Weekly Update!

Catchups, Cakes & Clowns!

The week got off to a good start when I was told Aum was going to Pontefract after school on Monday, so I had a nice coffee and cake at Costa with Abi in the afternoon, and then once I had picked Aum up and dropped him at home I was free to go back to my house for a bit of a break before my shift at the pub. We were really busy that night - I made triple the amount of tips I usually do!

On Tuesday I was able to lie in, as Aum wasn't back until half twelve, and then I took him into school for the afternoon so he was in a very good mood after such a shortened day. On Wednesday I went to the gym and did a proper workout which was good, and then in the evening I went to see The Vaccines with my friend Rick (see previous post). We went to Factory afterwards for a night out, and I bumped into the ex-boyfriend of a friend which was strange - he had completely changed! It was good to catch up, and Rick and I had a really good night, even though I got home at 4am and had to be in work at 7.45am!

Thursday was Aum's birthday, which got off to a great start when I locked my keys inside the house, forcing us to have to start walking to school whilst we waited for his mum to drive back from work to pass me a key! It worked out OK in the end though, and he loved his present from me which was a bonus. As they were going out for a meal after school, I finished once I had dropped him off in the morning, so promptly went back to bed to catch a bit more shut-eye!

On Friday after work I drove to Lancaster to see my friend Weronika. We were supposed to be going for a meal, but we decided to stay in and have some pizza and garlic bread at hers before going out for a couple of drinks. We met some friends in The Friary, where it was the rock and indie night which took me back to my Urbis days! Despite us intending going home fairly early, we managed to find our way onto the free guestlist for Sugarhouse so continued our night in there, before a group of us went back to Weronika's for an 'afterparty' which went on until 7.30am! 

On Saturday we woke up at 10.30am, so I was completely knackered, but livened up a bit after having some scrambled eggs with toast and beans and getting ready. I drove into Manchester at 1pm, and Weronika came with me so we could do a bit of shopping. I bought some lilac hair dye, which is going to be my project for the Christmas holiday! On Saturday evening I went round to Emily and Smeed's where we made a cake for Aum's birthday party.   (see previous post). It was nice just to chill out for once on a Saturday, and get a relatively early night.

Today I had a super lie in, and then got ready for Aum's party, which was at the Marriott. He had two entertainers called Kuki and Krumbs who kept the kids occupied, and then there was a mini disco, which a few parents joined in for! There was a bit of food for the adults (bagels and cupcakes etc) and drinks, and people were all chatting and enjoying themselves, so it was a nice day. I got home at half 6, and spent the rest of this evening watching TV and having a catch up on the phone with Lydia. A nicely varied weekend!

Weekly Update!

Cake, Catch-ups & Sunshine!

This week has been pretty fun-filled actually, and together with some gorgeous weather has been one of the best of 2012 so far! I worked Monday (Aum was ill so it was a full day nannying as well), and babysat on Wednesday night, so together with my late finish on Tuesday as usual, my week didn't really start until Thursday. I did a couple of lovely runs in the sunshine during the days though which gave me something to keep me occupied, as well as a Total Workout, and two yoga classes - at least if this bikini weather stays I'll have my summer body sorted!

On Wednesday after I had picked Aum up from school we went to The Cake Gallery, a little cafe around the corner from his house, and I opted for the maple and pecan cake, which had three tiers! I had it with a pot of tea, while Aum had a Ribena and a chocolate cupcake with mini eggs on top. It was very reasonably priced (£6.60 for everything) and the interior of the place is really lovely, all white Parisian style furniture and pretty china crockery.

On Thursday evening after I had finished work I met up with a couple of the girls for a few glasses of wine and a chat. We went to The Griffin in Bowdon (which is literally around the corner from where I work) and happened to be there on Quiz Night, so took our chances at a go. We didn't do amazingly, I think we were sixth out of twelve, but at least we weren't last!

