Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Twenty One
'Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age.'
(Anais Nin)

It would be impossible to start this post without mentioning the horrific terrorist attack that took place in my home city on Monday night. I saw the ripples of chaos via social media just before I went to bed and woke up to the awful news. Despite the sorrow felt by everyone in the vicinity, and indeed the world, seeing our resilience, love and fighting spirit in the aftermath this week has made me immensely proud to be a Mancunian; and the bumblebee tattoo I had done a couple of months ago is certainly in good company now!

My track for this week is a song that really resonates with me. It came out a few years ago when I was visiting my friend Claire from uni at her family home in Bergerac, France. I had just had my heart broken for the first time, and as well as being devastated, it had also opened my eyes to the hurt I had unwittingly caused people in my relationships in the past. We were driving through acres and acres of vineyards to go to a gathering at a remote farmhouse, laughing away with the windows rolled down and the sun beaming on us with this tune playing super loud and, romantic as it sounds, I remember it feeling like a life affirming moment, a turning point. It came on shuffle randomly this week on Tuesday, and after everything that happened on Monday it made me well up in the car, as it transported me back to that memory and seemed like the perfect reminder to stay strong and move forward despite feeling pain. 

On Wednesday after work it was the rehearsal for Emily and Smeed's wedding. It was fairly simple, but I was glad to practise walking to the front and doing my reading before the big day, knowing how clumsy I am I wanted to eradicate any possible errors! We went to The Con Club for a couple of drinks with everyone afterwards, which was gorgeous on the patio in the sunshine. I babysat on Thursday and had a quiet evening on Friday knowing I had to be up super early yesterday to begin the day's events, although I did manage to get a new poem up on Instagram, read it here.

Yesterday morning we had to be at Sand hairdressers in Altrincham for 8.30am, and after all having our hair done in variations of beachy waves with a side plait, we headed back to Emily's mum's for some breakfast, makeup and the all important fizz to start off the celebrations. The wedding car was a cream stretch mini which looked cool even if it was a nightmare to get (or fall) into, and we arrived at the church in time to beat the torrential rain - 'though Emily wasn't as lucky!

It was a lovely service, and my reading received a lot of praise which I was really pleased about. The reception afterwards was at The Oaktree of Peover which is a stunning venue, and there were little touches added like having a 'Pimp your prosecco' area, blankets for when it got chillier later on, and stone baked pizzas outside for the evening snacks, which went down an absolute treat. The speeches had the whole room giggling, and a special mention has to go out to the band who were called in last minute after the original duo cancelled; their setlist was full of gems that had the dancefloor permanently buzzing which always makes for a fun wedding.  

It was an incredible day, spent with lots of people I adore, eating, drinking and laughing, and we continued the party today (after a quick chill session in the jacuzzi/ pool) with a barbecue at Smeed's parents house in Gatley which was a nice way of prolonging the weekend's events. It feels sad to all be over now, but I know there will be lots of photos popping up in the coming weeks as reminders of a beautiful day for a wonderful couple.

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Twenty

'Starting over begins with looking inward. It means ridding yourself of distractions and paying attention to that inkling you've been ignoring... the more stressful and chaotic things are on the outside, the calmer you need to get on the inside.'

(Oprah Winfrey)

This week has been another quiet one, filled with wholesome activities like baking, dog walks and yoga - miles away from the crazy busy past few weeks where I've been running myself into the ground, it's been bloody nice! On Monday I got a new poem up, read it and my one from Sunday here.  That evening I made a lovely turkey mince chili con carne for tea; it's been ages since I cooked something proper after work, and I actually found it therapeutic.



The track I've chosen this week comes from Camila Cabello, I heard it on the radio whilst driving home from work on Thursday and it has been my jam over the weekend - it sounds great super loud in the car! (FYI - radio edit starts at 1.45)

On Wednesday I took Ferryn onto the football field at around 9pm for a run around, where I managed to find a beautifully preserved (what I assume is a) fox skull just lying in the middle of the pitch - such a lucky spot! I am intending bleaching it to add to the collection on my hallway wall. I baked some shortcrust pies with some leftover chili as the filling when I got back, and took them to my parents' for tea on Thursday. It was Ferryn's first birthday so Mum had bought and wrapped up a few presents for her, she is SUCH a replacement grandchild, its ridiculous!

On Friday I baked a chocolate cake for Tasha's birthday, and finally finished Sex and the City, which I have been watching for the past few months. I woke up to gorgeous sunshine sneaking through the curtains yesterday and got ready to go for a spot of shopping at John Lewis with my mum, indulging in free coffee and cake once we had finished because we have a reward card each; it's the only reason we signed up for them! We got the strawberry and rose Victoria sponge, and the Earl Grey tea loaf and shared them. I am always impressed at the selection of goodies they have on offer, they are traditional but with a unique twist to keep things fresh.

