Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Seven

'You feel good, you feel bad, and these feelings are bubbling from your own unconsciousness, from your own past. Nobody is responsible except you. Nobody can make you angry, and nobody can make you happy.' 

(Osho)

This week was half term meaning I have had Aum all day, and Tuesday was Valentines Day, so I thought I was going to have a bit of a crappy week. However, my best friend got engaged and asked me to be her bridesmaid which I was so chuffed about (congrats Lyd & Rob!), and although there's always that one annoying person overusing soppy hash tags on social media, I felt genuinely happy for the people who are in rewarding, fulfilling relationships. It was good confirmation that being single hasn't made me bitter and cynical, but excited for when it's my turn again in the future to build something with someone new.

The track I've chosen this week I heard as one of Radio 1's 'Track of the Week'. It is a total pop guilty pleasure, but sometimes you need a song to bop around to right? 

On Wednesday Aum and I went to the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester as he's currently working on a project on the history of aviation (which basically means I am doing it too!). Not going to lie, the highlight of the trip for me was probably the food in the restaurant; I had a squash and Garstang blue cheese tart with salad and cous cous which was a really tasty flavour combo, but I guess it was pretty fun messing around doing the science experiments on the top floor. Sometimes I get so caught up in the monotony of the school runs and homework that I forget how much I love my job, actually getting to spend time doing fun activities with Aum reminds me I'm not really a boring nagging bitch!

On Thursday I popped to The Cake Gallery in Bowdon with Aum as a reward for getting some homework done (I think it was more for my benefit!) and I had a day off work on Friday, so decided to make the most of the situation and head for some drinks on Thursday evening with my friend Alice. There are so many places in Manchester that have deals on a Thursday that we were spoilt for choice, but we settled on El Capo tequila bar in the Northern Quarter, where cocktails were 2 for £10, tequila was 4 shots for £10 and a bottle of prosecco was £16. We had a margarita each and then shared some prosecco before heading on to Matt and Phreds where they had a jazz band on, so there was an upbeat atmosphere. I was sensible and got the last train home at midnight, but we still got suitably merry and had a laugh, and it was a bonus to check out town on a different night to just the weekend.

On Friday I had a date with the guy I met out in Hale last week, I'll refer to him as W (again, no relevance!). We met in The Alchemist on New York Street and had a couple of drinks (French Martini) before walking to Salvis in the Corn Exchange for a meal. I was impressed at the restaurant choice, I'd never been but it was a lovely setting, the right amounts of private/open and fancy/casual. We shared a four seasons pizza for starter, and then I had the seafood risotto for main and we got a bottle of red wine. The food was rustic and flavoursome, which I think is often the charm with Italian places. 

It was cool getting to know someone initially in person, as opposed to having already chatted loads like when it's via a dating app. I felt more curious about what he had to say as I'd not preempted anything. He has quite different qualities to anyone I've been on a date with before, and it was a welcome change. He actually seemed to be absorbing everything I spoke to him about, and we had lots of things in common, but clear contrasts which kept it interesting. He was funny and confident, but not in an obvious, attention seeking way, and I could tell he was enjoying himself but he wasn't fawning so it kept me guessing. 

After food we decided to go for drinks in the Northern Quarter, and since he had planned both the previous places (again another plus point), I took him to a couple of my faves. Firstly we went to the 'secret' bar in Cane and Grain - those who haven't been should check it out (if you can find it...), it has table service and does awesome cocktails. I went for the Bloomsbury Tale and North Pole drinks, both of which were gin based but the first was fruity and sharp whilst the latter was creamy with amaretto soda dust; and W had the City of Gold (a rum punch type thing) and Negroni Ristretto, which was a whiskey and campari concoction served in a coffee pot. Feeling pretty tipsy at this point, we decided to sack off the train/ tram home and stay out, so went to Hold Fast for a few drinks and a bit of a dance. Bloody good date with a (thus far) bloody nice bloke!

