Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Twelve

'Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, charm to the sadness and life to everything.' 
(Unknown)

My parents have gone to Sri Lanka on holiday for a couple of weeks this week (lucky buggers) so I went 'round to theirs for tea on Monday evening before they left, I'm going to miss having them around the corner when I am at a loose end/ need a natter! I had a quiet couple of days after that, I put my latest poem up on Instagram on Wednesday (read it here) and babysat for Aum that evening, I am penny pinching at the moment so the extra money was gratefully received! 

The track that I have chosen this week is one by a young girl from Oslo in Norway that I was sent to review for the magazine. I think the progression from the delicate vocals at the beginning to a more punchy electro feel is bang on trend with other current successful artists such as Purity Ring and MØ, and I have been playing it a lot recently.

On Thursday I met up with Hannah, Tasha and Abi for a meal at Cote in Hale, as I was owed a bottle of wine (a lovely Bergerac Sauvignon Blanc for £24.95 - not bad for a freebie) for joining their rewards program last time I went. After a complimentary pea-puree starter as an apology for running out of mussels, I had the pork belly, which came with savoy cabbage, baked apple, thyme and calvados jus and a separate ramekin of gratin potato, and for dessert I had the praline pancake (sans caramelised banana, anyone who knows me knows my hatred for the fruit!). All tip-top as last time, seriously impressed with the quality of the food considering it is a chain restaurant, albeit a higher-end one.

On Friday evening I stayed in, and after taking the dog for a little walk, I baked some blueberry muffins and enjoyed a glass of red wine and a couple of said muffins in front of the telly (watching The Replacement on BBC iPlayer, SO gripping!). I don't often give myself down time - I can't stand being bored so try to fill every second I am free - but sometimes a chill-out at home is needed.

Yesterday the weather was glorious again, so I decided to get out of the flat and took the dog to Wythenshawe Park. I packed my book, a thermos of tea and some more muffins and literally just sat and basked for a few hours whilst Ferryn ran herself ragged. My friend Ellie and her boyfriend Jordan are in the process of moving into their new house just across the road, so they popped in for a while for a chat and a break from the chaos of unpacking which was welcome.

I got my review of last Sunday's Little Comet's gig up (read it here) in the evening, and then babysat again until 11pm before an absolute mad rush to drive home and get changed - I wore the pencil skirt pinafore I bought a few weeks ago with a lace tube bra underneath - in time to catch the last train into Manchester at 11.30pm. I just made it, and met up with some friends for my mate Jonny's birthday in Dusk 'til' Pawn, before moving next door to Noho for a boogie. With the clocks going forward the night flew by, and I eventually got in at 6am, a valiant effort!

Today aside from being completely knackered and hungover, I actually managed to make it to a gig at Sound Control with Rosie. We had a drink (latte!) at Font Bar beforehand, and then saw Lewis Watson, who is very Ed Sheeran-esque, so wasn't too raucous for our sore heads, my review of the show for Candid will be up on next week's post. I had to go via Mcdonald's on the way home for much needed late-night sustenance, and now I am off to bed; it has been calling me all day!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Eleven

'Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished'

(Lao Tzu)

I had just about recovered from the weekend's hen party on Monday, but still had a quiet few days at the start of this week. I went to watch Aum in his school concert on Tuesday evening which was very sweet, lots of super talented young boys there, two kids did James Arthur's 'Say You Won't Let Go' on guitar/ vocals and were really something. On Wednesday the sun was shining so I took the dog for a run around on the football fields behind my house and I got my latest Instagram poem up, read it here.

I am so thrilled Lana Del Rey is back with her single 'Love', I was originally going to post that for my track this week, but then I watched this again and my God, that opening monologue just kills me. For me she is the epitome of a babe - skating the line between vintage and modern, empowered and fragile, feminine and badass; I could go on but I'll spare you the fan-girling. I saw her out on a date in an Italian restaurant in East Village in New York a few years ago, she is just as stunning IRL. I read a comment on YouTube (unusually, there was only one negative comment out of over 100 I read) where someone had said 'I think the reason Lana is so loved is because she represents this freedom that we all want but yet this vulnerability of wanting to be loved and making mistakes.' Absolute word.

On Friday I booked a holiday with my friend Bex, for a week in Palmanova in Mallorca in June, so excited! I can't wait to have some sunshine and lie on a beach, and we got a great deal on an amazing looking hotel 5 minutes away from the centre so it should be lots of fun. After the positivity of the day it would have been rude not to continue it into the evening and partake in a drink or two to celebrate St Patrick's Day, so I headed to Chorlton to meet my friend Rosie. It seems a common theme when it is the two of us that we end up getting absolutely hammered, so sure enough 4 bottles of prosecco later (in Oddest, Chorlton Tap and Electrik) I found myself sleeping in her loft instead of taking the last train home; successful catching up!

