Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Forty (Part One)

'Rather a broken bone than a heart of stone.'

(K. Tolnoe)

This has been one hell of a week, and it's not over yet! Those of you that are observant may notice I am writing this on a Friday evening instead of my usual Sunday, and this is because at the crack of dawn tomorrow (4am to be precise) I am heading to the airport for a quick jaunt to Hamburg in Germany with my dad and sister. As I am sure we will cram lots of antics in despite only being there for 36 ish hours, I thought I would do a separate post recommending stuff to see, food to eat, and mainly, establishments to drink in when I get back on Sunday night, so check back in for that!

Back to this week, and I HAVE to tell you about the most incredible dessert place I tried out on Tuesday with my friend Timna - Icestone Gelato. It is on Oxford Road in the city centre, just near Footage, and I sampled the peanut butter waffle, which had the obvious peanut butter on, as well as chopped up Snickers bars and caramel sauce, served with vanilla ice cream, man it was good!

That evening was Matter of Sound's fifth Band and Bean event at Grindsmith in Salford Quays, and although one band cancelled very last minute (grr) we had Lyons and La Zel, and Taff Jr playing, who were both perfect. The former have a reggae feel to their material, and the guitarist manages to beatbox whilst simultaneously playing the flute which was quite the spectacle! I have stuck a video of them performing on the night above, as my track of the week is in part two of this post, but I didn't want you to have nothing to listen to as you read, and they are a cracking little duo. 

On Wednesday a group of us met up for food at Byron Burger on Deansgate, as a last goodbye to Laura who leaves to travel around South America/ Australia and New Zealand next week. I had the Oreo milkshake, and chose the Byron Burger (a beef patty with bacon, cheese, burger sauce, red onions, tomato and lettuce) and shared sweet potato fries with Ellie. The food, when it finally arrived, was classic and tasty, but the service was shocking; it took the waiter ten minutes to come over for us to order drinks and get the menu, and over forty for our food, which considering there was only us and one other table was unacceptable in my eyes. We had chosen there as we had a voucher for 50% off food, but despite the discount I wouldn't rush back as my experience was marred because of our excessive wait.

Yesterday I went into Manchester with Moj to check out Manchester Food Festival in Albert Square. I got crab fritters from Holy Crab (omgosh, amazing!), rhubarb flavoured prosecco from a cute little metal trailer and we sat and listened to Larkins who I saw at a Sofar Sounds a couple of years ago who happened to be performing inside the tent. We went for an espresso martini by the open fire in Albert's Schloss afterwards, and a final cocktail in Impossible before heading home.

Today I packed my case and am heading to bed soon ready to be up with the birds!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Thirty Seven
'Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected'
(The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho)

This week has been one of those that steadily plods along with plenty of activity to keep me occupied. I saw Moj on Monday, babysat Tuesday, and on Wednesday evening I met up with the Matter of Sound crew to celebrate our third anniversary. We went to The Deaf Institute to sample the new menu there, which includes lots of yummy veggie and vegan options. 

I gave their vegan hotdog a try which is made with seitan, a wheat gluten apparently (thanks Google). It had a slightly strange taste, but as meat subtitutes go was decent enough, and it was covered with mac and cheese, 'bacon', sweet potato cheese, jalapenos and Tijuan barbecue sauce so there were lots of other flavours to satisfy me. I also upgraded the accompanying fries to 'pimped' ones, which were topped with sweet potato cheese, red peppers, guacamole, jalapenos, cashew sour cream, siracha mayo and Tijuana barbecue sauce; needless to say I couldn't finish it all! I am digging how places are amping up their veggie and vegan menus at the moment, it makes my part time veggie habits much easier to stick to.

On Thursday I went for a walk at Chorlton water park during the day with Mum and Ferryn, who got rather muddy! On Friday evening Moj and I went to Levenshulme night market, which I had wanted to try for a while. It was full of trendy hipsters, had live music on and lots of really tasty food stalls. We shared a box of mixed samosas from Samosa Shack to start with, and then I had a Peruvian pulled pork roll from The Hungry Llama Street Food followed by a construct-your-own dessert from Yes Doughnuts. Mine was filled with custard, glazed, and topped with pretzels, oreos and walnuts - incredible! We popped into Heaton Moor on the way home for a drink at Tusk which had a funky design inside, though I have given up drinking for a few weeks so was I good and had a coffee.

Yesterday was a chilled, quiet one. I met Mum for a wander around Sainsburys and John Lewis in Cheadle and we stopped for our usual free hot drink and cake in the cafe (you get a voucher every few months with a My John Lewis card which doesn't cost to sign up for - go  go go!). We stuck with two classics, carrot and chocolate fudge cake, and afterwards she came back to the flat to dye my hair. FYI - the track for this week above is one I've found through Candid and I love the summery vibe it has, I'm clinging on to the sunshine for as long as I can get away with! I also got a poem up on Instagram, read it here.