On Friday after work I drove straight to Lancaster for my friend Amanda's 21st birthday party. The traffic was horrendous, so it took me an hour and a half, but I still got there for seven so it wasn't too bad. Another of my friends who I hadn't seen since graduation was up for the weekend, so it was lovely catching up, and there were quite a few girls out so I wasn't in the minority as is normally the case.

We predrank at Amanda's and then got taxis to Wetherspoons where we shared some pitchers before going on to Sugarhouse. It was the last night before everyone was leaving for Easter, so it was rammed! We all had a really good night, and the following morning was beautiful, so I dragged my airbed outside and we had a sunbathe while the boys cooked some stuff on a barbecue. After a slight doze and a lemon meringue ice cream, it was time for me to leave, as I was working at the pub at 5pm for a 30th birthday party. I completely lost track of time and had to rush home and get ready really quickly, but just about made it. I stayed until nearly half past midnight, and was knackered when I eventually made it to my bed!

Today I went to Cheshire Oaks with my mum (see previous post) and when we came back we had tea and cakes in the garden before the sun disappeared!

Weekly Update! (From yesterday)

Paella, High Tea & Shameless!

This week I didn't do a lot until the end of the week. I made some chocolate crispy cakes with Aum on Thursday while I was babysitting which were really nice, and then on Friday I went to Emily and Smeed's house for tea with the girls. She had made a tasty chorizo and chicken paella, and I took a camembert which we baked and had with breadsticks for our starter. Natasha bought a lovely dessert that was a mixture between a pavlova and a cake - it had sponge, then whipped cream and forest fruits, topped with lemon cream and white chocolate shavings!

On Saturday I worked at the pub, and then drove straight to Lancaster afterwards for a night out there. There were a lot of us out which was cool, although Geoff and I somehow managed to lose everyone else and ended up wandering around until 3am! We caught the last bus home and stayed up

chatting for a while before I slept until midday - it's a long time since that has happened! I felt awful the following day, my body has obviously lost its alcohol tolerance! I pulled myself together though and got ready to go out with Timna for afternoon tea at The Borough. We had it last summer as a goodbye celebration and so thought it would be nice to go back for a catch up. The mini sandwiches and cream cakes perked me right up, and I drove to Chris' house after dropping Timna back at uni.

We had a gorgeous lamb roast dinner, and then watched a few episodes of Shameless before going to bed. I now have a week off work which is going to be amazing - I definitely need to recharge my batteries!

Weekly Update!

Back to working life!

This week was slightly confusing as I only arrived home from Dublin late on Monday evening, so I felt like I was a day behind for the whole week!

Tuesday I was back at work, which brought me back to reality, but it wasn't too bad as Chris stayed at my house while I was there, so when I came back I just chilled out for the rest of the day, eating nice food and watching rubbish television! Wednesday and Thursday were pretty boring, I was just doing jobs and filling my time with mindless things, although I did manage to buy a few Christmas presents.

On Friday I had my hair tinted a silvery-grey colour, which I really like, and it is a welcome change from the normal blonde I have been for a while now. I have been coveting the shade for ages, so it is good to finally see what I look like with it. I went out for a few drinks at one of my local pubs in the evening; it has recently been refurbished so we were all curious to see what it looked like. It is much more luxurious in there now, I think it is trying to compete with the upmarket gastro-pubs that we are surrounded with near where I live.

The following day I worked at the pub, and then drove straight to Lancaster for a night out with my old university friends. I picked up my friend Emily and her boyfriend on the way, as they fancied a change of scenery, and Chris was there visiting too. We drank for quite a while in the townhouse on campus, before going to the Pendle Witch and then to good ol' Hustle the shooter bar, for some disgustingly strong shots. After that we went to Sugarhouse, which was nicely bustling, and had a tequila stand for the night. I saw a few familiar faces, and got tipsy enough to forget about hectic life for a while which was fun.

