Summer Reads...

Porno by Irvine Welsh - 3 stars ***

This book caught my eye on the shelf at work (the pub, obviously not where I nanny!) and when I found out it was the second book after Trainspotting, I snapped it up.

It still follows the life of Simon 'Sick Boy' Williamson, but this time it is ten years after Trainspotting and he is back in Edinburgh after a long stint in London. He inherits a pub from his auntie, and after meeting up with a few familiar faces, embarks upon a new business venture - making porn films in the room above. 

It is a success, earning him lots of money and taking the stars to Cannes, however tensions between the crew build, and new relationships are tested, until Simon has to accept that sleeping dogs won't lie and he has to confront the skeletons in his closet.

This sequel is just as risqué, gritty and honest as its well known counterpart; and as something totally different to what I would normally read, I really enjoyed it. It took me a while to get into it, especially as it is written in dialect so is quite trying at times - definitely not one to read hungover or half asleep!

Despite the hard hitting subject topics, the language is still very deftly used to create good descriptions, especially of people:

'a body pumped up by prison steel, yes, but then honed down by drugs and alcohol. His eyes are wild, psychotic slits that bat-dance in your soul looking for good things to crush or bad elements to identify with. Shorn hair peppers a craggy skull you could punch all day and just break your fingers on.'

Irvine Welsh has a certain cynicism to his writing that sounds like he is criticising, but when you consider what he is saying, it is actually quite accurate!

'We're sitting beside some student types who are full of their dull conspiracy theories, all excited as they debate who isn't really dead: Elvis, Jim Morrison, Princess Di. Too full of their own sense of youthful immortality to believe anybody really leaves the gig. Stuck in a life-affirming, death- denying bourgeois dreamworld.'

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes literature to be shocking but believable, and fancies looking through a window into a world completely outside what (I would say) is usual. Not for the fainthearted though!

Days Out...

Chester Zoo

Yesterday, I took Aum and his friend Alex to Chester Zoo for the day. It is years since I have been, so I was quite curious to see how it had changed. We arrived at around 11.30am, and I was pleasantly surprised at the prices - it was £41.50 for the three of us, only fractionally more than Blue Planet Aquarium, and it took us three times as long to do and we still didn't see everything so was definitely better value for money.

We started with the elephants and took some photos before going across Elephant Bridge to see the giraffes and go through 'Butterfly Journey' which is new since I last came. You walk through a huge greenhouse and there are hundreds of butterflies flitting around - some were bigger than my hand! Afterwards we went on to the latest attraction: Dinosaurs Bite Back! This area had loads of model dinosaurs (some life size) that moved and made noises; some even spat water when you walked past.

We went for some lunch in June's Pavilion, I had half a chicken, mushroom and sweetcorn pizza, and the boys shared a margarita. They were huge so we probably should have just shared one between us, but I just ate a lot more than usual to make up for it!

After lunch we saw the penguins, lions, orangutans and chimpanzees, jaguars and lemurs before stopping again for a rest, this time for me to have a cup of tea and the boys to get candyfloss (which they had been pestering for all day!). Next we went across Bat's Bridge to do the other side of the park - bears, zebra, rhinos, bushdogs and hoofed animals, monkeys and one of my favourites: the bat cave. This is a cave completely in the dark, where the bats have free realm - sometimes you feel them skim your head, and I got one right in my face! I was surprised that the boys weren't at all scared, bit it was probably a good thing, as trying to guide three people in the darkness with my clumsiness wouldn't be the best.

There were a few animals that we missed out as we didn't really have enough time, including the meercats, tigers and otters, and we couldn't see any rhinos! The park was really busy with it being the last week of the school holidays and quite a sunny day, so really crowded bits we didn't bother with.

We ended in the gift shop of course, and then drove home, which took forever as we were queuing to get out of the car park for forty minutes. It was a really enjoyable day though, and the boys were good as gold - no lost children today!

Weekly Update!

Mazes, Dancing & lots of Food!

The first week back at work after a holiday is always a drag, although it could have been much worse in my case, as Aum is on school holidays at the moment, so we get to do lots of fun stuff.

On Monday we didn't do very much, just ran a few errands and then went to look at the animals at the pet shop, and then I worked at the pub. On Tuesday the weather appeared quite fine, so we went to Red House Farm with my two cousins and my auntie to do the Maize Maze there. This year it was Jubilee themed, so was shaped like a giant crown, and the nine stamps you had to collect around it were all quintessentially British, including a postage stamp, a union jack flag and a sceptre. It was more difficult than I remembered, and didn't help that it started raining half way around, so we cheated slightly to get all the stamps and find our way out (shh!).

