Weekly Update!

Zombies, Mexican & Retail Therapy!

This week has been half term, so whilst there has been a distinct lack of gymming, it has been pretty fun filled. On Monday we had a lazy day, and then on Tuesday I took Aum and his two friends to see Turbo (see previous post). On Wednesday we went to The Manchester Museum as they have recently reopened The Vivarium, which is full of my favourites - frogs! We had lunch there (a very tasty pea and mint soup with homemade bread) and then came home in the afternoon. That evening I went to Mo's  just to chill out, as the full days of the holiday were getting the better of me!

On Thursday it was Halloween, so Aum went out for tea at Pizza Express dressed as a zombie followed by trick or treating, which made my day easier! After work Mo and I went to the cinema to see Thor, which I really enjoyed (see next week's post), and I ordered my sofas which got me quite excited about moving in... whenever that may be!

Friday was a quiet one, I just stayed in and chilled out with Mum, but on Saturday I went into Manchester with Mo for a bit of shopping and we went to the Northern Quarter for some lunch. I have a long list of places to try there, but we were feeling hungry so opted for Luck Lust Liquor & Burn, a Mexican that is currently playing host to Manchester's finest burger joint, Almost Famous, since it burnt down a couple of months ago. I had a shredded beef burrito with king prawns which was amazing, if a little spicy! Mo had an Almost Famous burger called the Killer Bacon Cheese, which had three burgers, bacon, cheese, chilli, chipotle sauce and baconnaise in, accompanied by their speciality bacon bacon fries. I would definitely recommend going there if you have a big appetite and  like your American food!

That evening I went for a few drinks in Altrincham with the girls. We started at the Belgian bar, then moved onto Bloom, where I bumped into some of my sisters friends so stayed out with them. Today I felt especially ropey, but forced myself out shopping with Mum. We went to a retail park near Denton which was really good and had lots of shops without the hassle of going to the Trafford Centre or Manchester.

I got quite a few things in the sales - a striped blouse, a vest top with a rib skeleton on it and a pair of partially shiny black jeans from H&M, and a multicoloured geometric print dress and turquoise leopard print pencil skirt from USC. All of it came to less than £60, so pretty good. Then we drove home and Mo joined us for a massive roast dinner with waffles and ice cream for dessert, and I am currently food comatosed in front of the TV!

Weekly Update!

Home Sweet Home, Belgian Beer & Crazy Golf!

I got a much appreciated lie-in this Monday, as I didn't need to collect Aum from Pontefract until lunchtime. The rest of the start of the week was pretty subdued, though I had a delicious dish at the country club on Tuesday - mushroom and pumpkin casserole (which had five different varieties of mushroom in) with bread-crumbed rice balls, and a side of foccacia with oils. The sauce was hearty and full of smoky flavours, perfect for autumn, and I enjoyed the slightly unusual accompaniment, it perked the dish up rather than it being served with normal rice or potatoes.

On Thursday it was Vogue's Fashion Night Out in Manchester (see previous post) which was really fun, a great excuse to dress up and have a wander and a couple of drinks with the girls on a school night. We ate dinner afterwards at Wagamama; I had yaki udon, which warmed me up after a cold night walking around.

On Friday I met up with Claire and Helen from university in Manchester (I haven't seen Helen in nearly two years we worked out!) and we went for lunch at Home Sweet Home in the Northern Quarter, that I have been eyeing up for ages! I had a salted beef sandwich, which was served on rye bread with mustard mayonnaise, and followed this with an amazing chocolate cake with pink glittery icing and chocolate Freddo heads on the top! The meat in the sandwich was jam packed in, and really succulent, and the hot aftertaste of the mustard worked perfectly.

On Saturday Mum and I went to Leeds to visit Jasmine, and we went shopping in the city centre. I got a blue leopard print skater skirt from New Look for £6, and we had lunch in a little independent cafe. We got three paninis (chorizo and emmental, chicken and bacon and meatball and mozzarella) and shared them all which was a tasty way of sampling lots of flavours! 