Yesterday I did something I've not done for years, and went out AGAIN making it three nights in a row, but if the opportunity's there, why not! I went back into Manchester for my friend Emily's birthday, this time to a place I'd not been in before - Eastern Bloc Records. It is a cafe and record shop during the day which turns into a bar at night (we were there on the funk/soul/blues night); full of hipsters obviously, but try and find somewhere in the NQ that isn't. I had to hit the espresso martinis as I was flagging a little, but made it to PLY for some prosecco, and then got the tram back into Altrincham when my friend Ellie was leaving to meet W from last night again. We went to the Con Club for a bottle of wine, and then left when it closed for a drink in House. It was completely spontaneous, which is not my usual, but I am really busy next week so knew I probably wouldn't see him and the weekend had been so much fun already I didn't want it to end!

Today however, has been AWFUL. Serves me right for polluting my body with so much alcohol I suppose, lesson learnt. I've been totally restless; I tried reading, meditating, sleeping, watching a film... I couldn't even concentrate long enough to eat all my tea. Good job I'm working a lot next week so will be detoxing slightly, my poor liver needs it!

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

2017 - Week Two

'We cross our bridges as we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and the presumption that once our eyes watered.'

(Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - Tom Stoppard)

This week has been a reminder of how incredible my friends and family are. Despite (luckily) feeling positive about the whole breakup situation, it always helps knowing you've got a massive posse of people who totally have your back (love you!). On Monday I de-exed the flat, by swapping pictures in frames over, extraditing anything of his into the spare room, and of course crucially removing the Facebook status. I thought it might have made me feel a bit weird doing it all straight away, but I actually found it really cathartic, and was so much more relaxed when I could sit down at the end of the night and feel like it was solely my flat again. My friend Natasha came for a coffee that afternoon before I did the school run, so I filled her in on the gossip, I feel like it's one of those situations I'm going to want to have a tape recorder to play to people soon so I don't get bored of saying the same things over and over!

On Wednesday my sister Jasmine and I went into Altrincham for some lunch. We were intending checking out the Con Club that has recently opened, but the menu was geared more for a big evening meal, so we kept it simple and went to the cafe at M&S instead. On Friday evening I worked late as my bosses were in London, so I took Aum (the little boy I am a nanny for) to Pizza Express for dinner. I sampled a Soho 65 Romana pizza, but my server suggested I add mixed Italian meat to it (it is usually a veggie option), which was the best decision ever, I thoroughly recommend!

 Due to my late finish I indulged in a lie in yesterday morning, or as late as I could before the dog insisted I take her out. That afternoon was Aum's birthday party at Manchester Climbing Centre, which is amazing! It is inside an old church in Gorton and has facilities for bouldering, and more traditional climbing with a belay system; seeing everyone having a go made me want to give it a try - it's now on the To-Do list.

That evening Natasha and my other friend Abi came to mine for some pre-drinks and a night out in Alderley Edge, where they have recently opened a branch of The Alchemist bar. We headed there for about 10.30pm, and it was busy - we waited forever for a drink which wasn't a great start, but a quick celeb spot of Misse from Housewives of Cheshire and Jake Hall from TOWIE kept us entertained; they weren't the freshest shall we say! 

It seemed to die down just after midnight, so we moved on to The Bubble Room, which was playing some great tunes for a dance (including the track above which I am loving at the moment, despite not being an Ed Sheeran fan), and I started on the margarita cocktails. We ended the night in The Botanist, where after some Dutch courage I asked one of the (seemingly surprised) bartenders who had been serving me all night for his number, and succeeded - always a boost to know I still have some skills after it seeming forever since I last dated! We won't dwell on the fact that after a few texts when I got home it was ascertained that he was 22; but still, I'm officially back out there!

Today I was pretty tired and hungover so delayed a trip to Ikea with Mum to another day as I really couldn't deal with the crowds and effort, and we just had a little mooch around TK Maxx and HomeSense nearby instead. I got home and Despicable Me 2 was on, which was great easy viewing, and I took another single step and joined Bumble, which is apparently the new Tinder. Purely for research purposes of course... watch this space!

