Days Out...

Cheshire Oaks

Now that I don't work at the pub on Saturdays I have the novelty of a two day weekend, so today my mum ad I decided to go to Cheshire Oaks for a shop and some lunch. I have been looking for a nice winter coat for a while now, so thought that I may be able to get a decent one a bit cheaper with it being an outlet village.

We set off at just gone ten so arrived at eleven, and managed to get a car parking spot close to the shops, which is definitely a bonus. The first purchases of the day were from Warehouse, a really nice pair of red and black print silk trousers that are pyjama style, and a nylon burgundy track jacket with a gold zip that has a sport-luxe feel. I then found some really nice Miss 60 jeans that were stonewashed denim and had leather laces down the calf. They were £68, which isn't bad for a good pair of jeans, but with it being a fairly substantial buy I left them so that I could have a little think about it!

I got a top for the gym for £4 from the Nike shop, and then found my perfect coat - in Next of all places! It is corally red, the exact colour of the strap on my Mark Jacobs bag, so it seemed like a good omen. I had budgeted about £120 for it, but this one was only £30, so I felt less guilty for buying lots of other things that I didn't desperately need. 

By this time it was around 2pm, and we were both feeling peckish, so stopped at Wagamama for some food. I love the place, but my mum had never been, so it felt like the perfect opportunity. I chose the new dish called asai udon: flat noodles in a tamarind sauce with egg, tofu, prawns, lime and garnished with peanut, while my mum went for my favourite, cha han, a rice dish with mushroom, sweetcorn, mangetout, spring onions, prawns and chicken. It comes with a side order of pickles and a bowl of miso soup - an acquired taste, but I love it! 

My first purchase after lunch was a pair of brown leather flatforms with leopard print on the front and a buckle across from Soled Out- they are gorgeous! I also bought a pair of dark purple tights from M&S, and two t-shirts from Vans that were buy one get one half price, so it was only £10.50 for them both! They are fairly simple, but will be perfect to wear with jeans for work.

By this time we were flagging, so stopped at McDonalds for a coffee and cake, (everywhere else was packed full and it was too cold to sit outside) and then we drove home; but not before I sneaked back to Miss 60 for my jeans!

Traveller's Tales...

Sibford Ferris, Stow & Stratford

On Thursday I drove down  visit my friend Timna who lives in Sibford Ferris in Oxford. I was so tired driving it was pretty arduous, but I eventually arrived at 2.30pm and was greeted with a lovely cuppa.

That evening we went to Bicester Village, which is an outlet mall similar to Cheshire Oaks. I had little money to buy anything, but came away with a nice triangle shaped titanium ring, and some nipple tassles from Agent Provocateur! I mainly bought them as they look really cool on display in my room - don't judge! We ate tea at Pret a Manger and then drove back to Timna's. 

Later on at 11pm we went round to our other friend Laura's house in Kingham, as she had 'exciting news' to tell us. We had basically guessed it was that she had got engaged, so we picked some flowers from the garden for her, and luckily we were right! We spent until the early hours getting very giddy, drinking prosecco and discussing wedding plans - all very grown up!

The following day we had a lie in and ate pancakes for breakfast before driving to Stow to meet Laura again (this time without her fiancé). We went to Huffkins bakery for afternoon tea, and ordered one for three people which was huge! It had little finger sandwiches with gorgeous fillings like salmon and avocado, chicken and bacon, ploughmans and tuna and sweetcorn; scones with jam and clotted cream, and a selection of cakes including flapjack, brownies and hazelnut meringues. We ate as much as we could, and then got a doggy bag to take home, they had made a mistake with some of our sandwiches so we got a seperate plate for free - we had loads left!

We said our goodbyes to Laura and made our way back to Sibford to collect Timna's mum to go to Stratford (she was picking a new car up). Timna and I wandered around the shops and along the river while her mum got the car, and then we parted ways and I drove home to Manchester. It took me 2 1/2 hours even with traffic which I was impressed with, and meant I had time to go out when I got back. I had a lovely couple of days and it was really nice to see Laura and Dickon to celebrate their engagement. It is a shame that so many of my uni friends live down South!

Traveller's Tales...

Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet

As I missed Mother's Day last week due to visiting my friend down South, my mum and I had decided to spend today doing something nice together. We got ready and then drove to Cheshire Oaks in the lovely sunshine for a spot of shopping. We got there at around 1pm and started in Ralph Lauren.