On Sunday I drove us all home, and Chris came back with me for a Sunday roast (though it was toad-in-the-hole, so cheating slightly!). We were knackered so had a little catnap in the afternoon, before I took him to the station to catch a train back to Crewe. The weekend went too fast, especially seen as it is my last free one before Christmas (!) but it was fun all the same.

Weekly Update!

Nannying & Return to Lancaster!

This week was super busy as I have taken on nannying holiday cover for a fortnight, so I've literally been working twelve hour days! It's been hectic but well worth it for the money, and the little boy I look after is really sweet. He is always pretty busy doing after school activities and things, but there is some time to just mess around and play, and we made chilli together on Tuesday, which was fun.

After my working week was officially over, I came home, got changed and caught a train to Lancaster for the weekend. The first night I went straight to

my friend's birthday party, which was cops and robbers themed. Everyone had put in some effort, and we had jelly shots and cake, and took lots of photos. We then all headed to Sugarhouse, where luckily we had queue jump, as with it being Freshers Week it was pretty chaotic!

The following day I was feeling a little fragile, not helped by getting up at 8.30am to watch the rugby. After another hours nap once it had finished, I managed to crawl out of bed and get myself ready to go for late lunch with my friend Helen who is back for her fourth year. We went to the Whaletail Cafe, a vegetarian joint that had an

industrial feel to it as it was upstairs in what seemed like a warehouse. It had been decked out to look all pretty though, with fairy lights, comfy chairs and some lovely hand crafted paintings and sculptures. I had sweet potato, lentil and smoked cheese rissoles (sort of ball things) off the specials board, and they were served with crème fraiche, and a gorgeous salad with chickpeas, lentils and carrot. I was tempted by a dessert, as some of the cakes sounded delicious, but I was so full I gave it a miss, and bought a Yummy Cupcake for later on!

That evening I went out again, but this time with my friend Claire (also back for fourth year) and my flatmates from second year, who I was staying with. Chris was up for the weekend as well, and there were lots of graduates in Sugarhouse, so it was a proper little reunion. I paced myself a little better second time around, so on Sunday morning I felt a lot more alive, and after a sausage and bacon barm courtesy of Spar on campus, I was back on track for my next hard working week.

Weekly Update!

Sun, Cupcakes & Frisbee!

This week was my first proper week back at uni since Easter. It has been awesome catching up with everyone, and the weather for once has been lovely!

On Monday after a gloriously unproductive day, Chris came to mine for tea, and we had pork steaks with pasta salad and guacamole- it was delicious, and nice and light for a warm summery day. On Tuesday I walked into town to run a few errands, before going onto campus to use the gym (though I was still aching from Saturday's session!) and then in the evening I chilled out in front of the telly before catching an early night.

Wednesday was a lovely day, as I went to watch The Hangover Part II, followed by a Yummy Cupcake Company visit (white chocolate and raspberry if you were interested) and then in the evening all my friends came round and I made a huge lasagne with garlic bread for us all to munch on. It was a late and rather drunken evening, which was a great way for me to catch up on everything I've been missing in Lancaster.

On Thursday I slept in quite late, and after washing up the mountains of dishes from the previous night, settled down for an Apprentice marathon, as I hadn't seen any of this series so far. Another nice lazy day, as I was making the most of not feeling guilty about revising due to my exams still being a week away.

I gymmed again on Friday, before meeting my dad and his friends who had come up to visit for the day/ night. One drink in the Pendle Witch with them then turned into a bar crawl from there to Yate's, The George and Dragon, The Water Witch and ended with shot sticks in Revolution. We had a cheeseboard and wine in The Water Witch which was amazing, and it was only £12.95 for 3 big wedges of cheese, tomato chutney and homemade bread and butter, so not bad considering it fed 5 people.