Weekly Musings

2015 - Week 8
'We can do whatever we want 'cos we're born young and free'

(Marmozets - Young and Free)

 

I had this week off work, which has been really cool, I've managed to have a couple of little trips away to recharge despite not getting to go abroad as I'd hoped. On Monday I met up with Abi and Tasha for a coffee and then had a chilled evening of yoga, and on Tuesday I drove to Laura and Dickon's in Aldershot near Guildford to see little Ernest for the first time! He's an absolute cutie, and so well behaved considering he's only a month old. We had pancakes for dinner as it was Pancake Day, and then on Wednesday we wandered for a coffee and cake before I headed back home.





On Thursday I had another date with Jason (guy from the last couple of weeks) - I was told to pack an overnight bag and a bikini and be ready for 1.30pm, very exciting/ nervewracking! Turned out we were going to Blackpool to see his friend perform in Saturday Night Fever there, and stayed at the Hilton so had chance to go in the sauna/ pool. Was such an awesome surprise; don't think anyone's ever done anything like that for me before! I guess it was quite intense considering it was our fourth date, but we really get on so it wasn't awkward at all. We went to Bella Italia before the show, where I had a chicken and spinach calzone which was incredible, and afterwards had a few drinks with his friend and a couple of the other cast members (the performance was so good!). Everyone was lovely and I ended up getting quite drunk, the hangover on Friday when we had to leave early wasn't pretty!

 

Yesterday Hana was back from Australia! The girls and I haven't seen her for over six months, some of them longer, so we planned a fun day together. I held a tea party at my flat for us all, and everyone brought food with them and we had some prosecco and caught up with everything. In the evening we all headed into Manchester for some drinks in Spinningfields at Grand Pacific, and then later on Jason joined us and we moved on to Soup Kitchen. So lovely to get everyone together, and despite the break it was like nothing had changed between us all - I'm so lucky to have such a gorgeous group of friends!

 

Today I had a nice lie in and then went to get my eyebrows tattooed! It is something I have considered for a while since I am an eyebrow connoisseur, and I finally decided to take the plunge. It takes two sessions, an initial consultation and first shape, with a followup retouch and final shape four weeks later. I am so happy with them so far, and it wasn't anywhere near as painful as a normal tattoo which I was surprised at considering it is on your face. Afterwards I went for another Bella Italia, this time with Mum and Jasmine (I had a barbecue chicken pizza) and now Jason is on his way 'round for a chilled evening.  

Weekly Update!

Food, Food & Food!!

So this is it, the final post of 2014! On Monday I went to Carluccios for lunch with Aum and his friend AJ, and Abi joined us. I had the chicken and prune salad which was delicious, washed down with a couple of lattes. On Tuesday we had quite a lazy day at work, and then ate at the Country Club - I tried the chicken breast with king prawns and red curry sauce which looked very nicely presented and tasted even better. It was my last day at work so I swapped presents with Aum and his parents and toddled home for the evening.

Wednesday/ Thursday were of course Christmas Eve/ Day (see previous post) and on Friday it was Boxing Day and Mum's 50th, so we had the whole family descend on us for a massive buffet spread and some fun and games as usual when we all get together. Yesterday I did a yoga class, and then Grandma, Grandad, Grandpa and Mum came round for lunch at the flat, as the oldies hadn't seen it for ages and I've done a lot to it since then! In the evening Mo came round and we got a Chinese and chilled out, was nice to have some peace after the chaos of Christmas! 

Today I went into Stockport shopping with Mum and Jasmine, got a few Primark goodies (nice new underwear and some gym stuff) and then went round to Abis for a glass of wine and to see Srishti who was home for the weekend. Excited to enjoy my next week off and for New Year's Eve next week! 

Travellers' Tales...

Leicester

I got back about an hour ago from a weekend trip to Leicester to visit my friend Claire, with a stop off in Birmingham today to visit the Christmas markets and meet up with our friend Laura, who is now 7 1/2 months pregnant! 

I set off at just after 1pm, and arrived at half three, giving us enough time to pop into the town centre for a coffee at a really quirky little independent cafe called St Martin's Coffee. I had a white chocolate snowball mocha which was delicious and then we went shopping for a while to find something for Lauras's birthday which was on Friday. I got a burger from the German market for tea, and then we walked back to Claire's apartment for some predrinks and to get ready for a night out.

