eve with my girlfriends (see previous post) which was good to get me even more in the mood for Christmas!

On Friday I moved all of my things into the house I am housesitting for the next three weeks in Millington, and spent the day getting settled in before getting chance to mess around on my (now working) iPhone. In the evening Chris came and we made a nice meal (see previous post) before a very stressful end to the night when the hamster escaped! We got to bed at 2am once she had been recovered!

On Saturday I worked at the pub, and then basically went straight to babysit in Bowdon until very late. It was so icy on the roads on the way home, it took me ages to drive back, and I was happy to finally get into bed! Today I had a bit of a lie in before sorting out the menagerie of animals I'm looking after (two fish, two cats and a hamster) and then sticking a Christmas radio station on and catching up with my blogging. This evening I am going to the carol service we drove to last week before realising we had got our dates mixed up; so hopefully it will be worth the wait! (I'll update this later below)

Carol Service Update: It was gorgeous! There was a huge tree and the whole church was covered in candles and festive lights. There were a few too many readings and choir sung songs for my liking (you can tell I like the limelight!) but to be fair the choir were brilliant, perfectly in tune and they did some amazing harmonies. There was one song I didn't know at all, so had to lip sync that one, but apart from that there were some Christmas classics, as well as some less commercial and more classical pieces. A lovely way to spend my Sunday evening!

Homemade Recipes!

Salami and Mustard chicken

Yesterday, Chris came to stay in the house that I'm living in for the next three weeks, as I'm housesitting. We were originally going to go out to La Rioja in Alrincham for a tapas meal, but he didn't feel too well, and I was happy to stay in. He picked up some boneless chicken thighs on the drive here, and we had a flick through the many recipe books on the shelves to find something to do with them.

We are not the most textbook chefs, mostly preferring to choose a dish as a guideline, and then put our own twist on it. We chose chicken ovenbaked in a bacon and mustard sauce, but seen as we couldn't get our hands on any bacon, we used Italian salami instead.

To start with, we poured some double cream (you could use single if you weren't feeling so indulgent) into a saucepan, and added a dessertspoon of Dijon mustard and a dessertspoon of wholegrain mustard. Straying slightly from the recipe, we then added some basil, thyme, mustardseeds and oregano. We chopped 2 cloves of garlic, and added one to the saucepan, and kept the other one aside. We also added a tiny pinch of pepper, but more could be added to taste.

Keeping the sauce on a low heat, we then cut up and pan fried the boneless chicken thigh meat in a little olive oil, with the remaining garlic clove. While that was browning, we griddled some asparagus shoots with a sprinkle of salt on, and added a couple of them chopped up into the sauce mixture, along with a few slices of salami pulled apart.

When the chicken was nicely golden, we drained the oil and added the meat to the saucepan, stirring it for a few minutes until it was fully coated in the sauce. At this point, the cookery book said to put it in an ovenproof dish and bake for 4 hours, but as we were hungry, we just decided to eat it as more of a quick casserole.

We served it with the remaining asparagus that we had griddled, and it was delicious! We had put salt into the sauce though, and it was a little too salty with the salami and the asparagus, hence why I have skipped that from this recipe. Not bad for something a little thrown together though!

Winter Views...

New Year's Eve- 3 stars ***

I went to see this yesterday with my friends to get us in the Christmassy spirit. I didn't really know what it was going to be like, having not seen an advert, but within a few scenes I could tell it was going to be a New Year's Eve version of Love Actually, in that it involves lots of different characters, each with their own storylines, that are somehow all linked.

You couldn't complain at the cast; it had everyone from Halle Berry to Ashton Kutcher and Robert De Niro to Sarah Jessica Parker, as well as teen favourites Zac Efron (who I must admit, looked pretty hot!) and Lea Michele, and they all did their jobs well. Rather than write 4 paragraphs about the different stories, I'll condense it into bulletpoints:

• There are two couples competing to have the first midnight baby to win $25,000 played by Jessica Biel, Seth Meyers, Sarah Paulson and Til Schweiger.


• Ingrid (Michelle Pfeifer) is a quiet secretary who finally bites the bullet and quits her belittling job, and sets off with a courier (Zac Efron) to fulfil a list of resolutions before midnight.


• Efron's sister SJP is having issues wth her teenage daughter Abigail Breslin, as she seeks her first NYE kiss. SJP herself meets up with a mysterious man she met the year before (Josh Duchamel) at midnight, after thy made a pact to do so if they still thought of each other.


