Biryani, Convoying &
Masquerades!
This week got off to a good start, as after a pleasant walk in Styal and a roast dinner with the family, Mo came round and we had a proper talk and decided to get back together. I was really nervous as had no idea which way it would go, but I am happy we both agreed it was what we wanted. On Tuesday I went for a coffee with Rick, as I hadn't seen him in ages, and then after having an amazing steak, roquefort and mushroom sandwich at the Country Club for tea, I popped to Mum's for a drink to catch up.
On Wednesday Mo came round and cooked a gorgeous chicken biryani for our tea, it was pretty spicy but delicious all the same! I visited Abi on Thursday, who I hadn't seen in a month, and then babysat in the evening. I also managed to crash my car, literally half an hour after collecting it from an MOT. It is a little scratched and dented on the bumper, but surprisingly not as bad as I thought it would be - although the damage to the other car was too much to pay out for, so I am having to go through my insurance, gutted!
On Friday I went round to Mo's and we watched a film called Afflicted, which was average at best. The next day we convoyed down south as he was going to Portsmouth on the bike, and I was bound for Surrey to stay with Laura and Dickon. We stopped for lunch and then split up to go in different directions. I arrived at about 3pm, and Laura and I went into Guildford for a wander around the shops while Dickon played golf. We stopped for a coffee and brownie at a place called Harris & Hoole, which was a lovely independent seeming cafe; then I found out afterwards it is owned by Tesco!
We drove back to Laura and Dickon's and had a delicious meal of fig and goats cheese bruschetta followed by seabass with couscous and ratatouille, and then Dickon drove us to Clapham where Claire was having her 25th birthday party in a bar called 64th & Social. It was masquerade themed, and Laura and I had bought Facelace - basically fine leather lacework that sticks directly onto your face. It looked really cool, but when we walked in noone else was wearing a mask! Once they saw us everyone put theirs on though which was good. We had some free prosecco (we'd already shared a bottle in the car en route!) and then stuck to gin and lemonade for the night. I can't remember getting home! It's a long time since I have had one of those nights, but I remember it being lots of fun which is always a good sign.
Today I had a great cooked breakfast before setting off home at 12.30pm. I had to take a detour for petrol so it took me 4 hours, but was a relatively easy drive. I am now awaiting Mo's arrival after his epic ride from Portsmouth!
Around The World In 80 Days by Jules Verne - 4 stars ****
This is one of those books that I have heard so much about, yet have never actually read it. Upon seeing it in Oxfam, I decided to buy it and actually make my own mind up about the well loved classic.
Everyone knows the story - Phileas Fogg, a wealthy British man, makes a bet with a group of men at his local social club that he can travel around the world in 80 days. An easy task nowadays, but given that the novel is set in the 1870s, when rail travel was relatively new, and aside from that travel was done via ship and carriage, means it is quite a challenge.
Accompanied by his trusty servant Passepartout, and picking up an Indian princess along the way, the motley crew encounter various setbacks and trials upon their journey, not least that they are pursued by Police Inspector Fix, who is convinced that because of his swift departure, Fogg is behind a major bank robbery that occurred in London the night before he made his bet.
I really enjoyed this book - it is an easy read that is fulfilling, funny and interesting. It is very factual in style, often sections sound like they could be taken from a guide book or non-fiction writing, but this was refreshing for me, as the type of books I read can be very heavily descriptive and wordy. This was straightforward and uncomplicated, and I felt like I had learnt things after reading it!
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!
Nights In & Tiki Heads!
This week was mainly spent on holiday in France (see previous post) but I got back yesterday at lunchtime, so had a little bit of the weekend left (bonus that it's the Easter Bank Holiday as well!). Yesterday Mum and Jasmine came round to mine for lunch, and then we went for a shop around John Lewis and the retail park nearby which was nice. Jasmine has only come back for the four days over her whole Easter holiday due to having her dissertation to do, so it was good to spend some time together. In the evening Emily and Smeed popped round, originally it was supposed to be a bit of a gathering with a few others and drinks, but people weren't really up for it, and I was super tired from my trip (surviving on 2 hours sleep) so I was glad!
Today I chilled out for most of the day, did a lot of blogging to catch up, and then got ready for a night out to Manchester with the girls. I wore a black pencil skirt that is almost scuba material that I bought on my holiday with a new sheer top with bronze collar and cuffs that I bought just before I left. Tasha, Lydia and Emily all came to mine for predrinks, and we had a proper catch up, as we've not seen Lydia since January! We only realised the time very last minute so had to run for the train at quarter past eleven and just made it luckily.
We went to Deansgate Locks for a change, and ended up in Lola Lo's, a tiki style bar which is really funky inside. For a Bank Holiday I thought it was quite quiet, and they were obviously expecting it to be busier as there were lots of bar staff on. We got a zombie cocktail to share to begin with which was served in a Tiki head pottery cup, and then I had a few gins. It wasn't a really heavy night, but that was better as it meant we all got chance to chat rather than dancing and not being able to hear each other. Nice to make the most of a Sunday night! (finished this off on Monday to recount the night!)
