Weekly Musings

2018 - Week Fourteen
'You can't fall in love with a hurricane and expect to keep her in a box. You fell for her winds, let her be the force she was born to be.'
(J Iron Word)

Starting a week with a day off has to be the best way right? I woke up quite early to hammering rain; Chris was supposed to be watching the Altrincham footy match with my dad, but it was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch. We took advantage of the plan change and went for lunch at Thyme Out in Didsbury, I had baked eggs with haddock and sourdough and a side of veggie black pudding which was divine, and their hazelnut lattes are my absolute favourite as they flavour the foam on top. 

We went for tea at my parent's house that evening, my mum made a chestnut, mushroom and leek pie and homemade trifle, top food day! Chris and I went home and watched Paddington in bed with Easter eggs, such a heartwarming film; and just before I went to sleep I received a message from the guy whose house I had left my lost Pandora bracelet at - proving social media definitely has its positives, woohoo!

On Tuesday I was back at work, and Aum had his cousin Euan to stay for the week (who we spent three weeks in LA with last summer) so it has been fun packed. I was staying late that evening to babysit so we went for dinner at Chiquito and to watch Ready Player One in 4dx at Parrs Wood cinema. Jasmine came with us, it was a bonus to have some adult company! The film was excellent with a great message to kids (and adults) in today's technology obsessed world.

On Wednesday Aum's six month old cousin Xavier came to visit for a couple of days; it was so lovely to have a baby to look after for once, especially one who is so adorable. I left him with his grandma for a couple of hours and took the older two to Energi Trampoline Park in Handforth, which gave me a bit of time to chill by myself, and it is a great centre for wearing kids out (I must admit I quite fancy a go myself). On Thursday we went to check out the new Dino Falls outdoor crazy golf in Trafford Park, which was so much fun! It has anomatronic dinosaurs everywhere and it was a gorgeous sunny day; it made a change to be out enjoying the fresh air.

On Friday I took the boys to Chill Factor:e and they spent a couple of hours on the slopes whilst I ate brownies and went on Pinterest - I do love my job! Once I had finished work I went into town to meet Chris and a couple of his band mates for food in Bundobust. We got the banquet for four and added a few extras, and I succumbed to a couple of wines after a hectic week. Afterwards we went for a drink in Behind Closed Doors , which I have wanted to visit ever since it opened last year. An underground prohibition style drinking den, it shows vintage porn on TVs around the seating areas, and sells a variety of funky cocktails and different gins. I am excited to take my friends back for a girly night out there.

The weekend has been a chilled one, I kind of needed it after running 'round like a blue arsed fly all week. Saturday I went to John Lewis for cake and to a couple of other retail parks with my mum, and on Sunday I went to Love Thy Neighbour in Chorlton with a big group for brunch, I had pancakes with berry compote, yoghurt and granola. As a total Instagram whore, it was aesthetically perfect for pictures, with neon signs, a ceiling with dangling plants and funky tiling. Afterwards I went to Chris's boat with Ferryn, and we walked to Lyme Park before having homemade vegan pizzas for tea, lush!

My track for this week is pure Europop trash. I first heard it just after I had graduated from uni, when I went to Benicassim with my sister and a load of her mates. Sunshine, beaches, booze and awesome music was the perfect way to celebrate the end of education, and I pulled a super hot tattooed guy (we'll ignore the fact that he was jailed in Thailand later that year...!) so when this came on whilst I was at the trampoline park it made me smile at the memories.

Weekly Musings

2018 - Week Seven
'Fall for someone with an air of mystery and wildness in their bones, but with the kindest eyes and a thousand beautiful stories woven into their soul.'
(Nikita Gill)

 It's always difficult to kiss goodbye to the end of a week off work, but I have had such an amazing time I almost don't mind (almost). I had a super lazy Monday and started watching Gossip Girl; how I managed to let it slip past me when everyone else was bingeing on it back in 2007 I will never know. It's trashy and far fetched but deliciously entertaining, the perfect fodder for background viewing whilst pottering around the house. Tuesday was pancake day, so I thought I'd be a bit experimental and devised a recipe all of my own - a spinach, mushroom and squash baked pancake stack which turned out really well (and we still had room for sweet ones for dessert!).

