Travellers' Tales...

Albufeira, Portugal (Part 2)

On the Sunday we decided to explore and find the beach. After a bit of a detour we got there and grabbed a prime spot near the sea and beach bar. The weather was lovely, we ventured into the sea a few times but it was freezing! We had lunch at one of the bars ; I had a chicken and bacon 'wrap' that was actually a pancake, but it was nice all the same. 

In the afternoon I got a bit too hot so went for a walk by myself and stopped for an ice cream in the shade. We headed back to the apartment at about 6pm and then went to get some food for tea from the supermarket. We had piri-piri chicken with boiled potatoes and salad accompanied with prosecco to get the night started.

We didn't go out until late, and walked to the strip this time, starting in a lively bar straight away - we got awesome deals on the spirits and lots of free shots, we all got very drunk and got home at 4am! The next day I was hugely hungover but wanted to make the most of my last full day in the sun. We went down to the pool and sunbathed all day, although I started feeling like I was constantly burning which was annoying, so had to be careful and take lots of breaks in the shade.

That evening was a bit chilly; I hadn't taken any jackets so was pretty cold, but luckily the restaurant we went to (again in the Old Town) had heaters - much needed as it was outside and on the seafront so had a full breeze. We shared some houmous and crudites for a starter, and then I had pan fried duck with vegetables and dauphinoise potatoes. It was delicious, but the price reflected the quality as it was 18 euro - good job our wines were on the house! I had an almond tart for dessert, but it was quite hard to eat with cutlery so I resorted to using my hands!

We were all still knackered from the previous night so went home straight afterwards and I packed most of my things so I could enjoy what was left of the following day before leaving. I was picked up for my flight at 1pm, so had a couple of hours by the pool early morning before showering and saying goodbye to the girls who had an extra day left.

My flight home was smooth and I had a nice evening when I returned; I went to The Flying Horse with my parents and Grandpa for dinner before Mo came round. It hit me that I was back at work the next day at about 9pm, but at least I had a great six day break from the daily grind!

Travellers' Tales...

Albufeira, Portugal (Part 1)

After a very early flight (we left mine at 4am) Tasha and I arrived in sunny Portugal and were at our hotel by 12pm. The room was basic but clean and had everything we expected from budget accommodation. We had a nice little balcony, kitchenette and a bedroom which was separated from the main room by shutters, and had enough space to fit the pull out bed from the living room in, so all three of us could sleep in the same room (Lydia was joining us later that day).

Not wasting any time, Tasha and I promptly got changed and headed to the pool for our first spot of sunbathing. It was slightly cloudy, but still warm enough to lie just in a bikini comfortably, which is all we cared about. We went back to the room and got ready to go out at around 7pm, and found a cute little restaurant nearby that was opposite the supermarket - our next port of call.

We shared a chorizo starter (as well as complimentary bread, olives and pate - love being abroad!) and for main I had a chicken stroganoff whilst Tasha had grilled salmon, both with potatoes and vegetables. We shared a bottle of prosecco, and altogether it was 18 euro each, can't complain. We did a shop for some food and essentials and then went back to the room and had some wine whilst we waited for Lydia to arrive, although she actually got there at 1am once we were fast asleep!

The next day was another by the pool; the weather still wasn't amazing but enough to tan. In the evening we made tuna pasta for tea and then played some drinking games before going out to the main strip of bars. We got a taxi there which had we realised how close it was, wouldn't have been ordered as it literally took two minutes.

We walked for a while before choosing a bar that seemed fairly busy and had a cocktail and free shot. Afterwards we moved onto more of a club that was playing decent music, and a round of doubles was only 15 euro. We danced for a while and then moved on again to a swanky looking bar called Libertos, which seemed like the sort of place to overcharge for drinks, especially as it was free entry; so we were pleasantly surprised when it was only 4 euro per drink.

The next day we were all feeling a little ropey, but after a day of sleep by the pool we perked up, especially as the weather had vastly improved. We decided to take a cab that evening to the Old Town to eat there, as we had been told it was more chilled than the strip, and would have less Stag and Hen parties about!

