Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Thirty One

'Communicate with me, no matter how dark, no matter how strange or deep it may be. I love when people can be raw and direct. Share with me, the corners of your heart that others have been too afraid to stand on. Be you, all the time, & let me in so I can understand you.'

(Sylvester McNutt)

This week has been a good mixed bag. On Tuesday I got a new Instagram poem up (read here) and it was the next Matter of Sound Band & Bean event; we skipped one in July due to lots of the team being busy or away on holiday (myself included). Yet again there were more people who attended, it is always such a boost to see it grow from month to month, and the bands that played this time were really high calibre. Halem, whose song I have chosen as my track of the week below, are a duo from Liverpool/ Manchester, and singer Katy's voice is just insane. Etches are a very talented multi instrumental band managed by Hattie who created Matter of Sound with my friend Emily, and Satyr Play are a four piece with great on stage energy and presence (and even better dress sense).

The following day Aum and I went into Manchester for some brunch at Alabama's, which was pretty much up to American standard! I had bacon and maple syrup french toast and a skinny latte, whilst Aum had chocolate and peanut butter waffles with ginger beer. The menu is extensive and reasonably priced and all the servers are super friendly, I shall be heading back there for sure. Afterwards we had a wander around the Museum of Science & Industry for a few hours, they had some cool exhibitions and experiments for the kids to do with it being the summer holidays.

On Friday I went bowling with Aum at Parrs Wood (I lost, but he did have the bumpers up so I'm not counting it!) and in the evening I had my third date with S. We met in Brezo Lounge in Cheadle for a pre dinner drink, which I have driven past loads and always wanted to sample, it is dog friendly, and very eclectic and kitsch inside which I adore. We then ate at Indian Tiffin Room, which has been on my go-to list since my bosses recommended it a couple of years ago. It serves South Indian street food, so we ordered a few dishes to share -  palak paneer (spinach with Indian cheese), samosa chaat (crushed samosa), chicken lollypops and rava masala dosa (a thin and crispy crepe filled with masala potato). It was all tasty especially the palak paneer, and the restaurant is quite compact so it feels like a hidden gem, as opposed to the much bigger branch on First Street in the city centre. We went back to Brezo afterwards for an espresso martini before I got a lift home, and then whilst getting ready for bed the phone rang and it was Lydia, who I then chatted to for 3 hours until 4am!

Yesterday I drove Emily and I to Lancaster and we met Lydia there at my parent's student rental house that is empty over the summer. I took the dog, and we had a leisurely amble up to Williamson Park, home to Ashton Memorial, a beautiful monument that stands on a hill with stunning views overlooking the town and rolling countryside of Lancashire. It was warm enough for an ice cream, and on the way back we stopped at The Borough for some prosecco in the courtyard and had a hanging chicken and chorizo kebab with a sharing platter of nibbles for a late lunch.

That evening we had a casserole for tea that I'd pre-prepared and then got ready for a good old school Lancs night out. We had bubbles with Chambord before heading into town to Sphere, where we had a couple of cocktails - Lancaster is so much cheaper than Manchester! We then went on to The Study Room for some more fizz and ended the night with jaegerbombs and dancing in Dalton Rooms. It was loads of fun and took me back to my uni days - we even got cheesy chips at the end of the night!

This morning we were all surprisingly lively, think the chips and cups of tea at 4am sorted us out. We drove back home and then I met Mum at Dunham Massey for a wander around before calling in at hers for a roast dinner. I have relished spending a full week at home for once, it makes me appreciate the little perks of being back in my own space, I need to make the most of it as back off to the U.S again next weekend!