Weekly Update!

Photoshoots, Peplums and Parties!

This week started with me stuck in the house for two days as Aum was ill and off school. It gave me a nice break from the gym though, and in the time I wrote an article for Candid (see previous article) and Abi came round on Tuesday armed with Starbucks which was lovely! I also went round to Rick's on Monday for a catchup and a cuppa which was long awaited, we always seem to end up cancelling meet ups!

On Wednesday my mum and dad were home from their holiday so we got an Indian takeaway and then I dyed my hair (see previous post) and went round to Mo's. During the day on Thursday I had my nails done and then went with Abi to Dunham Massey to take some photos for her blog which was really fun, and in the evening we got some drinks with Tasha at Hale Bar and Grill. I also indulged slightly with some of their chunky chips - so good!

On Friday after work Mum and I went to the Trafford Centre to look at house stuff, and then Mo met me afterwards and we went around a few clothes shops. I bought a really cool green and black felt clock for my living room, and a new winter coat from Zara that is black with silver zips and fitted with a slight peplum. I've needed a neutral coat for ages as all of mine are a bit extravagantly coloured or patterned! We ate a roasted vegetable tart for tea once we got home that Mum had made with rosemary and thyme pastry, delicious.

On Saturday at around midday Mo and I set off for a friend's housewarming in Coalville near Leicester. We were the first to arrive at half two, so chilled out until a few more people arrived before getting on the booze. It was really fun, there were jelly shots, beer pong, various games and tasty food courtesy of our hosts, and it was cool to mingle with some new people.

Today I was ridiculously hungover due to the amount of alcohol I had managed to consume, so it was a horrible journey home! Once we were back we went to look at my new flat, which is slowly but surely coming along (see next post) and then had chilli for tea made with strips of beef which has sorted my hangover right out!

Flat Progress...

Three Week Countdown!

Today I finally got to go to see the flat that I bought back in April! I was super excited to see what it actually looks like now the majority of building has taken place, especially as I chose the kitchen counters and cupboards, and both bathroom tiles so wanted to see my visualisations in real life.

We walked into the building and I was surprised at how large and airy the corridors are, I have a very generous one just for me and one other neighbour, who I was assured is lovely, and the bonus of a fire door just outside my front door that leads directly onto my car parking spot. I have two exterior walls, and the two that are interior have no neighbours, unless you count a lift, so I don't have to panic about music being too loud!

My actual flat is looking lovely, the kitchen cupboards and counters are all in, I have chosen a dark wood cabinet with darker graining, and a mottled off-white work surface. Just waiting for the cooker, washing machine and extractor hood now. The paintwork has mainly been completed, they are doing one last coat and a couple of odd jobs such as casing in wires and finishing off corners, putting doors on etc and then it should be good to go! 

Both bathrooms are coming along nicely, suites in and tiling done, again just a case of finishing off. I took loads of measurements with Mum so I am able to work out where furniture can go/ what flooring to order, it's just a case of shopping now - suuuch a task! I have already found some vinyl flooring for the living/ kitchen area that matches my cabinets perfectly, I was originally going to half tile, half carpet, but I don't want to make either end of the room appear smaller than it is. I toyed with laminate, but it is quite expensive, and as my cabinets are quite an unusual colour, I couldn't find one suitable anywhere. Vinyl is not as hard-wearing, but is cheap and easy to fit so I'm going to go with that. I have picked my sofas and ordered wallpaper for 2 walls in the hallway, found some floor tiles for the bathrooms... it's all coming together!

Fancied a change...

Blonde to Red

On Wednesday, after three and a half years of bleaching my hair, I finally succumbed, and went back to being a redhead. I loved having vibrant red hair when I was at university, and always got lots of compliments on it, but after a while, I craved the pale blonde shade I was beforehand and so committed myself to getting it back. It took me the best part of a year to get to the platinum colour that I have been for the past couple of years, having to live with every shade of orange imaginable in the process, but it was worth it. I have really enjoyed experimenting with the blonde, adding teal tips, purple roots and grey/ lilac washes (obviously not all at once!) but I felt that with Autumn coming in, now was the time to give my poor hair a rest from the strong chemicals I have been battering it with.

