Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Twenty Six
'I'm not for everyone, but once you taste my energy, you'll always be thirsty.'
(Sylvester McNutt) 

Most of this week was spent getting organised for coming to America with work, I dyed my hair, researched stuff to do (helped greatly by re-watching Made in Chelsea: LA) packed, and managed to cram in a couple more dates with F. The first was on Tuesday, where we met in PLY bar in Manchester and then moved on to Lost in Tokyo. Again, I had a great time, we spent the majority of the night laughing which is always a positive, and the time flew by. We saw each other again on Friday evening, he came to my flat and we had some food and a couple of bottles of wine, and watched and bitched about Love Island (!) it was a really welcome break from the stresses of holiday prep and helped me to switch off and relax ahead of the mammoth journey ahead.    

This week The Maccabees were in Manchester for two nights for their farewell tour, and although I didn't manage to make it to either gig, I haved loved them ever since being dragged to watch them at Benicassim in 2012 so felt it necessary to pick my favourite song of theirs for my track this week, gutted that they have disbanded but I'm crossing my fingers that a reunion won't be too far away. 

Yesterday I was up bright and early as I had to be at the airport for 10am as Aum and I flew to LAX at midday via London Heathrow. After a quick pit stop brekky in Costa my dad nipped down to see me off as he was working which was a nice surprise. The 17 hours spent travelling actually passed fairly quickly and I managed to get a bit of kip, as well as watching Collateral Beauty (oh my gosh, such a weepie) and the new Beauty and the Beast, which was easy viewing. It was about 3am UK time by the time we had touched down, collected bags and caught a taxi to Westwood Village where we were staying, so after greeting Aum's cousin and his nanny Jen who we are sharing an apartment with, we collapsed into bed pretty much as soon as we could!

Today we woke up super early as we were still on English time, so we were up, dressed and out for breakfast by 9am, crazy for a Sunday. We walked five minutes around the corner to the main shopping street near us and stopped at The Corner Bakery for food. I had pancakes with eggs and bacon, drowned in butter and maple syrup - the brunches and breakfasts here are a major part of what I look forward to on our U.S trips!

This afternoon the boys had their orientation at UCLA for the summer camp they are here for, so once we had sat through a talk Jen and I were free until 9pm, some much needed downtime after nearly 48 hours of non-stop children-watching. I spent the time unpacking and had a bit of a nap, and we grabbed some sushi for tea on the way home from collecting them that was just from the supermarket around the corner, but it is all made fresh and tastes incredible. Desperately in need of some sleep now though, it's 7am in the UK!

 

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Twenty Five

'You can tell me I have a pretty cover but I only date men who read.'
(Lauren Eden)

This week has been quite quiet by my standards; on Wednesday I met up with the girls for a couple of drinks at Carluccio's in Hale as we hadn't had chance to give Hannah her birthday present. It was a welcome mid-week catch-up to break up working, and I had their lemon prosecco spritz again, which is tasty.

My track for this week is an oldie that came up on shuffle on my iPod a while ago, and I have been playing it most days since. It never fails to give me goosebumps, and I love when the beat kicks in right at the beginning, such a fab uptempo record.  



On Thursday I went on a first date with someone who 'super-liked' me on Tinder (that's a new thing since I've been back on it, and to be honest I still don't entirely get the concept). I wasn't going to stick with the app in the UK after coming back from Magaluf (one failed two year Tinder relationship is quite enough for me), but everything deserves a second chance right? With this one (let's go with F) we had been chatting for a while but with my birthday and being in Barcelona we hadn't had chance to meet up. He was better than I expected, more attractive than his photos, cracking banter, and considering I kept him hanging around in town by himself for nearly 2 hours because I finished work late he was good company, and we seemed to have a lot of random kooky things in common, which is a plus for me!

We started in Kosmonaut for a few drinks, and then moved onto Cottonopolis at about 10pm which I hadn't been to before. It's rather swanky in there, all exposed brick, moody lighting and copper pipes, and I had a lovely margarita before scuttling off to catch the last train home. F was an ideal combo of gracious enough to let me do lots of talking, but bold enough to take control now and again, including making the first move to kiss me, which I definitely didn't complain at!

