Lunch Out with Roslyn

On the 3rd of November I went to Sheffield to meet my friend Roslyn for lunch. She wasn't sure what she wanted but fancied noodles so I was suggesting a few places in Sheffield and she chose Pho. So I drove to Middlewood and got on the tram. I was there before Ros so I went in and got a table and waited for her. She had never been before so when she arrived I advised her on what was good. She's vegetarian like me so that was useful for me to have some knowledge. We both went for summer rolls with peanut sauce to begin with, and then Ros went for tofu curry because I said it was very good. I decided to go for something different and had tofu curry noodle soup. It was spicy and delicious and really warming and lovely! 

After we had eaten we went into a few shops, nothing too exciting but I did start my Christmas shopping in TK Maxx which was good. It was getting on for 3.30pm by this point so we decided to go and get a drink and ended up in a brownie/donut place. I had a brownie and some pop, it was fine but nothing too special and I didn't bother taking a photo! I got home about 5pm and got a photo of my dress. It is a Joe Brown's one and I got it a few months ago but haven't worn it much because I think it's more of an autumn/winter dress. I wore it with black footless tights. 

As it was near to Bonfire Night there were tons of fireworks in the evening so I watched a few from my attic window. 

Summer rolls with peanut sauce, Ros had never had summer rolls before but liked them

Tofu curry noodle soup, you can't see the noodles here but there were loads in the bottom of the bowl. I would have it again

Lovely orangey dress when I got home

And finally some pretty fireworks

J R Ellis in Barnsley and a Day Out with Family

At the beginning of November I had tickets for my mum and I to see J R Ellis at the library in Barnsley. My mum and I have read all his books, and it was a free event, so I snaffled up some tickets when I saw about it on the local newsletter that I subscribe to. Then I asked if all four of us with Lee and my stepdad wanted to make a bit of a day of it and have some food and drinks afterwards. My mum agreed, so she and Norman came to Barnsley on the bus and met Lee and I just after midday in the town centre. We went into Costa for a coffee (we would have gone in the independent cafe nearby but it was full!) and then at just before 1pm my mum and I wandered to the library and up to the third floor. 

I'm guessing there were about forty of us in total. I was the youngest person there for sure, but then Ellis' books are 'cosy mysteries' which tend to be read by older people. It was interesting to hear John speak, but I think he could have been a bit less rambly. But it was still nice! I've read all of his books on Kindle but I bought one so that he could sign it. We spoke to him briefly and then we went back into the plaza. Lee and Norman had been into the record shop in the arcade and then had a drink in the bar opposite, which was nice for both of them. We decided to eat in the Salt House so we went in and got a table. 

They have a bunch of tapas choices in there so we ordered a bunch of stuff to share. They have some good veggie options. I had bruschetta and sticky cauliflower wings and shared some other stuff. My mum and I shared a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and I had a white sangria too. When we'd eaten we went next door to the Lounge where we had some more drinks. I think Lee popped to a different shop which was fine; he doesn't drink alcohol so he wasn't bothered about sitting with us for the whole time. I think I had a cherry cola cocktail, but I'm not too sure. 

About 6pm we went to Dolly's Desserts. I wanted some ice cream the night before but we didn't have any, so Lee said we should go for dessert with my mum and Norman. They hadn't been to that specific one before but I knew they would find something they both liked. I had cookie dough and whippy ice cream, it was delicious. We were lucky to get the big table at the front of the place which meant we didn't have to go upstairs as my stepdad finds stairs difficult. 

When we had eaten pudding we were totally stuffed so we took my mum and Norman home and then came back home ourselves. My mum did invite us in for drinks but we wanted to just come back, so we did! 

I was wearing some new Dr Marten boots that I bought a few months ago but hadn't worn them in the summer, but when the weather turned cooler I pulled them out. I wore them for the first time this day and they didn't rub me very much at all, which is good. They will still need some breaking in, though! But I love the pattern of them - the black rubs off as you wear them and I just love them so yes I did buy them full price... 

