Weekly Musings

2018 - Week Twenty Four
'Honour both the crazy and the peace in you. You will need one to create, and the other to ensure you do not destroy what you create.'
(Erin Van Vuren)

IT'S BIRTHDAY WEEK! It started with a very pleasant trip to Tarporley on Monday, a quaint little village in Cheshire. The weather is still amazing so Emily and I decided to go on a roadtrip somewhere and Tarporley has been on my list for a while. We had a wander, got some lunch at Chestnut Cafe (formerly No 6 The Tea Room) and relaxed in a park before heading back so I could do the afternoon school run. I had onion chutney, stilton and grapes on granary toast, which was a great taste combination, with an iced coffee. It was so nice to make the most of a day! 

On Thursday it was the big day, and although I was working I treated myself to getting my nails done and having a hair cut. I decided to take the plunge and get '70s style bangs cut in on a centre parting, which is taking some getting used to but I really like the change and have had loads of compliments on it, which is never a bad thing! I also got a birthday themed poem up on Instagram here.

I didn't finish work until half 7, but when I got home I was in for a surprise! Chris had the Love Island theme tune playing in the communal corridor (sorry neighbours!) and had put candles by the doormat and a sign on the door... The candle theme continued throughout the whole flat, and he had a bath ready for me with chilled prosecco on the side, a paneer curry bubbling away for tea, and a caterpillar cake for dessert! He had put so much effort in I was so touched, and to top it off he wore one of my favourite shirts of his, and bought me a new fancy yoga mat and the Stories for Rebel Girls book of short stories which is ace. Massive boyfriend points all round.

The following day I met up with Lydia in Lymm for a bridesmaid dress fitting and a quick coffee afterwards. Wearing the actual dress was so exciting (we had previously only tried samples of it on in different colours) and I can't wait until it is all adjusted and ready for the wedding day, I'm sure it will come around in no time. That evening Chris and I took the dogs to Levenshulme night market to meet up with Timna and her boyfriend Sam. We had some tasty dumplings and spring rolls from Rockin' Buddha, gin cocktails and salted caramel brownies from Lush Brownies - heaven! I love the community spirit in Levenshulme, and am keen to support local businesses whenever I can; the market is always buzzing and full of good vibes, and usually lots of super cute doggos too!

Yesterday I started another week of living at Aum's whilst his parents are away, but since I had already made plans for birthday part three I took him to his Grandma's to stay the night so I didn't have to sacrifice my partying! I met up with a few of the girls and Smeed at Altrincham Market for a couple of drinks, before moving on to The Cellar where Tasha's sister Genevieve also joined us. It wasn't a crazy one, but it was lovely to all get together for a catch up and a few bevvies, and the girls bought me a new Pandora bracelet and some charms which are beaut. I could definitely feel the alcohol buzz when I was walking home, and the house behind Aum's was having a mad party in a marquee with a full band when I got in, proper cool to bounce around the room getting ready for bed to!

Today I had a bit of a lie in and then went to collect Aum, and we have had a quiet day at home, which has been blissful after a hectic week, albeit for all the right reasons. Track for this week is the new single from Lily Allen, who I have never previously liked that much, but this tune is a real ear worm and I can't get it out of my head!

Weekly Musings

2018 - Week Eighteen

'Shes no Barbie. She's Wonder Woman. With a sailor's mouth.'
(J Iron Word)

I seem to be attracting bad luck at the moment, but the gloriously sunny Bank Holiday weekend helped to keep my spirits high. On Tuesday I got a poem up on Instagram here, and then met up with my mate Lewis at Altrincham Market for some food and a catch-up, as we have been rubbish at sticking to arrangements we have previously made to meet. I tried one of the salmon rice bowls from Wolfhouse Kitchen which was amazing, and it felt a lot healthier than the pizza or pie I would usually have ordered. Song of the week above is a corker of a remix by Marian Hill of the latest single by one of my favourite bands, PVRIS.