On Saturday my friend Claire came to visit from London, and we took Ferryn to Styal Mill for a little walk before heading home for some slow cooked beef casserole made by yours truly, and to get doled up for my birthday night out on the town. Amanda had come over from Paris for the weekend, and Timna popped out for a couple, as well as a few of the girls who came to celebrate with me as well. 

We started in Epernay champagne bar near The Great Northern, which has a gorgeous little terrace overlooking the square for sunny days, and does loads of different champagnes and other fizz by the glass for really decent prices. We managed to get through 4 bottles (whoops!) before heading over to a new bar called Impossible, where I was kindly bought an industrial strength zombie cocktail made in a conical flask, by Amanda. We finished the night in The Liar's Club, but to be honest the music was shite, so we didn't stay long - old school hip hop is one thing, but monotonous rap is kind of difficult to dance to!

The following day Claire and I had a lie in and then after breakfast went into Didsbury to And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon, one of my favourite cakeries. I had a snickers brownie with a chai latte, and we went for a walk around the Maker's Market that happened to be on. It was a successful shopping day! I got a beautiful vintage 9ct gold ring with topaz and diamonds in with some of my birthday money, and found a cute poster of some sheet music with an S drawn over it for 3 quid to add to my hallway wall in the flat. I nipped to Mum's afterwards for a cuppa and to collect the dog, and gave Claire a lift to the airport before coming home, and posting a new poem up on Instagram, read it here. I am now firmly stationed on the sofa with champagne truffles (cheers Claire!) for Love Island, which I am getting right into!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Nine
'I love freaks, I don't care if you're a wild one, and me?
I, I'm not the prettiest you've ever seen, but I have my moments...
Not the flawless one, I've never been, but I have my moments...
I can get a little drunk... but on good days I am charming as fuck.'
(Moments - Tove Lo)

This week was a slow starter, I overloaded on pancakes on Tuesday, and got a new poem up on Instagram (read it here), but on Wednesday my mum took a random day off so we went for a spot of shopping at Crownpoint retail park in Denton. It has a varied selection of shops and I got some bargains as usual; two pinafore dresses from Dorothy Perkins at Outfit, one is a cute short, black cord one for daytime (below - £7), and the other is black too, but a longer pencil skirt style (£5) that will look lovely paired with a lace top or bodysuit under for a night out. We slummed it at good ol' Mcdonald's for a coffee afterwards before heading home.

That evening I got a phone call off W, who admitted that he didn't want to be seeing anyone at the moment. It could have been an excuse, but the fact that he rang instead of playing the ghost card or even just resorting to a text, certainly made it seem like a legit reason, and I had felt those kind of vibes so it wasn't unexpected. Considering we only had a few dates I thought it was decent of him, and it gives me hope that there are some guys out there who still have manners and respect.

This week's track is by one of my favourite bands of the last couple of years, PVRIS. I was lucky to see them at Leeds Fest in 2015 and again in Manchester last year and they were amazing live, but unfortunately are only playing in London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin this year, and I can't make any of the dates. I really like the contrast of the electronic aspects of their material with lead singer Lyndsay Gunnulfson's haunting, ethereal voice. I also think she is insanely hot - she has previously dated Alexa San Roman and Kristen Stewart - not a bad back catalogue. This is the stripped back version which I prefer to the original, but if you like a bit more of a punch, the original video is here.

On Thursday evening I went to Abi's as she had prosecco left over from New Year's Eve - I didn't need asking twice! I was lucky enough to have Friday off again as Aum was competing at Oxford University in a science quiz, so it was a welcome end to my working week.  I spent my extra day off as an advert for being a basic bitch: I had a lie in, did some yoga, got back on Bumble - I deactivated it a week ago as really couldn't be arsed -  took the dog for a very wet walk, had a lentil and chickpea curry with cauliflower rice for my tea, and then lit some candles, drank gin, ate a pistachio Magnum and chain watched Sex and the City. But you know what? Frickin' awesome day!