On Wednesday morning after swapping Valentine's day cards and presents with Chris I headed to a yoga session at InHale studio. I have been fitting in an hour or so every day this week so far and really enjoy how invigorated it makes me feel. The class was a bit more difficult than I am used to but I thrived off the challenge, and knowing I had avocado bruschetta waiting for me for brunch at The Garden afterwards definitely made it worth the extra effort. I grabbed a quick coffee at Abi's 'round the corner and then headed home to get ready for my date that evening and pack for a late night roadtrip to Wales for a few days.

As a surprise Chris took me for tea at HOME in town, followed by a viewing of the live stream of Twelfth Night from The Globe in Stratford-upon-Avon. We shared a flatbread platter for starter (with tapenade, beetroot and cumin, and aubergine and yoghurt dips), and then I had a North African 'Buddha bowl', with chickpeas, courgette, spinach, kale, seeds and Cajun fried halloumi on top. The food is top notch at HOME, they have so many options (tonnes of veggie and vegan stuff too), a cracking drinks menu and the atmosphere is super chilled. The play was fab; I am hugely biased as an avid Shakespeare fan, but I felt very lucky that Chris sat through it with me, as he admitted afterwards that he didn't have a clue what was going on! We drove straight to Chris' family house in Llangynog, Wales once it had finished, with a quick pitstop to collect the doggies from the flat, and arrived just after midnight.

On Thursday morning after a lie in and some breakfast we set off on an amble up the side of a mountain. We totally misjudged the wind though so had to turn back after about half an hour - a cliff edge, a bouncy cocker spaniel (Ferryn) and a very lightweight ball of fluff (Lola) seemed like a recipe for disaster. We grabbed a coffee in the local pub and then snuggled up back at the house watching House of Cards instead. That afternoon Chris' mum and her friend Maggie arrived and we got on the wine after eating a lovely homemade lentil lasagne, and his stepdad got to the house later on to join in. It was nice to get to know them all a bit better - definitely one of the most relaxed and enjoyable 'meet the parents' I've done!

On Friday (feeling a little worse for wear!) we drove to nearby Oswestry to a vegan restaurant called The Fat Rabbit for lunch. The choices were so good that Chris and I got two to share: mushroom and white wine gnocchi, and tamarind gyoza with edamame and rice noodles. We also got a raw Snickers bar with ice cream for dessert, oh my gosh it was all incredible! We had a little mooch around the market and shops, before heading home as Chris was DJing that evening. Beautiful little Welsh jaunt!

Yesterday I was up bright and early to head into Manchester for another yoga class, this time with a few friends to celebrate my mate Emily's birthday. It was a reggae version at Hyper Island in the Northern Quarter, and it was HARD! We did core work, inversions, loads of hamstring stretching poses, and ended the class with headstand practise, which I gave my all, but it will be a long time until I have perfected it. A few more joined us for brunch in Trof, I had a couple of soya lattes (needed the caffeine boost!) and the vegan brekkie but with added halloumi. I saw a few friends that I haven't caught up with for ages so didn't get home until mid afternoon, and then I went to Chris' boat for an amazing Swedish massage as I am one of the case studies for his current college course.

Today was spent cleaning the house and cooking in preparation for my parents and Jasmine coming for tea. As Chris makes an awesome paneer curry, we did all Indian themed food - we had poppadoms and I made onion bhajis to start, (that actually came out pretty well for a first try) followed by the curry with chapattis that Chris homemade, and my mum made a raspberry and cherry pavlova for dessert. A gorgeous evening with some of my favourite people. Proper stuffed now!

FYI - track of the week at the top is one of my old faves, and upon googling it to stick the original on here I found this absolute gem of a live version filmed just last September. The epic drum solo (seriously listen to the recorded version) has been replaced with piano and it is so delicate it completely melts my heart. 

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Two

'Yeah, she's a circus. But soon you'll want to run away with her and never come back.'

(J. M. Storm)

Aum went back to school this week, so I could tick off a few things on my to do list which had been festering there for a while, including getting my car bulbs changed (Ferryn and I had a lovely little wander into Gatley for a coffee at Coffee Fix whilst it was being done) and dragging myself back to yoga/ the gym. On Tuesday my boss bought me some beautiful La Duree macarons as a present from her trip, which perked up the week. Those who haven't tried them, if you're ever in Paris or London (or various other places around the world) go and buy some, they are pricey but incredible. I recommend the rose or pistachio varieties - DREAMY.  