Obviously as I was so pale to begin with, I was aware that it wouldn't be a quick process, I would have to get gradually darker until it was block enough to dye it the bright red I wanted. It took many visits to Boots before I actually bought a dye that I thought was suitable; a Clairol Nice and Easy one titled 'Natural Golden Auburn'. It seemed dark enough to combat the bleach in my hair, yet was red based so was edging towards the shade desired. It also wasn't so dark that it would be a complete shock to the system upon stepping out of the shower! 

It was two for £10 which was handy as I knew I would need two packets to fully cover my hair, and my lovely mum obliged in helping me to dye it. The instructions said to leave it for 25 minutes, but as my hair was so light I left it on for about 40 minutes, just to make sure. It came out a gorgeous rich mahogany shade, but unfortunately once I started drying it, the luscious colour it was wet began fading, until when completely dry, it was sort of translucent looking, and betrayed my former flaxen locks.

Slightly disappointed, the following day I went and bought the next shade darker, 'Natural Light Auburn' and proceeded to put that on yesterday afternoon. I only used one packet this time, but left it on for longer than specified as before. Success! This time it has come out darker and more of an all over colour, though it is less red than the previous shade. I am not sure how long it will last before fading, but I have the other packet left in the cupboard to put on in the next couple of weeks. Here's hoping by the end of October I will be a certified fiery redhead!

Weekly Update!

Early Starts and Binging Weekends!

This week started with me seeing the new flat that Mo has moved into, which was exciting. It's in Rusholme and is small but ideal for what he needs and in a pretty good location, takes me twenty minutes to work so nowhere near as bad as I expected. On Tuesday I went to Hale Country Club for dinner, where I had another amazing dish - slow cooked veal's cheek with Jerusalem artichoke purée and sticky mushrooms. The veal was quite dark and flaked apart almost like duck, and had a strong Chinese style taste to it, which worked really well with the creamy artichoke purée and sweet mushrooms. After I had finished work I went to The American Bar with Tasha and Abi for a drink, but we were all quite tired so were home by 9.30pm!

On Wednesday I had to get up at 3.30am to take my parents to the airport, though obviously I went back to bed afterwards. I babysat that evening and then Mo came round, and Thursday was a quiet one too. On Friday I met Abi at The Cake Gallery and had a toffee latte with a chocolate orange cupcake which had glitter on and tasted rich and delicious, and then I collected Aum from school early to drive him to see his grandparents in Pontefract. I was really tired after driving there and back so though Mo came round we stayed in and I made a Shepherd's pie and we went to bed pretty early, super exciting Friday night!

On Saturday I met Claire in Chester for afternoon tea and in the evening I went to see The 1975 with Emily (see previous posts). Today has been spent driving my sister back to university in Leeds, though I took Mo and we stopped off at Ikea on the way home to have a look around and indulge in some meatballs and Daim cake. As if that with a McDonald's for brunch wasn't enough, we then also got a takeaway pizza from Rusholme to share for tea, proper fat Sunday!

Candid Article 35

The 1975

To see my latest Candid article on The 1975's gig I went to yesterday, click here:

http://candidonline.com/live-review-the-1975/

Days Out!

Oddfellows, Chester

My friend Claire who lives in Luxembourg is currently in the UK, staying with her boyfriend on the Wirral. She suggested meeting in Chester as it is halfway for us both, and getting some lunch. As I know we are both avid fans of afternoon tea, I suggested that instead, mentioning Oddfellows as a good place to go having been recommended it by a fellow cake connoisseur who lives in the area.

We ventured there yesterday at around 1.30pm, and despite our lack of booking, were shown promptly to a table in the bar area. The venue is a hotel, bar and restaurant, and is decorated in a contemporary meets period style, with dark wood panelling and chandeliers directly contrasted with giant woodland animals transferred onto the walls and modern plush seating.