The outlet is a McArthur Glen one (they have them at various places around the country - I have also frequented the York one) and so everything is cheaper than in the normal shops, sometimes to a ridiculous degree, not that I'm complaining.

My first purchases were two bras from Elle McPherson Intimates, which are lovely and were only £5 each. They had loads available, so I had to choose carefully! Unfortunately they only had the matching briefs and thongs in big sizes, so I'll have to improvise with stuff I already have to make them complete sets.

We worked our way steadily around the perimeter, before stopping for some lunch at Pret A Manger. I was paying as a belated Mother's Day treat, and we had some soup each (I had pea and ham, Mum had curried lentil and chickpea) and then shared a crayfish and rocket sandwich. In hindsight we really didn't need both, as the soups were very thick and hearty, but we still just about managed to finish everything. I would insert a picture of our food here, if I had not forgotten my camera, and my Iphone had run out of battery!

After lunch we continued shopping, and I ended up with a couple of nice smart/ casual tops from Vans, a beautiful Fiorelli handbag that has been put away for my birthday later in the year, and a top and dress from Karen Millen. Both are very structured, the top is quite Japanese in style as it is sleeveless with a high collar, with a neckline that then drops, and was only £25. The dress was an absolute bargain, as I saw it reduced to £50 from £190 which already was a huge saving, and then when I tried it on I realised the zip was broken, so it had another £15 sliced off the price! Luckily I have a couple of people that I can call upon to help fix it, as it is gorgeous - black bodycon style, with a lace top panel that has a swirled pattern appliquéd on, I am hoping to have it ready to wear for when I go to New York in a couple of weeks.

It got to around 4.30pm and we were beginning to feel a little shopped out, so we stopped at Mcdonalds for a cheap coffee and McFlurry before heading back home, laden down with our bags. I am excited for my birthday to hurry up now so I can get my handbag! I have since worked out that all my purchases should have cost me £414, yet I paid £86. Well worth a visit if you are ever in the Ellesmere Port area!

Traveller's Tales...

York

Yesterday, I headed further up the country to visit York with my parents and sister. On the way there we stopped off at the White Rose centre in Leeds for a spot of shopping. I didn't really get much, just some shoes and a ring from Primark, but it was retail therapy all the same! After having lunch at Subway, we continued on our journey.

We were staying at the Holiday Inn by the race course. We arrived and dumped our bags before going into the city centre, which was about a two mile walk. The last time I was in York was approximately five years ago, so it was good to have another wander around to see some of the historical sites, such as Ouse Bridge and the city walls. We popped into a couple of shops, but mainly just absorbed the atmosphere. There was a really cool little continental market on, that appeared to sell everything from ostrich burgers to potted plants, so that was a nice surprise for us upon arrival.

Completely by coincidence, we bumped into my Aunt and Uncle near the Shambles area, so went to a pub called The Old Swan for a drink with them. It was lovely inside, and we decided to call back in the evening to eat there, as the menu looked tasty. After we had said goodbye to our visitors, we went for a look outside the Minster, and the surrounding buildings, which are Tudor style and very pretty. We then called in at The Star, which is supposedly the most haunted pub in Britain. Unfortunately we didn't experience any paranormal activity (though that is probably a good thing) but I did enjoy a delicious latte there!

At this point it was dark and getting towards evening so we went back to The Swan for our food. We had a three course set menu that was only £13.95, and the food was gorgeous. I had deep fried Brie with cranberry sauce, followed by steak and chips and then raspberry and rhubarb crumble with custard. You can't beat the British classics!

We then went on a ghost walk. There are loads to choose from, but we went with one that had five stars on Trip Advisor and was supposed to be the original, started in 1973. It wasn't a gimmicky one that required costumes and cheap tricks, just a tour around some of the sights that had stories attached to them. It was interesting, and had a few moments where I jumped! I think if I were to do one again though, I'd go for one in between the two, as I would have liked a few more really creepy stories.

We then walked back with weary feet, and played a couple of cards games before hitting the sack. The next day, we checked out and went to the McArthur Glen outlet on the way home. It wasn't as good as other ones I've been to, but there were a couple of shops with massive reductions, and I tried a few things on (though unfortunately came away empty handed!). A thoroughly enjoyable couple of days.