We started at Revolution, where we had a couple of glasses of wine, before moving onto a club, but it was pretty dead so we ended up going back to Revolution. Claire knew the bar manager there so we enjoyed some free drinks, and ended up going to a stripclub with him until 6am! It was my first experience of one, and to be fair, it was loads of fun!

Today we were so hungover it was awful, but I managed to make sausages for breakfast and we got ready to head into Birmingham. It took us just over an hour, and after meeting Laura we wandered around to find somewhere to eat a late lunch. We settled on Jamie's Italian, where I had a nice fruity drink and a deconstructed caesar salad which looked really cool and tasted even better. We gave Laura our presents which she liked, and then went for a mooch around the Christmas Markets, which were OK, but not as good in my opinion as the Manchester ones. 

It started getting dark (and very cold!) so I said my goodbyes as had the long drive home to get through. It took me 2 1/2 hours, and boy am I glad to be home and ready for a good night's sleep!

Travellers' Tales...

Dublin!

I have just got back from an amazing weekend in Dublin! We set off on Friday (conveniently at 9.35pm so no time off work needed!) so were touched down in Ireland just before 11pm. Flights were only £26, so an absolute steal. We got a taxi to our hostel (£35 each for the two nights) and after a quick change/ makeup refresh we went out to a club called Everleigh, as a guy called Andrew that I met in Croatia who lives in Dublin had recommended it. He was out there with his friends so was cool to catch up. The music was amazing in there, proper old school r&b classics, so we all had a good boogie. The drinks weren't cheap, vodka mixer was about £8, so I stuck on wine which was about £6.50 a glass so not too bad. We stayed out until pretty late, and then I went back to Andrew's house for an afterparty, but ended up passed out on the sofa after about half an hour, despite the loud music!

The following morning I got a taxi home and got ready for a day exploring the city. We walked to the spire in the centre, it was drizzling slightly but we weren't perturbed. We were going to get some breakfast, but it was closer to lunchtime once we were out of the hostel so we decided to head to Wagamamas for something more substantial instead. Afterwards I was feeling really ropey and tired, so Lizzie and I headed back for a couple of hours nap!

That evening after spending a while trying to ring round for a restaurant that had space for six people on a Saturday night at the last minute, we ended up in the Irish version of Pizza Express called Milano. It was still really nice, we shared a bottle of wine and I had a meat feast calzone, which was definitely what the doctor ordered! Afterwards we went for a few drinks in a bar called 37 Dawson Street, which was dark and luxurious, with animal heads on the walls and flocked velvet wallpaper... and expensive drinks! At one point I was going to get a mojito, but stuck to a gin and lemonade when I heard they were 15 euro.

A few of the girls wanted to go home then, but Lydia, Lizzie and I decided to stay out and go to a bar on the same street called Cafe En Seine. It was a similar style to the last place, but huge, with glass ceilings and chandeliers like something out of Moulin Rouge. They played some great music so we had a boogie and then got a rickshaw home which was so funny!

The next day we had a lazy one, and packed up ready to leave before going for breakfast. We went to a cafe called The Elephant and Castle, where I had French toast with berry compote, maple syrup and whipped cream - so good. We wandered around the shops for a while and got a coffee before the taxi came to pick us up (rather late - we actually had to steal someone elses!) and I was back home for 6pm after such a fun weekend with all the girls!

New Tastes...

Carlucchio's, Hale

Today I headed to sample Hale's latest restaurant addition - Carluccio's. I went with Tasha and Abi, and we ended up staying there for ages as I wasn't needed to collect Aum from school so didn't need to rush.

I got a latte to drink and the tortellini all'Emiliana, which was pasta parcels filled with prosciutto in a creamy sauce. It was quite a small portion but perfect for lunchtime, and meant there was room for a dessert! I chose the chocolate bread and butter pudding, which was gorgeous. It was packed with chocolate and the custardy type liquid that the panettone bread was soaked in had lots of vanilla pods in so gave it a really fresh flavour.