The rest of the week was fairly quiet, Chris came 'round on Wednesday, I went to my parent's house for tea on Thursday, and I dyed my hair on Friday, so am back to 100% ginger again! I have fallen out with my car however, as I managed to burst my tyre on a pothole on Wednesday, and then got a leak in my coolant tank over the weekend. Luckily I still have a warranty, and am going to try and claim from the council for the puncture, so fingers crossed it won't be too financially damaging. 

Yesterday I met up with the usual motley crew for a day drinking session. We went to Media City to try somewhere new for a change, and it was perfect with the sun shining as there are loads of deck chairs stationed around the area on patches of grass. We veered down the cheapskate route and bought a few tinnies instead of being patrons of the bars; albeit rhubarb cider from Booths, not quite Frosty Jacks on a park bench.

We got the met into town later on for some food at the second branch of Rudy's that has opened on Peter Street. Now I have digested a lot of pizza in my lifetime, but honestly the offerings there are easily in my top three. I shared two different ones with my friend Ellie, one with anchovies, capers, olives, herbs and cheese, and the other was one of their signature 'white' pizzas, where the usual traditional tomato base is bypassed in favour of an alternative, or just extra topping. Ours had pesto as a foundation, with olives, sundried tomato, and loads of cheese - super tasty, and definitely needed to soak up the prosecco and cider!

We were walking on from Rudy's to get a few more drinks when we were pulled inside Albert Hall for the last 90 minutes of the Margarita Rumble festival that was happening there. The rest of the crowd had paid thirty quid for a two hour slot ticket, but they let us in for a fiver with it being nearly done, and it was all-you-can-drink once inside, winner. Ten different venues from around town had each developed their own version of the signature cocktail, and the premise of the event was to sample as many of them as possible and then vote for your favourite. There was a shot bar and DJ playing some great tunes so it was a lot of fun, I always love a bit of spontaneity!

Today I met Chris after his guitar teaching had finished at Boho Utopia for some lunch there off the new menu. We both opted for iced lattes to ward off the heat, and he stuck to his usual vegan all day brekkie, but I chose the beer battered mushrooms with a sour cream dip, which were divine and really filling! We headed back to the boat afterwards for a spot of sun worshipping on the roof before I got ready for a night on the tiles with Rosie at Dulcimer where Chris is DJing a 'Rebel Girls' night. Bring on the vino!

Weekly Musings

2018 - Week Five

'Oh the things we would do and the chances we would take, if we could only realise that there is no such thing as tomorrow.'
(David Jones)

The start of this week was rather quiet, made up for by a bustling weekend! I did get to spend Wednesday morning with Chris as he had the day off which was a pleasant surprise; I made us pancakes with raspberries and brown sugar for breakfast, and then ventured to Altrincham Market for some lunch with Abi to celebrate her birthday. I had a tasty cheese and spinach quiche from Great North Pie Co, and a chai latte from Market House Coffee. It is such a cosy, friendly atmosphere there and the food is top notch; I love that it is right on my doorstep. I also got a poem up on Instagram that evening, read it here.

I babysat on Thursday, and on Friday after work I went to visit Chris on the boat for the night. We watched Whiplash, another off our film list, which we really enjoyed. I left early on Saturday morning as I had some cooking to do for a surprise afternoon tea party the girls and I were holding for Abi's birthday. I made tomato, pesto and goats cheese tartlets from Fearne Cotton's Cook Happy Cook Healthy recipe book, and aubergine, feta and olive filo rolls from a Marie Claire cook book I have. We all hid in Abi's kitchen until her little sister Anna ushered her home at 2.30pm, where we were armed with party poppers, balloons and lots of yummy treats. She had no idea, and it was so nice having all of us together, especially now Hana is back from Australia, all my goodies were wolfed down!

I had to leave at 5pm as I was going into Manchester for a meal with Mum and Jasmine at Zizzi in the new Corn Exchange. It was part of Mum's Christmas present along with tickets to see The Script at Manchester Arena afterwards. We shared two starters, the Fonduta Formaggi (gorgonzola, gruyere and pecorino fondue with dough balls) and the wild boar polpette (meatballs with mozzerella and chilli threads) which were both amazing, and then Mum and I went halves on the king prawn linguine and the pasta della casa which had chicken, pancetta, spinach and cheese oven baked in a mushroom sauce. We had trusty Tesco vouchers to pay for it, so it was cheap a chips as well as being bloody yummy!