In the evening Mo and I went to Mort Subite in Altrincham for a couple of drinks. I haven't been there before, but I preferred it to the other two Belgian bars nearby, as I only really drink the fruity variations and there was a much wider range to choose from there. I had one that was apple flavoured, and one that was a berry medley of six fruits, which was 8.5% but tasted like pop! Afterwards we met up with a few others in Slug and Lettuce, and ended the night in Bloom before getting cheesy chips!

On Sunday Mo and I fancied doing something, so went to the Trafford Centre for a KFC and a game of crazy golf. It was really fun actually, and something a bit different to do. We both got pretty competitive, but Mo won in the end, by two points! Then we went back to my house for a roast dinner, including homemade raspberry crème brulee - Mum surpassed herself as usual.

Weekly Update!

Shopping, Pizza Hut & Bank Holiday Drinking!

This was my first of two weeks off, beginning with me returning from Paris on Monday, and not doing much all day except unpacking and having Mo round for tea in the evening. On Tuesday I went into Manchester with Abi shopping, and I had the microdermal on my navel redone, which hurt! We went for lunch afterwards at a cute place in the Northern Quarter called Teacup on Thomas Street, although we both just opted for cake in the end. I had a pistachio sponge which had green icing with white polka dots down the side and a cute flower in the top, while Abi chose the multicoloured Battenburg, which was amazing to look at, even if it was far to sickly to finish a whole piece!

Afterwards we wandered around the shops, and I tried on a few potential dresses for Laura's wedding, although I bought nothing except for some makeup sponges - very boring. At least it saves my money though! We had some wine at Selfridges as a bit of a break at 3pm, and came home quite late at 7pm. That evening Mo came round again and we had this nice chicken in cheese and leek sauce for tea and just collapsed in front of the TV, so nice having a free house!

On Wednesday I did my full triathlon cycle in an hour which I was really chuffed with, and then in the evening I went to Pizza Hut for tea with Emily, Smeed, MC and Mo. I shared a bottle of wine and had a barbecue chicken and bacon pizza, and all mains now come with a free salad buffet, so I properly gorged out!

On Thursday a group of us went to Liverpool for a night out (see previous post) and on the Friday Mo brought us home from the station mid afternoon. Jasmine came back from uni for Easter (after a very traumatic experience when the car her and Laura were driving in broke down on the fast lane of the motorway!) and Lydia popped round for a catch up, so it was a sociable day! That evening Mo and I went into town to meet Lydia and her friends Lisa and Connor at Dukes 92. I love the place, and we had a few drinks before moving onto Liars Club, where the night got very hazy!

Saturday was spent in various degrees of hungover, and when I finally got up at 6pm (!) I had some food, got ready and went out for a couple of drinks at Bloom with Tasha, Abi and Lyd. I drove as was not in the mood to drink again, and had a cocktail without the alcohol which was really nice, and made a change from drinking coke. Today Jas and I found our Easter eggs hidden in the garage, so had lots of chocolate and chilled out chatting until 4pm when Mo came round and we went for a walk in Dunham. It was a bit chilly, but nice to get out of the house, and when we got back we made a nice buffet tea for the three of us and watched The Other Guys, which was pretty funny. The week has gone far too quickly, but at least I've packed quite a lot in.

Weekly Update!

Salmon Pate, Sticky Beef, Frozen Yoghurt, Fish and Chips, Cocktail Teacups & Pancakes!

This week has been lovely and sociable! On Monday I went for lunch at Gastronomy with Tasha and Abi, I had the special which was salmon pate with crusty white bread and salad; it was delicious. It came served with a mustard mayonnaise dressing for the salad, which added a lovely acidity to the smoothness of the pate. I went for a coffee at Costa afterwards with Abi and her brother whilst I waited for Aum to finish school.

