Life lately

I know it's been a while in fact it has been an age since we last sat down and had a proper chat. It wasn't intentional I just had a lot on and well everything sort of snowballed and before I knew it it was almost December and I have't really caught you up on everything that's been going on. This is partly because I still haven't unpacked my camera so it's going to be a bit of an iPhone catch up I'm afraid.

Let's start with a cup of coffee, grab a biscuit and curl up on a sofa. 

Well I turned 30 on the 7th of October and headed to Friends of Ham for lashings of cheese and wine. This use to be one of my go to first date bars as it walked that fine line between casual enough not to be intimidating but still being somewhere all your friends would not bump into you. Plus in addition to cheese there was a sufficient range of wine to please me and a range of craft ales to satisfy the date. It used to be quiet enough to talk but busy enough that you did not feel like all eyes were on you, it then became too popular and overpopulated during the week to comfortably have an intimate date. 

As of October friends of ham has expanded and they now have double the space that they used to upstairs and I decided that was how I wanted to spend my birthday. And yes I did eat a whole cheese plate to myself. 

The house is moving on and as you will have seen I completely messed up trying to paint the walls which I am still trying to salvage. Painting the walls in the living room grey has made it feel much more like the place belongs to me and there is something quite comforting about that. 

The sofa's finally arrived, which in combination with the replacement council bin as mine had gone absent, has been the biggest improvement to my quality of life since the house was bought. It is surprising how much you end up wanting to be out when you are sitting in a nest of pillows on the floor. 

The carpet in the house was horrendous and I mean awful, for some reason the previous owners thought cream indented carpet was a good idea, it is not, it was worn grubby and horrible. It has been replaced with a mocha heather carpet. It feels heavenly to walk on it with bare feet as it is squiggly plush and absolutely luxiourious. 

A lot of my money is going into the house at the moment but I did manage to book a trip to New York in February for five nights on a deal through lastminute. I've started pinning ideas of things to do but would love suggestions. 

Finally I went away with a group of my closet friends to a cabin in the woods at Swinton Bivouac. But there will be more to come on that one. 

Any ways that's enough about me what's going on with you?

SHARE:

0 comments

A little bit of Pastille

The Granary Wharf area of Leeds has undergone a revolution in the time the I have been in Leeds. It's is also one if my local stomping grounds. Traditionally it has been home to bars and eateries but nestled in Waterman's place Pastille has opened.

It is a candy coloured perfection of a nail bar offering a variety of nail treatments for women and men both on a booking and walk in bases. I booked R and I in for manicures.

I first heard about Pastille from a colleague who booked in on her lunch hour. It is open late on a Thursday so you can pop in for a post work treat like we did and unusually it is also open on a Sunday in the event that you need a weekend pick me up. It's Los conveniently located near a number of Hotels and would be the perfect place to host a hen do pamper session.

I went for the Gel mani choosing Opi black cherry berry and R had a Dash Mani in Essie's mint candy apple. I am afraid I left my camera at home but managed a few picks on my phone. if your in Leeds and fancy booking your own mid week treat check out the website for more details.

The staff are lovely and friendly. They clearly have a passion for their job and were more than happy to show us the different nail art effects including studs, stripes, quilting and marbling to name a few. As you leave you are handed a little tub of complimentary minty bath salts to continue the experience at home.

Afterwards we headed to Cuvée on the corner of Waterman's place for a pornstar martini and a cheeky shot called a Lemon meringue.

Check out the blog tomorrow for a chance to win a kit to recreate R's manicure at home.

SHARE:

0 comments

A little bit of a Mad Hatter's tea party

In the heart of London there is a eccentric experience waiting for you, the Mad Hatter's Tea Party at the Sanderson Hotel. I went for J's birthday as a cream tea treat.

The outside of the hotel belittles the long bar, outdoor court yard and eating area that await you once you go throught the diaphanous muslin entrance. Recently themed cream tea have become the thing to do for various celebrations from hen do's to birthday parties, to a simple but pricey catch up and the mad hatters tea is something a little bit more quirky than the average.

We arrived to find the hotel packed with various groups of revellers dressed in splashes of colour and bright summery prints, unfortunately this meant we had to wait for a while before being escorted to our seats.

The table was set up with a sugar cube containing music box, a copy of withering heights and tea sets that when placed together created a disconnected picture.

We all ordered champagne with our tea and the waitress brought over purfume bottles of their special blended tea to determine which one we wanted to have. They were strawberry and cream, mint chocolate, rubbarb and apple pie.

I went for the coffee option but I am informed that the strawberry and cream tasted a little like warm juice.

We then found the table laden with all variety of delicacies and treats. Ranging from rolled sandwiches of egg cress, cucumber and cream cheese, salmon and ham.

There were little quiches and an olive scone with herby butter to round off the savoury dishes. It was however the deserts than made this meal. There was a drink me potion of passion fruit and pannacotta to consume through a straw.

A chocolate tea cup with mouse containing popping candy (my favourite item).

A Victoria sponge and white chocolate cheese cake with a mango yolk. The cheese cake was probably my least favourite dish.

This was then topped off with strawberry and cream mashmellow and a carrot shaped confection with ginger filling.

As J summed it up it was a posher more expensive version of man versus food.

We then headed to the Westbury Hotel for another drink before heading off into the night.

SHARE:

0 comments