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

2017 - Week Twenty Four

'I love people with curious minds and stubborn hearts who simply can't do small talk.'

(Bridgett Devoue)

It's birthday week! Those that know me will attest that I've always been one of those people who makes a birthday list months in advance, incessantly counting down the days and then drawing out celebrations for a lengthy period... this year was no exception! Firstly though, on Tuesday we had our third Band and Bean event for Matter of Sound at Grindsmith in Media City, click the link to watch the video from the night. We had three acts playing, Tuscan Sun, who are super talented young guys from Blackpool, Hannah Ashcroft who has retro vibes and Stillia, who are very well styled indie lads from St Helens. I enjoyed an Aperol spritz style cocktail and took Ferryn along, who was super excitable and got lots of attention!

My track for this week is by PVRIS, a band I have featured before as they are one of my favourites of recent times, and whose lead singer I have an insane girl crush on. I am pretty thrilled that they had a new release the Friday before my birthday, so it wouldn't feel right not including it in this week's post.

On Wednesday it was my 27th birthday, and after from a pretty typical day at work, I caught the train into Manchester to go to Tattu for a meal with a few of the girls. It is a Chinese restaurant in Spinningfields that I have wanted to try for a while; the aesthetic in there is very swanky, low moody lighting, dark wooden booths and the pièce de résistance is a huge cherry blossom tree in the centre of the dining area with pink fairy lights as the flowers.

 I had the pink lemonade cocktail (gin based of course) and two small plates: peking duck buns which came deconstructed, and a mixed dim sum basket (wagyu beef, silver cod & prawn and Thai chicken), and I shared a portion of duck and sausage fried rice with Abi. It is a bit pricer than your standard eatery, but the food was incredible and the experience makes it worth it. I had a fab night and got some great presents, very lucky to have such thoughtful people in my life.

Thursday was spent packing and preparing for a trip to Barcelona for my friend Hana's hen do. After a 4am start and a nightmare with the taxi, we eventually arrived on Spanish soil at 10.30am where we met up with a few others who had travelled from London. We reached our apartment on Passeig de Gràcia near Gaudi's house - which was fricking AMAZING - and then went on the hunt for some food and the beach. 

 

We stopped and had tapas style bits, and huge steins of cava sangria before sunbathing for a few hours and a dip in the sea. It has been Sonar Festival this weekend so it was super busy, and there were lots of indie boys around which were very easy on the eye. Hana's childhood friend Kate who I have met a few times before shared a bottle of wine with me at one of the beach bars to escape the sun for a while in the afternoon, and we had a couple of bottles of cava between us on the beach.

That evening we stayed in for food and lots of fizz, and played some games before a few of us headed to a club around the corner for a night out. We didn't stay too long, but it was fun to have a dance and to see some of the nightlife, and we still managed to roll in at nearly 5am so not a bad effort!

Yesterday morning after a buffet breakfast in the apartment, most of the girls left for a bike tour of the city, whilst a few of us decided to have a wander and do some shopping instead. We had food and coffee at a little joint on our street called Tapa Tapa which had a deal where you got 2 pinchos - which are like little bruschetta - I had one with squid and salmon and another with spanish omelette and pancetta, a salad (tomato, feta and olive) and a drink for 8 euro, and it was to die for! We walked to the cathedral and Gothic Quarter, stopping for a browse in some of the boutiques, and then walked to the port where we had a jug of Pimm's in Black Lab Bar before mooching back home to get ready for a night out.

That evening we had booked a table for us all at Bar Cañete, a tapas restaurant that had been recommended. We just ordered a load of dishes for the whole group to share, which included marinated sweetbreads, aubergine crisps, barbecued squid, cannelloni, paella, a mixed seafood platter, gezpacho, sardines... the list is too long to mention, but everything got demolished and I can see why it was so highly rated, definitely check it out if you are visiting Barcelona.

After we had finished we did a booze run and then caught the metro - where we did lots of rowdy singing to The Spice Girls and other childhood classics, much to the other passenger's amusement - to watch the Font Màgica display, which was wonderful. We got lots of awesome pictures of us all enjoying ourselves, and then went back to the Gothic Quarter for some drinks in a bar called Ocaña with an underground dungeon-like club that we were pulled into by a drag queen! 