On Wednesday we went to see Brave at the cinema (see previous post), and on Thursday I took Aum and his friend to the Blue Planet Aquarium which was really fun (see previous post). In the evening once I had finished work I very quickly got my nails done, and then went round to Hana's for some pre-drinks before going out to Sakura on Deansgate Locks in Manchester. It was a really fun night, we all had a good dance, and got rather more drunk than we had intended; so on Friday I was a little tender at work! Luckily Aum had a tennis lesson in the morning so I got to have a little nap, and then we went for lunch at Hale Spa & County Club, where I had a sunblush tomato, mozzerella and pesto risotto which sorted me right out!

That evening Lydia was back from uni so I went out with her in the Northern Quarter in Manchester. It was really nice just for the two of us to chill out and have a few cocktails in Bluu and Trof, and we ended up in this club called Mint, dancing to 90s pop music and having a laugh before getting the last met home. I was at work the following day, and afterwards I had the girls round to mine for a few drinks as I had a free house. We went out into Altrincham at around 11pm, starting in Bloom and then moving on to Heart and Soul which was a laugh. Lydia and Tasha had ordered a sharing Zombie cocktail in Bloom, and Emily and I had been doing shots of rum, so we were all nicely merry, and stayed out until the club shut at 2.30am.

Today Tasha and Lydia came round to chill out for a while this morning, and then I have just got back from Hana's house, where Lydia and I were treated to a hangover feast of lemon tart, clotted cream, After Eights, strawberries and chocolate. Not that I haven't eaten enough this week... and lack of gymming due to work is not boding well - it's a good job my scales at home have broken!

Days Out...

Blue Planet Aquarium

Yesterday, I took Aum and his friend Max to the Blue Planet Aquarium. We set off at about 11.30am, and it took us just under an hour to drive there. Because we arrived around lunch time, the first place we went was to the cafe, where we had hotdogs and the boys had slushes and chocolate bars (very healthy!), then we went downstairs to begin going around the aquarium.

We started in the Freshwater Life section, where fish such as pike and perch were... then we moved on to the more exciting parts! The first was The Amazon, which had piranhas and a separate amphibian section, obviously my favourite due to the abundance of frogs on display! There was also a 'Venom' section full of poisonous snakes and creepy crawlies.

We then went upstairs to continue our journey, and got to look inside a replica rockpool and touch some rays which was fun. Within the same section was the new Giant Pacific Octopus tank which was very impressive, and also an interactive bit with quiz scratchcards, which kept the kids entertained.

By this time it was 3pm, and the Aquatheatre shows were on every hour, so we sat and watched the sharks and fish being fed, and learnt a bit about the different breeds of sealife and the equipment and kit needed to go scuba diving. The largest sharks are the Sand Tiger Sharks, which can reach upto 3.2 metres in length. They are lovingly named Wilma, Betty, Cloud, Storm, Flair, Fergal and Alfie.

Afterwards we went through the Aquatunnel (which unfortunately had the moving walkway turned off) and came out in the coral reef area. The boys especially liked the clownfish, and I managed to find a fish that was the exact Leeds United football colours, so took a photo to show to my dad - an avid fan!

We stopped in the gift shop on the way out, as of course the boys wanted some sweets for the car journey home and a souvenir. We also bought the photo they had taken as it was really cute! We skipped the otter section outside as it was getting quite late and I didn't want to hit the traffic travelling home.

Overall it was a nice day, and the kids really enjoyed themselves; but it cost us £38 to get in and really only took us two hours to complete (and that was slowly!) so I would save a trip there for a special treat.

Summer Views...

Brave - 3 stars ***

I thought this looked quite good when I saw an advert for it, so when Aum and I were at a loose end for something to do yesterday, I thought I'd take him to see it. We went to the Trafford Centre: as it was the summer holidays it was packed, and we ended up with pretty naff seats, but at least we weren't on the front row.

The film tells the story of Merida, a young Scottish girl (I can only presume she is a young teenager) who is due to be found a suitor for marriage determined by the result of a challenge that she must set the eldest son of each of the three neighbouring clans. Fond of shooting arrows, riding her horse, and generally defying being a 'proper princess', she is horrified at the idea of getting married, and tries to persuade her mother to change her mind. As could be expected, her mother is having none of it, and wants her to stick to tradition and become a lady to uphold the family name.