• Robert De Niro is a cancer patient who is bed bound and waiting to die. His daughter played by Hilary Swank (who is in charge of the New York ball drop) comes to visit him last minute so that they can see the New Year in on the roof, as is their tradition.


• His nurse Halle Berry is an army wife, who has a very emotional Skype conversation towards the end of the film with her husband.


• Caterer Laura (Katherine Heigl) is in charge of a massive party, but is being pestered by her ex Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi) to get back together after he left her a year previously.


• Jensen's backup singer (Lea Michele) gets trapped in a lift with waster Ashton Kutcher (Efron's flatmate), and the pair realise they have a lot in common. She has to try to race to get to the gig on time, and after Kutcher follows her with her bracelet that she left behind, they get together.

There were some plotlines that were more interesting than others, as in any film, and a few cheesy singing moments from Bon Jovi and Lea Michele made it a bit cringeworthy, but overall a decent watch, and definitely got all my friends and I a bit tearful and feeling festive ready for Christmas
.

Weekly Update!

Jazz Music & Free Wine! (no pictures, sorry!)

This week I started a new job, which unfortunately I am no longer needed for, but it was good money for a week's work. Because of this, and along with babysitting on Tuesday and Saturday, and working at the pub on Monday and Wednesday, I had a very crazy week, and worked 53 hours altogether, not something I wish to do every week!

Due to this, I didn't actually do a great deal, simply as I had no free time! However, on Friday, I met up with Emily, Smeed and Charlotte, and we went for a drink in Wetherspoons in Altrincham. We were introduced to Charlotte's new boyfriend James, which was nice, although he only stayed for a while before moving on with his own friends.

After a couple in Wetherspoons we went on to Goose Green, where I saw a new jazz club had opened whilst shopping on Thursday. It is called Bloom, and is apparently owned by the same person who took over The Cheshire Lounge in Millington. The feel is very sophisticated and upmarket (and the drinks are quite pricey) but it has a lovely atmosphere, and a live jazz band were playing when we went in. We were the youngest people in there, but didn't feel out of place, as the bar staff were very welcoming. We were even given a free bottle of very nice wine by the owner, and we think it is because Charlotte was mistaken for Ellie Goulding, which was hilarious! It started out when a drunken man commented that she looked like her, and it must have circulated. Not complaining though after the freebie!

I worked Saturday at the pub, and then babysat for the little boy I nannied for a while back in the evening, and it was lovely to see him again. Luckily it wasn't too much of a late one, as the week's work was catching up with me, and I was falling asleep by 10pm! Today I had a much needed lie in, and then we had a beef roast dinner, as my Grandpa has been staying with us since Thursday, and leaves tomorrow, so it was a nice last evening for him. We were intending going to a carol service at a local church as well, which would have been lovely, but we actually got there, only to find we had got our dates muddled, and it is on next weekend. Never mind!

Candid Article 10

Focus: Edun

Rockstar Bono is known for doing his bit for charity, but what is relatively unknown to those that aren’t fashion worshippers is that his wife Ali Hewson set up an ethical fashion label in 2005, called Edun. Edun is described as a ‘for profit contemporary fashion brand which aims to raise awareness of the possibilities in Africa and to encourage the fashion community to do business there.’ By doing this, Bono and Hewson wish to help alleviate poverty and encourage the industry to be more ethical. Hewson said of the situation, ‘The fashion industry is often considered superficial, but it’s actually a huge employer as an industry. It’s the first industry in any country that is developing, so it’s very important.’

Due to the new partnership, Ali and Bono were featured in Louis Vuitton’s Core Values campaign in 2010, shot in Africa by Annie Leibovitz.After an initial lack of success, a 49% share of Edun was bought by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey) in 2009, which raised the brand’s profile. It was the first eco-focused label to be purchased by the luxury product company, which owns names such as Marc Jacobs, Veuve Clicquot and TAG Heuer. Shortly afterwards, LVMH appointed Northern Irish designer Sharon Wauchob as the new creative director of the label. Despite this, Hewson is still highly involved in the creation process, commenting, ‘We have a design, production, and sales and marketing team and I work closely with them throughout the product cycle – from sketch to finished product.’