My days were also freed up for more house viewings, so despite crossing the one I really liked off my list since last week as I decided it was a tad too remote, on Friday I found a little gem with great potential for way under my budget, so fingers crossed the vendor likes my offer! That evening Chris came round and made an amazing paneer and chickpea curry, and I also got a new poem up on Instagram, read it here.

Yesterday I babysat for a few hours in the morning for some extra cash, and then did a food shop with Mum in the afternoon. It was my first fully vegetarian big shop, which I am quite proud of. I don't think I'll ever be a 100% non meat eater, but I have definitely reduced the amount I consume; I started with a goal of a minimum of three veggie days a week from August, and intended upping it to five days a week this year, but I have actually not eaten any meat (still some fish) since New Year's Eve. I have not only found it pretty easy to do, but the more time passes the more I find myself not wanting to eat any, and I generally feel much healthier and less sluggish/ bloated.


 
Last night I stayed in, had a bath (whilst listening to Phantoms vs Fire who I have discovered is brilliant, see track above), and finished the bottle of wine I started with tea on Friday. I also, perhaps prematurely, logged back into my Pinterest account to chart some ideas for new rooms in whatever house I end up in. I haven't been on it since I bought my flat, so it was quite satisfying looking at my old pins and seeing how they have come to fruition in my current home. For anyone who is interested, you can have a gander at my boards here.

Today was the first session of Chris's latest venture, 'Make A Ditty With Chris' - a little kids guitar/ music jamming lesson to be held fortnightly at a cafe in Withington called Boho Utopia. It is proper funky and bohemian, with a creative space upstairs full of beanbags and material drapes on the walls. I thought I'd go along to be supportive (nothing to do with sampling their scrummy looking all vegan menu...) and chilled out with an almond milk latte browsing Pinterest for new house ideas whilst he was occupied for an hour.  

 

His niece was taking part, so together with his brother we all ate brunch afterwards. I had the breakfast which included sausage, beans, avocado, toast, tomatoes, mushrooms, halloumi and black pudding, and I was pleasantly surprised at the non-meat equivalents, especially the black pudding, I wouldn't have noticed the difference!

I am now back at the boat with him and the dogs for the night; it is the perfect place for a lazy Sunday, fire on, lots of brews, and I made a feta, red pepper and kale filo tart for tea which was delish. Feeling refreshed ready for the coming week, when hopefully I will have secured a new home! 

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Thirty

'Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.'

(Dead Poet's Society - Robin Williams)

This week started in (not so) sunny Bergerac; we all went into the town centre for a wander along the riverside, had a coffee and cookie outside the church and had a look around the Maison du Vin - a tourist centre and wine shop. Luckily the sunshine came out in the afternoon so we could spend it sunbathing by the pool and indulging in a little Aperol spritz, and then we had a lovely meal with Claire's family along with lots of wine and chatted into the early hours.

On Tuesday my flight wasn't until late afternoon, so we went for a walk in the forest in the morning, waved goodbye to the Morris clan, then I chilled out and read for a bit before partaking in some shopping (I got a tasselled necklace and some navy silk cigarette pants from Promod) before catching my plane back to Liverpool. I drove straight to my parent's house for tea and collected Ferryn, it is so good to have her back in the flat with me after almost a month!

My track for this week is by Purity Ring who I adore, I saw them back in 2015 at Manchester Cathedral which as a venue really complimented their music and quirkiness. Although this song didn't strike me at first it is definitely a grower, so I am looking forward to hearing the rest of their new material.

Wednesday was the dreaded first day back at work, although it was a very relaxing one due to Aum's jetlag; we went for lunch at The Village Cafe in Hale and I finished at 4pm! On Thursday I took him to see Despicable Me 3, which was a pretty funny watch actually, and in the evening I had my first date with S, who I matched with on Tinder the day I landed from LA, before I deleted it again. 

We met in Spinningfields and he took me to Manchester House for a couple of cocktails which was a decent choice in my eyes - we sat outside on the terrace but swiftly moved inside when the rain started! He is very easy on the eye and charming, but made a couple of comments that wound me up a tad, so I wasn't entirely sure. We moved on to Crazy Pedro's for food after, (where I finally got to try the chicken, waffle and maple syrup pizza I've fancied for ages) and had a final couple of drinks in Fazenda, and the longer I spent with him the more I got a glimpse of the guy under the bravado, who I decided was worth a second date to suss out!

 On Friday Aum had a playdate with his friend Max, and we went to Bistrot Pierre in Altrincham for lunch. I just had a simple tomato and basil soup but it was hearty and flavoursome, and made me feel healthier than going for steak or mussels with chips like I normally would there! 