We had more prosecco and played 'I Have Never' which was entertaining since most of us hadn't played it since uni, and then Kate, Fay and I who had gone out the night before continued the night in the club next door called Jamboree. It was ten euro entry and was on two levels; the first played indie music, and the basement was more dancey. I kissed two of the hottest piratey looking guys to date, I even took a photo as evidence (and wasn't disappointed upon sober re-inspection), they were Argentinian and absolute babes, I'm quite proud of myself!

As we didn't get in until nearly 7am, you can imagine the state we were in today, especially since we had to be up and ready at 11.30am to catch a bus to Parc Guell. It was a really beautiful place, but us three couldn't hack it and had to have a siesta whilst the others looked around. We managed to carb load with some pasta in the afternoon and then had to rush back to pack and get to the airport - though we needn't have bothered as I am currently stuck at the airport with a three hour delay, never has the acronym FML been more appropriate!

Nights Out...

Jasmine's Birthday!

It was Jasmine's 22nd birthday on Monday, so she had a night out with all her mates last night, and I decided to tag along with Abi and Emily. We predrank at Mum and Dad's first, before getting a minibus to the Northern Quarter where we went to Terrace. We were quite lucky that we managed to get in, as it is always really busy on a weekend. They were playing some absolute tunes and we had a good boogie altogether, we even managed to grab a booth when a large group left which gave us space to keep our drinks and have a rest now and again!

Terrace shuts at 2am, so afterwards we left and went to Bar21, though we had a bit of a delay getting in as we were waiting for Emily to get a lift so missed last entry and had to sweet talk our way in! Mo and his friend from uni came and met us in there as well as they had been at a wedding and ended up in Blackdog Ballroom. We left at about 2.45am and had a stop at McDonalds in Broadheath for some much needed sustenance - I managed to devour twenty chicken nuggets, fries and a chocolate milkshake!

Weekly Update!

Lydia's Birthday & Being Home!

I got back from New York yesterday morning, knackered after a long night flight, though luckily I did manage to catch a few hours shut eye so I wasn't a complete zombie. I spent the day chilling out, unpacking and napping to try and prepare myself for the evening, when Mo and I went to Piccolino's for my friend Lydia's birthday. There were 13 of us altogether, and we'd been given the private dining room upstairs which was cool, so we were all sat around a huge circular table.

We shared bottles of wine between us all, before Tasha and I advanced onto prosecco after the food. I went for the crab ravioli, which was really nice, and the portion size was perfect as I wasn't feeling that hungry. We all shared the Cakes by Melissa that I had brought back from New York with me - I had the chocolate chip pancake, peanut butter and jelly, and chocolate chip cookie flavoured ones; they were gorgeous little cakes, I would definitely recommend if you can get hold of them.

 We all stayed for quite a while after the meal, a few had desserts, and we left when the waitress came to tell us they wanted to close. We continued the drinks back at mine as a few people were staying, it ended up being a late one, but maybe that's was a good thing for my jet lag!

Today after a lie in and tidying the flat, Mo and I headed round to my parents for a roast dinner and much needed catch up (I haven't seen them for a month as they were on holiday before me). It was lovely to all sit around and chat, and although the food didn't include Yorkshire puddings (poor show on Mum's account!) it was delicious, and much appreciated after a fortnight of American grub!

New Tastes...

Sapporo, Manchester

Yesterday for Emily's birthday, a group of us went to Sapporo in Manchester, a teppanyaki restaurant on Liverpool Street off Deangate. I had been recommended it by one of Jasmine's friends from university, so suggested it to Emily as it sounded like a good venue for a celebratory meal.

We arrived at 8.30pm, and waited at the bar with some drinks for a while whilst our table was prepared. Because there was a large group of us (13 in all) we had two sides of one of the large tables - they are arranged in a horseshoe shape around a cooking area in the centre, where the chefs prepare your meals in front of you.

I didn't really fancy the teppanyaki as I wasn't that hungry, although it did sound delicious; instead I went for a sharing platter of sushi, which was amazing. It had spider, crunch and dragon rolls on which I have had at the Country Club before, but then there were also a few other rolls that I hadn't tried before, so it was a good mix. I even attempted to use chopsticks for the first few, although I am so slow at using them I gave up after a while. 

