Manchester Blogger Meet Up

I am a rubbish blogger.  I cannot believe how long it took me to write this blog post.  

Some time ago now I went on a blogger meet up in Manchester with some fantastic plus size blogger babes.  We decided to have a little shopping trip in the +Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre which had been arranged by the lovely Steph of Seeing Spots which was followed by a brilliant cocktail making class at +Tiger Tiger Manchester which had been sorted by the brilliant Debz of The Not So Secret Diary of a Wannabe Princess

I will share a few photographs that I took during the cocktail class, please bear in mind that they were cocktail fueled photographs!

The beautiful Naomi

Concentration for making cocktails is key with Gemma of Pink Gemma

Dude, Where's My Cocktail?

Why are our glasses empty?  I don't know, I'm blindfolded!

I must confess that I was very nervous to go to the meet up, not only because the only person I had met in the flesh before was Steph, but also because I was meeting some bloggers that I had admired from reading their blogs and was a little "blogger star struck".  Not least Naomi of DiamondsnPearls with her radiant smile, Em from Terrible Tumbles who I thought was just fabulous (and was in the flesh too) and the beautiful Nicola of Chunky Cat Cuddler who makes gorgeous jewellery and is so so lovely.

We decided to stay for a "few" drinks later on given the 50% off offer, how could we not, which resulted in my weaving my way back to Deansgate ready for a bus ride home, trying not to fall asleep or look like a drunken mess.

I had a brilliant time and I think we definately need to do it again.  Spring Fling anyone?

All a Bit of a Cock-tail

Hello!

Last week I did a post about a new dress that I had recently bought from +Simply Be  but couldn’t decide how to wear it.  After reading Choices, Choices the majority decided that the red cardigan was the way forward.

Last night I went for a catch up afternoon/evening with the girls and had great plans for taking photographs of me in the day out in the City, with better backdrops than my usual bedroom wall. 

However, what I was of course forgetting was the fact that I was out with the girls and we were having cocktails.  I managed one photograph of me, one of my hotel window view, and the rest of our various cocktails!

A room with a view

The chosen outfit!

You know you have had too many cocktails when you try to
(badly)  backlight your drink with a candle

A brilliant evening and a clear headed morning followed thanks to a humongous breakfast at the Premier Inn. 

What did you get up to this weekend?

Cocktails and Giggles

It’s my mum’s birthday in just over a week. 

My mum has never been for a night out in the city and has never had a cocktail (not counting the watered down kind that you get from dodgy Spanish bars).  Given that she is turning 73 this time (shush, don’t tell her I told you) I decided that it was high time to remedy that.

Now my mum and I are quite similar in that we are both daft as a brush, we giggle at the drop of a hat and we both enjoy good food, good times and a drop of something to put a sparkle in your eye.

I booked a night in the +Premier Inn in Manchester for the Bank Holiday Monday and arranged for us to attend Jamie Oliver’s Italian followed by a few cocktails to end the night with a bang.

There were many many giggles (including when my mum managed to break her glasses, forcing her to use one of them like a monocle in order to read the menu), the food at Jamie Oliver’s was amazing and we found one more thing in common that night, a love of a Cosmopolitan cocktail.

Here are some photos from the trip.

Top from +Next 

Travelling with no makeup on, a first!

Excited to start our night out

My gorgeous mum

Like mother like daughter

Cocktail fueled expression!

Dress from +Simply Be My mum's jacket is from George at Asda

Home after a brilliant night, and no hangovers!

Have you planned any trips recently?

I'm Now Officially Old

I'm now officially old.  I haven't had a birthday or anything like that, but I have reached a point that in my youth, I swore would never happen.  I have fallen out of love with "going out on the town".

When I say going out on the town however, let me be a little more specific.  Because we all know that there is "going out on the town" and bar trawling.  My town, god love it, is a bar trawling type of place.  Many bars that you can frequent over the weekend, nightclubs offering cheap drinks, dancing until dawn rises if you want to.

I would go out with my friends all weekend and for years, the magic of a "night out down town" was there.  Overcrowded was "it's busy so it's cool", the age limit of over 25 in the nightclub was a weekend game to be played and usually won.  Weekends were edged in a kind of magic, where everything was fun, romance and whatever you wanted was there for the taking.

For money, work, university and a million other reasons, I haven't been out into the town on a weekend for a very long time.  Over Christmas I went to a party and afterwards, we decided on a foray into town to hit a couple of bars.  That's when it hit me.  The magic had gone.  I stayed for a couple of drinks and then made a rapid escape, via the kebab shop though, some things will never change.  Food at the end of the night will always cure most of your hangover.

I realised the next day however that it wasn't the magic that had gone from the town.  The town hadn't changed.  The bars had changed over the years but were still there, the cheap drinks, the masses of people out for a good time.  No, it wasn't the town that had changed, it was me. For one thing, I could no longer go out with just a purse in my hand with a lipstick crammed in, how did I ever manage????

My 30's are just as much fun as my 20's, just in a different way.  My idea of a great night out is now somewhat more expensive, but as I don't go out nearly as much as I used to, this type of night has become more affordable.

See, she's still there, just better dressed and drinking cocktails ;)

So hence, I'm sat here planning a night away in Manchester next Friday.  The hotel is booked, just a Premier but who needs something fancy for a one night stay, the eating place is chosen, in this case Revolution which does nice on the go food well, with good cocktails and then off to sample some more cocktails at the delights of the Alchemist Bar.  

Good friends, great conversation, lots of laughs, cocktails, a night away and a good breakfast in the morning.  That's my style these days.  What's yours?