Weekly Musings

2018 - Week Twenty

'Understand the nature of impurity. If your key is bent, the lock will not open.'

(Rumi)



This week started with an embarrassing and almost very unfortunate accident; the tyre I thought I had been all bad-ass-independent-woman replacing myself nearly came loose! Thankfully I heard a strange clunking as I was driving so took it back into the garage where they informed me of my lack of mechanic skills - I was mortified but thankful that it hadn't resulted in more disastrous consequences.

On Wednesday I met up with my mum who had a day off, and we went shopping in Altrincham, where I absolutely cleaned up in H&M. I got two black lacy tops, a high-waisted black tulle maxi skirt and a bright red mushroom style skirt which I couldn't resist despite it being slightly bizarre. All four items came to just £22 in the sale, and then we went for a quick coffee and some Tim Bits at Tim Horton's, cracking little day. I also heard the old school tune above on the radio on the drive home, I have selected it as my track for the week, as it is a belter I had completely forgotten about.

On Friday I had tea at my parent's house, and yesterday I spent the day sunbathing on the roof of the boat whilst Chris erected his new flag (no, that's not a euphemism, see the picture above!). In the evening I met up with Tasha, Hannah and Emily to celebrate Tasha's birthday. We had some prosecco at The Con Club first and went for food at Sugo Pasta Kitchen, which was incredible as ever. Emily and I decided to share a starter and main between us, and then I shared a dessert with Hannah; it was the perfect opportunity to sample three courses without feeling stuffed afterwards. We started with the mussels, followed by a pea, mint, chilli and ricotta orecchiette and finally ended with a blueberry frangipane and ice cream. I don't usually get excited at Italian restaurants, but the food is so fresh and authentic at Sugo that I love trying their latest dishes (the menu changes with the seasons).

Today I met Chris in Fuel Cafe in Withington after his fortnightly kid's guitar lesson, Make A Ditty with Chris. His usual venue had let him down for the third time, but luckily the weather was so amazing this week he held the lesson in the park, which the kids buzzed off. The food at Fuel is lovely (it is also all vegetarian), and fortunately they have a room upstairs that they use for gigs that they offered for future lessons free of charge, so it was obviously meant to be. I had the enchiladas and Chris had the halloumi 'fishfinger buttie' and we both went for iced lattes to beat the heat.

This afternoon we have been back on the boat making the most of the rays, and Chris went for a jaunt in his recently acquired canoe! My parents popped in after walking the dog around the Middlewood way, and we went for a pint at The Boar's Head, a two minute walk from Chris's mooring. We had a bit of a dilemma when the gas canister ran out this evening halfway through cooking tea, but Chris managed to salvage the food using a portable camping stove and it turned out really well despite a lot of swearing. We are just starting the new crime thriller Netflix series Safe, which was filmed in Manchester and apparently in my old school of all places, bit of a nostalgia trip!

Weekly Musings

2018 - Week Nineteen
'I swallow the sun and light up like a burning house with flames for eyes and a smoking mouth. You pick up my ashes and tuck them into your back pocket.'
(Anita Ofokansi)

This week didn't start with the usual Monday blues, but with a nice Bank Holiday lie in, a morning coffee on the roof of the boat, and a day of lounging in the sun, bliss. Emily and Smeed popped over in the afternoon for a couple of drinks and some nibbles before they headed off to a barbecue, and I made veggie sausage, vegetable and halloumi skewers for our own disposable one, with fresh chocolate eclairs for dessert. We also finally finished House of Cards, woop!

My poor car has been in the garage for most of this week, but luckily I had access to Mum's or I would have been completely buggered. Ferryn had a long overdue haircut on Wednesday at Carrington Dog Groomers who I would highly recommend; they were so attentive and super reasonable as I had a Groupon voucher. After a disastrous experience last time at a pricey salon in Bowdon, their reassurance was very much needed!

I picked up my fixed motor on Saturday, and then drove to my parent's house to get ready for a night out with them and a couple of my dad's mates. We all piled into the car and moseyed to town to watch Chris and his band Heavy on the Magic play at Night and Day Cafe. It was only my second time watching them, but I had such a blast last time I was really excited to see them perform again. 

Although I am obviously biased as groupie girlfriend, with my music editor hat on they are such talented lads and really deserve all the support they get. Their stage presence is electric, they always get people up dancing and they throw themselves into it; my parents were raving afterwards! Being the supportive babe of a partner that I am, I have chosen to include them as my track of the week below, and if you're interested, their next gig is in Chorlton at Dulcimer on July 6th along with their mates Giant Boys, getcha tickets here. 

