Birthday Raspberry Picking

I visited Corby for my birthday this year. I met my cousin's new daughter Aurelia. She is tiny! I picked raspberries with my Mum and Dad and we ate scones at a local buttery. It was a low key, family affair.

An awkward looking experiment in self-timer photography.

 

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Mum and Angie come to visit... part 2

These are a few more pictures from my Saturday afternoon wandering the Manchester city streets, Mother and Auntie in tow. Fascinator shopping got old, and I got carried away. There was a lot happening in the Northern Quarter it seemed... wedding parties, guitarists and trumpeters, good smells and busy streets.

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Mum and Angie come to visit... part 1

Last weekend (I'm really behind schedule) my Mum and her sister Angie came to visit in the middle of the Mancunian heatwave. They arrived late Friday and I managed to get the Saturday off work to spend a lovely 2 full days with them.

I always enjoy a day or a weekend tour of places in Manchester, my favourite places, for the benefit of visitors. This weekend was North Star Deli in Chorlton and a tram ride to town on a never ending search for a fascinator. My Mother tried on every hair decoration in the city and bought nothing. She better have something spectacular in her hair come Lee and Dani's wedding in August.

We ate at Simple, NQ for lunch and Bar San Juan on Beech Road, Chorlton for a tapas dinner. All the food was spectacular. 

Here are the highlights from Saturday morning....

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Happy Father's Day

Today is Father’s Day. My Dad is the best. You may have heard that a few times today, but I’m certain. My Dad is the best because he’s somebody I would choose to be friends with if he wasn’t my Dad, and I value my own opinion especially highly. We talk about government and travel and TV shows and scandal. I call him to discuss famous deaths and inappropriate comments made by MPs.

I know I get my love for news and knowledge and adventure from him. When I was a kid I didn’t understand why the news was the default TV channel, the same stories on repeat. But as an adult I start most days with a news channel, with a browse of BBC News or the Guardian on my iPad. I put Sky News on in the background when I’m pottering about my house at the weekend.. To my Dad, it’s just comfortable and I get that now.

I’m certain my upbringing is to thank for my love of maps, trains, airports, and adventure. I’m a nerd for journeys I’ve never undertaken before. I love to walk alone so I can find my way with or without a map. Discovering a Manchester street, previously unknown, is a joy to me. My Dad is an explorer and adventurer at heart. He spends his coveted 2 or so weeks abroad each year finding new beaches and native foods, learning foreign words and phrases and trying his luck with waiters, reading road maps and exploring undiscovered routes. Then he returns and reviews his destination online, forever cementing the experiences he’s had, reliving and recounting the details for future anecdotes.

I suffer from the same ailments as my parents. I turned 25 last summer and everything turned to shit. My knees starting hurting, my neck aches in the morning, my ears can’t stand the cold, I eat copious amounts of Dairy Milk. You see, I’m my Father’s daughter. Even these negatives link me to my Dad and it’s reassuring to know I’m similar to him. My Mother always scorns ‘you’re just like your Dad’ when I’ve said something especially unhelpful or sarcastic.  

I’ll tell anyone who’ll listen that he’s hilarious, dry, witty and clever. I recount tales of my parents arguing, swearing and insults and all, because it’s always done with love and hilarity. Their arguments usually end with laughter, from spectators too. I want anyone that meets them to think they’re as hilarious as I do. It’s lovely to have such a high standard of family life to live up to. I feel lucky to know what family should be; loving and accepting.

My Dad is opinionated and sharp. He’s experienced life and draws from what he knows to be right in order to judge a situation. He needs a course in ‘political correctness 101’ but he’s liberal and fair and holds no grudge for those who differ from him in their lifestyle choices. I’m glad he’s my Dad.

Happy Father’s Day Dad.




My Dad posing for an imaginary European smoking campaign.

 




Mum and Dad at Manchester's Museum of Science & Industry.

 

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Mother's Birthday

I've been a while posting some pictures of my Mum's birthday because I got all pissed off with the last post I did. My 48 blogging apps and blogspot through a web browser via an iPad couldn't make sense of the size of my pictures. I ended up with page breaks and unwanted captions all over the place and I rather childishly thought 'oh fuck it' and tossed my iPad aside. Today I collected myself and fixed it with a good old laptop.

So here are some of the pictures I took over my Mum's birthday weekend. The first one is so special. I think it'll be a picture I come back to again and again. Yes, my Dad's back is turned, but Joseph and my Mum are grinning at each other, clearly excited about that strawberry tart (birthday candle included). This picture says a lot about my Mum. She adores Joe. And she's the happiest woman I know.

See, who wouldn't be excited about that tart?

These were the only clouds I saw all weekend.

Oliver made pulled pork, which went down a treat.

This just about sums up my Dad's free time when I come home to visit. 

My Mother and I have found a shared love of Prosecco.

Birthday Beautiful!

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A Trip Home

Last weekend Oliver and I went to Corby for the weekend, for Christenings and Birthdays. I stayed a little longer to hang out with my Ma and Pa. The weather was beautiful, I ate and drank lots and managed to see a big chunk of my family, which is always lovely for me since I live a while away.

Here are a few highlights from Georgia's Christening...

I like this one because this is really my face most of the time. 

Posted with Blogsy

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Family Visit

A couple of weekends ago my family visited Oliver and I in Manchester. After a week or so of bursts of sunshine we were treated to overcast Manc skies and rain. Of course. We went for lunch in Katsouri’s, on Deansgate, which is a super good value Greek deli. They serve hot roasted meat sandwiches every day of the week for under a fiver, and they have what seems to be a rarity, an imaginative and tasty salad bar, actually appealing to vegetarians. The place is always busy at lunchtimes, but go later in the afternoon for a quieter whatever you fancy.

We wandered through Spinningfields, which would have been a treat in the sunshine, and made an impromptu visit to the Museum Of Science and Industry. Since we’d visited with a 7 year old child, there wasn’t much opportunity to take in much science or industry. I’d like to visit again, with Oliver, to wander round slowly and learn more about Manchester. With the miserable budget we’re both sticking to, free days out are essential. A bicycle and a museum is a good combination for us.

Posted with Blogsy

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