At a loss for what to do, Merida follows a trail of willo-the-wisps (supposed to determine your fate) and stumbles across a cottage belonging to a witch, who she asks for a spell to change her mother. Little does she realise quite how literal the spell is though, as her mother turns into a bear, that she will be stuck as permanently after two sunrises, unless the troubled pair can 'mend their broken bond'. This seems like quite a random transformation, if it wasn't for the fact that a rogue bear named Muldoon mauled Merida's father when she was younger, and so she knows he will do anything to kill her! So ensues the chaos of having to hide a huge bear inside a castle, whilst trying to solve the puzzle to break the spell. 

There were lots of laughs for both young and old and, as with most animated films nowadays - a host of famous voices to try to guess before the credits rolled. It was nice to have a children's film based in the UK for once, and also good that it made use of traditional Scottish folklore and music, which I think will be informative to younger viewers.The only stipulation I had with this was the clichéd dialogue between mother and daughter (it was all very 'it's not fair!'/ 'life isn't fair, you have responsibilities') and also that the fearsome Muldoon was indeed that - pretty bloody scary! The film was a PG though, so I guess that was the reasoning behind the rating. Worth a cheeky watch though.

Weekly Update!

Chester, Cava & Cocktails!

This week was my second of two weeks off, and I've had a really nice time. On Monday I went on a shopping trip to Chester with Tasha, Hana and Charlotte which was fun. The weather was lovely, and we had a pub lunch at a place called The Boathouse that was tasty. I had hunter's chicken with chips and peas - was so stuffed afterwards! I got a few bargains whilst shopping; a pair of shorts from Topshop for £12, and a gorgeous French Connection dress reduced from £285 to £71, both in the sales. The dress is peach coloured with sequins all over, and is strapless with a boned top and an amazing full skirt - I can't wait to have an occasion to wear it for! I also got the standard few essentials from Primark before we drove home at 4pm.

That evening I went for a few drinks with Michael in the Revs in Fallowfield - on a Monday it is 50% off, gutted I always work on a Monday eve! On Tuesday I had a majorly lazy day, and then went for a few drinks with the girls at Hale Bar and Grill in the evening. Hannah and Srishti came, who I don't see very often, so it was great to catch up with their lives.

On Wednesday I went to the gym and for a swim,which is much needed after all the excessive drinking and eating that seems to go hand in hand with time off work! In the evening I watched The Virgin Suicides which was really good, and then went to a friend's for the night. On Thursday I set off fairly early for Oxford to visit a couple of friends there. It was a pretty packed couple of days, so I've done a post just on my trip there (see previous). When I got back on Friday I quickly changed and went for a few drinks in Hale. I bumped into an old school friend which was lovely, we had quite a chinwag! I had work the next day, so we left at 11.30pm.

After work on Saturday I went out in Manchester with a few friends. We went to a place called The Liars Club, which was amazing. It was decorated like a Tiki bar and they did loads of cocktails that they set on fire. We had group shared one, first a strawberry daiquiri, then two flaming zombies that looked immense! I went to a friend's house afterwards for an 'afterparty', though there were only four of us. After all I'd had out, plus the bottle of Cava I'd predrunk, I then had quite a lot of Disaronno, so today was a complete and utter write-off, I was still drunk at 7pm! It is always the sign of a good night though, and it was a good end to a fab two weeks off. Shame it's back to work tomorrow!

Traveller's Tales...

Sibford Ferris, Stow & Stratford

On Thursday I drove down  visit my friend Timna who lives in Sibford Ferris in Oxford. I was so tired driving it was pretty arduous, but I eventually arrived at 2.30pm and was greeted with a lovely cuppa.

That evening we went to Bicester Village, which is an outlet mall similar to Cheshire Oaks. I had little money to buy anything, but came away with a nice triangle shaped titanium ring, and some nipple tassles from Agent Provocateur! I mainly bought them as they look really cool on display in my room - don't judge! We ate tea at Pret a Manger and then drove back to Timna's. 

Later on at 11pm we went round to our other friend Laura's house in Kingham, as she had 'exciting news' to tell us. We had basically guessed it was that she had got engaged, so we picked some flowers from the garden for her, and luckily we were right! We spent until the early hours getting very giddy, drinking prosecco and discussing wedding plans - all very grown up!