85% of Edun clothes are produced in Africa in six factories, in Tanzania, Kenya and Tunisia, with the other 15% coming from China and Peru, and they source organic and sustainable materials wherever possible. Hewson took inspiration from Gerson Barnett and his wife Cristina Cisilino, the owners of Made, a fair-trade jewellery and accessories company established in 2005 in London. The couple moved their business to Nairobi in 2007, and employ natives to create the jewellery in their workshop as part of their ‘trade not aid’ philosophy. Since the move, the pair have collaborated with model Laura Bailey and Peaches Geldof, and founded the charity Made Africa, for ‘the provision of training and funding in Africa for fair-trade and self-help projects.’

Following this trend, Edun created a t-shirt range designed by Kenyan school children, the profits of which funded school supplies, lunches and healthcare. 700,000 of the designs were distributed across the UK, which Hewson commented was a ‘100 per cent African grow-to-sew initiative’. The label also has an off-shoot company called Edun Live, which makes African sourced t-shirts favoured by the likes of Coldplay and (not surprisingly) U2.

Despite the label’s African roots, their S/S 2012 collection is the first to take aesthetic inspiration from the continent, featuring jewellery made from beads, feathers and shells, and ethnic style block prints. To add a quirky twist, these patterns have been layered over floral designs that feel very British, and paired with boxy jackets made of hemp recycled polygabadine. The collection also includes trousers, blouses and dresses made of silk, and garments harking back to the luxe sportswear trend. The looks are more lightweight than the Fall 2011 collection, but clean and slick to maintain a modern edge. There were holes punched in garments as seen at Azzedine Alaia, and gold and silver grommets were attached to jackets, tops, trousers and shorts.

37% of this collection was manufactured in Africa, including black dresses and shorts made by a group of Kenyan artisan nuns known as ‘The Crochet Sisters’, and indigo coloured fabric hand-dyed by Malian artist Aboubakar Fofana. He uses the pigment from a plant that is indigenous to Mali, and the colour symbolises devotion, wisdom, justice and fairness.

Winter Reads...

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson- 3 stars ***

This is the third book in the Millennium trilogy, the second of which I read whilst in Turkey over the summer (see previous post). It took me absolutely ages to read the final segment, as aside from being over 700 pages long, I have also been insanely busy with work, so find very little time that I can justify spending reading rather than doing something more constructive. However, I have eventually completed it, and have to say that the trilogy as a whole is probably the best I have read (aside from the obvious LOTR).

It is completely different to what I normally read, and I practically stumbled across it, as my friend lent me the first one as I had forgotten a book to read whilst on holiday. After devouring that one in less than 2 weeks, it has taken me a further 2 years to actually get round to completing the set.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest was my least favourite out of the three, but I think that is partially down to my stop-start technique of reading it, as it isn't exactly light subject matter so takes a while to get into, and most of the time I had barely done that before more pressing issues began to call. It is still a tremendous book though, filled with phenomenal characterisation, a very clever plot, and aspects of everything from crime to sex to history contained within it. Steig Larsson has clearly gone all out on his research, as there is not anything that I felt the need to look up or question throughout the whole series of novels, signifying what an incredibly bright man Larsson obviously was.

This third book, begins with heroine Lisbeth Salander in hospital after being shot and buried by her half-brother Ron Niedermann. Because she is under arrest for the murder of now at least two people, she is in a secure ward under surveillance. Blomkvist asks his sister, who is a women's rights lawyer, to defend Lisbeth. He then also gets to work trying to chase the missing Niedermann, who is the true murderer of the victims Lisbeth has been framed for.

As well as this there are more than a few sub-plots, and it is essentially the book that ties all the loose ends up and ends with heroine Lisbeth Salander being cleared of all charges and reconciling her friendship with Blomkvist. This is after she dismissed him from her life in the second book when she discovered she had romantic feelings towards him. The full synopsis is extremely complicated, and heavily related to the previous books so I don't want to give too much away! It is available here for those interested:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_Who_Kicked_the_Hornets'_Nest

If you have not discovered this fabulous author yet then get to it, you won't be disappointed. The first film of the big-budget trilogy (there is a Swedish version of them also available) is set for Boxing Day release, and stars Daniel Craig and Joely Richardson, so you'll want to be up-to-date.

Weekly Update!

Christmas Coffee & Present Buying!

This week was my last one being fairly free before my manic life begins next week, where the minimum I will be working is 43 hours a week! Monday I was working at the pub, and on Tuesday evening I popped round to my friend Charlotte's house for a catchup, as it was my only weeknight with a chance to socialise!