Today a few of the girls toddled over to Abi's for coffee and a catchup, as we have not seen each other since Hana's wedding. I then drove into Manchester to meet Moj at Chapter One Books, a super cute coffee shop that has a beautiful interior complete with fountains, statues and fairy lights, and is open 24 hours a day! You can also buy second hand and new books from there so I was in my element lounging on one of the massive sofas oogling them all. We also finally had 'The Conversation', where we both said though we like spending time with each other and are happy continuing with how things are, neither of us really see it having a proper future, which was quite a relief to know we are both on the same page (pardon the bookstore pun). For now, I'm happy going on pleasant dates with a fit dude until the time comes that I want something more concrete.

We both felt a bit peckish after coffee so decided to stay in town for some food. Moj suggested Habesha, an Ethiopian place in the gay village. We shared two dishes: yetsom beyaynetu, a combination dish of various vegan curries and vegetables served on injera, a thin spongy pancake type Ethiopian bread with a slightly sour taste, and lega tibs which was a tomato based stewed dish with cubed lamb and vegetables. The injera is used to scoop up the dishes with your hands so no cutlery is needed, which was a fun experience. It was cool trying something completely different to anything I have eaten before, and the restaurant had a very casual vibe, almost like being sat in someone's house. For all its flaws, that's something I enjoy about the whole dating game, discovering new places to visit from people. I am back at mine now, stuffed and feeling strangely unburdened after our emo chat, ready to begin a new week!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Thirty One

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

(Sylvester McNutt)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Eighteen

'Embrace the glorious mess that you are.'

(Elizabeth Gilbert)

So I would have liked to begin this week's post by recounting my fantastic day/ night out to The Oast House and Revolucion de Cuba on Sunday, however, it is all rather blurry, and I woke up fully clothed and covered in multiple mysterious bruises at my mum's on Monday morning without the foggiest how I got there, and £130 worse off, whoops. I was later told I was put into a taxi by my friend Jonny at around half midnight as I could barely stand, and we had lost everyone with no phone battery between us. It was end of November that I last got blackout drunk, and unsurprisingly it is not something I ever enjoy. It usually occurs when I am playing catchup (check) and haven't eaten much beforehand (check). Slap on the wrist for me, and gold stars to those poor souls who had to endure/ look after me!

Since that debaucle, we have stepped into the lovely month of May, which now means I can say it is my birthday next month (those who know me are used to my over-enthusiastic countdown). With the added bonus of the Bank Holiday Monday off this week, I finally feel like I have had a chance to slow down and recuperate a little after a crazy (albeit fun) last few weeks. Despite the lingering hangover, on Monday I managed a walk around Styal with Ferryn and Mum before an evening of much needed junk food (mac and cheese is my ultimate cure), doggy cuddles and vegging on the sofa.

Speaking of cures...this week's track is from another of my absolute idols - the one and only Lady Gaga. I love her boldness, her outlook on life and pretty much her entire back catalogue, and this song is gold.



On Wednesday lunchtime I met with Hattie and Emily, the two girls I used to help out with at the Matter of Sound YouTube channel. We went to Ezra and Gil in the Northern Quarter for a coffee (and salted caramel shortbread) and to discuss upcoming plans as I want to get more involved. We are running a new monthly event called Band and Bean - click for details - at Grindsmith coffee shop in Media City. The next one is this Tuesday and it's free, so those in Manchester pop along! 

On Thursday after a week falling behind I managed to get a new poem up on Instagram (read it here) and did another overnight stay at Aum's; and then on Friday it was fancy dress time for Emily and Smeed's Sten - Stag and Hen - do. Now most girls (myself included) usually try and find a costume that is a bit sexy, or at least still makes you look half decent for a night out; but that went out of the window for me as I donned a labcoat and geek specs and went as Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory (the theme was the '90s). 

We started in good ol' Footage where we used to sneak in underage at 16/17 and hide in the toilets when the bouncers came around, and followed it up with Mudslide cocktails in Font, which miraculously are still only £2. A few of us then ended up in The Salisbury doing fireball whiskey shots (it will always be a dive, but is still a laugh for the memories) and finally in Zombie Shack, as it was the only place still letting in at 2am and cocktails were £5. Everyone made a big effort with costumes and a good crowd was out so it was a top night.

Yesterday I went to a housewarming party in Altrincham. Abbey and Laura are sisters the same age as Jasmine and I and we went to school together and grew up around the corner from each other. They have bought a house between them that Laura now lives in with some of Jasmine's close friends as Abbey lives in London. Our parents are besties as well so we went as a family and it was a lovely day; there were some tasty homemade curries, the sun shone and it was cool to mingle with some new people as there were lots of different friendship groups there. We played party games and ended up boozing until the early hours - lots of fun. 