Last night a few of us went to Hannah's in Knutsford to celebrate Tasha's birthday. We had nibbles to start, Hannah made a tasty paella for main, and I took the cake I had baked for dessert, washed down with some fizz. It was fun to have a chilled Saturday night in just catching up and reminiscing about our school days - though I'd like to think we are not past it just yet!

 Today after a rejuvenating early yoga class at the gym, I went into Didsbury to the Makers Market, a cute little collection of stalls that moves around various locations in Manchester and Cheshire, selling everything from vintage tea sets, to homemade ice cream, and dog collars to quirky artwork. We went quite late on so a lot of the food was already sold out, (probably a blessing for our waistlines as they have some incredible stuff on offer) and they had a live community band playing which gave it that quaint village vibe.  We settled for a coffee in Saints and Scholars before heading home to tuck into a pork joint that had been roasting away. Since getting home I have watched the first episode of a mini series I was recommended by Abi called Big Little Lies; if you are a Desperate Housewives/ The Affair fan check it out, I am totally hooked already!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Nineteen

'An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises'

(Mae West)

This week has been really enjoyable and varied; I have done a lot of different things but am still ending the week rejuvenated and chilled out, a state which I haven't been too familiar with recently. I am the first to admit that I hate being stuck in my flat feeling bored, but sometimes chancing upon a few solitary hours with nothing planned, or even just doing something a bit more low-key than a mad night out, is exactly what my body and mind needs.



My track this week is from NAATIONS, another Candid Magazine find. It is a massive throwback to '90s house which I love, but also has a sort of Chase & Status modern vibe to it too. After being sent it a couple of weeks ago it was featured as a track of the day on Radio 1 this week, so I'm being that person that says I found it first!

On Tuesday it was the second Band and Bean event for Matter of Sound at Grindsmith coffee shop in Media City. This time Fears Chella, Gazelle and Cassia played, although due to finishing work late I missed the first act which was a shame. Lots more people turned up and it was another cracking night, I'm glad to be a part of the team again!

On Wednesday it was a glorious day, so Abi and I spontaneously went to Carluccio's in Hale after work for a few bevvies in the sunshine. Abi was on the Aperol whilst I opted for the Lemon Spritz, a refreshing concoction of prosecco, limoncello and soda water. It definitely got us feeling summery!

On Friday after work I met up with Ellie and Hannah at the Old Granada Studios in Manchester for an event called Cocktails in the City. The room was filled with pop up bars from notable joints around Manchester, who had each developed their own signature cocktail for punters to try for the price of one token (£6.50). Tickets were £12 + booking fee and included entry, a brochure with all the options on offer and their ingredients, a Duppy Share rum cocktail, a token for another drink of our choice, and a free £20 membership to CITC for the year to celebrate it being their fifth anniversary.  

I actually attended last year, so was excited to sample some new tipples after having a ball trying some really quirky concoctions last time. Unfortunately it was way too busy this time around, so the majority of the night was spent stood in queues, including for the food kiosks and toilets outside in the rain which ruined the atmosphere somewhat. However, the tunes were on point, and the featured establishments had pulled out the stops making their areas look themed and funky. The cocktails I had were tasty, even if they weren't all my first choice (some of the ones I wanted had upwards of a twenty minute wait). I had creations from Laundrette, Tusk, The Alchemist, Cottonopolis, and The Washhouse - click each for details!

After the event ended - last orders were 11.30pm - we walked to Albert's Schloss for a few more scoops and some dancing, and ended up in the ol' faithful 24 hour McDonalds on Oxford Road at 2am. It was a blessing as thanks to excess chicken McNuggets I woke up at 9am feeling fresh and hangover free yesterday!

I spent the morning cleaning the flat, and then went into Altrincham to meet Emily at her bridal hair trial and we had a coffee at Velo Espresso afterwards - just two weeks until the big day! A quick food shop and I headed home to catch the train into Manchester to meet my cousin Stephanie arriving from Leeds. We went to Atlas Bar for an elderflower gin on the sun terrace, where we met Jasmine and her friend Frankie, and then we went to Castlefield Food Festival held under the big arches of the railway bridge which was a cool arena. We had cheese toasties to eat (mine was with pepperoni, the girls had caramelised onion and mozzerella) and a variety of different flavoured ciders, I opted for sour cherry which was bright green and looked radioactive!