Yesterday after a horrible early tram/ train ride back home (to be honest I think I was still steaming) I had a lazy, chilled day and then my mum came round in the afternoon with not one, but two different types of cake (carrot and lemon for anyone wondering), did the washing up and dyed my hair, what an absolute star. In the evening I met up with my friend Phil, known to our friends as MC, in Font Bar which is an old haunt where we all used to get very drunk on £2 cocktails when we were underage! I was driving so just had the one, a mudslide which was my signature choice back in the day. We then went to watch a band called Club Drive at Sound Control, which I was reviewing for Candid, you can read my article here.

Today after a much needed lie in, a decent breakfast and a hot bath, I finally felt a bit more alive. Benn came to mine to chill out for a bit in the afternoon, and we went to the cinema to see Get Out,a thriller/ horror that was actually much better than we both expected. After watching the trailer I thought all the best bits would have been shown, but I would recommend it, it was original and had a few surprises. 

This evening I went to Manchester Academy with Laura, where Little Comets were playing, again to review for Candid (article coming next week) it was a sold out event packed with people bopping away, which kept the energy high for a Sunday evening!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Ten

'She had a mind like a box of fireworks and hands

that played recklessly with matches.'
(Fireworks - Michael Faudet)

The quote above is by a writer from New Zealand whose poetry and short story book Dirty Pretty Things I got off eBay last week. His material is mainly romantic/ erotic, yet very accessible; and there are a couple of pieces about a redhead called Sophia in there which was a cool discovery! His latest collection Bitter Sweet Love is now on my to buy list. 

This week got off to a flying start as I went to watch The xx at the O2 Apollo, with support from Francis and the Lights, which was a pleasant surprise as I have been listening to them a fair bit recently. The xx were incredible live, they played loads from their back catalogue rather than just the new album which I was chuffed about, and the set/ lighting was so impressive - it included a perspex box in the centre for all the production aspects of the music, and the stage was surrounded by a series of movable mirrors including one suspended from the ceiling to create some really funky lighting effects.

On Tuesday I got back in the gym after a lazy couple of weeks, though I have still been doing a bit of yoga/ weights/ running at home so I won't grind myself down too much. It is just over six weeks until Emily's hen party to Ibiza, so I am keeping my eyes on the prize of a bikini bod and trying to stick to at least three decent workouts a week. I also got a new poem up on Instagram, a bit of a personal one this week that got pretty good feedback, you can read it here. 

The track I have chosen to include this week is by EDEN, a really talented 21 year old Irish kid who I reviewed for Candid when he played at Manchester Academy back in November, not knowing much of his material. I have since got one of his EPs and have been playing it to death the last couple of weeks; his stuff is progressive, with aggressive beats (great workout music), but retains a sense of emotional vulnerability through the lyrics, and this video knocked me for six: watch it until the end. He does everything singlehandedly on stage much like Jack Garrett, and given his success I reckon EDEN will do similarly well in the current musical climate.

On Friday after a boring couple of evenings babysitting (not complaining at the money though!) I met up with a load of mates at Crazy Pedro's pizzeria in Manchester. There is one just off Deansgate, but we went to the one underneath Affleck's Palace which has a chilled atmosphere, great for post-work drinks. They have a fantastic deal on where between 5pm-9pm all week 16 inch pizzas are just £10, and all cocktails are 2 for 1. The food is definitely worth trying - even without the price reduction - and the menu all sounds so tasty we struggled to choose which to order! We got two pizzas and some nachos between six girls and there was ample food; the boys got four between six. We went for one with nachos, pulled pork, sour cream, salsa, sweetcorn and jalapenos (pic on the right), and another that had mini burgers, lettuce, mac sauce, cheese and gherkins on (left). The raspberry margarita cocktail was one of the best I've ever had too!

After food we all went around the corner to Turtle Bay on Oldham Street to catch their drinks deal (2 for 1 cocktails after 10pm) and then a few of us ended the night with a game of pool and some dancing at Black Dog Ballroom. I wasn't intending staying out late but was having so much fun, and it was really lovely getting all the group together for lots of laughs and catching up.

Yesterday it was my cousin's fiancee Hayley's Hen Party, so I drove Jasmine and I to Leeds just after lunchtime. We arrived at my cousin Stephanie's and got ready and met everyone in The Pit on Merrion Street at 4.30pm for a few bottles of wine before moving next door to Bar Soba where we did a cocktail making class. There were twenty of us so we had to split into two groups, and we made a Bramble and a French Martini - two of my favourites! We were also given a few shots and some amazing dim sum to soak up some of the booze.