Today two heavy nights (along with all the rest) have caught up with me, and I am hungover, shattered and to put the icing on the cake I think I am getting poorly too. I am off to watch some trashy TV - a big blanket on the sofa and some hot vimto is calling me! 

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Fifteen

'Don't be eye candy, be soul food'

(unknown)

So I started off this week with a stonking two day hangover after seeing 2manyDJs on Sunday, who were AMAZING! Such a fun night, we had a few cocktails (espresso martinis were needed to keep me going) in the bar section of Gorilla first before heading into the gig venue at about 11pm and we left at 2am when the event finished.

 My track for this week has to be their alter ego project Soulwax's remix of Tame Impala's Let It Happen, as the original is an absolute tune already, but they somehow manage to get away with mashing it up, and when it played last night it sent the crowd wild. 

I managed to power through the pain on Monday and met my mate MC who I'd gone to the gig with for lunch, though sunglasses had to be utilised! We went to Dough in the Northern Quarter where we both opted for the Surf and Turf pizza, which was delicious, but then what's not to like about steak, chorizo and king prawns on a pizza?!

On Tuesday I went to Grindsmith coffee shop in Media City to support Matter of Sound's first live event; Band and Bean. Three acts played: Violet Youth (babyfaces with great potential), Dantevilles (proper Mancs with beaut voices) and Natalie McCool (kick-ass rock chick, I saw her back in 2014 at my first ever Sofar Sounds) and I had a latte and a glass of wine and chatted to Hattie and Emily the girls I used to help out at the channel with. I took C with me as thought it would be a nice chilled evening, and I finally got a kiss out of it - waiting until 4th meeting is a new record, slow burner is definitely working!

On Wednesday I went to watch Dua Lipa with Ellie at The O2 Ritz as I am writing a review of the show for the next print issue of Candid Magazine. I drove as felt like I needed an alcohol detox, but it was still a lively, dance filled night, and Off Bloom the support were cracking - a Danish band full of electro beats and angst that really warmed the crowd up. 

I was back at work on Thursday, but it wasn't too bad as Aum had a playdate and I took them to Energi Trampoline Park in Wilmslow; so I had a coffee and muffin and did some work whilst they tired themselves out. It is an awesome place, I am going to give it a go myself next time, it had a dodgeball court, gymnast hoops over a sponge pit, a climbing wall and Gladiator style battle area as well as all the normal trampolines. 

That night I went out in Manchester with C, to a DJ night called Love Dose at Hidden club. We went to Stage and Radio beforehand for a few drinks, where Simba the resident DJ from my uni days at Sugarhouse happened to be playing which was a fab surprise! We stayed out super late and got very messy and I wore a new top I have been saving - it was one of the best nights I've had in ages, and a welcome change to the venues I normally go to in town.

On Friday after a LOT of faff with cancelled trains, I eventually made it to Leeds 1.5 hours later than anticipated to visit my friend Bex who lives in a cute little suburb called Chapel Allerton. We had a proper catch up over her homemade chili and a couple of bottles of fizz/ wine, and then went into the city for a night out. We started in Banyan, which is fairly new, although we only stayed for one as despite being 10pm it was pretty quiet. After we went to Roxy Ballroom, a cool bar with beer- and ping-pong tables (that coincidentally is opening in Manchester at the end of April) for prosecco and shots, and then had a couple of cocktails that were 241 (the salted caramel espresso martini was perfect!) in Mr Nobody, before heading home as Bex had hit it a little too hard!

My parents picked me up from Bex's on Saturday lunchtime en route to my grandparents in Leven, Yorkshire as we were meeting up with a group of the family for a celebratory meal for my Grandad's 80th back in January. 17 of us went to a standard 241 pub called The Nag's Head, but it was so impressive! I had a dish off the huge special's board; the salmon, king prawn and cod lasagne, served with garlic bread and a really yummy side salad of parmesan and sundried tomatoes, and then I shared the raspberry ripple bread and butter pudding with Mum. Considering we were a big group the service was excellent, and everyone raved about the food, lamb kashmir curry, ribeye steak, chicken and gammon pie, spare ribs - all top notch! My aunt and uncle have recently bought a sweet shop (Sweet Sensations with Tradition in Hornsea), so my cousin made us all personalised little favours with sweets and a cupcake to take home to mark the occasion which was very cute.

Today I was awake quite early, so I made the most of the pleasant day and went for a stroll along Hornsea beach with the family and the dog - it was the first time Ferryn had encountered sand, or the sea! I had some classic seaside doughnuts with Mr Whippy ice cream as a treat before we ate a massive buffet courtesy of my grandma and then travelled home to Manchester. C came 'round to mine in the evening (and brought Chinese, what a babe!) but he was on call so barely finished his starter before he had to leave for a job he was needed on. It was a blessing to be honest as I'm absolutely pooped, I'm so glad to have the Bank Holiday off tomorrow!