On Wednesday after work I went to Chris' and we went for a coffee and shopping in Crewe before going to the cinema to see The Rum Diary (see previous post). Unfortunately he was at work at 8am on Thursday, so I had a very early drive home, and no chance to catch up on my sleep before I dashed off to the Trafford Centre with my mum. It looked really nice with all the decorations up. As well as a gorgeous monochrome dress from Dorothy Perkins for myself, I managed to get all the rest of my Christmas presents bought which is such a relief, as I had no idea when else I would have had chance to go shopping!

On Friday I worked and then got the metro into Manchester in the evening, where I met Chris to go to the Christmas markets (see previous post). On Saturday I had a crazy day, as I worked at the pub, and then went straight to Millington, where I was babysitting ten children while their parents had a dinner party. They were pretty wild to begin with, but once they'd eaten and it got later on, they lost a bit of steam and calmed down. I finished at midnight, so it wasn't too late a night at least.

On Sunday I had another early morning, but at least this time it was for pleasure, as I met an old university friend in Manchester for coffee. It was really great to catch up and enjoy a tasty Christmas coffee and cake. Afterwards I went shopping for a bit with my mum, and then when we got home we had a very festive afternoon, putting the Christmas tree up and wrapping presents. Lovely!

Nights Out...

Manchester Christmas Markets

Yesterday, as one of my only free evenings before Christmas, Chris and I decided to go to the Christmas markets in Manchester. We went a couple of years ago, but he missed it last year (I went with my parents) so we wanted to make sure we managed to fit it in, as it really gives you that Christmassy feeling, and it's always bustling and full of people in the Christmas spirit.

Chris got a train straight from Crewe, so we arrived fairly early at just gone 7pm. We had a bit of a wander around the crafty-type stalls as you enter, and then I bought a raspberry mulled wine, which was lovely and warming, as it was a bit nippy! They have lots of different things for sale - glassware, woolly jumpers, wood carvings, homemade soaps and bath salts, lots of foreign food such as Bavarian cheeses and Belgian chocolate, pretty, much anything really! It is a good place to go if you're struggling for present ideas, as there are plenty of quirky gifts available, Chris got some coasters for his brother that are made from the middle of vinyl records by Oasis, and they had a huge range of other artists too from N.WA to Frank Sinatra.

We were getting a bit hungry around this time so started looking at some of the food stalls. I have a bratwurst every year so decided to go for something different. However, after considering pretzels, paella, hotpot and a savoury crepe, I eventually choose a chorizo, so not much different from usual really! Chris had a cumberland sausage with lancashire cheese and onions; we were lucky we arrived when we did, as he got the last one! We went and took some photos of the fat Santa that sits on top of the town hall, and admired all the Christmas trees and other decorations that were for sale in the outer wooden huts.

After we had eaten we went in search of one of the other markets, on Brazenose Street. However, upon arrival we realised it shuts earlier than the main one, at 8pm, so we'll have to come back to see that one another day. Having seen everything on the main one, we decided to head home, but with a quick detour to the fudge stall, where I bought some cherry and vanilla, and chocolate and hazelnut flavours to eat on the metro as my dessert. That's the only bad thing about visiting the market - you come home about 2 stone heavier from all the gorgeous food!

Winter Views...

The Rum Diary - 3 stars ***

I'd read a few reviews of this before seeing it, and wasn't really expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it contained a good cast, was detailed without being too long and overdrawn and was something a bit different. It is based on the gonzo journalism book by Hunter S. Thompson of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas fame.

The story is about a freelance journalist called Paul Kemp, who moves to Puerto Rico to write for the San Juan Star, a newspaper that is falling apart due to its alcohol fuelled writers and aggressive editor. He moves in with one of his co-workers, Sala, played by Michael Rispoli, and is introduced to his way of life - drinking rum at every given moment, and dabbling in drugs and gambling on cock fighting. One scene in particular, where the pair are on a 'trip', was very interesting to watch, and unlike anything I have seen previously. I was later told that the majority of the film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is portrayed in such a way, so I may well watch that soon.

Kemp intends to write about the exploitation of the country taking place by the Americans living there, but ends up falling into a partnership with one such American - Sanderson. Sanderson wants Kemp to write a brochure to encourage the planning permission for a new hotel development on a private island nearby, and eventually Kemp is forced to sign the contract. Together with Sala though, and their alcoholic friend Moburg they cook up a plan to expose the companies dealings, but it falls through and Kemp is forced to flee back to New York.

