Weekly Update!

Hatha, Street Fighter & Cheese! 

Monday saw my second trial of one of the yoga disciplines at Hale Country Club - this time Hatha. In a few classes I have attended, a great number of other people are pretty advanced, and at times I have felt snubbed for not being able to do more complicated positions. Fair enough, I appreciate that I am young and therefore relatively flexible, but after regularly attending yoga a couple of times a week for a year (which was mainly full of old women!), I have since had a year off, and concentrated on more weight and cardio based classes, so don't feel ready to attempt some of the advanced techniques just yet. 

Hopefully due to my history of yoga I will get back to the level I was practising at quickly, but I don't think anyone deserves to feel inadequate in any fitness class. However, I really enjoyed the Hatha class, as the teacher was relaxed and friendly, explaining things clearly and emphasising the importance of knowing your limits and not pushing them too hard, which is something I find a lot of other teachers fail to do. She gave alternatives to some of the harder positions, and her class had a good flow and structure, ending in a very pleasant relaxation session.

Tuesday was Mo's birthday so we went for a meal (see previous post), and on Wednesday I went for lunch with Abi at Gastronomy. I had Cheshire Rarebit with chutney and salad, which was just the indulgence I needed after missing breakfast; and the evening was spent baking Mo a belated birthday cake, a chocolate sponge. I then decorated it during the day on Thursday to look like a Street Fighter Fightstick, which I was pretty proud of, considering I had my doubts! That evening we went to see Subfocus at the Ritz in Manchester (see next week's post).

On Friday I took a day off the gym and got a McDonald's for lunch, all or nothing! I tried the new Mississippi Mud Pie McFlurry there, which is possibly my favourite flavour so far (and I am a complete McFlurry connoisseur!). In the evening the naughtiness continued as Abi and I shared a bottle of cava and had a full cheeseboard to ourselves, complete with brie, mozzarella, cheddar, Pie d'Angloys camembert, crackers and chutney! We watched 50/50 and Seven Psychopaths, which were both decent films that were a bit more interesting than sticking a chick flick on.

Yesterday was a completely lazy day for me, I had a lie in, watched TV all day, then dyed my hair bright red! It came out exactly how I remember it, and I'm so chuffed I'm finally the colour I wanted. In the evening I went out for MC's birthday with loads of people, including a couple of Mo's friends from Portsmouth, and my mate Amanda from university who I invited out with us. We went to Venue, which was fun as usual, I never seem to have many memories from that place due to its insanely cheap double vodkas!

Today I have been a bit of a zombie all day, so much so that I didn't even feel embarrassed wearing Mo's clothes and his friend's shoes to go for food in Rusholme due to only having my dress and heels from the previous night. It was worth it for the tasty lamb shawarma I got though!

Weekly Update!

Surprise Days Off, New Places & A Very Dirty Dress!

Monday started off well, as I was supposed to be starting work at 12pm, but got a text at twenty to saying I wouldn't be needed - result! I had a lovely lazy day after my triathlon, and in the evening Mo and I went to The Slug and Lettuce in Altrincham with a big group of friends for a couple of drinks. As I had a sober weekend I actually got quite drunk despite only having a few wines, and we went home at about half ten to watch Game of Thrones and eat nachos!

On Tuesday I had a swim wth Aum and we ate at the Country Club; though I wasn't too adventurous this week and just had the house salad with a prawn skewer on top. It was a lovely salad though, with green beans, spring onions and a refreshing limey vinaigrette as well as the usual carrot/ rocket etc. 

On Wednesday Aum's drama was cancelled so we went to The Cake Gallery as a treat instead. I chose an amazing raspberry and oreo cake, which had whole raspberries and cookie bits in the sponge, sandwiched together with raspberry jam, with oreo buttercream icing garnished with raspberries. The combination actually worked really well, although the jam did taste very sweet, almost like ice cream syrup, which together with the thick layer of buttercream made it very sickly. I still managed to finish it with a cup of tea, and Aum had a chocolate cupcake with a Malteaser on top.