Yesterday I actually made it out of bed before 9am and went for an 8km run in the sunshine (never usually happens on a Saturday) then I went into Chorlton to have a tattoo consultation and pay the deposit at Sacred Art - all booked in for end of March, excited! I also popped into a few of the shops, and managed to get some gorgeous vintage satin cigarette trousers for £15 from Chorlton Art Market; they need a slight tweak on the back seam as they are a bit baggy, but they look like they've never been worn so were a fortunate find!

In the evening I had Abi, Tasha and Emily to mine for some drinks before a night out in Manchester. I introduced them to the secret bar in Cane & Grain (always good to keep spreading the word) where I had the Dry Ice Zombie this time, and then we met up with our friend Alice and her flat mate Laura in Terrace for more drinks and dancing. It was fun to have a girly one, and the classic r&b tunes in Terrace are perfect for getting nostalgic and having a sing along!

This morning I made a greasy old fashioned breakfast to stave off my impending hangover (including black pudding of course) and cracked on with some work and general adulting before going to my mum and dad's for a Sunday roast. I even managed a glass of red wine with food despite my lingering headache!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Six

'Just be a tough act to follow; a free spirit, with a wild heart.'
(Simple Things - Miguel)

So my little puppy Ferryn had her first haircut this week! I'll be honest, she is pretty skinny and I was worried I'd go and pick her up and want to cry because she looked like a rat, but they did a great job (cheers Dog Beauty in Timperley). I was obviously real jealous of her looking all cute and trim because I went and had my own hair cut on Friday (though at Bellisimo in town, not Dog Beauty...). I dyed it beforehand, using Schwarzkopf Live colourant in shade 035 - Real Red. I also put another poem up on my Instagram, so far sticking to my plan of doing it weekly - check it out here.

I'm going a bit old school with the track this week, I don't quite know how Miguel hasn't made it onto my radar more before. I Shazammed this record off the TV and then got the album and it is completely badass, like an amalgamation of The Weeknd before he went mainstream, mixed with Prince and a bit of Lenny Kravitz. The bass on this single has had my car vibrating all week, and Gigi is in the video, which can only confirm it is quality. 

On Friday evening Tasha, Abi and I went for some much needed drink at Victor's in Hale. Tasha was working the next day so couldn't make a full night of it, but it was great to catch up and have a giggle. Abi and I stayed out and got talking to a couple of guys - one had already caught my eye from across the bar - and we ended up on porn star martinis and dancing in Suburbia, Hale's closest thing to a club. I think spontaneous nights always end up being the best; I got his number and we're going out next week so check back for an update!

Yesterday I felt like I was dying for the majority of the day, and only eventually made it home to mine at 5pm. Benn invited me to the cinema (he was in a world of hangover pain as well) but there wasn't much on and I honestly couldn't face leaving the flat, so he just came round and we watched crappy Saturday TV, I think any kind of company is always appreciated to calm the post-alcohol anxiety after a night out!

This morning I went for a lovely walk in Alderley Edge with Emily and Smeed and the dog, but it was bloody windy at The Edge, it definitely blew away the cobwebs! Ferryn of course chose all the deepest muddiest bogs to jump and play in after smelling like flowers all week, but she was having fun so I'll let her off.

This afternoon after dropping the dog off at the ex's, I met Laura in The Laundrette in Chorlton for a 'coffee' which turned into a cocktail (I had the soap sud caipirinha) - there's a precedent to adhere to when we get together! I drove us back to Didsbury where she lives and we had some wine in Mary and Archie, it had been ages since it was just the two of us, so we had a proper laugh catching up. I had cod and chips from Ida's Fish Bar to soak the remaining booze up so I could drive home, which was a lucky decision as I got a very dramatic phone call after Ferryn had a funny turn at Jason's, so I had to take her home. She is now fast asleep; panic over thank goodness, though secretly I think she was just missing her mummy! 

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Five

'Don't be a cartographer, be the explorer.'

(Girls - Ray)

This week I finally got my spare room back after three long weeks of it being a cargo store for all my ex's stuff! It feels good to have everything out of the flat, and I intend giving it a lick of paint and turning it into a reading/ yoga room to make full use of the extra space.



On Thursday I posted a new poem on my Instagram page, check it out here. It's the first time I've put one up since before Christmas, but I'm hoping to stick with getting one a week published like I used to from now on. I've also been taking advantage of the free 6 month contract to Apple Music that I got with my latest phone contract, I love the curated playlists they have on there, and have made my own featuring a few of my favourite upbeat songs, which includes the track above, it's great for before a workout/ night out.