Hannah and Tasha next to me both chose giant prawns as their meal, and they were huge! I thought they were langoustines when they were first brought out. The teppanyaki dishes included sauteed potatoes and vegetables which were also cooked in front of us - the potatoes they tried to throw in our mouths!

Aside from the yummy food, it was a real experience to eat there, as it is like watching a show when the food is made. Our chef did tricks with eggs, throwing them in the air and catching them in his hat, pocket, and even cracking one straight onto the hot plate by throwing it up and making it land on his knife! I would recommend it if in a large group or for a special occasion. Prices aren't extortionate (I suppose you pay more for the theatricals) - my meal was £23 and that included a tip, a glass of wine and then a bottle of wine shared between 3 people. I'd love to take my parents and Jasmine there - I'll have to suggest it for the next meal out we have.

Weekly Update!

Hair, Bar Crawls and Birthdays!

This week it was nice to get back into routine. With Aum being back at school, I had a lot more time to get things done and to get back in the gym (although I failed miserably at the latter). Monday/ Tuesday were relatively boring, I babysat and did some food shopping, caught up on some washing and cleaning; basically everything I have been too busy/ knackered to do when Aum was off.

On Wednesday I went into Manchester and had my hair cut. It hasn't been that long since I had it done last, but as the style is so much shorter now I find it looks scruffy when it is visibly grown out of shape. In the afternoon I took Aum to an open day at Manchester Grammar, which was intimidating when everyone there was a parent and seemed to know others, but was over quickly and he seemed to enjoy it which is the main thing. 

On Thursday I went round to Tasha's and we dyed each others hair which was funny - her dad didn't know where he'd walked into when he came home to us! The orange colour has taken a lot better this time, so I am happy with the results, and glad to have nice hair for my birthday. On Friday after work Mo and I went round to my parents for an early birthday tea. We had a gorgeous barbecue (nearly called off due to a rain shower that came out of nowhere) but luckily it had cleared by the time we sat down to eat outside. Mum had made me an incredible lemon drizzle cake which she served with strawberries in the centre, and I opened my cards and presents from the family which was lovely - I got some great stuff! We had Pimms in the sunshine which eventually returned, and then Mo and I left at half ten and came home to watch some Breaking Bad.

Yesterday was my actual birthday, and it started with salmon and poached eggs in bed courtesy of Mo! He left mine to sort out the last bits of my present, so I showered and got ready for my guests arriving. I had to pop to his to pick up my present (4 Cath Kidston teacups and a cake stand and a watering can pandora charm!) as it was too breakable for him to bring on his bike, and I brought him back to mine just as Claire arrived, followed shortly after by Brian. Lydia and Rob arrived in the nick of time to catch the train into Manchester with us, where we went to Dukes 92 and sat outside in the sun with some prosecco. Unfortunately a downpour descended shortly afterwards so we spent most of the afternoon indoors, where the rest of the group met us - there were 18 of us in total, so nice that everyone made such an effort!

We moved on to Bar Ca at about 5pm, and had some food there - I shared the Fisherman's Platter with Mo, which had calamari, king prawns in chilli sauce, battered cod, chips and scampi on it - perfect accompaniment to more prosecco, and definitely filled me up so I didn't get too drunk! We then went to Atlas Bar, which specialises in gin, my favourite! We all had a few there including some sambuca shots, and then caught the train back at 8.45pm to continue at my flat. We all stayed up until 4am drinking and chatting, and we had the England game on, not that there was much point when they lost! 

Today I was surprisingly OK, I made bacon and sausage sandwiches for everyone and tidied a bit before people left, before dropping Mo home and going to my parents for Fathers Day. Dad loved his presents, and once I was back at mine Mo came round again and we had a hangover Chinese. This weekend has been the best!

Weekly Update!

Hatha, Street Fighter & Cheese! 

Monday saw my second trial of one of the yoga disciplines at Hale Country Club - this time Hatha. In a few classes I have attended, a great number of other people are pretty advanced, and at times I have felt snubbed for not being able to do more complicated positions. Fair enough, I appreciate that I am young and therefore relatively flexible, but after regularly attending yoga a couple of times a week for a year (which was mainly full of old women!), I have since had a year off, and concentrated on more weight and cardio based classes, so don't feel ready to attempt some of the advanced techniques just yet. 