We chose a really lovely Portuguese restaurant up a flight of stairs that overlooked the whole harbour, and I tried a traditional dish that was steak topped with pancetta and sliced potatoes then covered in gravy - amazing! I always like trying new things abroad and I've never seen anything like that before so was adventurous. Following the theme, I also opted for a Portuguese tart for dessert, that was similar to baklava but with orange flavoured treacle instead of honey. It was very sweet, but was only small so wasn't too sickly. We went to a bar afterwards where the outside was entirely covered in shells, where we had a 'champagne cocktail' for 4 euro - it was gross! Dark rum and cheap fizz with glace cherries and sugar stirred in - we all couldn't finish it.

We got a taxi home and were all asleep for 12.30pm, obviously saving ourselves for the next wild night!

Weekly Update!

Packing, Pizza & Prosecco!

This week I have had to be organised and start packing for my holiday next week, as I have a very busy schedule, to the extent that I am even babysitting the night before my very early flight!

On Monday I stayed at Mo's and we watched Game Of Thrones as usual, and on Tuesday I had the spider roll sushi at the country club again with fat chips - I was feeling indulgent! Wednesday and Thursday went by in a blur, although I had a nice evening with Mo on Thursday; he made devilled eggs and we ate them with a few drinks, I finally had the mini bottle of wine that Halifax gave me for taking a mortgage out with them!

On Friday I went to Mum's after work and chilled out there - she dyed my hair and we had pesto salmon parcels for tea, then I stayed over and went straight to yoga yesterday. The rest of the day was spent trying potential holiday outfits on, and sorting out miniature toiletries!

That evening a few if us went to Tasha's house for her birthday night out. We had Dominoes and prosecco (the best combination!) and then went into Hale to Piccolinos and Suburbia. I got a round of jaeger bombs in... £38! Won't be doing that again in a hurry! It did mean that the rest of my night was paid for though as people bought me drinks in repayment!

Today I felt quite bad early on, but struggled to get back to sleep so eventually got up at 11am. I have had a really enjoyable day with Mum (see previous post) but now I am in desperate need of an early night!

Days Out...

Lymm Dam & High Legh Garden Centre

Today Mum suggested we do something to take advantage of the beautiful weather, so we decided to go for a walk. I've never been to Lymm Dam before and have heard it's pretty, so we drove there and had a wander. It was quite busy, with a few picnicers, and we went into the town of Lymm as well, which was really cute with a little stream running through it and some gorgeous cottages. I relived my childhood and had a Ribena lolly from the ice cream van, and then we drove on to High Legh Garden Centre.

I've never been, and was surprised at how huge it is, especially when High Legh is a tiny village! We had a look around, they had lots of concessions selling interesting knick knacks, but nothing that I was interested in buying (a blessing given my current finances!).

Mum got a voucher for 2 for 1 on afternoon teas there, so we sat down and ordered. It wasn't anything grand, but then for £6.99 we didn't expect it. It was pleasant enough though, 4 sandwiches each (egg, tuna, cheese and ham) accompanied by ginger tea bread, Victoria sponge and a scone with jam and cream. Generous portions; the cakes were a little large if anything, I felt quite sick after eating it all! Luckily we had left wandering around the outside garden section so got some fresh air before drivin back home. A lovely little jaunt out!

New Flat!

Update!

This morning, my dad came round to do a few odd jobs in the flat. It is always difficult pinning him down to a time to get around to it, I have been waiting for a couple of months! I thought it has been a while since my last decorating posts when I first moved in, so figured an update was due. Today my dad put up a mirror in the living room (John Lewis £150) and a wine glass rack in the kitchen (Ikea £14) which really add character, I always think when walls have things on them a place looks a bit more lived in.

I put up three photo frames that I got for £3 each from TK Maxx, each contain collages of particularly memorable holidays - skiing in Andorra, Benicassim festival in Spain, and New York with the girls - and the bright colours match my cushions and sofas. A few weeks ago my mum wallpapered a feature wall in my hallway with some gorgeous tree design wallpaper that has a slight iridescent sheen to it, it was one of the first things I bought way back last April when I signed for the reservation on the flat.

Apart from that most has remained the same, I now have a blind on my kitchen window, which will eventually match ones on my main living room window (once I have the funds to order them!) and I have a bit more storage in my bedroom thanks to a bedside cabinet. I have also finally put the canvas I bought up above my bed, which really completes the room. I also have a functioning spare bedroom, as I managed to wangle a free sofabed off my parents, and have put some clip frames on the walls with gig and theatre tickets in, which I think is a cool way of displaying them. It will be strange when everything is finally done, but then I'm sure I will find something else to add to it!