Today we had a lovely afternoon walk into Gatley with the doggies, stopping for an ice lolly in one of the fields there. We have just returned from having tea at my parent's house as my grandpa is over for a couple of days. Mum pulled out all the stops with stuffing filled Yorkshire puddings to start, followed by veggie moussaka and rhubarb crumble for pud, and then a cheeky cheeseboard. We are now plonked on the sofa back at the flat to watch Eddie the Eagle; absolutely stuffed!

Weekly Musings

2018 - Week Seventeen

'We never lose our demons... we only learn to live above them.'

(The Ancient One - Dr Strange)

Well, one word to sum up this week has to be stressful, as there have been yet more hurdles in my house buying process. The government Help to Buy scheme, whilst helping me to initially get onto the property ladder at 22 which was a godsend, has also proven to be the most frustrating and fruitless process to try and get out of/ speed up. This has not been helped by my solicitor's endless holidays and lack of communication, and an impatient vendor who has actually decided to put my little terrace back on the market on Friday to 'keep his options open' *eyerolls* - NIGHTMARE. 

Luckily I already had some fun events planned which have distracted me, and a shoutout to all my fab mates and Chris for the moral support which has stopped me acting like a raging dragon, and more of just a slightly grumpy lizard. I will get there eventually! New poetry up on Insta here, and track for this week is the coincidentally named new single from CHVRCHES, which has been my highly relatable jam.

On Tuesday I had a spontaneous afternoon off, so Jasmine and I went for a 2 for 1cocktail and brunch at The Elk in Chorlton. We both had the smashed avo and poached egg on toast, and also treated ourselves to a slice of cake to takeaway for dessert. Unfortunately the weather has taken a turn for the worst again, so we were holed up inside to shelter from the rain, but it was still good to get out of the house and make the most of some extra free time.

On Thursday it was mine and Chris's 100th date (my incessant diary symbols do come in useful sometimes!) and simultaneously our six month anniversary, which I know may be a little 'high school' to celebrate, but when you're happy who needs an excuse right? We went out for a posh tea on Friday to mark the occasion at 1847, a vegetarian restaurant I had spied online and fancied trying. It was a three course set menu that was very cryptic, but it was all incredibly tasty and looked so pretty on the plates I didn't want to tuck in.

For starters we got two dishes to share: yeasted cauliflower with red watercress, pickled grape, caperberries and mint oil, and spiced aubergine with miso butter, cashew crumb, coconut, lemon curd and curry foam. Mains were malt battered halloumi, pea hummus, tartare mousse, lemon air, black olive crumb and triple cooked chips for Chris and
crispy truffled gnocchi, ceps, girolle, tarragon, cashew, edamame bean and white truffle snow for moi. Our final course was dark chocolate, beetroot, olive oil snow, raspberry and viola (Chris) and rhubarb, cardamom, coconut, cashew, apple and rose water and pistachio dukka (me) - in layman's terms that was a chocolate brownie and a rhubarb cheesecake! Whilst hearty pub grub will always have a place in my heart, it was a cool change to sample some fancy nosh and made it feel like more of a special event; I even wore the booby dress I bought in Paris, which went down very well!

Yesterday I caught a train to London to visit my uni friend Claire as it was her birthday on Friday. We went for lunch at Crol and Co near her flat in Bermondsey, a cute little cafe where I had mushrooms and stilton on sourdough toast. In the evening some of her friends came 'round for a barbecue and beer pong - she had bought a gazebo for the balcony to combat the rain, and we decorated it with loads of fairy lights so it looked the part. I can't remember going to bed, but I did wake up this morning with a sore head and seven empty prosecco bottles on the kitchen side!

I powered through my hangover, as we had to catch a train to Oxford Parkway to meet our other old uni flatmate Laura, who drove us all to Soho Farmhouse. It is a private member's club set in gorgeous countryside that I have previously spied on Instagram, whilst following the blogging elite as they relax in the spa, take cookery classes, and cycle around on the customised bicycles. When Laura suggested a visit as her guests I was intrigued to have a nosy. We got quiche and salad with iced coffee for lunch and then went for a wander around the grounds and buildings. 

It was all beautiful, like being in a constant magazine shoot! We got some lovely pictures of us all sat outside the main barn, and worked out it is nearly a decade since we first met, crazy. We stopped again mid afternoon for a cake and cuppa before driving back to catch the train back to London, and for me to make my way back up north. Chris collected me from Stockport station and we have just demolished a Chinese, I am 100% ready for my bed now! 