We were served our tea by a very professional young man dressed in full waiter's garb, and then told the sandwich selection for the day, which was cheese and onion, chicken with lemon and pepper dressing, and ham and tomato. After about fifteen minutes these sandwiches appeared, along with two other platters containing our sweet treats.

The sandwiches were in delightful little 'bridge' rolls, lightly floured and gorgeously soft and fresh. They contained plenty of filling, and I thought that the flavour selection, though not hugely adventurous, was a good variety that had something for everyone to enjoy.

The scones were fruited, and clearly homemade due to their irregular rustic shape, which I love. They were served with miniature pots of strawberry jam, and a dish with three huge curls of clotted cream in, delicious! Personally I prefer raspberry jam with my scones, so a choice would have been nice, but that is being really finicky.

Finally we moved onto the choice of cakes and desserts. There was a pink meringue garnished with a blackberry and yellow gooseberry, a piece of carrot cake and a chocolate sponge. All were beautifully presented, and the sponge had an almost brownie like texture which was lovely. The carrot cake was very moist, and was a huge piece, I had to take a break between it and the rest! The meringue was well made, but the pink was just colouring, it wasn't flavoured which I was slightly disappointed at.

An afternoon tea at Oddfellows is £15, or £19 with a glass of champagne, and is served between 12 and 5pm every day. I consider this about average price, most places that are cheaper are not in as luxurious surroundings or as meticulous in how they serve you. I would thoroughly recommend this venue to anyone visiting Chester, and would certainly return again - I think my Mum would love it here!

Weekly Update!

Break-Downs, Bell Jars & Giant Cocktails!

This week got off to a bad start when my car broke down on Monday. After thinking it was just the battery, I was told it was the alternator, and then that whoever had the car before me had some some botched bodywork - great! Luckily as I bought it when it was a year old from a Peugeot dealer, all the work was covered under warranty; and my dad was on a course all week so I used my mum's car without a problem.

On Tuesday I caught up with Abi when she came round for a cuppa, and then in the evening I ate at Hale Country Club. The dish I had was the best meal I have ever eaten, no exaggeration! It was tuna tartare, served with a deep fried poached egg, mini prawn toast and salted asparagus, served under a smoking bell jar to give it a wonderful oaky taste - I could eat it everyday!

On Wednesday I had my haircut (good ol' Groupon, £19!), adding a few shorter layers and a nice side fringe which shot a bit of life into it, and then I met Mo for a coffee as I was in town. The rest of the week flew by, I had my nails done and went for another coffee with Abi on Thursday, and on Friday the two of us and Tasha went for a night out in Manchester. 

We started at my house and then had a couple in Neighbourhood in Spinningfields which has a really cool vibe, great music, industrial feel decor and drinks aren't too bad either! Then we moved on to Alchemist where Emily and Smeed joined us for one before we shared a taxi home. I was on wine all night so was pretty tipsy, and despite making sure I had tea and toast before bed I still had a nasty headache on Saturday morning!

Once I had recovered slightly I packed my car up and headed to Crewe for a reunion with a few of the gang from Uni. Geoff, Matt and Chris had been at the football game so were all steaming by the time Joe, Amanda and I met up with them at half five, but we had some takeaway pizzas for tea and it seemed to sort them out for a while - until we went back out anyway! We went to Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent, not a great town to be honest, but it's the people, right?! We went to an 80's themed place called Reflex and had some giant cocktails, then ended the night in Walkabout.

Today I didn't drive home until 2pm, and haven't done much for the rest of the day except meet Mo for a coffee, kerazy!

Candid Article 34

TALU

See my article about up and coming designer brand TALU here:

http://candidonline.com/talu/

Autumn Reads...

Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres - 4 stars ****

This is one of those books that I have wanted to read for ages, more out of curiosity than anything else. I have never watched the film, and had no idea what the plot was about, and the title certainly didn't enlighten me any more! 

