Weekly Update!

Cocktails, Afternoon Tea & Singing Practise!

I have just come back from the most beautiful wedding (see previous post) but aside from that, this week has been pretty quiet, despite it being my final week off.

On Monday I went to Cheshire Oaks with my mum (see previous post) and on the way home we brought Claire, the uni friend I stayed with in Paris, back with us, who came from  her boyfriend Greg's on the Wirral. We went for a few cocktails at the Slug and Lettuce in Altrincham, and then on Tuesday spent most of the day practising the songs we were singing together at the wedding. We got the arrangements sorted and I felt quite confident with the tracks we had chosen so it was worth the effort. That evening after Claire had left we had fish and chips for tea, and then I stayed at Mo's and we watched the fifth Harry Potter.

On Wednesday I had a lazy day, though managed to drag myself to the gym for a class. Mo came round in the evening and we watched the sixth instalment of Harry Potter.

On Thursday I had my nails done in the morning, then got the train into Chester and met Hannah for afternoon tea. We went to a place called Edgar's which was in a Georgian house overlooking the river, it was gorgeous in the sunshine. We paid £15 including a tip, and got finger sandwiches, fruited scones with jam and cream, and three assorted mini pastries each which we shared - there was lemon meringue pie, strawberry cheesecake, a chocolate cup filled with mousse, a chocolate eclair and 2 Bakewell tarts. I wasn't a huge fan of the sandwiches as we didn't have a choice of filling and I didn't like two of the three (a rather strange concoction of coronation chicken, egg with cheese, and ham with mustard), but the scone and cakes were really good, especially the meringue!

Afterwards we went for a wander around the shops, including a cool designer vintage shop, and then I caught the train back and was greeted with a lovely pork casserole upon my return.

On Friday I did a spinning class, and then had my car valeted ready for a trip to Giggleswick in Yorkshire for the wedding. Mo had a half day off work so we set off at 2.30pm, and called in to Claire's grandparents house near Skipton (where she was staying) en route for a cup of tea. Their house is amazing, a proper country manor set in rolling fields, and Claire and I had a very nerve wracking first performance in front of them and Mo and Greg. It went well though, aside from the lack of confidence, but Mo assured me we were good which made me less apprehensive for the big day. 

At around 5pm we popped to the shops for some barbecue food, and then checked into the hotel before meeting up with Geoff and Brian at the bunk barn they were staying at. I went to pick Joe and Chris up from the station whilst they got the barbie going, and then we had a chilled evening drinking and eating meaty treats. Mo and I got a taxi back at around midnight, and went to bed in preparation for the big day.

Weekly Update!

Cheesecake, Crab & Parties!

This week we've had some awesome weather, which always helps things along. Monday and Tuesday were pretty average, this week at the Country Club I got a beef salad that I've had before, but Aum was adventurous and got some pork dumplings off the specials board that were really tasty.

On Wednesday it was his big performance of Peter Pan, so I went to watch him, he was so good! Can't believe that despite being one of the youngest he was the only one to remember all his lines without any prompting, future star clearly! 

On Thursday after school I took him to Cafe Gourmand as a bit of a treat, and we both got mini cheesecakes. I had a raspberry and white chocolate one while he chose the caramel option. I'm not a huge fan of cheesecake to be honest, but it's one of those desserts that crops up quite a lot, so I've made a decision to try and wean myself onto them. I much prefer more fruity based ones (hence my choice) as I find the combination of the sickly mousse topping with the very sweet digestive  a bit overpowering, and fruit seems to counteract the immense sugary taste with a bit of zest or zing. Aum's caramel one was therefore off-limits, much to his delight, but I actually enjoyed mine, especially as the miniature portion was exactly the right size for my dubious appetite.

On Friday after a spinning class and dental visit, I went all out and got a new raspberry Flake McFlurry, which is a great variety for people who enjoy Mr Whippee ice creams but not so much the cones. In the evening I met Emily, Smeed and Tasha at the Griffin, and we sat in the waning sunshine and had some drinks and light food. I got potted crab, which looked quite rustic, but still tasted great. It came with two big chunky slices of wholemeal bread, a rocket salad and a boiled egg, delicious, especially for a summery evening. I stayed at Mo's afterwards last minute, and then headed home quite early the next morning to finish packing my bag for our trip to Leamington.

We set off at midday, and got there for just before 2pm, so not a bad run. We sat in the garden as the weather was amazing, had some lunch and helped set up some stuff for the party that was going on that evening. People started properly arriving from about 4pm, and music kicked off from 7.30pm (by which time I was well on my way to being drunk!). There were five acts that played, including two of Khumbu's (the host) bands and then three solo artists, and all were thoroughly enjoyable. We ended up in town afterwards at midnight as a neighbour complained about the noise, but it was really fun, and we ended up sleeping in the garden, which felt a bit adventurous.

The following day I felt horrendous, so slept for as long as I could before everyone started surfacing and I had to get changed and look alive. We walked into town and got some breakfast, which somehow managed to make me feel worse. It was very tasty though, I had eggs Benedict and a side order of chunky chips which I failed to finish, and then went back to bed when I got to the house. Eventually Mo managed to persuade me to leave so we drove home, stopping at a services on the way to cool down as I was so hot, and Mo felt like he was going to fall asleep. We took a wrong turn on the motorway so ended up near Liverpool, and finally got home at 6.30pm, exhausted, grumpy and feeling rough. Not a great end, but a fun week!

Weekly Update!

Pet Hens & an Edinburgh Hen Party!