The eye candy comes in the form of Amber Heard, a relatively unknown actress, who is unquestionably gorgeous, with a tanned glow and long blonde hair. She is the girlfriend of Sanderson, causing a dilemma when Kemp becomes obsessed with her, after meeting her skinny dipping while he is drunkenly commandeering a pedalo one night. Despite the good acting of both, there didn't seem to be that much chemistry between Depp and Heard, personally I found it to be more of a naive young girl: caring guardian type relationship (except from the sex scene of course!).

I'd say this film at times feels like the middle film of a trilogy, as there were parts that seemed in there purely for information, and the end is left fairly open. However, I loved the scenes near the end based at the carnival, as they were a feast for the eyes, and were full of vibrance and energy, and watching Johnny Depp for a couple of hours is never going to be a bad thing in my book. Worth a watch.

Weekly Update!

Back to working life!

This week was slightly confusing as I only arrived home from Dublin late on Monday evening, so I felt like I was a day behind for the whole week!

Tuesday I was back at work, which brought me back to reality, but it wasn't too bad as Chris stayed at my house while I was there, so when I came back I just chilled out for the rest of the day, eating nice food and watching rubbish television! Wednesday and Thursday were pretty boring, I was just doing jobs and filling my time with mindless things, although I did manage to buy a few Christmas presents.

On Friday I had my hair tinted a silvery-grey colour, which I really like, and it is a welcome change from the normal blonde I have been for a while now. I have been coveting the shade for ages, so it is good to finally see what I look like with it. I went out for a few drinks at one of my local pubs in the evening; it has recently been refurbished so we were all curious to see what it looked like. It is much more luxurious in there now, I think it is trying to compete with the upmarket gastro-pubs that we are surrounded with near where I live.

The following day I worked at the pub, and then drove straight to Lancaster for a night out with my old university friends. I picked up my friend Emily and her boyfriend on the way, as they fancied a change of scenery, and Chris was there visiting too. We drank for quite a while in the townhouse on campus, before going to the Pendle Witch and then to good ol' Hustle the shooter bar, for some disgustingly strong shots. After that we went to Sugarhouse, which was nicely bustling, and had a tequila stand for the night. I saw a few familiar faces, and got tipsy enough to forget about hectic life for a while which was fun.

On Sunday I drove us all home, and Chris came back with me for a Sunday roast (though it was toad-in-the-hole, so cheating slightly!). We were knackered so had a little catnap in the afternoon, before I took him to the station to catch a train back to Crewe. The weekend went too fast, especially seen as it is my last free one before Christmas (!) but it was fun all the same.

Traveller's Tales...

Dublin (Part 2)

On our second day in Dublin we had a nice lie in before heading back into the city for some more exploring. We stumbled across the vintage section, and had a lovely brunch in a little independent cafe called Irie's. It was only 8.50 euros for homemade carrot, parsnip and swede soup with bread, a BLT toasted bagel and a cup of tea, totally scrummy and an absolute bargain!

Sufficiently full, we then went for a walk, and were going to hire some bicycles to have a ride around, except we realised we didn't have the money between us for two deposits, which was a little upsetting! Instead we went up to the castle and had a look around, although it definitely wasn't the typical castle I expected, it was more like a town hall! We decided not to bother with the guided tour, as there was quite a crowd, so we went for a drink in a little bar that had a music shop above it.

After that we went to another bar called The Porterhouse, which is well known for doing lots of different ales and speciality drinks. I just had wine, but Chris tried a few different beers, including one specially brewed for the bar. We stayed for quite a while as there was a live band on playing traditional Irish songs which was a very pleasant way to spend Sunday afternoon.

In the evening we went to an amazing 50s style diner called Eddie Rockets. Inside it has jukeboxes, waitresses in white and red uniforms with little hats, black and white tiled floors and red bar stools with mirrored tables. I had a chicken burger with swiss cheese, while Chris had the Smokestack with applewood smoked cheese, onion rings and bacon. We shared some mini quesadillas for a starter, and I had an oreo cookie milkshake which was amazing! After we had eaten we went for a cocktail at the Hard Rock Cafe, which had a selection of drinks for only 5 euros.