After that we all got aboard a huge pink coach complete with disco lights, dancing poles and copious amounts of fizz, where we drove to B&Q carpark, picked up a tattooed muscled man in a fireman's outfit and watched him strip!! Bloody hilarious, Jasmine and I were hiding at the back absolutely wetting ourselves, the guy was like something out of a worse Geordie Shore, not our cup of tea looks-wise but was definitely an experience! Our final port of call was Revolucion de Cuba, where we danced the night away and Jasmine finally made me try one of their infamous drinks served in a plastic pineapple cup. A fabulous night with fabulous people.

Today I have felt awful, and had a nightmare drive home including a closed motorway and an annoying incident in a McDonald's car park where I was waiting nearly 15 minutes to leave whilst everyone was stopping me reversing; my patience wasn't at its best though. Mum's roast dinner when we got back helped to improve the situation, and now I am off for some much desired sleep before work tomorrow. Hen Do, Hen Did!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Nine
'I love freaks, I don't care if you're a wild one, and me?
I, I'm not the prettiest you've ever seen, but I have my moments...
Not the flawless one, I've never been, but I have my moments...
I can get a little drunk... but on good days I am charming as fuck.'
(Moments - Tove Lo)

This week was a slow starter, I overloaded on pancakes on Tuesday, and got a new poem up on Instagram (read it here), but on Wednesday my mum took a random day off so we went for a spot of shopping at Crownpoint retail park in Denton. It has a varied selection of shops and I got some bargains as usual; two pinafore dresses from Dorothy Perkins at Outfit, one is a cute short, black cord one for daytime (below - £7), and the other is black too, but a longer pencil skirt style (£5) that will look lovely paired with a lace top or bodysuit under for a night out. We slummed it at good ol' Mcdonald's for a coffee afterwards before heading home.

That evening I got a phone call off W, who admitted that he didn't want to be seeing anyone at the moment. It could have been an excuse, but the fact that he rang instead of playing the ghost card or even just resorting to a text, certainly made it seem like a legit reason, and I had felt those kind of vibes so it wasn't unexpected. Considering we only had a few dates I thought it was decent of him, and it gives me hope that there are some guys out there who still have manners and respect.

This week's track is by one of my favourite bands of the last couple of years, PVRIS. I was lucky to see them at Leeds Fest in 2015 and again in Manchester last year and they were amazing live, but unfortunately are only playing in London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin this year, and I can't make any of the dates. I really like the contrast of the electronic aspects of their material with lead singer Lyndsay Gunnulfson's haunting, ethereal voice. I also think she is insanely hot - she has previously dated Alexa San Roman and Kristen Stewart - not a bad back catalogue. This is the stripped back version which I prefer to the original, but if you like a bit more of a punch, the original video is here.

On Thursday evening I went to Abi's as she had prosecco left over from New Year's Eve - I didn't need asking twice! I was lucky enough to have Friday off again as Aum was competing at Oxford University in a science quiz, so it was a welcome end to my working week.  I spent my extra day off as an advert for being a basic bitch: I had a lie in, did some yoga, got back on Bumble - I deactivated it a week ago as really couldn't be arsed -  took the dog for a very wet walk, had a lentil and chickpea curry with cauliflower rice for my tea, and then lit some candles, drank gin, ate a pistachio Magnum and chain watched Sex and the City. But you know what? Frickin' awesome day!

Yesterday I actually made it out of bed before 9am and went for an 8km run in the sunshine (never usually happens on a Saturday) then I went into Chorlton to have a tattoo consultation and pay the deposit at Sacred Art - all booked in for end of March, excited! I also popped into a few of the shops, and managed to get some gorgeous vintage satin cigarette trousers for £15 from Chorlton Art Market; they need a slight tweak on the back seam as they are a bit baggy, but they look like they've never been worn so were a fortunate find!

In the evening I had Abi, Tasha and Emily to mine for some drinks before a night out in Manchester. I introduced them to the secret bar in Cane & Grain (always good to keep spreading the word) where I had the Dry Ice Zombie this time, and then we met up with our friend Alice and her flat mate Laura in Terrace for more drinks and dancing. It was fun to have a girly one, and the classic r&b tunes in Terrace are perfect for getting nostalgic and having a sing along!

This morning I made a greasy old fashioned breakfast to stave off my impending hangover (including black pudding of course) and cracked on with some work and general adulting before going to my mum and dad's for a Sunday roast. I even managed a glass of red wine with food despite my lingering headache!