This week has been pretty placid to be honest, mainly as I was gearing myself up for my friend Laura's hen party this weekend. On Monday we got some pet chickens! It's been a seriously long time coming, but we are now the proud owners of Mildred, Daphne, Fifty Something and Little Poppy! In the evening I went to see Kings Of Leon with my friend Rick (see previous post) and on Tuesday I did a spinning class and then had dinner at the Country Club in the evening. This week I was a little naughty and went for the club sandwich, which had chicken, bacon and salad in it on ciabatta bread, with a side order of chunky chips! Aum has had it before and it looked so good I had to try it myself, and to be fair I shared the sandwich with him this time so it wasn't a huge portion. It comes with a gorgeous paprika mayonnaise dressing that really adds to the flavour of the meats.

On Wednesday I did a Body Pump class and ran a few errands, then Mo came around in the evening. It was payday so I finally paid off all my debts and booked a bag for our flight to Mallorca which is coming up soon! On Thursday I collected Aum early from school and drove him to his grandparents in Pontefract for the weekend, meaning I had Friday off work which was a nice bonus. I didn't do much, had a lie in, did a Body Combat class and then popped to Stockport to pick up some bits for the hen party, the weather was awful so I got drenched despite having an umbrella!

It was Emily's birthday so I went round to hers with a card and to say hello, as I missed her party with being away this weekend. I packed my bag, had fish and chips for tea and then went to Mos for the evening. He left early on Saturday to do his CBT test (which he passed!) so I went home and got ready to catch my train at 10.20am to Edinburgh. When I arrived I shopped for a bit until the rest of the girls got into the city centre, I bought an amazing dress in the Topshop sale for just £10! At 4pm we went for afternoon tea at the Caledonian Hotel (see next week's post).

Afterwards we headed back to the house we were staying at, and got ready for a night out in formal evening dresses! We had a toast to the bride-to-be and a few predrinks and nibbles before getting taxis in to the city at 10pm. We started in a bar called Dragonfly where we had some very tasty and unusual cocktails, mine had basil, pepper and raspberries in with gin, and I bought Laura one that had egg white, elderflower syrup and gin. They both tasted amazing and it's always nice having something a bit different. We moved on to the next place after a while, called Lulu's, where we had tequila shots and skittle bombs to get the night going! We ended in a club called Opal Lounge that was underground, it played some good tunes and we were lucky enough to be on the VIP list so got entry into a separate room with tables and a different DJ. We only stayed in there for a while though, as the main room was more atmospheric and had better music on! We eventually got home and had a feast of cheese and bread before bed at 4.30am.

This morning we were up surprisingly early, and dressed in a Secret Garden theme for a beautiful brunch that Laura's sister and mum made. We started with fresh fruit with yoghurt and granola, followed by poached eggs with asparagus and sourdough bread, and finally homemade cinnamon buns that were incredible! It was lovely to all sit around recounting the night, and then we all gave Laura a few presents and a scrapbook for her to make with letters from us all (including some who couldn't make it) and some bits and bobs to remember the occasion. Then we all packed up and headed off in our separate directions to go home!

I got back just before six, and got a lift home from Mo, who then stayed for a Sunday roast with everyone, including my Grandpa who has been to stay for a few days. I am so tired after the weekend's activities that I feel I will crash into bed fairly soon!

Weekly Update!

Picnics, Sunbathing & Tequila!

I thought I'd write this today as I'm about to go to Parklife Festival, so will do two separate posts about that early next week. This week so far has been pretty fun as the weather has been actually amazing (I have a tan and everything!) and Aum's been off school so we've had fun going to various places to keep us entertained.

On Monday he had a friend round so we went to Pizza Express for lunch, where I had a Bosca salad, which is garlic mushrooms, baby mozzarella, avocado, roasted tomatoes, spinach and rocket with a balsamic syrup. It also comes with four warm dough sticks with a honey and mustard dressing that are so delicious! Afterwards we went to Stamford Park, and the boys had a kickaround while I soaked up the rays.

On Tuesday we tried another park - Wythenshawe, which was much better than I expected! Not only does it have a massive play area, but a farm, pitch and putt, duck pond, botanical gardens and lovely hall that you can look around. We took a picnic and ate that and then Aum played for a while before we had to go to the country club for his swimming lesson. Afterwards we sat outside to eat tea, which was lovely, I had udon noodles with king prawns, which was heavy enough to be filling, yet quite light for the warm weather, and the soup left at the bottom of the bowl was really flavoursome.

On Wednesday Aum had a tennis lesson so I did a double whammy of a spin class followed by Body Pump, was completely exhausted afterwards! Luckily the afternoon was spent at Anchors Away indoor play area in Wythenshawe with one of Aum's school friends and his nanny which was fun, always nice to have a bit of company! That evening I stayed at Mo's as he got back from a work trip to London.

On Thursday Aum was on a playdate all day so I went to the gym and got my nails done a really nice magenta purpley colour with blue glitter in, as I fancied something a little jazzy for the festival. In the early evening I drove Aum to his grandparents in Oldham and then Mo came to mine for the evening.

Friday was the best day weather wise, so I sunbathed while Aum had his tennis lesson, and then we got some lunch by the pool. I had crayfish bruschetta, which is probably the best dish I have had there so far. There was a mountain of crayfish on each mini bruschetta, which was then drizzled with a pesto style dressing, and there was a basil mayonnaise dipping sauce in the middle. It was also finished with rocket and cress, absolutely amazing. My dad happened to be there so he tried some, and he loved it even though he doesn't usually rate seafood. That evening once I had finished work, I put on a nice summery dress and went for some drinks in Hogans in Hale. Despite driving in and intending sticking to the one glass of prosecco, I ended up leaving my car in favour of many glasses of wine and some tequila shots!