On Tuesday morning I popped round to Abbey's for a cup of tea and a catchup, it's been ages! It was lovely to have a natter, and we started plotting to persuade our parents to organise a skiing trip next year, which would be so much fun! Afterwards I went to the gym and then in the evening I had tea at the Country Club with Aum. I had a beautiful pak choi salad with sticky teriyaki glazed beef - I would definitely have it again as not only was it tasty, but it is pretty healthy and really filled me up. I went round to Rick's after work for a chat and cuppa, and lots of chocolate cookies! It was nice to see his new place (which is really nice) and I got out my iPod and we had a good reminisce with his flatmate about old school music.

On Wednesday I did my Body Pump class, and then in the afternoon met Abi for a Yogberries. It's been ages since I had one, I forgot how good they are. I had raspberries, Oreo cookies and white chocolate buttons on mine, gorge! Mo came to stay in the evening, and we had a really good Moroccan meatball tagine for tea. Thursday was fairly quiet, I did an hour long cycle which I was pretty proud of, met Abi for a coffee whilst Aum was at boxing, and then babysat in the evening.

On Friday I did Body Combat and in the evening I went out for a meal with Mo to Francs in Altrincham (see previous post). We went for a few drinks in Bloom afterwards, and then bought a bottle of wine from Tescos to take home for a drink. On Saturday we had a nice lie in, and then went for lunch at The Moss Trooper with a load of people which was a fun way to spend a Saturday. I had fish and chips which was really nice, and then once I was home I popped to Stockport with Mum.

That night Mo came round to mine for a few predrinks and then we went out in the Northern Quarter in Manchester with Abi, Tasha and Jack her boyfriend. We started in Apotheca where I had a cute cocktail in a tea cup, and then moved on to Hunky Dory and Tusk, which used to be Walrus. We didn't stay out too late as Jack was driving, but we had a fun night, and got to dance which is always a bonus!

I literally did nothing all day today except cook some pancakes for breakfast and then I've just had a Mr Selfridge marathon with Mum, bedtime!

Weekly Update!

Christmas, Eating & Andorra!

Amidst the chaos of packing for my ski trip, I thought I would post on here early to sum up the week so far. I won't be posting next week due to being away, but will be back the week of the 7th Jan, to tell you all about what will hopefully be an amazing time!

Monday was Christmas Eve, but most people in the house were working so I spent the day chilling out, cleaning my room and getting some stuff sorted for skiing. I also redyed my hair purple and it came out much better this time. I worked at the pub in the evening, but luckily finished just after 11pm, so went into Hale to meet up with Tasha, Emily, Lydia and her gang for a few drinks. There was a band on, and we stayed until about 2am, but I was only on wine so didn't get too drunk.

The following day we woke up and had eggs Benedict for breakfast before Jasmine started work at 10am. I had a bit of a nap while mum watched TV, and then we started on Christmas dinner. Dad woke up at about half two, and Jas got home at just gone three, so we opened our stocking presents before sitting down for something to eat. We had a four bird roast that was gorgeous, followed by yule log for dessert later on. Because we didn't start opening presents until around 5pm, we didn't finish until nineish, so the day seemed to fly by, we didn't even watch any television! I got lots of ski and gym stuff, some new running trainers and lots of chocolate, so a good day all in all!

The following day all the family came over, and it was lovely to have all the little cousins round, as Christmas seems so much more exciting when kids are involved. We had another Christmas dinner, this time turkey and gammon followed by mince pies and trifle, and opened lots of presents before settling down for the evening. Everyone apart from my Aunty Sarah, Chris and the kids were staying, so I was relegated to the living room on an airbed, but it was actually pretty comfy!

On 27th my Aunty Joanne and Ian left, but the kids stayed behind with us and my grandparents. Jasmine and I went into Altrincham and I picked up my phone finally, as well as buying a nice dress from River Island, and a snakeskin top from H&M for the jungle themed night whilst I am away. I had my nails done a really nice glittery mocha colour, and we had a buffet tea before Jasmine, Dad and I went to see the Hobbit (see future post).