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Twenty One
'Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age.'
(Anais Nin)

It would be impossible to start this post without mentioning the horrific terrorist attack that took place in my home city on Monday night. I saw the ripples of chaos via social media just before I went to bed and woke up to the awful news. Despite the sorrow felt by everyone in the vicinity, and indeed the world, seeing our resilience, love and fighting spirit in the aftermath this week has made me immensely proud to be a Mancunian; and the bumblebee tattoo I had done a couple of months ago is certainly in good company now!

My track for this week is a song that really resonates with me. It came out a few years ago when I was visiting my friend Claire from uni at her family home in Bergerac, France. I had just had my heart broken for the first time, and as well as being devastated, it had also opened my eyes to the hurt I had unwittingly caused people in my relationships in the past. We were driving through acres and acres of vineyards to go to a gathering at a remote farmhouse, laughing away with the windows rolled down and the sun beaming on us with this tune playing super loud and, romantic as it sounds, I remember it feeling like a life affirming moment, a turning point. It came on shuffle randomly this week on Tuesday, and after everything that happened on Monday it made me well up in the car, as it transported me back to that memory and seemed like the perfect reminder to stay strong and move forward despite feeling pain. 

On Wednesday after work it was the rehearsal for Emily and Smeed's wedding. It was fairly simple, but I was glad to practise walking to the front and doing my reading before the big day, knowing how clumsy I am I wanted to eradicate any possible errors! We went to The Con Club for a couple of drinks with everyone afterwards, which was gorgeous on the patio in the sunshine. I babysat on Thursday and had a quiet evening on Friday knowing I had to be up super early yesterday to begin the day's events, although I did manage to get a new poem up on Instagram, read it here.

Yesterday morning we had to be at Sand hairdressers in Altrincham for 8.30am, and after all having our hair done in variations of beachy waves with a side plait, we headed back to Emily's mum's for some breakfast, makeup and the all important fizz to start off the celebrations. The wedding car was a cream stretch mini which looked cool even if it was a nightmare to get (or fall) into, and we arrived at the church in time to beat the torrential rain - 'though Emily wasn't as lucky!

It was a lovely service, and my reading received a lot of praise which I was really pleased about. The reception afterwards was at The Oaktree of Peover which is a stunning venue, and there were little touches added like having a 'Pimp your prosecco' area, blankets for when it got chillier later on, and stone baked pizzas outside for the evening snacks, which went down an absolute treat. The speeches had the whole room giggling, and a special mention has to go out to the band who were called in last minute after the original duo cancelled; their setlist was full of gems that had the dancefloor permanently buzzing which always makes for a fun wedding.  

It was an incredible day, spent with lots of people I adore, eating, drinking and laughing, and we continued the party today (after a quick chill session in the jacuzzi/ pool) with a barbecue at Smeed's parents house in Gatley which was a nice way of prolonging the weekend's events. It feels sad to all be over now, but I know there will be lots of photos popping up in the coming weeks as reminders of a beautiful day for a wonderful couple.

Travellers' Tales...

Becky & Oli's Wedding

This Bank Holiday we have been at a friends wedding for the whole weekend, which has been so much fun. They got married at 2pm on Saturday in a lovely little church in New Ferry on the Wirral, which we just made due to being stuck in Creamfields traffic! The bride's dress was a 50s style one with a full skirt down to her mid calf, and she wore a veil for the ceremony. The bridesmaid dresses were a similar style, in a turquoise/ teal shade which looked lovely next to the flower arrangements of orange, fuschia pink and buttercup yellow.

After the service, a double decker bus was provided to take us to the reception venue, a church hall in Heswall. There was no seating plan which meant everyone mingled, and tea and cakes were served buffet style upon arrival (including some baked by the guests - I made peanut butter blondies!). Drinks flowed, and after the speeches there was a live band and a hog roast later in the evening to keep everyone going.

A group of us ended up going out in Birkenhead afterwards, to some dive bar that was open until 4am. It was so much fun though, and even one of the bridesmaids rocked up in her dress for the occasion!

The following day Mo and I were very hungover, so after a McDonalds we went back to bed until the afternoon, when a barbecue at a local golf club was put on as a second party! There was a quiz and a musician who was very funny, getting everyone involved, and the drinks got going again, hair of the dog!