Hopefully due to my history of yoga I will get back to the level I was practising at quickly, but I don't think anyone deserves to feel inadequate in any fitness class. However, I really enjoyed the Hatha class, as the teacher was relaxed and friendly, explaining things clearly and emphasising the importance of knowing your limits and not pushing them too hard, which is something I find a lot of other teachers fail to do. She gave alternatives to some of the harder positions, and her class had a good flow and structure, ending in a very pleasant relaxation session.

Tuesday was Mo's birthday so we went for a meal (see previous post), and on Wednesday I went for lunch with Abi at Gastronomy. I had Cheshire Rarebit with chutney and salad, which was just the indulgence I needed after missing breakfast; and the evening was spent baking Mo a belated birthday cake, a chocolate sponge. I then decorated it during the day on Thursday to look like a Street Fighter Fightstick, which I was pretty proud of, considering I had my doubts! That evening we went to see Subfocus at the Ritz in Manchester (see next week's post).

On Friday I took a day off the gym and got a McDonald's for lunch, all or nothing! I tried the new Mississippi Mud Pie McFlurry there, which is possibly my favourite flavour so far (and I am a complete McFlurry connoisseur!). In the evening the naughtiness continued as Abi and I shared a bottle of cava and had a full cheeseboard to ourselves, complete with brie, mozzarella, cheddar, Pie d'Angloys camembert, crackers and chutney! We watched 50/50 and Seven Psychopaths, which were both decent films that were a bit more interesting than sticking a chick flick on.

Yesterday was a completely lazy day for me, I had a lie in, watched TV all day, then dyed my hair bright red! It came out exactly how I remember it, and I'm so chuffed I'm finally the colour I wanted. In the evening I went out for MC's birthday with loads of people, including a couple of Mo's friends from Portsmouth, and my mate Amanda from university who I invited out with us. We went to Venue, which was fun as usual, I never seem to have many memories from that place due to its insanely cheap double vodkas!

Today I have been a bit of a zombie all day, so much so that I didn't even feel embarrassed wearing Mo's clothes and his friend's shoes to go for food in Rusholme due to only having my dress and heels from the previous night. It was worth it for the tasty lamb shawarma I got though!

New Tastes...

Cafe Rouge, Printworks, Manchester

Yesterday was Mo's birthday, so we went for a meal at Cafe Rouge in the Printworks (not encouraged at all by the £30 vouchers my mum had given us for there...). We went at 8.45pm so it was pretty quiet, and we got the pick of the tables so chose a nice one for two in the corner by a window. I ordered a large glass of the house white wine, which was a good medium/dry which is exactly what I like, whilst Mo got a bottle of Hoegaarden. 

We decided to get a starter to share, so pushed the boat out and went for the sampler platter for 2/3 people, which was a brilliant decision. It had rich chicken pate, creamy houmous, and a spicy red pepper tapenade with warm herbed white bread batons and slices of dense brown bread to dip in them, mini chorizo, little balls of goat's cheese served on rocket, aromatic cured pork, and a dish of assorted olives. After eating it all between us, I was pretty full to be honest! The bread batons in particular were my favourite, they were subtly flavoured and so soft and fresh, clearly they had just come out of the oven. 

For my main I chose a French classic, Moules Mariniere (mussels in white wine, cream and garlic presented in a huge tin bucket!) and spent a good twenty minutes picking them all out of the shells before I started eating to give myself a breather. They were served with fries seasoned with a hint of paprika dust which added a nice kick to the mild taste of the sauce. Mo opted for a hamburger topped with Gruyère cheese in a brioche bun, a more European twist on the American classic. His too was served with the same tasty fries, which he agreed were a great accompaniment, and a bit different to normal chips.

We were both so full after two courses, we decided against a dessert, despite a couple taking our fancy (creme brulee is one of my all time faves!). The whole bill came to £48, but as we had the vouchers, we just left £20 cash so as to give a little tip.

I used to go to Cafe Rouge all the time a few years ago, so was a little afraid I would end up being bored of the menu, but there were lots of new dishes, so I would happily go back to try something else again!

Weekly Update!

Tattoos, Fancy Dress & Rusholme!