We stayed chatting for a while, until the waiter seemed to be getting a bit impatient! The bill wasn't too bad considering I'd had two drinks, a starter and a main, it was £21 with a tip so didn't break the bank. Comfortable setting and good service, bit pricier than somewhere for an everyday meal, but nice for a special occasion or when you're not counting the pennies.

Travellers' Tales...

NYC - Part 4 (Sat & Sun)

We had a 'lie in' this morning, though Aum woke up at 7.50am! After showering and lounging for a while we went to the City Diner again for breakfast, this time I had eggs Benedict with Canadian ham and homefries to fill me up for a day in the city!

We got the ferry across the river with it being the weekend (cheaper) and walked for a while before hopping in a taxi to go to the Guggenheim where we met Aum's cousins. I must admit, art isn't really my thing, but it was all modern and futurist there so I actually really enjoyed looking at the paintings and prints. There was also a section on sound that had cymbals suspended from the ceiling that you could hit - which obviously the kids loved!

Aum and I stayed to do the whole thing whilst his cousins left for some lunch at the Metropolitan - then we spent a good two hours wandering around there afterwards trying to find each other! Eventually after cake and a drink at the cafe we gave up and went to the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, which was incredible. Everyone was given a chip upon entry which they could program with their own login details including a photograph, soundbite and music preference. You then went around exhibitions scanning the chip and doing various activities, including a section where you could program robots, try the latest technology used in hospitals to perform virtual heart surgery and even be a newsreader with an autocue and working video camera.

We had a look around FAO Schwarz afterwards (I actually managed to get Aum out without buying anything) and then we walked for ages to find somewhere to eat before stumbling across an Australian grill. Aum had barbecued pork ribs and I had kangaroo in a red wine sauce with asparagus, which was great to try and tasted rich like a dark red meat - kind of like a mixture of lamb and venison.

We caught the ferry back and waited up as Anjali was back that evening, although her flight was delayed so she didn't arrive until gone 10pm - Aum was so tired! He stayed with her so I got a night to myself - which I spent researching tattoo parlours...

This morning I slept in until 9am when Aum knocked on my door for some clothes to change into. We went to the diner again (I had double berry pancakes) and then caught the ferry again and went to the Natural History Museum. We saw a show at the planetarium called The Dark Universe which was fascinating - having never been to a planetarium before it was a great experience. We wandered around the mammal sections and then Aum met up with some friends from back home and they did an exhibition called 'The Power Of Poison' whilst I stayed outside and called my parents for a chat.

We had a bit of a panic trying to meet up afterwards as Anjali had to rush back to catch her flight back to England, but once she had gone we stuck with Aum's friends and went to an Italian called Caffe Storico for dinner. I had seafood pasta with clams, mussels, prawns and lobster in, followed by pistachio icecream (and Aum's honeyed apple sorbet that he decided he didn't like!).

We said our goodbyes afterwards and rushed to catch the ferry as it was getting late and we had a project to do for his homework. We have just managed to make said project (a glider) using straws from the hotel, sellotape and scissors borrowed from the giftshop and the box from some honeycakes I bought - if only they gave points for inventiveness!

New Tastes...

Strada, Wilmslow

It is my dad's birthday today, so last night we went out for a meal to Strada in Wilmslow to celebrate. It was Mum, Dad, Jasmine and I, which was really lovely as we don't get to all eat together very often anymore. Mum had got her ever trusty Tesco vouchers, so we could choose whatever we wanted, it is only on food but I was designated driver so wasn't too bothered about drinking anyway!

We ordered a sharer platter to start, as is customary at family meals out it seems. This one had bruschetta, tapenade and warm ciabatta sticks, mixed meats, buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes, and mixed leaves. Not the best we've had, but it was all nicely prepared and tasty, so can't complain. We also ordered a separate flatbread, that had tomato puree and pesto on which was delicious.  