The concert afterwards was brilliant. Ella Eyre supported, although we only saw a couple of her songs once we'd stocked up on wine at the bar and found our seats, which were some of the best in the house. The Script played all their classics old and new, and had everyone singing along and dancing in their seats (I have included my favourite by them as my track of the week above). At one point the band came out properly into the crowd, keyboards and all to perform a couple of tunes which was cool.

Today has been very civilised, I had a lie in for the first time in ages, and then Mum and I went to The Village Hotel in Cheadle to an antiques fair for a wander around. I was hoping for some inspiration for furniture pieces for the new house, but it was mainly ornaments and jewellery, albeit beautiful. I bought a gorgeous bracelet, but I could have spent a fortune on all the vintage rings! Chris and I have just had veggie fajitas for tea and watched the first episode of House of Cards (late to the game I know) I definitely think it will be a grower, so ep two awaits!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Thirty Six

'If you were to show me her soul in a photograph I wouldn't even ask to see the others.'
(Christopher Poindexter)

This week, Aum went back to school, hallelujah! He didn't start until Wednesday, and I have definitely not missed the two hour daily school run, but by God it feels good to be back in some form of routine. That evening I went out with Moj to Altrincham Market, where we had a two person steak from Tender Cow, with a bottle of red wine and triple cooked chips. It was a hearty piece of meat with a lovely garlic butter and chimichurri dressing but wasn't huge, so Moj ended up getting a takeaway on the way home! Afterwards we went to see Logan Lucky, the new Daniel Craig film, which was bizarre but actually pretty decent (and co-starring Adam Driver so I was always going to be happy watching it!).

On Friday I got a poem up on Insta here. In the evening Geoff and his girlfriend Louise drove up from Exeter ready for a long overdue uni reunion weekend. They arrived at 10.30pm so we had a few bevvies and chatted until the early hours before hitting the hay. On Saturday we headed into town to meet up with Chris and Rick, and ended up traipsing around a few places looking for somewhere to eat, finally settling on Artisan, which is definitely higher end than the joints we normally reside in! I had the moules frites, which was a huge portion served with a bread lid, and as I had to drive later on just stuck with a coffee. We went for a couple in Knott Bar and I toddled off to Primark for a gander before heading back to mine to get changed ready for the evening's festivities!

Back at mum and dad's, who are currently away on holiday, snack bowls were filled, beer pong was set up and the music playlist was prepped ready for when people began arriving at around 8.30pm for one of mine and Jasmine's infamous Miles parties. So many people turned up, it was fab! I wore my pinstriped velvet catsuit, got sloshed on prosecco, and the kitchen turned into a dancefloor as the night progressed, below was a particular favourite of mine that we boogied to! 

Anyone who knows me knows that I thrive off being a good host, and that paired with having everyone that I care about enjoying themselves and getting drunk all in one place is literally one of my favourite things ever. The buzz from people texting me afterwards to say how much fun they'd had (and invariably how hungover they are) always makes me smile, and there is never a lack of gossip after a house party, which has distracted me from how much my head hurts and the mess the house is in today!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Three

'She wants to engage in chaos because she knows she's a storm trapped in the middle of a calm sea.'

(R. M. Drake)

I feel like I have spent a lot of the last 7 days eating! Luckily since the new year started I have been a bit more motivated in the gym (helped by the below song which I have been playing to DEATH) and have been going three times a week, so I'm not making myself feel too guilty for indulging in some extra fuel. On Monday evening my friend Emily came round and I made us a Thai green curry with egg noodles for tea, it was a good excuse to cook a proper meal as I have been a bit lazy recently. 