On Friday I had my second 'date' with T and went to The Depot Climbing Centre in Trafford Park. It's an activity I've wanted to try for a while, and he goes regularly so seemed an ideal opportunity. I paid £16 which included shoe hire (£3) and a year's membership (£5) which gets you £2 off each time you go (£8 instead of £10 non member). I managed to complete green, white and blue routes, although the latter I did cheat slightly on by having help, mainly because it freaked me out being stuck so high up and realising I have awful grip. T was an encouraging coach though, and I returned the favour by being highly impressed at his skills, there's something quite primal about a guy exerting strength swinging across a wall, quite the turn on.  Overall it was a fun new experience, and I hope to go back to try and not be quite so bad next time.

With achey shoulders and raw hands we decided to go for some food at Chiquito in nearby Salford Quays. They let us order off the set menu despite it not normally being available on a Friday, and I got a margarita to drink (£5 on happy hour woo!) - although I wasn't too thrilled at the lack of salt around the rim, poor show. I got the nachos followed by a chicken enchilada, and struggled to finish as the portions were pretty huge, we even cancelled the churros we had previously ordered for dessert, and I am not normally a girl that turns down sugary treats!

It was quite liberating going to a restaurant in chalk covered gym gear with frizzy hair and not being self conscious; I think that's something I'm enjoying about spending time with T - he's one of those people that seems incredibly comfortable and doesn't apologise for being himself, and not necessarily in a cocky way. I don't feel the need to impress or like I'm being judged, which creates a chilled vibe where I can be completely at ease; it's so refreshing to just relax instead of feeling pressure and overthinking. Even if I never saw him again, it's been a valuable lesson in appreciating the moment.

Philosophy moral for the week learnt, yesterday I went into Stockport with my mum for a bit of a shop. I got a decent haul in Primark, including some new semi mesh gym leggings, a chartreuse velvet dress and some silver mirrored loafers, along with a velour hoody, some replacement pumps and a couple of new candles for my living room. We had a quick coffee and lunch in Costa, and then headed home so I could get ready for a meal with some friends.

A group of 8 of us went to Urban Burger Bar in Altrincham last night, for a catchup and some dirty burgers. If I'm honest the service wasn't the best, but the food and prices more than made up for it. I got a mudslide cocktail, two glasses of wine, the wild boar burger with bacon, cheese and barbecue sauce and shared some fries and my total bill was £25, absolute bargain.

Today I have had a lazy day, T came to mine in the afternoon for a few hours and we watched the rugby (though I didn't have a clue what was going on) and this evening has been spent binge watching more Girls, which I am now nearly on season 4 of, whoops!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Four

'That which men call virtue is usually no more than a phantom formed by our passions, to which one gives an honest name in order to do with impunity whatever one wishes.'

 (Rouchefoucauld)

This week started pretty slowly to be honest, filled with mundane chores like laundry, getting petrol and dog walking, snore. I did start watching Girls the HBO series with Lena Dunham though, so have now developed an unhealthy obsession with Adam Driver and the character he plays, further cementing my bizarre taste in men. Seriously though, I'd have his babies. 



Things perked up on Thursday when I went out for an evening meal with my parents and sister, to a Chef & Brewer gastropub in Cheadle called The Ashlea. It was really cutely decorated with velvet armchairs and exposed brickwork, which made it feel less 'chainy' than some of the others I have been in. For once I wasn't a designated driver so shared a bottle of white wine with Jasmine, which made me far more tipsy than it should have done. We ordered a few small plates for starters (maple bacon bites, pate, devilled whitebait and chicken and chorizo skewers) and I went with a good ol' hearty steak and ale pie with chips and gravy for a main, which was delish; sometimes you can't beat the classics. 

Friday was the day of my first Bumble date, who I will hereby refer to as T, for no particular reason. We've been chatting for just over a week, keeping it minimal, enjoyable banter. At his suggestion we headed to Twenty Twenty Two in the Northern Quarter for a few drinks and a game of ping pong, points for originality, even if I was shitting myself at never having played except drunk once on holiday. He was on time (we met at 7pm), taller than I expected (he had joked at being 5' 4''...) and legitimately hot (no further comment). He totally beat me at ping pong, but it was an ice breaker and I like to think I was a gracious loser, I did manage to get one shot into his drink too. 