Weekly Update!

Sushi, Insanity & Shopping!

This week had a bonus Monday off for the bank holiday - most of which was spent hungover at Mo's after a night out on Sunday! He went out on the bike so I let myself out at about 3pm and went round to Mum's for tea - she made tagliatelle from scratch with bacon, creme fraiche, mushrooms, peas and broccoli; I've never had homemade pasta before, but she said it was really easy to make so will be doing it more often, ideal!

On Tuesday I ate at the country club, and had duck and mushroom katsu sushi rolls. I am getting to the stage where I have had most things off the menu, but this was one I hadn't yet tried. It was full of flavour as per usual, and the breadcrumbed outer roll made it a bit different from normal sushi. I babysat on Wednesday, and on Thursday I tried a new class (by accident) - Insanity. It was very difficult, and we were only given half the time! I always like a new challenge though, so maybe I will pluck up the courage to do a full hour next time. That evening and Friday night I just stayed in and chilled out with Mo, and then Saturday I went shopping in Stockport with Mum and Jasmine who was back for the weekend.

I didn't buy a lot, just a few holiday bits from Primark, and some orange hair dye to experiment with next week. That evening I went out for a meal at La Piazza with Em, Smeed, Tasha, Abi and Dave (see previous post), and then drove to a birthday house party at Mo's friend Rosie's flat in Stretford, where I was glad to finally get onto the wine!

Today I lounged around at Mo's (he made us both a gorgeous full cooked breakfast) then I went to Mum's for a catch up and we wandered around Matalan where I found a few bits for birthday presents. I have just made some blueberry muffins to eat when Mo comes round in a bit. A good fun packed week!

New Tastes...

La Piazza, Goose Green

Last night, I went for a meal at La Piazza, a fairly new Italian restaurant in Goose Green. There were six of us - Tasha, Abi, Dave, Em, Smeed and I -and it was my suggestion, so I was hoping we wouldn't be disappointed!

We sat down and ordered a bottle of white wine to share between four of us, and Abi and Dave got a beer and glass of house red wine. It is a piattini place (basically Italian tapas, so all small dishes) and we agreed to choose one dish each and share them all, as well as to order their set menu for two, which had a variety of different dishes across three courses, and included a free drink. All the dishes come out as and when they're ready, so it's quite a good concept when it's a group of people dining.

My choice of dish was pork belly casserole served with lentils and chorizo, which was amazing! Between us we also had chicken and chorizo skewers, cheese arancini (rice balls in breadcrumbs), breaded mozzarella, tomato gnocchi, prawn linguine, and a pepperoni and chili pizza. On the set menu we began with bread, mixed meats and cheese, olives and a mixed salad, followed by spicy sausage and sauteed potatoes and calamari with garlic mayonnaise, and finally tomato, spinach and cheese ravioli and meatballs in tomato sauce.  

Everything was delicious, I particularly enjoyed the arancini, which were beautifully made and very flavourful. I am glad we chose a few of the dishes off the normal menu to be a bit more adventurous, as the set menu is mainly the staple Italian classics which I enjoyed but wouldn't have wanted only them. We had tea and coffee afterwards, and with a tip it came to £21 each, which was an absolute bargain for the amount of food that we got. The service was great; our waiter was very friendly and explained everything clearly to us, it is just a shame that there were only us and two other parties in there, so the atmosphere was a little quiet, not that we minded as we were all chattering away. I would recommend it to people in the area as it really is a lovely little Italian, that is clearly still relatively unheard of!

Candid Article 50

Jamie Jooste

This article is backdated, as I wrote it on the date of this blog post, but it wasn't put online for a while later. New article on South African soul/ R&B singer Jamie Jooste is available here:

http://candidonline.com/new-music-jamie-jooste/

Weekly Update!

Triple Country Club & Bank Holiday!

This week has been a nice, steady one, not too exciting, but enough to keep me entertained! On Tuesday I tried a new class at the gym called Kettlercise - which involves a series of minute long exercises with a kettle bell. I really enjoyed it, and felt that it didn't overexert me as you constantly change the muscle groups you're working, but I could tell I had done a workout, ideal class! 