It tells a story set in Cephallonia  over a period of nearly 80 years, mainly focusing on a woman called Pelagia (though the tale begins through the eyes of her father Iannis, the village doctor). Her mother died when she was young, and the two have a very special bond. The book takes place during the Italian/ German occupation in the Second World War, and initially Pelagia is in love and betrothed to a local man called Mandras, but he is changed after he is sent to war, and the pair never actually marry. Instead, Pelagia falls in love with one of the Italian Captains stationed on the island (and resident at their house), Antonio Corelli. This is not a quick occurence, and therefore acts as the main anchor for the plot. 

It is difficult to explain the story, as it revolves around daily life, and social politics etc, so if I were to say in detail what happens, it probably wouldn't urge you to read it. But it is very cleverly written, so that it makes you learn about history, philosophise about life and its meanings, engage with the characters, laugh out loud and mourn for fictional deaths. At times it is shocking, and other times it is romantic. As a reader, it takes you on a complete life journey with Pelagia, from her being a young girl fresh out of school, to an elderly grandmother filled with regret. This is seen when towards the end, she says:

'I sit here and I remember former times. I remember music in the night, and I know that all my joys have been pulled out of my mouth like teeth. I shall be hungry and thirsty and longing forever. If only I had a child, a child to suckle at the breast, if I had Antonio. I have been eaten up like bread. I lie down in thorns and my well is filled with stones. All my happiness was smoke.'

It really is a wonderful book, and I am glad I didn't judge it by the cover, as the copy I have makes it looks like a typical romance novel. It approaches love in a more realistic and attainable sense I feel, as opposed to an idealistic way such as in other novels. I particularly like the way Iannis describes the love between himself and his deceased wife to Pelagia, when he is urging her to think carefully about whether Corelli is The One.

'Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion, it is not the desire to mate every second minute of the day, it is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every cranny of your body... That is just being "in love", which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two. But sometimes the petals fall away and the roots have not entwined.' 

Weekly Update!

Candied Bacon, Cheap Vodka & A Film Fest

This week was my first back at work, but it was made easier by the fact that school started again on Tuesday, so I got my days back! That evening Aum and I went for our usual Hale Country Club meal, where I had one of the new specials of black dragon maki roll with tempura soft shell crab, eel, avocado and wasabi mayonnaise which was to die for!

On Wednesday I managed to drag myself back into the gym, and after a cheeky visit to the Cake Galley with Aum, I babysat. It was only until 10pm though, so was a fairly easy haul. On Thursday Mo had a half day off work to take his motorbike theory test, so I met him for some lunch in the Northern Quarter in Manchester. We went to SoLIta Bar and Grill, which was very swanky inside, all velvet seats and red lighting, and fitted with the trendy vibe of NQ perfectly.

We both decided to have burgers, myself opting for the bacon double cheese, which had a shard of candied bacon to hold the brioche bun and contents together. The burger was the real deal, cooked magnificently, no Iceland quarter pounders here! Mo got the Catalan, which had chorizo, Mexican manchego cheese, roasted peppers and a tomato allioli, and both were served with gorgeous chips that were half peeled to maintain a slight crunch. The staff were happy to oblige in making a Thousand Island sauce when Mo requested and they didn't have one, which I thought was sterling customer service, and the whole bill with a tip was £28, not bad at all for the awesome food we had. I'd recommend it to anyone wandering through Manchester on an empty stomach!

On Friday my grandparents came for the weekend, and after lunch with them at home, I had the phone call I have been eagerly anticipating - confirming the exchange on my new flat! It put me in a great mood for the rest of the day, and even rushing to catch a tram after work laden with four bags in the pouring rain didn't dampen my spirits. I met Mo in the city centre, and we drove to Sheffield for a night out with his uni friends. We went to Leadmill, which was really good, Smirnoff and mixers were only £2, and they had two rooms playing different music, so there was something to suit us all.

On Saturday we went for a much needed hangover cure carvery, which was only £3.69 - you have to love being in a student area! Then we spent the afternoon wandering around the Derwent Dam, before people left in the early evening for home. We got back at around 7pm, made toad in the hole and had an early night, proper ravers us! Today we watched The Great Gatsby, had a lovely pork roast dinner with the family and are just about to make a start on Kick Ass 2. A wonderfully rounded weekend!