On our final day we packed up and left our bags at reception, before going for a cooked breakfast. We then caught a bus to Dublin Zoo, and spent the day there. It had a good range of exhibits, and we watched the sea lions being fed which was fun. There were a few of the enclosures that looked a little worse for wear, but there was a lot of renovation work being done at the time, so hopefully they'll all look lovely and new fairly soon.

After we had been to the zoo, we went back into the city centre and had a final coffee back at The Church bar, and then got some tea at a little cafe in Temple Bar before going to collect our suitcases from the hotel. We the got a bus back to the airport, and were back in Manchester for 11pm. A great trip away!

Traveller's Tales...

Dublin (Part 1)

Last weekend I went to Dublin with Chris for 3 days. We got a very early flight on Saturday, so once we had got the bus into the city it was around 9.30am. We bought a 3 day pass for 13.50 euros to give us unlimited bus travel, which was definitely worth it considering just getting to and from the airport would have set us back 12 euros!

The first thing we did was walk onto the main street, and gather our surroundings before going to good ol' Costa for a coffee and cake (not very Irish, but hey). Then, after the caffeine had woken us up a bit, we went for a mooch around the shops, including into Forever 21, which I have wanted to go in for ages, but didn't get chance to in London.

In the afternoon we went to The Church bar and restaurant, walking past the huge metal spire in the centre of the main road along the way. I had a Caipirinha cocktail, which despite being a bit of a killer at 9 euros, tasted amazing. Afterwards we walked across the river to the district called Temple Bar, and had another drink at a place called Havanas. I was a little bit ill on Saturday, so for my second drink I had a Bailey's hot chocolate to try and perk me up.

After our wandering, we decided to try and find our hotel. After getting on the right number bus, but going in the wrong direction, we eventually got there at around 6pm, and collapsed on the bed after an exhausting day. A quick change of clothes and spruce up of makeup, and we headed back into the centre for a meal at Dada, a Moroccan restaurant that we had reserved in advance. It was quite pricey, but absolutely amazing! The atmosphere was relaxed but formal, and the interior made you feel as though you were actually in Morocco - including the temperature!

We each ordered a glass of wine, and for starter I had mini sausages with caramelised onions, and Chris had a kebab type thing (I can't remember the actual names, and the website's an Irish one so I can't check!). My main course was one of the most interesting dishes I have ever had. It was a pastry shaped like an envelope and dusted with icing sugar, and in the centre was a mixture of chicken, quail, apricots, almonds and spices. I must admit, after realising that the white dust on the outside was icing sugar, I was a little dubious, but the combination of all the flavours, and the spice with the sweet apricots was just amazing! It came with a little salad and some orange segments, but I only just managed the pastry alone, as it was very filling.

Chris had the slightly more usual roast duck, but it was in a sweet sticky glaze that tasted lovely, and had peanuts sprinkled on top, so was still not an average meal! The whole thing including a tip cost us 70 euros (approx £61.50) which is more than a typical meal out for us, but I'd say it was definitely worth it for the different food, and overall experience. It was for Chris' birthday after all!

We were really tired after our long day, and I had been suffering with flu, so we went straight back to the hotel to bed, and saved our energy so that we were wide awake for the following day.

Weekly Update! (From Sunday)

Chaos, Curry & a Holiday!

Last week was rather chaotic! After working all of Monday, and getting some amazing Thai food free on the job, I had Tuesday evening off, so spent it at the gym and doing some reading. I also found time to buy a lovely pair of shoes from River Island, that I have been coveting for a while after seeing them at the Trafford Centre. A spontaneous sale drove me to buy them, as they were reduced from £68 to just £43! They are the second pair of new shoes I have bought, after choosing some from New Look on Sunday evening as well, but I gave three pairs away last week, so it's allowed! On Wednesday I went to see Wild Beasts at Manchester cathedral (see previous post) which was brilliant.

Thursday was my day off, but it was spent taking Chris to the train station, tidying my room, packing for Dublin and blogging, before I went round to my friend Emily's house with the girls. She made us a gorgeous red Thai curry with rice, and we had some wine and a chatter, and some lemon meringue pie that I took round. It was a really chilled out evening, with excellent company, which was lovely after rushing around all day!

On Friday I went to work and then came home to finish packing, and I took a quick trip to the gym. I had an interview in the evening which went really well, and then went to Wilmslow station to pick Chris up. We decided against going for a drink after as we were both super hungry, and came home to make fish and chips instead- delish!