That evening I ate there with Aum, and had salt and pepper tiger prawns with a side of broccoli and asparagus, followed by Paris Mess - which is very naughty (whipped cream, macaroon biscuits, ice cream, almonds and apricots) but tastes amazing!

On Thursday I was lucky enough to eat there again, as we went to use the free wifi for Aum to do his maths (they still have no internet at their new house). This time I had teriyaki glazed salmon on top of sweet potato chips - a lovely portion size and just what I fancied. On Friday I finished work early and it was a lovely evening, so I strolled to Styal Country Park and met Mo on the bike there. They were filming a period drama there so we had to stay out of the way, but had a nice chat on the kids play area in the sunshine!

The next day we got up quite early and went to Cheshire Oaks and then I babysat and took Aum to see Horrible Histories at the theatre (see previous posts). Today has been spent lounging around, followed by brunch with the girls again at the Country Club (I had the crab eggs benedict as it was so good last time!) and then after a drama with Mo's car not starting, we went to my parents house for a roast dinner. I am just about to get ready now for a night out with Amanda and Emma, two of the girls from university. We are going to Mojo's and intending ending in Liars Club, but we'll see how it goes!

Spring Performances...

Horrible Histories at The Lowry

Last night I babysat Aum, and after seeing it advertised online a few weeks ago, suggested we went to see Horrible Histories, the theatre production based on the best selling Terry Deary books. It was on at The Lowry, and after a frantic journey there due to a late departure, we found our seats and settled down for act one. 

The cast was made up of four actors (two men, two women) and the story began with the two male characters pulling an old fashioned cart in a bid to tell the audience about 'Balmy Britain'. They were stopped by two 'parking ticket officers' who claimed that they couldn't park it where they had, and then made a wager that if the lads could convince them how crazy British history was, then their parking ticket would be pardoned.

The group then continued to see us from Medieval times, through several Kings and Queens, marriages, births, wars and deaths, up until (near enough) the present day. Along the way we heard Queen Victoria rap, heard about the fearsome body snatchers Burke and Hare, were entertained by a very short puppet of King Henry VIII, watched 3D footage of Queen Elizabeth's funeral, travelled the globe with Richard III, and watched as Boudicca reigned the Romans. It was really interactive, and great for kids of all ages - we had a great time joining in with all the songs, and I genuinely learnt quite a lot from it. 

The actors seemed to enjoy themselves performing, which I find always makes for a better production. They all had decent voices for singing, and the humour was aimed at an adult audience too, as there were influences from modern entertainment; I even heard a child ask their dad to explain one of the jokes at one point! We paid £34 for the two of us to attend, and had some of the best seats. It was a good two hours long (with an interval halfway) and was definitely worth it. I've already recommended it to all my family with children for next time it's in town!

Days Out...

Cheshire Oaks!

I have just returned from a day trip to Cheshire Oaks in Ellesmere Port with Mo. Surprisingly it was him that suggested it, so obviously I jumped at the chance! We set off at 11am so got there just before lunchtime and had a wander around a few shops first before getting a coffee in Starbucks.

My first purchase of the day was from AllSaints, where I tried on quite a few pairs of tailored shorts, an item that was on my list of things to buy. One pair were a lovely black satin with leopard print embossed on them; but unfortunately I was bang in between sizes so decided to give them a miss - I always regret buying things that don't fit properly. In the end I got some pale grey biker style jeans that are lovely and soft, and fit me perfectly. They had a slight tear near the waistband at the back, so were only £28, and a problem easily fixed. Full price they should have been £95, so definitely worth a bit of stitching!

We stopped for lunch (just at the Sainsburys cafe, quick and cheap!) and then continued around the rest of the shops. I also got two pairs of shorts for my holiday from French Connection (£15 and £18), but the bargain of the day was a dress from Karen Millen. I tried it on as I love dresses from there as they fit me really well, and it is a pretty minky-purple colour that was unusual. However, when I took it up to the till, the lady said it was £85 - way more than I thought it was (or could afford!). I pointed out a slight rip in the seam at the back (it is a pencil style skirt so is quite a common problem, and again easy to fix) so she reduced it down to £50. I still wasn't willing to pay that though, so the manager came over and I haggled her down to £30!

After I realised that we had been shopping for a few hours and I could tell Mo was getting impatient, so I suggested we went home. He didn't refuse!