Yesterday I wandered home from Chris' (I'd had to stay there as all the beds were taken in my house!) and then after a quick change I went to sit on the University of Cumbria field with some friends in the sun. We had a little makeshift picnic, played a bit of frisbee, and I managed to get a nice little tan going! In the evening I tagged along to a friend of a friend's birthday night out, as I wanted to enjoy my last weekend of freedom before revision kicked in. They had a strange oxygen bar in Sugarhouse, which although I tried, I have to say wasn't too impressive.

Today I've been rather hungover in bed, but I'm looking forward to a nice chicken casserole and some roasties later on when Chris is coming to stay. You can't beat a bit of comfort food to perk you up the day after a night out!

Weekly Update!

Return to Lancaster (& a Mexican!)

This week started slowly, as I worked an eight hour shift on Monday, from 9am until 5pm. It perked up when I got home though, as I went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean film with my family (see previous post).

On Tuesday I went into Masquerade Magazine again, probably for the final time due to some complications which is unfortunate. In the evening we had smoked haddock in a cheese and chive sauce which was delicious, and then I decided to chance watching the new MTV show, Geordie Shore. I can't recommend it for quality of viewing, but it certainly made me laugh, as some of the characters on it are tragic!

On Wednesday I had a much required lie-in followed by a nice run and then did a spot of shopping, ready to return to university at the weekend. I had a gorgeous salad for tea, so felt like I had a very healthy day overall! Thursday was another early morning ready for work at 7am, but afterwards I did some packing and sorted out some food to take on my return to Lancaster.

I worked Friday morning as well, but it went really fast as I knew it was my last shift until I finish uni for good. After a quick nap and packing the last few bits, I set off with my mum at around half six. We left it until later as we had heard that there was a crash on the motorway, but we still managed to hit traffic, and it took us nearly two and a half hours to get there! I was driving, and it is definitely the worst traffic I have been in before, but at least it gave me some clutch control practice.

Yesterday I went onto campus to use the gym for the first time in ages, and I loved doing a good ol' workout, though I was rather stiff this morning! After some lunch and a shower I started getting ready for my first Lancaster night out in 11 weeks. I left the house at half eight, and got a lift to Crows Restaurant to celebrate my friend Natasha's 20th birthday. I had the Chicken Santa Fe, which was strips of chicken breast in a spicy barbecue style chipotle sauce with peppers, served in a deep fried tortilla basket with mexican rice and sour cream. It was my fourth visit to the restaurant, and I've tried something different each time, so thought I should stick with tradition. I also shared a jug of white wine sangria, which I hadn't heard of, but it was lovely and helped to cool my mouth down after the hot meal!

After the meal we went for a few shooters and a boogie in Hustle before finishing the night in Sugar, where I met some other friends that I hadn't seen since before Easter. It was the perfect start to the summer term!

Weekly Update!

Cheese, Art and Farming?!

I've had a really good time this week. Except for crucial work and lectures/ seminars, I gave myself the week off as a reward for completing the dissertation. On Monday night, the fashion society all came round to my house and we had a cheese and wine night, which was gorgeous! We had about ten different types of cheese, olives, crackers, apple, grapes and chutney, and we gorged and quaffed until we were nicely tiddly and full to burst. We had some classic comedy moments as well, which is always a giggle.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I chilled out at home, watching rubbish TV and eating lots of chocolate and drinking tea. I also popped into town on Wednesday for a few bits, and had a gander at the market which always smells and looks delish.

On Thursday I went to see Ed Pien's 'Momento' exhibition, at a free art gallery with my boyfriend, before he cooked me a lovely curry. It was interesting, it was just one big room with a rope construction, that reminded me of those rope climbing frames you get on children's playgrounds. It had mirrors placed around it and a film playing that caught on the mirrors, so it had quite an eerie feel to it. We were only there for about twenty minutes, but considering it was in a place I'd never been before (The Storey Institute) it was good to discover another part of Lancaster. Afterwards I went to watch LUTG's production of The Rivals at the town hall (see previous post).