The following day we had a lie in and ate pancakes for breakfast before driving to Stow to meet Laura again (this time without her fiancé). We went to Huffkins bakery for afternoon tea, and ordered one for three people which was huge! It had little finger sandwiches with gorgeous fillings like salmon and avocado, chicken and bacon, ploughmans and tuna and sweetcorn; scones with jam and clotted cream, and a selection of cakes including flapjack, brownies and hazelnut meringues. We ate as much as we could, and then got a doggy bag to take home, they had made a mistake with some of our sandwiches so we got a seperate plate for free - we had loads left!

We said our goodbyes to Laura and made our way back to Sibford to collect Timna's mum to go to Stratford (she was picking a new car up). Timna and I wandered around the shops and along the river while her mum got the car, and then we parted ways and I drove home to Manchester. It took me 2 1/2 hours even with traffic which I was impressed with, and meant I had time to go out when I got back. I had a lovely couple of days and it was really nice to see Laura and Dickon to celebrate their engagement. It is a shame that so many of my uni friends live down South!

Traveller's Tales...

York

On Friday, Emily, Hana and I drove to York to see Lydia, who is at university there. We got stuck in traffic so it took us 2 1/2 hours to get there, but we still arrived by half seven so had plenty of time to get ready.

We stayed in a hotel called Elmbank which was lovely - all sweeping mahogany staircases and velvet armchairs, yet the bathroom was very modern and it was only £50 for the night. We had some drinks in the room whilst getting ready, and then headed into town at nineish. We went to a place called Bar Swine, which had a rock vibe and did some unusual cocktails - mine had egg white in! It was tasty though, and after that we moved onto Revs for a pitcher before going to meet Lyd in a bar called 1331. We stayed there until it closed, and then went to a club called Vudu and had a dance. It was pretty pricey though, over £7 for a double spirit and mixer!

We then moved onto this really random place called Willow, a Chinese restaurant that somehow turned into a nightclub in the evening, don't know how legal it was! The music in there was horrendous though (very 90s disco) so Em and I went back to Vudu until the others were ready to leave. We got a taxi home pretty late, and didn't get to bed until about 5am; made worse by the 11am check out time the next morning!

In the morning we went for a wander, and had some late breakfast at an Italian (don't ask, it was AWFUL!) and did a bit of shopping before driving home at 2pm. The weather was lovely, so it was nice to have a walk around the city and soak in the sights. It was a shame we didn't get to see Lydia for longer, but it was a good spontaneous break nonetheless!

Weekly Update!

Drinks, Drinks & Drinks!

This week has been really fun, mainly due to more of my friends being around to do things (home from uni etc) and of course, having the week off work. I tried to make the most of having holiday despite the fact that I have missed out on my vacation to Turkey, and it seems to have worked, as I've been busy basically every day!

On Monday I worked at the pub, and met the new landlord, who seems nice. On Tuesday I went to the gym, and then in the evening I went out for a few drinks with Hana, Charlotte and Tasha. We went to Altrincham, to a place called High Society for some cocktails, and then the new Bloom bar that has relocated to a bigger venue from Goose Green. I had originally planned to drive home, but after a cocktail that was really good, I decided to leave my car behind, and ran to collect it in the morning! 

The rest of that day I didn't do a great deal, and then in the evening I went to see my friend Michael from Lancaster who is currently living in Manchester. On Thursday I did a few boring jobs like cleaning my room, and then had my eyebrows tinted - they were a little dark but looked fine as I still have my tan! The following day I went for a run and a swim and then went for a drink with my mum at the Hare and Hounds, a pub near my house. It was a sunny day so we walked which was really pleasant. The I went to York with a couple of my friends for the night (see next post).

Last night I went out in Manchester with Hana and Tasha. We went to The Yacht Club in Spinningfields, which I had never been to before but was really cool - it is all outside, and the good weather made it feel as though we were abroad! Tasha didn't feel very well so went home, but Hana and I stayed out and went for cocktails at Alchemist, and then ended the night in Fac251. It was so sweaty in there, I was basically sober by the time I got home from drinking so much water!

Today I attempted to go for a bike ride with my mum, but after about five minutes it started hammering down with rain, and then my bike chain snapped, I think it was nature's way of telling me that it was not a good idea! So instead we went home and watched some television whilst eating our picnic inside!

Traveller's Tales...