Friday was spent last minute packing/ holiday prepping, my bag is a joke, it took two of us to close it! Afterwards I went for a drink with Emily and Tasha at Bloom in Altrincham, and then went to Benn's as he had a couple of people round. I was stupidly drinking until about 6am this morning, so am going to feel awful on the coach, and look a right state, which will be a shame if there are a few hotties lurking!

Weekly Update!

Christmas Coffee, Chinese & Unusual Buys!

My week got off to a good start - on Monday I sampled my first Christmas Starbucks coffee of the year (Toffee Nut Latte), which was amazing, and I also started a book by one of my favourite authors - Haruki Murakami. I worked at the pub in the evening, but it was really quiet as it was Bonfire Night, gutted I didn't get to see any fireworks this year!

On Tuesday I got a very exciting piece of post, a Save The Date from my best uni friend Laura and her fiance Dickon for their wedding next summer, unbelievably happy for the pair of them! I went to see Billy Talent in the evening after work (see previous post), which was a crazy rush as I finished late, but I made it in the end. I went for a coffee and slice of peanut butter and chocolate cake (as awesome as it sounds!) whilst Aum was at drama club on Wednesday, and then babysat for him until about 11pm, so it was nice just to have a chilled night in at home on Thursday evening.

On Friday my parents went away for the weekend, so I cooked myself fish and sweet potato chips for tea and relaxed in front of the TV. Lydia came around later on and we had a good natter until 2.30am - time always flies when we get chatting! I got up early on Saturday without a hangover for once, and the weather was so lovely I went for a run in the sunshine instead of the gym session I had planned. I spent the day doing some writing and research for a couple of magazine articles, and then in the evening Emily came to mine and we had a little Chinese banquet courtesy of Iceland! Then later on Tasha came and we had a few drinks before heading out into Altrincham.

We started in The Classroom with a cocktail, but there were some sketchy looking people in there, so we moved swiftly on to High Society. The bar staff were ridiculous in there - having to check the menus for what was in cocktails, and Emily's was basically chocolate Frijj with Baileys in! We ended the night in Bloom Live, which is always a fun night, and there was a really good Gospel type band on which got everyone in a good mood. I saw my gym instructor and one of Aum's teachers in there which was a little weird, but everyone was enjoying themselves so it wasn't awkward at all. Once the band had finished normal  music came on, and by this time everyone was well up for it, and we stayed dancing until half one before getting a lift home.

Today I had a leisurely lie in before making some pancakes for my breakfast, and then I met up with Abi and Tasha for a coffee. Afterwards I went to TK Maxx with the intention of looking for ski boots, but came away with a black floaty dress and a gold spiked bra, typical me!

Weekly Update!

Self-Indulgence & Tea

I seem to have packed quite a lot in this week, which has been fun! On Monday I picked up my new car, woo! and then I worked as normal. On Tuesday I went shopping at The Lowry with my mum, originally for a Karen Millen coat, but seen as their outlet had closed, I made do with a few other purchases instead. I got a mink coloured leather skirt for £3, and a really nice yellow dress with a cream lace back for £7, as well as some cards and some perfume just for during the day time. In the evening Aum and I made Toffituff (see previous post for recipe), and then on Wednesday I went for a few drinks in Bloom with Hana, Abi and Tasha which was nice. I was driving, but still had a couple of small spritzers so I didn't feel too left out.

On Thursday I treated myself to a little present in the form of a Molly Brown necklace, as they were on sale in Plum in Hale. I got the chain with a lime green jellybean, and the whole thing was £28.50, which I thought was very reasonable. Afterwards I took Aum to the Cake Gallery, where I had a pot of tea and a slice of Bounty cake, which was amazing. In the evening I went for a gorgeous meal at Danilo's with all the girls. We shared a couple of garlic breads, one with cheese and one with tomato, and then I had a half portion of the cannelloni for my main. We shared a big carafe of wine and had a good giggle and catch up. I was feeling pretty rubbish earlier in the week, but Thursday definitely perked me up!