The next day we were up ridiculously early (5am!) to catch a flight to Dublin for a few days as a late birthday present for Chris. We got back very late last night, hence the delayed blog post. See the next couple of posts to see what we got upto!

Autumn Sounds...

Wild Beasts at Manchester Cathedral

Last night I went to see the 'indie rock' band Wild Beasts, who were playing at Manchester Cathedral. I saw the gig advertised a while ago, but tickets sold out straight away, probably due to the interesting venue. However, my dad's friend Phil text to say he had two spare tickets, so Chris and I went along for free!

I got the band's first album 'Two Dancers' in my second year of university, as I read about them in NME magazine, and after learning they were from Kendal, close to where I went to uni in Lancaster, I decided to give them a go. I immediately liked them, as they are unlike any other band I have heard before. They mix quite high-pitched vocals, with 80s style synth beats, and then heavier rocky guitars. They have some slower songs, some with proper anthem-style choruses and some that scream 80s disco.

Yesterday, we arrived fairly late due to annoying delayed trains, but luckily the band hadn't begun. Upon entering the cathedral, I was blown away. It is such an amazing venue - a beautiful building, with perfect acoustics, and a real feel of community as soon as you enter the door. I was surprised to see that there was a pop-up bar next to the merchandise stalls, but despite being a designated driver, it was a nice bonus to be able to buy a coke.

The music started shortly afterwards, and it was a surprisingly long set. The band played all the expected tracks - 'Hooting and Howling', 'The Fun Powder Plot', 'We Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues' and 'Bed Of Nails' as well as a few songs off the albums. They came back on for an encore, playing a further four songs, one of which they played the long instrumental in the middle for, which was really moving. The lighting really added to the overall effect of the gig, giving it equal amounts of spook (stone statues lit up in green and red is quite a sight!) and prettiness.

The band commented that they felt that quite a few of their songs had religious undertones, and this was really exaggerated in the setting. Afterwards, we went for a drink in Mojo's, which is a cool little bar off Deansgate that has good tunes, and music memorabilia on the walls. We then had to run to catch the last met, before getting a yummy pizza on the way home. A brilliant (and very cheap) night!

Candid Article 9

Florence, Meet Lagerfeld

Florence Welch is once again storming the music world with newly released second album ‘Ceremonials’ which went straight to number one last week after its debut on October 31^st. But it appears it is not just her unique vocal ability that is getting the 25 year old attention. Her quirky style has always been a topic of discussion, but due to her recent success, leading designers are clamouring for her approval now more than ever.

Crowned the new face of Gucci in June, the entire wardrobe for her US tour this summer was created by Frida Giannini, the fashion house’s creative director. The designer said of Florence, ‘She has a powerful personality and an entrancing quality to her performances. She also has that confident and self-assured look that goes hand in hand with the Gucci woman.’

In her latest video she is seen wearing Valentino Haute Couture, and Karl Lagerfeld shot the star for Vogue Japan’s October issue; recreating the androgynous look in a red silk blazer and pinstriped trousers. It was the start of an ongoing collaboration between the pair, as she also performed on stage for the creative director, at the unveiling of his latest work for Chanel at Paris Fashion Week. This was in homage to the fact that Lagerfeld named Welch as his muse for the Spring/ Summer collection. For the catwalk show, which was under-the-sea themed, the singer performed inside a giant pearl encrusted shell wearing a white Chanel dress personally designed for her.

The demure gown makes a reappearance, amongst other designs, on the third project that the singer has done with Mr Lagerfeld – a special edition copy of her single ‘Shake It Out’. Released on the same day as the album, there have only been 500 copies pressed, which are hand numbered, and available for £50 each. The 180 gram vinyl record is white, contained in a silver inner bag, and the cover features unique photographic images of Florence shot by Karl, screen printed on clean white card, with silver foil writing. The shoot took place in Paris and is said to be inspired by the work of Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, as Florence is a personal fan, having been influenced by her Art-Deco style previously.

The Vinyl Factory are responsible for the production of the record, which is set to be the beginning of a series taken from the new album. It is the first hard copy of the single to be created, as previously it has been available for download only, and also features a remix by up-and-coming Canadian R&B artist The Weeknd.

With so many fashionable names, and now another number one album, under her belt, it seems Florence Welch can do no wrong.