We had a couple of cocktails afterwards (the Rhubarb & Custard Collins was amazing!) whilst chatting for a while, and it was obviously going well enough as we decided to head for some food. We went to Turtle Bay on Oldham Street as it was nearby and seemed nicely busy, and got on the espresso martinis. I suggested we got a selection of the sharing starters as I thought it was a bit more sociable, so we opted for duck rolls, whitebait, garlic and herb flatbread, cheesy jerk fries and bara roti; decent variety and it was all super tasty.

Conversation was surprisingly easy, and with only an hour left before my last train, and seemingly not sick of me yet, T asked the waitress for recommendations of something to do (major bonus for taking initiative). She suggested playing pool at Blackdog Ballroom, and seeing my chance to regain some credit after ping pong, off we went. (Un)fortunately there weren't any free tables until midnight, so we had to amuse ourselves with another cocktail and making out for half an hour in a booth in a darkened corner. If the smug looking emoji were to appear in a post, it would be here.

Yesterday my best friend Lydia who lives in York was down for the weekend, and in the evening we went out with all the girls to the new Bistrot Pierre in Altrincham to celebrate Abi's birthday. We got lots of starters to share, including two baked camemberts, and I had pork medallions with a honey mustard glaze with caramelised apples and Dijon mashed potato, genuinely a really lovely dish - I have been spoilt with cuisine this week! Afterwards we went to House Restaurant in Goose Green, and then Traders Tiki Bar for drinks, although luckily I was slightly more lucid than last week, I remember dancing to the Backstreet Boys and actually getting home this time.

Today once Lydia had left I went for a little wander around Gatley Carr with the dog and my mum, and then T came to mine this evening to watch a film and we had duck and pancakes. I wouldn't normally do a second meeting so soon, but he works a lot, I had nothing else planned, and I wanted to so why the hell not! 

FYI, the music track this week is one I was sent by a PR firm to review for Candid (click to read my latest article out this week) and I am digging it. I have since got hold of some of RYDER's other material, check her out, she's an absolute babe.

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Three

'She wants to engage in chaos because she knows she's a storm trapped in the middle of a calm sea.'

(R. M. Drake)

I feel like I have spent a lot of the last 7 days eating! Luckily since the new year started I have been a bit more motivated in the gym (helped by the below song which I have been playing to DEATH) and have been going three times a week, so I'm not making myself feel too guilty for indulging in some extra fuel. On Monday evening my friend Emily came round and I made us a Thai green curry with egg noodles for tea, it was a good excuse to cook a proper meal as I have been a bit lazy recently. 



On Thursday I met up for lunch in Manchester with my university friend Amanda, who has scored an incredible job opportunity and so moved to Paris this weekend to start on Monday! I got some vouchers for Zizzi for Christmas so thought it was a great chance to use them to celebrate. We went to the Piccadilly Gardens restaurant, and shared the mushroom Brindisi for starter, which is: 'Creamy mushrooms & smoked mozzarella oven baked on our dough, then finished with chopped parsley, grated riserva, crispy sage & smoked garlic oil.' For main I had Gressingham duck which was served with lentil ragu, mash and broccoli in a Chianti and rosemary sauce. It was all flippin' tasty, and even better when it's free!

I had a very chilled Friday night in watching a few episodes of Westworld, which I have nearly managed to blitz in a week, love it. Yesterday I met up with Emily again, this time with our friends Laura and Ellie; together with Em's sister Sarah we are all bridesmaids for her when she gets married in May. We went for cake and prosecco at Sugar Junction in Altrincham, the second branch to open after the success of its sister cafe in the Northern Quarter. Ellie and I shared a cake trio (pic top-bottom: raspberry and lemon sponge, chocolate orange sponge and black forest gateaux) AND a scone with jam and cream, washed down with a couple of bottles of fizz. It has a great selection of reasonably priced food and cocktails, so is the perfect location for a girly get together, but it does get busy at weekends and is walk-in only except for special occasions.