San Miguel, Tenerife

On Sunday evening I got back from a lovely week in San Miguel in Tenerife. It had it's moments (mainly an ex boyfriend drama and a lost handbag!) but overall it was a great holiday. We got there very late on the previous Sunday night, so pretty much went to bed as soon as we arrived, ready for a full day in the sun the following day.

On the Monday we had some breakfast, as we had been provided a pack from the hotel with bread, eggs, milk and cereal in which was a nice touch. Then we went down to the pool. The sunbed situation wasn't great, so we ended up a little far away from the pool, but at least we got three sunbeds, which is more than some families had! We spent the day sunbathing, and had some lunch at the pool bar before going back upto the room later on to get ready for our first night out.

We had been given a free three course meal as part of our hotel deal, so we went down to claim this once we had had a few drinks in the apartment. I had tomato and basil soup, followed by oven baked seabass and then caramel ice cream to finish. I was really surprised that we could just choose whatever we wanted and it wasn't limited to certain sections, so I definitely got my moneys worth! Afterwards we went out for a few drinks in Los Cristianos, the nearest big town. It was pretty dead, it was Monday, but we thought there may be a few more tourists around. We still had a fun night though and got a few few drinks which is always a bonus!

The next couple of days were much the same, on Tuesday we went to the supermarket and bought loads of food so we could eat in to save some money, and in the evening we had some sangria at one of the hotel bars before getting a fairly early night. On Wednesday evening we went out in Las Americas which was lots of fun, but that was also a fateful night as we all lost each other so got separate taxis home, and that was the night Lizzie lost her bag too.

Thursday was spent in a hungover haze, and on Friday we went into Las Americas again to report Lizzie's bag and to spend the day on the beach. We had a really nice lunch at one of the beach bars, and stayed out quite late before going back to get ready for another night out. We did a cliff walk from the hotel, and then stopped at a bar called Taboos for a drink before heading home (which is when drama two occurred, but we won't talk about that...).

On Saturday spirits were pretty low, but it was our last full day so we thought we'd try and make the most of it. We spent the day by the pool again, and then in the evening we went out for tapas, which was gorgeous. We had garlic and herb bread, patatas bravas, chorizo, calamari, meatballs, chilli prawns, pork kebabs in peppercorn sauce, steak pieces in a sauce and stuffed peppers. Somehow we managed to eat it all, but we were very full afterwards! It was a lovely way to end the holiday, and we went for a drink and a gossip next door afterwards which was fun!

The following day we finished packing and checked out. Lizzie's flight was earlier than mine and Lydia's, so she left pretty much straight away, but we had a last few hours to sunbathe before leaving at 1pm. We arrived home at about 8pm, knackered and drained, but it was a fab holiday. It's just a shame my next one to Turkey is now cancelled due to the boyfriend drama that happened whilst we were away. Aww well!

Summer Views...

The Dark Knight Rises - 5 stars *****

Before I went to Tenerife, I went to see this with my friends after work one night as I had wanted to see it for a while. I loved The Dark Knight, but haven't actually seen Batman Begins - I don't think it makes much of a difference though as they are all good stories in their own right.

This is the tale of Batman eight years on from the last film, and in this time he has become akin to an old man, weak and reclusive, locking himself away in his grand house. This is due mainly to the public, who have taken a disliking to him after he took the blame for Harvey Dent's crimes. However, the terrorist acts of a new threat - Bane - forces the superhero to come out of hiding to challenge him. 

He must work to regain his strength, and it is during his rigorous training that as an audience you really get a grip on the depths of the character of Bruce Wayne. It is refreshing to see a superhero fail, and struggle to come to terms with his own weaknesses; it makes it that much more emotionally involving - I totally welled up at various points throughout this!

There are a few new characters in this, local policeman John Blake (cutie Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and most noticeably love interests Anne Hathaway as Cat Woman and Marion Cottillard as Miranda, who both provide eye candy for males in the audience, not least due to a certain leather catsuit. I personally love Cottillard, and it was great to see her playing a slightly different role in this, as there was a great twist for her character in the end.

The film overall was brilliant, slick, action-packed, gripping, believable, and contained a score of highly talented actors who really brought the picture to life. It was pretty long (over 2 1/2 hours!) but not once did my attention wane, and I think that is the symbol of a truly awesome piece of cinema. A few people I have spoken to have said it is the best film of 2012, and I can honestly say that I don't doubt it for a second.