On Friday I went to the gym and then had a few friends round for some drinks and a takeaway. They arrived after my corner shop had closed, so we didn't get very drunk, but it was pleasant nonetheless.

Saturday was the arrival of Campusfest, an event on campus that is in its second year. During the day there are stalls and performances by societies, and in the evening there are a few different bands and dancers, topped off with a firework display. It was really good last year, so I was looking forward to it. The day was gloriously sunny, which makes a change for Lancaster,

and after arriving at about 2pm, we settled on a table for the day. We saw the bellydancers and ballroom dancers perform, and had a wander around some of the stalls, which included decorating cakes with the baking society, and playing Guitar Hero with the gaming soc. We went to the bar for a while to watch the rugby (I just followed despite not being a huge fan) and then had bratwursts for £1.50 for tea and watched some of the bands.

Later on in the evening (after borrowing a hoody now the sun had disappeared) I bought a bottle of wine and a white chocolate crepe from The Pancake Man, and watched October Skies and Fables, two bands that some of my friends are in. They were both really good, and it was super chilled, almost like a proper festival. We then headed off to Sugar later on for some dancing. It was really nice to have something to do to fill up a Saturday for once, other than moping and sleeping!

On Sunday I was doing a favour for my friend Danielle. She has applied for a position with Saatchi and Saatchi, and she is required to make an advert for them to judge her on. She chose to do the Yeo Valley advert, so four of us spent the day prancing around in farmer's outfits, 'rapping' and fooling around. It was really good fun, and we also got to see some super cute baby animals on a local farm we filmed at. A jam-packed week that tired me out, but was an awesome way to kick-back after weeks of work stress!

Weekly Update!

1 Completed Dissertation, Food- Greek Style, and Pancakes!

This week was the best and worst, in that I had to write the last of my dissertation like a madwoman, but then also had the satisfaction of handing it in and relaxing afterwards. The main reason I was in such a rush to finish was that I spent most of Monday hungover after a spontaneous drinking session with my dad on Sunday evening, and had to make mountains of cakes and biscuits (luckily aided by my mum) to sell at our fashion show on Tuesday. Tuesday was then spent in lectures and rehearsing/ performing in said fashion show. Exhausting!

So Wednesday I had to crack down, and managed to finish the first draft by 1am, which I then edited on Thursday morning, had bound, and handed it in by 4pm. I celebrated by having a pot of tea with my friend (because I'm that crazy) and then in the evening I went to The Trojan Horse, a new Greek restaurant in Lancaster with my boyfriend.

When we first walked in we were a little on edge, as we were the only people in there, but then we were taken upstairs, where a few other tables were occupied. We shared two starters- peppers stuffed with feta cheese, and Dolmades which is sticky rice with mint wrapped in vine leaves. For our main courses we each ordered Souvlaki, basically kebabs, which came with chips, pitta bread, salad and Tsatziki, and the portions were huge. I had a vegetarian option which had courgette, mushrooms, peppers and halloumi cheese, while my boyfriend opted for the pork version, and we swapped a kebab each so we could try both. After a bit of a rest I chose a dessert as well- I was celebrating! I had a triple chocolate surprise, which was delicious, if a little difficult to eat given that it consisted of different types of chocolate layered over each other. The whole meal including a bottle of the house wine came to just over £40, but an error with our student discount meant we got it all for £29- shh!

On Friday I had a much deserved lie in and then hit the gym before going out for my friend's 21st, which was a standard night in Sugar really. I think I felt the need to go out as it would be expected having handed the big D in, but I wasn't too fussed, and came home relatively early. On Saturday I had the most amazing lazy day, without a hint of guilt. I lounged around, watched some bad telly, read a book, made a fabulous curry and then went round to my friend's house where we played card games and got drunk. It was much more what I felt like doing, so I really enjoyed myself.