On Friday I had a couple of the guys I went to Benicassim with round to mine as I had a free house for the weekend. Although I bought quite a few spirits, I honestly wasn't expecting to drink them all, but we did, and so for my shift on Saturday I felt pretty rough, despite having a full cooked breakfast before I started!

After my shift I went to my friend's leaving party (see next post) and then on Sunday after a lazy morning, I drove into Manchester to meet Laura (my friend who used to live in Paris) and her fiancé Dickon, as they had been to a Bridal Fayre there. We had a cup of tea in the cafe in Harvey Nichols, which was surprisingly reasonable, and then I had to run back to the car in the pouring rain as I had left my umbrella in there. Overall, a delightful week!

Weekly Update!

Mazes, Dancing & lots of Food!

The first week back at work after a holiday is always a drag, although it could have been much worse in my case, as Aum is on school holidays at the moment, so we get to do lots of fun stuff.

On Monday we didn't do very much, just ran a few errands and then went to look at the animals at the pet shop, and then I worked at the pub. On Tuesday the weather appeared quite fine, so we went to Red House Farm with my two cousins and my auntie to do the Maize Maze there. This year it was Jubilee themed, so was shaped like a giant crown, and the nine stamps you had to collect around it were all quintessentially British, including a postage stamp, a union jack flag and a sceptre. It was more difficult than I remembered, and didn't help that it started raining half way around, so we cheated slightly to get all the stamps and find our way out (shh!).

On Wednesday we went to see Brave at the cinema (see previous post), and on Thursday I took Aum and his friend to the Blue Planet Aquarium which was really fun (see previous post). In the evening once I had finished work I very quickly got my nails done, and then went round to Hana's for some pre-drinks before going out to Sakura on Deansgate Locks in Manchester. It was a really fun night, we all had a good dance, and got rather more drunk than we had intended; so on Friday I was a little tender at work! Luckily Aum had a tennis lesson in the morning so I got to have a little nap, and then we went for lunch at Hale Spa & County Club, where I had a sunblush tomato, mozzerella and pesto risotto which sorted me right out!

That evening Lydia was back from uni so I went out with her in the Northern Quarter in Manchester. It was really nice just for the two of us to chill out and have a few cocktails in Bluu and Trof, and we ended up in this club called Mint, dancing to 90s pop music and having a laugh before getting the last met home. I was at work the following day, and afterwards I had the girls round to mine for a few drinks as I had a free house. We went out into Altrincham at around 11pm, starting in Bloom and then moving on to Heart and Soul which was a laugh. Lydia and Tasha had ordered a sharing Zombie cocktail in Bloom, and Emily and I had been doing shots of rum, so we were all nicely merry, and stayed out until the club shut at 2.30am.

Today Tasha and Lydia came round to chill out for a while this morning, and then I have just got back from Hana's house, where Lydia and I were treated to a hangover feast of lemon tart, clotted cream, After Eights, strawberries and chocolate. Not that I haven't eaten enough this week... and lack of gymming due to work is not boding well - it's a good job my scales at home have broken!

Weekly Update!

Drinks, Drinks & Drinks!

This week has been really fun, mainly due to more of my friends being around to do things (home from uni etc) and of course, having the week off work. I tried to make the most of having holiday despite the fact that I have missed out on my vacation to Turkey, and it seems to have worked, as I've been busy basically every day!

On Monday I worked at the pub, and met the new landlord, who seems nice. On Tuesday I went to the gym, and then in the evening I went out for a few drinks with Hana, Charlotte and Tasha. We went to Altrincham, to a place called High Society for some cocktails, and then the new Bloom bar that has relocated to a bigger venue from Goose Green. I had originally planned to drive home, but after a cocktail that was really good, I decided to leave my car behind, and ran to collect it in the morning! 

The rest of that day I didn't do a great deal, and then in the evening I went to see my friend Michael from Lancaster who is currently living in Manchester. On Thursday I did a few boring jobs like cleaning my room, and then had my eyebrows tinted - they were a little dark but looked fine as I still have my tan! The following day I went for a run and a swim and then went for a drink with my mum at the Hare and Hounds, a pub near my house. It was a sunny day so we walked which was really pleasant. The I went to York with a couple of my friends for the night (see next post).