Yesterday I was up bright and early to catch a train to Chester to attend the races. We met at Navigation Road station to all get it together, enjoying a few road drinks en route. We arrived in the city and walked to Carlucchio's for brunch (latte, Aperol spritz and an Italian take on eggs Benedict) and then went into the raceground, equipped with a hip flask of gin! I gave myself a limit of twenty quid for bets, and won a couple but only a few pounds, still fun though and there was a buzzing atmosphere as usual on race days. The weather stayed warm so we got on the Pimms and had an ice cream, and then once the last race was finished we went for espresso martinis and nibbles at The Olive Tree, a Mediterranean restaurant. We stopped for a final couple in a little pub by the station before we got the train home a little worse for wear!

Today I stayed at Mum's for cake and a dog walk, and now I am home and doled up to go for my second date with S - a bar crawl around Manchester starting in Allotment - update to follow!

UPDATE: Started as we meant to go on with a shot of tequila and a prosecco in the first bar! Then went on to Rosylee for a cocktail (very quiet but interesting drinks menu and swanky interior), had a food break - cobb salad - in West Corner a New York style diner, further cocktail and a shot of Patron in The Fitzgerald, and then a last glass of wine in Bluu at the end of Thomas Street. Unusual being out on a Sunday but was a welcome change, enjoyable company and scored an unexpectedly dreamy kiss when I was dropped off home afterwards. Happy girl!

Weekly Update!

A&E & A Food Fight!

This will be a fairly short post as I've just done one on the weekend away that I have just returned from. On Monday I ended up sat in A&E with Mo as he needed to get his leg and ankle looked at after he had a fall on Saturday night in London. Luckily nothing was broken, just bad bruising and ligament damage - puts him out of action for a couple of weeks yet again though! He stayed at mine that evening and on Tue

sday we made a nice brunch, and then I ate at the Country Club in the evening.

On Wednesday I went to Sofar Sounds (see previous post) and on Thursday I went shopping in Manchester and got some Christmas pressies, and in the evening I popped to my parents' for a lasagne as some of my relatives were over for the night. On Friday I went to this event in Manchester called Friday Food Fight run by the same company that did Up In Your Grill that I went to in summer. 

I went with Amanda and a friend called Nadina who I haven't seen since university which was fun. I had a hotdog from a stall called Piggie Smalls which had beef brisket, crispy onions and barbecue sauce on it, and a cocktail that was a variation on a mojito. Afterwards we went for a couple of drinks in Bar21 in the Northern Quarter before I caught the train home so I wasn't hungover for my drive the following day. The rest of the weekend was spent in Leicester and Birmingham (see previous post).

Weekly Update!

Reunions & Revolution!

This has been a really bizarre week, as it appears that somehow, Mo and I are seeing each other again, which has come from nowhere! He seems to be in a really good place and I'm happy, so we'll see how it goes, it's nothing permanent for now! 

I saw him on Monday, when he came round to mine for drinks, and during the day on Wednesday I went to Gastronomy with Lydia and Abi for lunch, and then Mo came round again in the evening to chill at mine. On Thursday I had my nails done, and Friday I popped round to Mum and Dad's for a cup of tea as my babysitting was cancelled so I had a free evening. I got an early night as had Aum's birthday party at Laser Quest the following morning, and I had to go and pick up his cake from Slattery's beforehand so was in a bit of a rush.

Straight from the party I drove to my friend Bex's house near Ripon, for a catch up and night out in York. She lives with her sister in a beautiful converted church which I was very envious of. We got the train into York and started in a bar called Blue Fly that did cocktails, I had a caipirinha which was really strong! We then moved on for a couple in a huge bar on two floors that had an almost church type feel, and then after a quick prosecco in a dingy pub, we ended in Revolution, where we drank pitchers and danced the night away!

The following day we went to a cute little cafe in Ripon called Oliver's Pantry for brunch, where I had a huge field mushroom with rocket and bacon on sourdough bread, with an oreo cookie milkshake. It sorted my hangover out, and I drove home at 1.45pm for a roast dinner at Mum and Dad's. Mo came round to keep me company on my usual Sunday evening hungover lounge-around which was a welcome addition, not that I was much company!

Travellers' Tales...

Dublin!