On Thursday I met up for lunch in Manchester with my university friend Amanda, who has scored an incredible job opportunity and so moved to Paris this weekend to start on Monday! I got some vouchers for Zizzi for Christmas so thought it was a great chance to use them to celebrate. We went to the Piccadilly Gardens restaurant, and shared the mushroom Brindisi for starter, which is: 'Creamy mushrooms & smoked mozzarella oven baked on our dough, then finished with chopped parsley, grated riserva, crispy sage & smoked garlic oil.' For main I had Gressingham duck which was served with lentil ragu, mash and broccoli in a Chianti and rosemary sauce. It was all flippin' tasty, and even better when it's free!

I had a very chilled Friday night in watching a few episodes of Westworld, which I have nearly managed to blitz in a week, love it. Yesterday I met up with Emily again, this time with our friends Laura and Ellie; together with Em's sister Sarah we are all bridesmaids for her when she gets married in May. We went for cake and prosecco at Sugar Junction in Altrincham, the second branch to open after the success of its sister cafe in the Northern Quarter. Ellie and I shared a cake trio (pic top-bottom: raspberry and lemon sponge, chocolate orange sponge and black forest gateaux) AND a scone with jam and cream, washed down with a couple of bottles of fizz. It has a great selection of reasonably priced food and cocktails, so is the perfect location for a girly get together, but it does get busy at weekends and is walk-in only except for special occasions.

From a civilised afternoon the night wore on to a rather messy evening! After we had eaten we went to Altrincham Market for a few more drinks (and shared a surprisingly yummy broccoli, chilli oil and parmesan pizza) and then after escorting Laura into a taxi home at 7.30pm, onto Apres Wine Bar where, you guessed it, I started on the margaritas! Emily got a lift home from Smeed her fiance at around 10.30pm, and Ellie and I, joined by our friend Bob, headed to Traders Tiki Bar, where they serve strong Zombies and stronger headaches. I made it back to my parents where I was staying at 2am, where I realised I had left my keys inside, so had to bang on the door until I was let in; nearly 12 hours of drinking has left me rather worse for wear today!

This evening, since I had sufficiently recovered due to copious amounts of mac 'n' cheese, I attempted to go to the cinema with my friend Benn to watch Split, the new James McAvoy psychological thriller. We got there to be told it was completely sold out, and when we tried to go bowling instead (which is next door) the next free lane wasn't available until 10pm, so we turned around and drove back home. Pretty much sums up my Sunday!

Bumble update: a few matches, chatting to a couple of potentials, and one date on the cards...

Weekly Musings

2015 - Week 12

'Blow a kiss, fire a gun, we all need someone to lean on.'

(Major Lazer ft. MO - Lean On)

After a fab weekend in Paris, I was pretty tired on Monday, but Lydia was home so we went into Manchester in the evening for a drink at the Coors pop-up ice bar in Spinningfields. We booked a time slot in advance and were given blue furry capes and gloves to wear, and inside were ice sculptures, a DJ and some yummy cocktails! 

On Tuesday I saw Jason, and got dressed up for a lovely meal at Gusto in Didsbury where we made it official that we are together, yay! I had a risotto with wild mushrooms, truffle butter and pancetta, washed down with some prosecco of course! The following day I met up with Laura to fill her in on it all, and we went for cake at And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon.

On Saturday after babysitting Aum in the morning (and a trip to Pizza Express for a salmon salad for lunch) Jason and I went into Manchester and had a wander around in the sunshine, stopping for some nibbles and glass of wine in Browns Brasserie - we chose onion rings, tempura prawns, houmous and grilled chicken strips. In the evening we met up with Abi and Dave and Emily and Smeed at Altrincham Market for some pizzas and drinks, and then a cocktail in Riddles afterwards. The market is recently refurbished and has a great selection of locally sourced food and drinks, and has the bonus of individual serving windows so everyone in the group can have a different cuisine if they wish; just give yourself plenty of time to find a table!

 Jason was working early today so we didn't stay out too late, and I have made the most of the day with a very pleasant bike ride around Timperley and Altrincham with Laura, in an attempt to prep for my triathlon coming up soon!