From a civilised afternoon the night wore on to a rather messy evening! After we had eaten we went to Altrincham Market for a few more drinks (and shared a surprisingly yummy broccoli, chilli oil and parmesan pizza) and then after escorting Laura into a taxi home at 7.30pm, onto Apres Wine Bar where, you guessed it, I started on the margaritas! Emily got a lift home from Smeed her fiance at around 10.30pm, and Ellie and I, joined by our friend Bob, headed to Traders Tiki Bar, where they serve strong Zombies and stronger headaches. I made it back to my parents where I was staying at 2am, where I realised I had left my keys inside, so had to bang on the door until I was let in; nearly 12 hours of drinking has left me rather worse for wear today!

This evening, since I had sufficiently recovered due to copious amounts of mac 'n' cheese, I attempted to go to the cinema with my friend Benn to watch Split, the new James McAvoy psychological thriller. We got there to be told it was completely sold out, and when we tried to go bowling instead (which is next door) the next free lane wasn't available until 10pm, so we turned around and drove back home. Pretty much sums up my Sunday!

Bumble update: a few matches, chatting to a couple of potentials, and one date on the cards...

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Two

'We cross our bridges as we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and the presumption that once our eyes watered.'

(Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - Tom Stoppard)

This week has been a reminder of how incredible my friends and family are. Despite (luckily) feeling positive about the whole breakup situation, it always helps knowing you've got a massive posse of people who totally have your back (love you!). On Monday I de-exed the flat, by swapping pictures in frames over, extraditing anything of his into the spare room, and of course crucially removing the Facebook status. I thought it might have made me feel a bit weird doing it all straight away, but I actually found it really cathartic, and was so much more relaxed when I could sit down at the end of the night and feel like it was solely my flat again. My friend Natasha came for a coffee that afternoon before I did the school run, so I filled her in on the gossip, I feel like it's one of those situations I'm going to want to have a tape recorder to play to people soon so I don't get bored of saying the same things over and over!

On Wednesday my sister Jasmine and I went into Altrincham for some lunch. We were intending checking out the Con Club that has recently opened, but the menu was geared more for a big evening meal, so we kept it simple and went to the cafe at M&S instead. On Friday evening I worked late as my bosses were in London, so I took Aum (the little boy I am a nanny for) to Pizza Express for dinner. I sampled a Soho 65 Romana pizza, but my server suggested I add mixed Italian meat to it (it is usually a veggie option), which was the best decision ever, I thoroughly recommend!

 Due to my late finish I indulged in a lie in yesterday morning, or as late as I could before the dog insisted I take her out. That afternoon was Aum's birthday party at Manchester Climbing Centre, which is amazing! It is inside an old church in Gorton and has facilities for bouldering, and more traditional climbing with a belay system; seeing everyone having a go made me want to give it a try - it's now on the To-Do list.

That evening Natasha and my other friend Abi came to mine for some pre-drinks and a night out in Alderley Edge, where they have recently opened a branch of The Alchemist bar. We headed there for about 10.30pm, and it was busy - we waited forever for a drink which wasn't a great start, but a quick celeb spot of Misse from Housewives of Cheshire and Jake Hall from TOWIE kept us entertained; they weren't the freshest shall we say! 

It seemed to die down just after midnight, so we moved on to The Bubble Room, which was playing some great tunes for a dance (including the track above which I am loving at the moment, despite not being an Ed Sheeran fan), and I started on the margarita cocktails. We ended the night in The Botanist, where after some Dutch courage I asked one of the (seemingly surprised) bartenders who had been serving me all night for his number, and succeeded - always a boost to know I still have some skills after it seeming forever since I last dated! We won't dwell on the fact that after a few texts when I got home it was ascertained that he was 22; but still, I'm officially back out there!

Today I was pretty tired and hungover so delayed a trip to Ikea with Mum to another day as I really couldn't deal with the crowds and effort, and we just had a little mooch around TK Maxx and HomeSense nearby instead. I got home and Despicable Me 2 was on, which was great easy viewing, and I took another single step and joined Bumble, which is apparently the new Tinder. Purely for research purposes of course... watch this space!