It started getting a little chilly around 9pm, so we sought shelter in Dukes 92, which was rammed but raving! Stephanie had a suitcase with her, which some hot guys who were clearly off their tits on something took onto the dancefloor as a prop, much to our amusement. It sort of set the level for the night, as we then got approached by a similarly wired Irish guy who was entranced by my red hair, and his truck driver friend, who chatted to us for the remainder of the night (needless to say, no romance ensured!). We left at midnight as Stephanie had an early lecture today, and all had a girly sleepover back at my flat.

This evening I went to Salford to a clothes swap event that my friend Hattie was running. The premise was to take any old clothes you didn't want anymore, make a £5 donation to charity (Girls Out Loud) and take home as many items of clothing as you wanted. It was such a lovely idea: we had prosecco, the hosts had baked some amazing healthy sweet treats, and despite donating five items I managed to come home with seven! Two pieces - an olive green playsuit from Zara and a pastel blue tasselled skirt from H&M - still had labels in, and I also scored two French Connection blouses, a grey waterfall style blazer, a sparkly peach jumper and a silk floral track jacket - see picture above. I ended up giving £20 as I felt bad taking so much home for only £5, and still made it to Mum's in time for a roast dinner to top off a bloody brilliant week.

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Eighteen

'Embrace the glorious mess that you are.'

(Elizabeth Gilbert)

So I would have liked to begin this week's post by recounting my fantastic day/ night out to The Oast House and Revolucion de Cuba on Sunday, however, it is all rather blurry, and I woke up fully clothed and covered in multiple mysterious bruises at my mum's on Monday morning without the foggiest how I got there, and £130 worse off, whoops. I was later told I was put into a taxi by my friend Jonny at around half midnight as I could barely stand, and we had lost everyone with no phone battery between us. It was end of November that I last got blackout drunk, and unsurprisingly it is not something I ever enjoy. It usually occurs when I am playing catchup (check) and haven't eaten much beforehand (check). Slap on the wrist for me, and gold stars to those poor souls who had to endure/ look after me!

Since that debaucle, we have stepped into the lovely month of May, which now means I can say it is my birthday next month (those who know me are used to my over-enthusiastic countdown). With the added bonus of the Bank Holiday Monday off this week, I finally feel like I have had a chance to slow down and recuperate a little after a crazy (albeit fun) last few weeks. Despite the lingering hangover, on Monday I managed a walk around Styal with Ferryn and Mum before an evening of much needed junk food (mac and cheese is my ultimate cure), doggy cuddles and vegging on the sofa.

Speaking of cures...this week's track is from another of my absolute idols - the one and only Lady Gaga. I love her boldness, her outlook on life and pretty much her entire back catalogue, and this song is gold.



On Wednesday lunchtime I met with Hattie and Emily, the two girls I used to help out with at the Matter of Sound YouTube channel. We went to Ezra and Gil in the Northern Quarter for a coffee (and salted caramel shortbread) and to discuss upcoming plans as I want to get more involved. We are running a new monthly event called Band and Bean - click for details - at Grindsmith coffee shop in Media City. The next one is this Tuesday and it's free, so those in Manchester pop along! 

On Thursday after a week falling behind I managed to get a new poem up on Instagram (read it here) and did another overnight stay at Aum's; and then on Friday it was fancy dress time for Emily and Smeed's Sten - Stag and Hen - do. Now most girls (myself included) usually try and find a costume that is a bit sexy, or at least still makes you look half decent for a night out; but that went out of the window for me as I donned a labcoat and geek specs and went as Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory (the theme was the '90s). 

We started in good ol' Footage where we used to sneak in underage at 16/17 and hide in the toilets when the bouncers came around, and followed it up with Mudslide cocktails in Font, which miraculously are still only £2. A few of us then ended up in The Salisbury doing fireball whiskey shots (it will always be a dive, but is still a laugh for the memories) and finally in Zombie Shack, as it was the only place still letting in at 2am and cocktails were £5. Everyone made a big effort with costumes and a good crowd was out so it was a top night.

Yesterday I went to a housewarming party in Altrincham. Abbey and Laura are sisters the same age as Jasmine and I and we went to school together and grew up around the corner from each other. They have bought a house between them that Laura now lives in with some of Jasmine's close friends as Abbey lives in London. Our parents are besties as well so we went as a family and it was a lovely day; there were some tasty homemade curries, the sun shone and it was cool to mingle with some new people as there were lots of different friendship groups there. We played party games and ended up boozing until the early hours - lots of fun. 

Today two heavy nights (along with all the rest) have caught up with me, and I am hungover, shattered and to put the icing on the cake I think I am getting poorly too. I am off to watch some trashy TV - a big blanket on the sofa and some hot vimto is calling me!