Yesterday I ventured to the gym again, and then did some work before having a delayed pancake day as I missed it with being at the fashion show. I managed five of various flavours before feeling ridiculously full, but I think that is a fair achievement!

Weekly Update!

Bombay Sapphire, Fashion Show Plans and Home Cooking!

As the dreaded dissertation deadline looms, I am becoming increasingly less sociable, so this week contained the final few nights out before I chain myself to my desk next week!

On Monday after a productive Fashion Soc meeting, I went to watch a few friends play some dart matches and have a couple of glasses of wine. I ended up going home and cracking open a litre bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin that my parents brought me back from Jersey, and sharing it with my boyfriend and his housemate. So much for an early night!

Tuesday passed by in a flash, and on Wednesday I did a promo photoshoot for the fashion show that we are doing with Oxfam next week. We have a page in one of the local newspapers, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for it to buy one as a souvenir. On Wednesday evening a couple of the exec came round to sort some of the final details. We had some drinks and a laugh while we chose the songs we wanted to do the catwalk to. It was chilled but fun all the same, and we all got pretty excited for the upcoming event!

Thursday was fairly unproductive as yet again a session at the gym meant I wasn't ready to work until mid afternoon, and then an impromptu visit from my old flatmate started a quick chat that turned into an hour and a half talk. In the evening my boyfriend came around and I cooked us both kedgeree which was delicious.

On Friday it was my friend's 20th birthday, and as a present to him my boyfriend and I said we'd cook a main course and dessert for a group of eight of us. I went shopping in the morning for my ingredients, and also had a fitting at Joseph & Co for the clothes that I am modelling from there for the fashion show, the two dresses I was given are beautiful, so I'm mega excited now.

Our friends came round at half 6 for the meal, which was chilli con carne, followed by sticky toffee pudding, made completely from scratch. I was really impressed with how it all turned out, and it went down a treat. The only annoying thing was that as I preprepared the baking tins for dessert with butter, by the time I came to cook them it had melted which meant the puddings stuck to the tins slightly. But covered in toffee sauce and custard, noone could tell!

After we had eaten a few more people came round to mine for drinks (one brought a very impressive homemade birthday cake for Matt), and then we headed to Wetherspoons and The Sugarhouse. I wore the dress I bought in Liverpool, and got compliments left right and centre, it was amazing! A woman on the bus and a complete stranger in the club both came up and said how lovely I looked, which always make a night better.

Today was supposed to be spent doing work, but a slight hangover and a mountain of washing up prevented a surge in productivity, so I am happy that I've managed to clean the house, do some creative writing critiques and write a couple of blog posts, it's not been a completely wasted day!

Weekly Update!

Reading Week!

So this week was the best week of each term- reading week. A week supposed to be used productively to get work done, and well... read. For most students though, it means lie-ins, a trip home and as little work as possible!

My reading week this year did actually begin with some work, and I managed to reach the half-way mark with my dissertation- hurray, the end is in sight. On Tuesday I went to The Pendle Witch with the fashion soc girls for some lovely pub grub. I had chicken, ham and leek pie and a couple of glasses of wine as a reward for my hard work. On Wednesday I did some tour guiding on campus to earn my pennies, and then caught an evening train home. Lovely to sleep in my own bed again!

On Thursday I went to York with my family (see previous post) and returned on Friday. In the evening I met up with a couple of friends from home who happened to be around, and we went for some drinks. Considering we only went to my local town, I had a brilliant night, as we actually went to places we wouldn't normally. The first was one of the three Belgian bars that Altrincham has, where you are presented with a huge menu that is solely beer based to choose your drinks from, and it is table service which is always a bonus. I had three different fruity beers, which were delicious. Afterwards we went to a bar called The Green Room, that had a live reggae style band playing. We finished in a cocktail bar called The Classroom, where I had an FBI- which had ice cream in it mmm!