Travellers' Tales...

Marbella (Part 2)

The day after our awful hangovers we were all feeling back on form, so got up early to have a full day of sunshine at the pool. It was really quiet so we had the entire area to ourselves, so took the opportunity to take some fun timed photos! 

In the evening we got ready and had a very civilised meal in nearby town Benihavis. We went to a restaurant that Abi recommended from her last visit, called Amigos, and it definitely deserved the good reputation. We shared a bottle of Cava, and Emily and I had beef stroganoff, with a caramelised onion marmalade, whilst Abi went for roasted pork. You could choose between chips or Dauphinoise potatoes (Em and I half and halved), and it also came with fresh veg - delicious! 

I was feeling flush so treated myself to a crème Catalan for dessert (Spanish crème brulee - my fave) and with a tip mine came to 37 euros, which I didn't think too bad for the quality of food I had. Afterwards we bought a bottle of wine and drank it back at the flat, a nice relaxed evening.


The next day was Emily and I's final full day, so after another day at the pool we got ready for a second night out in Puerto Banus. We started off in a place called News Cafe that we had been told to go to by one of Abi's friends who used to be a promoter there. We got a free spirit and mixer, and the view from the balcony at the top was really lovely, you could see right across the port at all the amazing yachts. Next we ended up back at Lineker's, where we spent the rest of the night - it seemed silly going somewhere else when it was the busiest and cheapest bar and was playing really good music! We left at closing time and got some cheesy chips before heading home, it felt like we were back in Manchester!

Our last day dawned and we packed up our suitcases ready to leave that afternoon. Luckily our flight wasn't until later on, so we got a last few hours sunbathing before we had to get a taxi and coach back to the airport. We got a Pizza Hut there for tea, and then were home by midnight, shattered, but satisfied after a fun filled week!

Travellers' Tales...

Marbella (Part 1)

Last week, I went on holiday to Marbella for 6 days, with two of my best friends, Emily and Abi. We flew super early on Sunday 25th August, which despite being a pain meant we got practically a full day there when we arrived. We stayed in a gorgeous apartment at a golf club called Los Aqueros, which meant we had to get a coach from the airport to Marbella station, then a taxi to the complex. We got there just after 2pm, so once we had dumped our bags, headed straight to the clubhouse for some late lunch.

Abi and I had pumpkin soup with bacon in which was really tasty, whilst Emily got a huge tuna salad. Afterwards we got our bikinis on and headed to the pool to soak up the sun. With our early morning we were all pretty tired, so in the evening we just ate at the clubhouse again, Em and I shared a lasagne and chips, whilst Abi just got ice cream - well we are on holiday! We had a bottle of wine, and then went to bed fairly early to get up and do a big supermarket shop the following morning.

We spent 44 euros between us, which I didn't think was too bad for a full shop for us all, considering we planned to eat in for breakfast and lunch, and a couple of evening meals. We spent the rest of the day by the pool, and then after some pasta for dinner got ready for a night out in Puerto Banus, where everyone parties in Marbella!

There are promoters everywhere there, so we were soon grabbed and offered a free drink in a bar called Seven, which was Moroccan themed inside, with low seating, glass lamps and shisha pipes. The drink we had was pretty disgusting though, very sweet and didn't taste very alcoholic! So we moved on quickly.

We went to Lineker's for one next, and managed to get a shot and two drinks each for 7 euro, so not too bad. The music was good and it was busy in there, so we stayed for a while until we wanted to go somewhere different. The bar next door gave us another sickly sweet cocktail, though we got chatting to some older guys in there who bought us a few drinks, and then paid for us to get into a club called Funky Buddha, so it was worth it! We danced for a while, and ended up home at 6am all in separate taxis, and Emily and I had to go on a wild goose chase for apartment keys when Abi wasn't home yet!

The next day we were all horrendously hungover, to the extent that we all slept until 6pm! We managed to collect ourselves to get some food at the clubhouse at 8pm (though this time no booze...) and all shared a mixed paella that was really nice, and even had enough for a doggy bag to take home!