This time we ended up out in Liverpool, although after going to a couple of places playing dance music and serving cheap double vodkas around Matthew Street, we found ourselves back in a McDonalds before grabbing a taxi home to our hotel. Today we are enduring a double hangover, and at 2pm I drove us both home, where I will be vegging out for the foreseeable future!

Weekly Update!

Catchups, Preparations & Buffets!

This week has been good and sociable! On Tuesday I met up with my friend Katie who I have known since I was about 4; we went for lunch and a catchup at Bap cafe in Altrincham, which was lovely - I had a bacon, brie and cranberry sauce baguette and a white chocolate cookie. Mo stayed that evening and then on Wednesday after work I went to my friend Luke's house for a barbecue which was really nice, even though the sun disappeared by the time we ate!

On Thursday I went round to Mum and Dad's for tea; Dad was working so it was just the three of us and we had fishcakes and a good natter - sometimes it's the best thing just to chill out at my parents house. On Friday I met up with Laura in Didsbury to sort out the final plans for our holiday. We went to Folk, a bar/eatery, and we both had the same - lamb burger with feta cheese and harissa sauce in a bun, it was delicious. I love going out in Didsbury, as it is close to my flat and quite trendy - there is always a good crowd out and it has a very relaxed vibe. I like that the majority of the bars there are privately owned too, as it gives it a community feel that is contemporary and slightly bohemian.

This weekend I have been at a hen party in Liverpool (see previous post) which was so much fun, and I felt surprisingly sprightly this morning! It's a good job as I have just had the family over for dinner (mum, and grandparents). I couldn't face doing a full roast, so did a bit of a buffet tea instead, with potato salad, quiche, olives, coleslaw, salad, cooked meats, cheese and pork pies. It went down well, and used up a lot of stuff I had in my fridge ready for going away on Friday!

Weekly Update!

Hair, Bar Crawls and Birthdays!

This week it was nice to get back into routine. With Aum being back at school, I had a lot more time to get things done and to get back in the gym (although I failed miserably at the latter). Monday/ Tuesday were relatively boring, I babysat and did some food shopping, caught up on some washing and cleaning; basically everything I have been too busy/ knackered to do when Aum was off.

On Wednesday I went into Manchester and had my hair cut. It hasn't been that long since I had it done last, but as the style is so much shorter now I find it looks scruffy when it is visibly grown out of shape. In the afternoon I took Aum to an open day at Manchester Grammar, which was intimidating when everyone there was a parent and seemed to know others, but was over quickly and he seemed to enjoy it which is the main thing. 

On Thursday I went round to Tasha's and we dyed each others hair which was funny - her dad didn't know where he'd walked into when he came home to us! The orange colour has taken a lot better this time, so I am happy with the results, and glad to have nice hair for my birthday. On Friday after work Mo and I went round to my parents for an early birthday tea. We had a gorgeous barbecue (nearly called off due to a rain shower that came out of nowhere) but luckily it had cleared by the time we sat down to eat outside. Mum had made me an incredible lemon drizzle cake which she served with strawberries in the centre, and I opened my cards and presents from the family which was lovely - I got some great stuff! We had Pimms in the sunshine which eventually returned, and then Mo and I left at half ten and came home to watch some Breaking Bad.

Yesterday was my actual birthday, and it started with salmon and poached eggs in bed courtesy of Mo! He left mine to sort out the last bits of my present, so I showered and got ready for my guests arriving. I had to pop to his to pick up my present (4 Cath Kidston teacups and a cake stand and a watering can pandora charm!) as it was too breakable for him to bring on his bike, and I brought him back to mine just as Claire arrived, followed shortly after by Brian. Lydia and Rob arrived in the nick of time to catch the train into Manchester with us, where we went to Dukes 92 and sat outside in the sun with some prosecco. Unfortunately a downpour descended shortly afterwards so we spent most of the afternoon indoors, where the rest of the group met us - there were 18 of us in total, so nice that everyone made such an effort!

We moved on to Bar Ca at about 5pm, and had some food there - I shared the Fisherman's Platter with Mo, which had calamari, king prawns in chilli sauce, battered cod, chips and scampi on it - perfect accompaniment to more prosecco, and definitely filled me up so I didn't get too drunk! We then went to Atlas Bar, which specialises in gin, my favourite! We all had a few there including some sambuca shots, and then caught the train back at 8.45pm to continue at my flat. We all stayed up until 4am drinking and chatting, and we had the England game on, not that there was much point when they lost! 

Today I was surprisingly OK, I made bacon and sausage sandwiches for everyone and tidied a bit before people left, before dropping Mo home and going to my parents for Fathers Day. Dad loved his presents, and once I was back at mine Mo came round again and we had a hangover Chinese. This weekend has been the best!