I have just got back from an amazing weekend in Dublin! We set off on Friday (conveniently at 9.35pm so no time off work needed!) so were touched down in Ireland just before 11pm. Flights were only £26, so an absolute steal. We got a taxi to our hostel (£35 each for the two nights) and after a quick change/ makeup refresh we went out to a club called Everleigh, as a guy called Andrew that I met in Croatia who lives in Dublin had recommended it. He was out there with his friends so was cool to catch up. The music was amazing in there, proper old school r&b classics, so we all had a good boogie. The drinks weren't cheap, vodka mixer was about £8, so I stuck on wine which was about £6.50 a glass so not too bad. We stayed out until pretty late, and then I went back to Andrew's house for an afterparty, but ended up passed out on the sofa after about half an hour, despite the loud music!

The following morning I got a taxi home and got ready for a day exploring the city. We walked to the spire in the centre, it was drizzling slightly but we weren't perturbed. We were going to get some breakfast, but it was closer to lunchtime once we were out of the hostel so we decided to head to Wagamamas for something more substantial instead. Afterwards I was feeling really ropey and tired, so Lizzie and I headed back for a couple of hours nap!

That evening after spending a while trying to ring round for a restaurant that had space for six people on a Saturday night at the last minute, we ended up in the Irish version of Pizza Express called Milano. It was still really nice, we shared a bottle of wine and I had a meat feast calzone, which was definitely what the doctor ordered! Afterwards we went for a few drinks in a bar called 37 Dawson Street, which was dark and luxurious, with animal heads on the walls and flocked velvet wallpaper... and expensive drinks! At one point I was going to get a mojito, but stuck to a gin and lemonade when I heard they were 15 euro.

A few of the girls wanted to go home then, but Lydia, Lizzie and I decided to stay out and go to a bar on the same street called Cafe En Seine. It was a similar style to the last place, but huge, with glass ceilings and chandeliers like something out of Moulin Rouge. They played some great music so we had a boogie and then got a rickshaw home which was so funny!

The next day we had a lazy one, and packed up ready to leave before going for breakfast. We went to a cafe called The Elephant and Castle, where I had French toast with berry compote, maple syrup and whipped cream - so good. We wandered around the shops for a while and got a coffee before the taxi came to pick us up (rather late - we actually had to steal someone elses!) and I was back home for 6pm after such a fun weekend with all the girls!

New Tastes...

Oxford Road Cafe, Altrincham

Today I headed to a cute little eatery in Altrincham called the Oxford Road Cafe with Abi and Aum, as he is currently off school. It is tucked down a side street away from the main town centre, so you would think it would be relatively quiet, but I was surprised at how busy the place was when we walked in. 

We waited ten minutes for as table, which shows the cafe's popularity with it just being 1pm on a Tuesday, not a particularly busy time of the week. I ordered a skinny latte and Aum had a juice, whilst we waited for Abi to arrive. Our server was very pleasant, and assured us whilst we perused the menu that everything was made to order so anything could changed accordingly (always good to know with a child in tow).

Abi arrived and we ordered - I chose the 'Stu Special': smoked salmon, scrambled egg, asparagus spears, wilted spinach and sauteed mushrooms. It looked very presentable on the plate, and was relatively cheap at £6.95. Aum stuck with his standard bacon sandwich, which I was told was 'Delicious!'.

I always enjoy visiting and trying out places I haven't been to before, especially if they are local and independent, and the Oxford Road Cafe is a great hidden gem with super service and well made, reasonable food. Check it out if you're ever in the area!

Weekly Update!

Brunches & Baking!

Before I start talking about this week, I have to mention where I went last weekend, as I didn't do a weekly view post due to being in Croatia for the majority of the week. On Saturday I went to an event being held for ten weeks called 'Up In Your Grill'. It is a pop up bar/ food joint in Brownsfield Mill, a disused warehouse in Ancoats, where each week three food outlets have stalls to sell their wares, as well as a bar selling cocktails and local ales, and a DJ playing on the decks.I had a Mumma Schnitzel burger that was a chicken schnitzel with bacon, cheese, barbecue sauce and homemade slaw, so good!

This week has been good as I had a few days off after Croatia before being back in work. On Monday I met up with my friend Rick and his little boy, and we went to McDonalds for lunch. It was the first time I'd met Kieran, which was nice as Rick talks about him all the time. In the evening I did a great yoga class, and then Mo came round for the evening.