Main course was a tough choice, as they had a new menu with lots of amazing sounding dishes on that I wanted to try. I eventually went for a chicken, pancetta, cheese, rocket and pesto burger with fries, which sounds fairly simple, but I usually go for fish or risotto in Italian restaurants, so thought I would step outside the box for once. I'm glad I did as it was so good and a nice change, even if a little more calorific!

We decided to go for some desserts as well seen as we had plenty of vouchers to spend, so I chose the vanilla panacotta topped with blueberries and raspberry coulis. It was lovely and light, and looked very pretty on the plate, a good one for a sunny summer evening. We all had a wonderful time, it was fun to catch up and have a giggle, and made even better when the parents were paying!

New Tastes...

La Piazza, Goose Green

Last night, I went for a meal at La Piazza, a fairly new Italian restaurant in Goose Green. There were six of us - Tasha, Abi, Dave, Em, Smeed and I -and it was my suggestion, so I was hoping we wouldn't be disappointed!

We sat down and ordered a bottle of white wine to share between four of us, and Abi and Dave got a beer and glass of house red wine. It is a piattini place (basically Italian tapas, so all small dishes) and we agreed to choose one dish each and share them all, as well as to order their set menu for two, which had a variety of different dishes across three courses, and included a free drink. All the dishes come out as and when they're ready, so it's quite a good concept when it's a group of people dining.

My choice of dish was pork belly casserole served with lentils and chorizo, which was amazing! Between us we also had chicken and chorizo skewers, cheese arancini (rice balls in breadcrumbs), breaded mozzarella, tomato gnocchi, prawn linguine, and a pepperoni and chili pizza. On the set menu we began with bread, mixed meats and cheese, olives and a mixed salad, followed by spicy sausage and sauteed potatoes and calamari with garlic mayonnaise, and finally tomato, spinach and cheese ravioli and meatballs in tomato sauce.  

Everything was delicious, I particularly enjoyed the arancini, which were beautifully made and very flavourful. I am glad we chose a few of the dishes off the normal menu to be a bit more adventurous, as the set menu is mainly the staple Italian classics which I enjoyed but wouldn't have wanted only them. We had tea and coffee afterwards, and with a tip it came to £21 each, which was an absolute bargain for the amount of food that we got. The service was great; our waiter was very friendly and explained everything clearly to us, it is just a shame that there were only us and two other parties in there, so the atmosphere was a little quiet, not that we minded as we were all chattering away. I would recommend it to people in the area as it really is a lovely little Italian, that is clearly still relatively unheard of!

Weekly Update!

Fish, Steak Pizza & Prosecco!

On Monday Mo came to mine and cooked a really nice bit of salmon with veg and potatoes for tea, makes a change for it to be so healthy! Tuesday I had fish again, but at the Country Club, this time it was sea bass with crab and cauliflower salad and asparagus and was amazing as per usual. On Wednesday Tasha came to mine and I made a spaghetti bolognese and we booked the hotel for our holiday - so excited!

I babysat on Thursday and then on Friday went out to Manchester for a meal and drinks (see previous post). Yesterday I got up early and drove Mum and I to Leeds to see Jasmine as a belated Mother's Day present. We bought her a ticket to the theatre to see Pygmalion, and went to Ask in Headingley for lunch beforehand. We got the mixed Panzerottini (filled dough balls) and a sharing platter of meat, cheese and bread as a starter, and then for main I had the most amazing pizza type thing that was a rosemary and sea salt flat bread topped with steak, rocket, tomatoes and grana pardano. It was absolutely huge, and tasted phenomenal, the waitress recommended it and I'm glad I trusted her judgement!

We were really full, and pushed for time afterwards so skipped dessert and went straight to watch the play, which was really good (see next week's post), and then I drove back home and quickly got ready for a night out! Emily and Natasha came to mine for predrinks, and then we met my friend Amanda in Manchester and went to Neighbourhood. It was a really fun night, we were on the prosecco and the music was awesome, we stayed so late and got free shots! 

Today I felt pretty ropey, I'd stayed at my parents so was in bed until lunchtime, then had a bacon and egg sandwich and was given a lift home. Mo came round and we've just had a much needed Chinese, though it took nearly an hour and a half to arrive, not the best on a hangover!