Yesterday I travelled back to Lancaster early with the intention of getting some more diss done, but that didn't happen. In the evening we had a reunion for the play I was in last term, it was awesome to see everyone together again and I had a fab night. This post is yet another way of procrastinating from work again though, so I better get to it!

Weekly Update!

Food, Friends and Fashion!

The beginning of this week was kind of slow, I did a bit of work, some grocery shopping and hit the gym. I also did some food experiments. I made eggs Benedict, including my own hollandaise sauce from scratch, and a twist on a traditional Victoria sponge through the addition of mixed spice to the mixture, and rhubarb jam for the centre- it was delicious!

On Wednesday I met up with my friend from home who also goes to Lancaster University, and we had lunch in one of the cafes on campus, which I had never been in. I was very impressed, mainly as a pot of tea was just 80p- Venue will definitely be seeing more of me in the future!

On Thursday I went to my friends on campus' flat for tea, cake and a gossip which was fun, and then that evening I went to The Friary for 'a few' drinks. It was an eventful night to say the least, and I definitely felt it the following day!

On Friday the Fashion Society took part in a mini fashion show at The Sugarhouse, called 'Fashion Through The Ages' as part of their 'Old's Cool' night. Despite models cancelling, and it being very last minute (we sorted all the clothes, order and practised just 3 hours before going on the catwalk!) it went really well, and the nerves were all worth it in the end. I was shattered from the night before, so basically left as soon as we had finished, after getting a shot to calm myself down, which I promptly spilt all over the counter as I was shaking so much!

Yesterday I chained myself to my desk, and managed to crank out 800 words of dissertation, which I was proud of. As a reward I went to watch a friend's band play in a small pub in town, and I was pleasantly surprised at what a fun time I had. They were really good, and the crowd participated so it was a really cool atmosphere to be surrounded by. We went for a few drinks afterwards, before heading home- I have definitely had about triple my alcohol intake this week, it's a good job it's reading week next week so I have time to catch up with work and re-cooperate slightly!

Tonight (after hopefully having another successful dissertation day) I am being cooked lamb stifado by my boyfriend, which should be tasty, and then we're going to watch 'Paul' at the cinema... watch this space for a review!

Weekly Update!

Cutting, Bleaching, Gigging, Guiding and Laddering!

This week's been pretty varied, which in my opinion is always the best way to live. On Monday after I had finished my seminar I went into town and got my hair cut at Toni and Guy (it was a half price model day, I don't spend any more than £20 on my hair!) Then I popped into the library and chanced across the complete illustrated works of Lewis Carroll. All thoughts of work then banished, I went to the Yummy Cupcake Company and read, accompanied by a cookies 'n' cream cupcake and a lovely cup of tea- lush! In the evening my boyfriend came round and cooked a gorgeous sausage casserole for us. Then we discovered Tool Academy, so spent the rest of the night catching up with the series!

Tuesday and Wednesday were very uneventful, except I dyed my hair, so it is now rootless and platinum once more. On Thursday I went to Oxfam with a few friends to choose our clothes for a fashion show we are doing soon, where we are customising second hand clothes and then (hopefully) selling them afterwards. In the evening I went for a few drinks in my local pub (which is surprisingly nice) with some friends. There also happened to be a quiz on that night that was free to enter, so we had a go, although we didn't even manage to make the top five!

On Friday I went to the gym and did some work before going to a last minute Fairport Convention gig in Morecambe with a couple of friends who had a spare ticket. I'd never even heard of them, let alone listened to their music, but after sampling them on Youtube, I was looking forward to it. They were really good, despite being unlike anything I would normally listen to, and even the support were worth getting there early for, which is a rarity in my experience. We caught a bus back to Lancaster, and then I made a last minute decision to go to Sugarhouse, even though I was wearing trainers and a studded belt! I had an awesome night though, as loads of people were out that I knew.