This week started nicely with a meal out at Strada in Wilmslow for Dad's birthday (see previous post) which was a good reward after a spin class during the day. On Tuesday I wrote an article for Men's Fashion Week and then had dinner at the Country Club. The weather was great yet again (I can't believe it's lasted) so we sat outside and I had chilli edamame beans and the king crab and asparagus sushi roll, which I have had before and really enjoyed. It is still not as good as the crunch roll though!

The rest of the week was fairly quiet, Mo came round on Wednesday, and on Thursday I babysat; then on Friday I had my tattoo done! I went to Loaded Forty Four in Swinton as it had good reviews online, and a friend had also been and said it was good. I got a treefrog in colour on my left side, which cost me £120. It was pretty painful, especially at the top of my ribs, which just happened to be where the most colour blocking was, but it was over in a couple of hours and I'm so thrilled with the result - the pain was definitely worth it!

In the evening I went to watch Man of Steel at Parrs Wood cinema with Mo (see next week's post), we were both really tired and nearly didn't stay awake until the 11.30pm finish time! Saturday and Sunday were lazy days involving lounging around in bed and eating, broken up by my birthday night out on Saturday that was 80s themed and awesome! 

Everyone made so much effort with costumes; there were Dallas housewives, Kiss members, glam rockers, neon ravers, yuppies, Kylie, Del Boy, Cher and myself as Madonna! Emily made an incredible Rubik's cube cake and Abi baked some gorgeous treacle and cherry cupcakes, and my Mum made a few 80s nibbles, including cheese and pineapple hedgehogs. We went to Poptastic which was really fun, and had bacon sarnies on Sunday morning to soak up all the excess alcohol!

This evening Mo and I went to Rusholme to a place called Jaffa, where we had mixed chicken and lamb shawarma, falafel and hummus - it was amazing and just what was needed on a hangover. I couldn't eat it all as the portions were huge, but I snaffled what I could and it was only £13 for us both including a drink each, bargain!

New Tastes...

Strada, Wilmslow

Last night we went out for a meal as a triple way Fathers Day/ my birthday/ Dad's birthday celebration. We chose Strada in Wilmslow, mainly because Mum can get £40 vouchers to spend there using £10 of her Tesco clubcard points!

We booked a table for half seven, but there wasn't really any need to as there was only one other couple in there, which was quite nice as we got the pick of the restaurant for a table. We ordered some drinks, I had a glass of Pinot Grigio, Jas got a coke and Mum and Dad shared a bottle of Chianti. Dad also got a Peroni for before we got the food - well it was for his birthday!

We decided to order one of the big platters for a starter with some extra ciabatta and oils to go with it. It had two types of salami, parma ham, buffalo mozzerella, tomatoes, rocket and tapanade with some garlic bread. I love getting a sharing dish as it makes it much more sociable, and also means you can graze on lots of little bits instead of having to decide on one thing.

There were loads of mains on the menu that I fancied, but I eventually went with a pork dish, which had crispy pancetta on top with a sage and onion jus, served with green beans and mashed potato. I don't really like mash, but my sister's chicken came with roast new potatoes and she doesn't really like them, so we asked the chef to swap the two over - perfect! The pork was really well cooked and the jus was just strong enough to leave a flavour in the mouth, yet wasn't overpowering.

Always one for a dessert, I was in the mood for something fresh to cleanse the palate, like a lemon torte or suchlike, but unfortunately the dessert menu was a little lacking in my opinion. The only options were a chocolate fondant, two types of pannacotta, tiramisu or a few different ice creams. I appreciate that they are obviously trying to stick to Italian classics, but I'm pretty sure it is a country well known for tasty desserts, so could do with expanding the choice a little.

I had the Bunet Piemontese, described on the website as 'A soft rich custard made with Italian chocolate, hazelnuts, crushed Amaretti biscuits and a generous splash of amaretto liqueur'. It was really yummy, and the amaretto certainly was generous, I was glad I didn't have a second glass of wine as with that I'd have definitely been over the driving limit!

Altogether the bill was over £100, but we did have wines, beers, and three courses etc, so I don't think it is too bad, although without our Tesco vouchers I would have thought it rather pricey for a typical chain restaurant, despite the good quality of food. The service is always really friendly (we were served by a brother and sister team who had some good banter) and I am sure we will head back there sometime in the future!