Travellers' Tales...

Bergerac, France (Part 2)

Continuing on from my last post, on Thursday we had a lazy day outside, and for lunch we made an incredible salad with chicken, pine nuts, homemade croutons and honey-mustard dressing, so lovely to eat fresh tasty dishes in gorgeous sunshine! 

That evening we drove to Pierre's for a barbecue with a few other people, he lives about 40 minutes away, but it was nice to drive through all the vineyards whilst the sun set. He made potatoes and ratatouille, and on the barbecue we had steak, beef kebabs and some delicious sausages that were really well seasoned and flavoursome. Two of the other guests brought a cake with them that was from a patisserie, and was similar to a cheesecake, but with very light sponge on the base, and more custard to the topping. We drove back at midnight as we didn't want too late a night after our last couple!

On Friday Claire and I got up fairly early and went for a run in the country around her house which was lovely, although we got chased by dogs at one point! After we had showered and had breakfast we drove into Bergerac for a wander around the shops and town. It is really pretty, so I took lots of pictures of the buildings, and bought a cool black scuba-type skirt for only 15 euro. We had coffee and huge paninis at a little side street cafe, and then I bought some Easter chocolates for my parents and sister from a cute chocolatier called Jeff de Bruges (not French, but oh well). 

Afterwards we went to Chateau de Monbazillac, which is beautiful, set among acres of vineyards up on a hill. We took a tour around the castle which was amazing, and then did a tasting of their signature wine - which is very sweet but strangely good, I normally hate sweet wine! It is made as a drinkable one, so is not meant as a dessert wine which is unusual, but I could definitely sink a bottle! We also stopped at a patisserie on the way home so that I could buy some cakes for Claire's family as a thank you present for that evening's meal.

We enjoyed the last of the sun, before getting ready and having a champagne aperitif and nibbles followed by a meal of pan fried duck with potato balls and celeriac puree. It was nice to eat with the whole family, I love the French relaxed way of life and felt very welcome in their house. Afterwards Claire and I went into Bergerac to meet with some of the boys for a few drinks in a bar known as PQP (Au Plus-Que-Parfait) which had a salsa class on when we arrived. We didn't get involved though, and stuck instead to shots and glasses of 3 euro wine - can't be bad. Despite me having an early flight to catch the next morning, we ended up getting very drunk again and slept at 4am, for a grand total of four hours before I had to be up and ready to go - not ideal!

It was such a great holiday, really chilled and fun, and catching up with Claire was great. It was also cool to practise some of my French out, even if it is awful!

Weekly Update!

Barbecues & Uni Revisited!

This week has been another good one, I was feeling energised after my 10km run on Sunday so started the week on a high, and kept up my exercise regime all week which is a bonus!

It was mainly the weekend where I socialised, but I had a nice day on Thursday catching up with the girls over a drink at the Moss Trooper - the weather this week has been stunning, so I've been catching the rays and chilling out in between work. I also went shopping in Altrincham during the day and got a lovely royal blue maxi skirt and a sort of tie-dye dress that's cream, pink and blue, I just need a summery occasion to wear it for now!

On Friday I had my nails done a bright fuscia colour to keep me in the summer mood, and we had a barbecue at Emily and Smeeds in the evening, my first of the year! Afterwards we went into Manchester to Deansgate Locks, where we intended on having a couple... Then got in at 2am. Whoops.

On Saturday it was the Ashley Rose Queen festival near where I work, so the pub was absolute chaos! It is an annual thing where they have little village stalls (tombolas, a best cake stall, coconut shy etc) and a parade where the 'Rose Queen' is crowned, and the weather meant loads of people were milling around. I was so busy I ended up finishing half an hour late, but at least the tips were good.

After work I drove to Lancaster for a night out, which was fun and messy as always. It was pretty quiet in town as lots of students are still doing exams, but we still had a great time!

I drove home in the afternoon today after sunbathing all morning, and went to Sam's for another barbecue, wearing my new blue skirt! He had been preparing stuff all day and you could tell; 4 flavours of foccacia bread (sundried tomato and mozzarella was my fave), chilli and lime Tuna steak, sticky honey ribs, yoghurt and mint lamb chops and tandoori chicken all made from scratch with some gorgeous salads that were very unusual - papaya, chilli and red onion being the most!

So all in all I had a very pleasant weekend, seeing lots of different people, eating yummy food and soaking up the sun - I wish the weather was like this all the time!