On Tuesday I had my speed awareness course, which took four hours! It actually wasn't too bad though, it was interesting and I was with a good group of people so it could have been much worse. On Wednesday Mo had the day off work so we went for lunch in Manchester at a place called Moose. It is an American style diner, so I had French toast with bacon and maple syrup - not quite as good as New York, but still mega tasty! I accompanied it with a caramel macchiato, and Mo had a beef patty with eggs and bacon in a brioche bun with homefries.

Thursday was my first day back at work, but it wasn't too bad as we started with a walk into Hale and breakfast in Cafe Gourmand. I had scrambled eggs and bacon with a croissant, two great brunches in a row! The rest of the day we just chilled out as Aum was a bit jet lagged. Today has been much the same, although we went to my flat to bake some blondies (white brownies) in the afternoon with Mo and this evening I had tea at my parents before coming home and catching up with this seasons Geordie Shore. This weekend is a Bank Holiday and we are at a wedding (see next week's post) so I'll sign off now to get some beauty sleep!

Weekly Update!

Soft Shell Crab, Dim Sum & Banana Bread!

This week was the first week of the school holidays where I had some entertaining to do! On Monday we went to Sealife (see previous post) and in the evening I babysat so we got a Chinese takeaway from Man Zen. On Tuesday Aum was pretty tired so we had a chilled day before his swimming lesson in the evening, and then we ate at the country club. I tried a starter, which was actually big enough for a main! It was deep fried soft shell crab which was served with a wasabi slaw; the crab was beautiful but I wasn't a fan of the slaw - far too strong and spicy.

On the Friday after I finished work (an easy day spent watching Planes!) I drove to Wilmslow and caught a train to London to see Abi. She met me at the tube and we went to Hampstead to a restaurant called Dim T for some food. It was a really cute little restaurant, we were sat at a small table in the corner, and had some tasty cocktails whilst we perused the menu. I went for one with prosecco and apple, whilst Abi's was rum and coconut.

The restaurant is well known for its Dim Sum (hence the name) so I felt I had to try some, so went for the scallop and prawn dumplings which were amazing. You got 3 in a reed basket for £3.50 which I thought very reasonable, and I followed this with Nasi Goreng, a rice dish with chicken and prawn that I have had a few times at Wagamama so knew I liked it. We got the tube home afterwards and got an early night as we were both shattered from working all week!

The following day we went to a little cafe for brunch called Ginger & White, where I opted for the toasted banana bread with vanilla cream cheese and fresh raspberries, drizzled with honey. It was nice to have something a bit different for breakfast, and the flavours complimented each other gorgeously, I could have eaten another portion! 

Afterwards we went to an arts festival in Hackney (see next post) and after some really nice fish and chips for tea, Tasha arrived in the evening and we got ready for a night on the town. We had a few predrinks and then went to Electric Ballroom in Camden which was a really fun night, great dancey music which was perfect for a girly night.

Today we had a later start, packed and went for brunch again; this time to the cafe next door to the one we'd tried the previous day. I had poached eggs with toast and prawns - sounds like a weird combination but actually worked, and filled me up for the day. I took the chance whilst I was in London to catch up with Danielle from uni for a coffee before catching a train home this evening. Was such a fun weekend, and really nice to get away and do something rather than being stuck as home doing the usual!

Weekly Update!

Numberplates & Brunch!

This week started nicely on Monday with lunch at the Country Club, where I had kimchee spiced tuna sushi rolls with spicy mayonnaise off the specials board. The tuna was in big juicy chunks and tasted really fresh so it was a good choice. On Tuesday I got my new numberplate put on, which I'm really happy with, and then stayed at Mo's in the evening.
Wednesday was when I had everyone round for our little Aussie reunion with Hana (see previous post) and both Thursday and Friday were pretty subdued, just gymmed during the day and then chilled out in the evenings, reading a lot of my latest book, The Help (bit behind with the times I know!).

On Saturday I picked Mo up from the station after his night in London; he was rather worse for wear so we just chilled out at mine and watched Drive which was quite good. In the evening I managed to drag him out for some drinks with the girls and Smeed; Abi was home for the weekend so we had some wine in Piccolino's and caught up with all her London news.

Today has been another lazy day, though we met up with everyone from last night as well as Hannah and her friend Tink in Cafe Gourmand for some brunch - which was basically lunch seen as we met at 12.30pm! I had eggs Royale which was lovely as usual, if a little large for a portion, and then I chilled out at Mo's for a bit before heading home for a roast dinner, followed by homemade lemon drizzle cake!