On Thursday I had my nails done a really bright coral red colour as I thought it was time to crack the summer shades out (even if the weather refuses to) and in the evening I babysat just for a couple of hours then stayed at Mo's. On Friday I went for lunch with Abi which was lovely, so nice to catch up with her London antics! We tried a new place for once, Cafe Pronto on Hale Road, which I have eyed up a few times but never got round to going into. It is owned by a lovely Italian man and his wife, who were very chatty and welcoming. I had a cheese and ham jacket potato which was huge and rammed with filling, and a latte, as I needed waking up. I think it is mainly used for takeaway orders, so the prices are super cheap, definitely a future Costa contender! 

In the evening everyone was busy, so I stayed in and dyed my hair and got an early night which was a nice change.On Saturday my grandparents came to stay for the weekend, so I took them to see my new flat and afterwards we went to The Romper in Wilmslow for lunch. I had tomato and cannellini bean soup with (free) chips, and a glass of wine. On the way home I got dropped at Mo's as Khumbu was up for the weekend. We just chilled at his for a bit, and then went for a drive to what will be my local pub, The Tatton Arms. It seems like a really nice little pub, quite old fashioned but recently updated, with an impressive homemade food menu and pretty cheap drinks, can't complain!

I got a lift home to have some dinner, and then got ready for a night in town. Khumbu and Mo came to mine for a few to begin with, and then we all went round to Ellie's for a few more and to get a mini bus into town for Laura's birthday. We went to Venue, and the night gets blurry from there! I woke up on Sunday next to a very dirty dress from falling over so much, and a pretty sore head! The day was spent lounging around until 3pm, when I took Aum to his friends birthday party, and Mo and I grabbed a coffee in Costa whilst he was there before taking him back. We had a full pork roast with the parents and grandparents which was really lovely, and then I went to Mo's where we had a relatively early night as we were absolutely shattered!

Weekly Update!

Bowling, Brewdog & A Lazy Sunday!

This week has been a bit of a mixed bag really, I've had my nails done again, gymmed a lot ready for Beni and had a test drive in a Toyota Aygo which I loved. I was pretty nervous as I've never done one before, but once I'd got the hang of it, it was fine.

On Tuesday I went to the Trafford Centre with Charlotte and Emily as I wanted a bit of a mooch about. I only bought something small (see previous post on latest purchases!) but it was nice to get out of the house and catch up with the girls.

I went for a few drinks at The Greyhound on Thursday, and on Friday after a quick tea of pizza and garlic bread, Sam and I went bowling! Although I lost miserably it was really good fun and something a bit different to do which was good.

Yesterday after work we went out to celebrate my friend Smeed's birthday. We had predrinks at his house and then headed into Manchester to Brewdog bar and Venue nightclub afterwards. Smeed and Emily both got really drunk so we left at around 2am to escort them home - not that we were much better!

Today we had a lie in and then went to The American Bar for pancakes for breakfast. The food was great (Sam had the full English) but the service was pretty poor so I wouldn't rush back to be honest! This the evening we chilled out in front of the TV and had a lovely chicken casserole for tea made by Sam's mum. We popped out later for some chocolate biscuits and sweeties as a treat and I also bought a magazine to catch up on the showbiz world. I love Sundays!

Weekly Update!

Crème Brulee & French Martinis!

This was a strange week stuck in the middle of two weeks off, so I was expecting it to go really slow. It didn't though, which was good, and I managed to get a few fun things crammed in between working and packing for France next week.

On Tuesday I went to the Trafford Centre with Mum, as we fancied a spot of shopping. I didn't get much, just a t shirt from Zara that had chains and studs appliqued to the shoulders, a bargain in the sale for £6. We also had a browse of the handbags in Selfridges, as I'm currently looking to treat myself to a nice designer one.

On Thursday Chris came round and we had a really good hearty pie for tea, followed by homemade crème brulee - delicious! The girls came round on Friday, and we had lots of chocolate and crisps whilst having a good ol' natter.

On Saturday after work a few of us went to Emily and Smeed's for some cocktails before going into Manchester. We went to Venue, which I'd never been to before, but they played some good tracks and drinks were fairly cheap. I bumped into an old uni friend there as well, which proved what a small world it is!

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!