Last night I went out in Manchester with Hana and Tasha. We went to The Yacht Club in Spinningfields, which I had never been to before but was really cool - it is all outside, and the good weather made it feel as though we were abroad! Tasha didn't feel very well so went home, but Hana and I stayed out and went for cocktails at Alchemist, and then ended the night in Fac251. It was so sweaty in there, I was basically sober by the time I got home from drinking so much water!

Today I attempted to go for a bike ride with my mum, but after about five minutes it started hammering down with rain, and then my bike chain snapped, I think it was nature's way of telling me that it was not a good idea! So instead we went home and watched some television whilst eating our picnic inside!

Weekly Update!

New Cafes & New Clothes!

This week was my last week doing both my jobs, before finally being just a full time nanny next week! Because of this, again it was a pretty manic one, so I didn't really get upto anything that exciting.

On Wednesday I went out with my mum to Yogberries in Hale (see previous post) which was fun, and then on Friday Chris came to stay and we went out in Altrincham with Charlotte and Natasha. We started in the Belgian bar called Le Trappiste before moving on to Costellos wine bar in Goose Green, and then finally Bloom Jazz Club. We got a lift home at around 1.30am, and Chris and I had a couple more drinks when we got home which was nice.

On Saturday I was working at the pub, and then I babysat in the evening- it was nice to just chill out and read my book for a few hours. My gorgeous new Dr Martens boots arrived too!

On Sunday I went shopping in Stockport with mum, where I spent far too much money! I got a lovely gold chunky knit jumper from New Look, an emerald wrap around dress and a black moleskin ruffled skirt from H&M and a few bits from Primark; including some beige snakeskin skinny jeans and a couple of presents. Altogether it came to £73 though, which I didn't think was too bad for how much I bought. However, I also then came home and bought a green waterproof Adidas watch, and a Roxy multicoloured check suitcase, so it was a pricey day to say the least!

Weekly Update!

Jazz Music & Free Wine! (no pictures, sorry!)

This week I started a new job, which unfortunately I am no longer needed for, but it was good money for a week's work. Because of this, and along with babysitting on Tuesday and Saturday, and working at the pub on Monday and Wednesday, I had a very crazy week, and worked 53 hours altogether, not something I wish to do every week!

Due to this, I didn't actually do a great deal, simply as I had no free time! However, on Friday, I met up with Emily, Smeed and Charlotte, and we went for a drink in Wetherspoons in Altrincham. We were introduced to Charlotte's new boyfriend James, which was nice, although he only stayed for a while before moving on with his own friends.

After a couple in Wetherspoons we went on to Goose Green, where I saw a new jazz club had opened whilst shopping on Thursday. It is called Bloom, and is apparently owned by the same person who took over The Cheshire Lounge in Millington. The feel is very sophisticated and upmarket (and the drinks are quite pricey) but it has a lovely atmosphere, and a live jazz band were playing when we went in. We were the youngest people in there, but didn't feel out of place, as the bar staff were very welcoming. We were even given a free bottle of very nice wine by the owner, and we think it is because Charlotte was mistaken for Ellie Goulding, which was hilarious! It started out when a drunken man commented that she looked like her, and it must have circulated. Not complaining though after the freebie!

I worked Saturday at the pub, and then babysat for the little boy I nannied for a while back in the evening, and it was lovely to see him again. Luckily it wasn't too much of a late one, as the week's work was catching up with me, and I was falling asleep by 10pm! Today I had a much needed lie in, and then we had a beef roast dinner, as my Grandpa has been staying with us since Thursday, and leaves tomorrow, so it was a nice last evening for him. We were intending going to a carol service at a local church as well, which would have been lovely, but we actually got there, only to find we had got our dates muddled, and it is on next weekend. Never mind!