On Saturday I had to be up early as I was tourguiding for prospective students and their parents on campus. I had a horrendous headache and was starving, but managed to last until it finished at 3pm before going home for a 'nap' that lasted two hours! That evening was a 1920s themed LUFS social that had been planned for a while, so although I wasn't feeling on top form I still went out. Whether it was the amount of alcohol that I consumed, or there was still some in my system from the previous night, but I proceeded to get rather past the tipsy stage, resulting in a 12 inch pizza being consumed, and a clumsy trip over on the walk home that led to a ladder in my favourite tights. I'm clearly making the most of my last few months at university!

Weekly Update!

Fathers, LUFS and last minute partying!

The beginning of this week was spent worrying about a meeting with my dissertation tutor, which actually went surprisingly well, and I now don't feel like I am totally incapable of writing it! On Wednesday my dad came to Lancaster with three of his friends to go on one of their frequent bar crawls around town. It was good for me though, as I got quite a few free drinks and tea at the Friary paid for, as a thankyou for playing host for the night, and came home to a leftover garlic bread to eat the following day!

On Thursday it was the LUFS fundraiser for Tattered Lace, which was held at Mint cocktail bar. Despite a lack of numbers, we still made £80 and had a really nice night with the exec members and a few others. It was a 'lock-in' so we got some good drinks offers, and stayed until about 2.30am, before heading onwards to Lounge for even more drinks! I didn't feel too guilty though, as I hadn't been out in Lancaster since the first weekend back after the holidays, so was definitely due one.

Friday was a completely wasted day in the sense that I didn't do anything work-wise, however, it was productive in other ways, as I booked my flights to Paris for April (woop!) and also did some blogging and creative writing. All this as well as cooking lots of food and watching an excessive amount of TV- which must be enhancing my brain somehow?!

On Saturday I hit the gym in the morning, and then did a bit of dissertation work in the afternoon and evening, before a very last minute night out was thrust upon me. After fancying going out, but not receiving much interest, I'd pretty much rejected the idea, until a text at 10pm informed me I had an hour to get ready and get drinking. To say it was so spontaneous, it was one of the best nights out I've had this year, as there were so many different people that I knew who were out. Today again hasn't been filled with work as it should have been, but there's still time before I head to the quiz later, so I'm on it!

Weekly Update!

Food Glorious Food!

This week was my final one at home before heading back to university for my second term of final year (argh!). To be honest, I've not done a lot except copious readings before starting lectures again on Monday, and a few shifts at work to get some last minute money.

On Tuesday evening, my mum used her new slow cooker to make a lovely beef and horseradish stew that was lovely. We had it with peas and green beans and there were carrots and potatoes in the stew, that had gone deliciously sweet with it cooking for so long (7 hours!). We finished the meal off with Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ben and Jerrys with warm cinnamon cookies that we got from the Christmas Market in Manchester (see previous post), not quite as rustic, but tasty nonetheless!

On Wednesday my boyfriend came to stay and although we didn't do anything particularly exciting, he made us another nice meal- a kind of honey mustard chicken covered in poppy seeds which we had with rosemary and rock salt mini roast potatoes. We didn't have any honey as required in the recipe as my mum is allergic, so we used Golden Syrup instead, and although it is much sweeter, it worked fine. It's a good job I've been on a few runs this week, with all this yummy food consumption!

On Thursday we went to the Manchester Museum (see another previous post!) which was fun, and then Friday I worked a monster eight hour shift which actually went surprisingly quickly. Yesterday I had the task of moving all my stuff back in (including a temperamental rabbit!) and despite planning on doing some work once I had got settled, it took me that long to unpack that by the time I was done, it was time to get ready for my first night out back in Lancaster. I wore my new corset, which was worth the pain; and after pre-drinking at my boyfriend's house, went to Wetherspoons and then Sugarhouse. The night ended relatively early, as I wasn't really feeling it, but it was nice to see some faces that had been hidden away for four weeks!