New Dr Marten boots, I just love them so much and can't wait to wear them a lot over the winter! I was also wearing grey footless tights from Snag which I really like too 

J R Ellis giving his talk

White sangria in the Salt House. I like their food and I love their staff and customer service, I recommend the place if you're in Barnsley

Bruschetta and cauliflower wings, it was nice food too 

Here we all are in Dolly's Desserts, my mum had a brownie and ice cream, Norman had some ice cream, and I think Lee had cookie dough like me 

Here's my dessert, I love hot cookie dough!

Films of the Month - October

By the time you read this it will be Boxing Day! Mad that another Christmas has come and gone and it will soon be 2025, which is real living in the future territory, isn't it. But I'm still blogging about October, sorry. Bear with me a little longer. I watched fourteen films in October which was a good number especially considering that I was away for a week in the middle. Here's what I saw:

I saw a few people talking about Will & Harper, which is about Will Ferrell and his friend Harper, who is a trans woman. She was a writer on Saturday Night Live and came out more recently. The documentary sees the two of them travel across the USA talking about Harper's transition and so on. I really liked it and would recommend it. I'm not the biggest fan of Will Ferrell but he came across brilliantly - so genuine, really honest, but ultimately just totally there for his friend even as he got to know the new her 

Sam and Jac and I watched this together online. We really made the effort in October to watch some stuff together, which was nice. Sam chose this and it was really fun and touching, I liked it

I saw this film about northern soul music on the BBC and gave it a go. It was fine, nothing special and it didn't really use the music enough for me, but it was fine

Lee and I watched the South Park film together and I know it's terrible but somehow I just really like it, it reminds me of being young

I watched Saltburn again, I watched it earlier in the year but wanted to see it again with the knowledge of what happens at the end. I liked it still, it's not my favourite film ever but it is very well done

Netflix recommended The Trouble With Jessica to me so I gave it a go. I liked Shirley Henderson in it a lot but otherwise it was quite forgettable

Lee and I watched In the Loop together, it's absolutely forever since I've seen it but I really like it

I had watched the new TV drama about Prince Andrew with Michael Sheen, which reminded me of Scoop, which is with Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell instead. I think they both have their strong points, although I do find it odd to be already making films about things that only happened a few years ago

Sam and Jac and I watched Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. I've never seen any of the Jumanji films so it was all new to me, but I liked it a lot. Jack Black especially was good and it was really fun

I finally got around to watching My Policeman after meaning to for ages. I liked it, it was emotional and lovely

Netflix recommended Rumor Has It to me and I like Jennifer Aniston so I gave it a go. It was alright, nothing special but fine to watch

I watched a three part documentary about Elizabeth Taylor, having known very little about her, so I decided to watch one of her most famous roles. It was alright, I didn't love the story, but I can see why it's a classic

Lee and I watched Halloween together on Halloween, it's such a classic and so good. I love Jamie Lee Curtis so much

Finally Jac and I watched Hocus Pocus together later on Halloween. I've never seen it! But it's brilliant! I really liked it, I love Sarah Jessica Parker's character a lot

A Day Out With Sarah and R

On Halloween I ended up seeing Sarah and her daughter R, who is three. We wanted to keep it pretty low key, and R was on half term, so I suggested going to Wentworth Castle which is near my house. I think I've been once, but it was a long long time ago. I didn't remember too much of it. The house itself is currently used by Northern College, but the grounds are owned by the National Trust. Sarah came to pick me up and we drove down in her courtesy car and parked and went in. 

There's a golf buggy which will take you to wherever you want to go, so we waited for it because we weren't sure how far it was. We got it to the cafe and bookshop, which is about halfway around the main walk. We went into the cafe for a coffee and some flapjack each. Then we set off walking upwards towards the house. It was a nice autumnal walk, first through the garden and then through a bunch of crunchy leaves, where we went round and round a tree for a while, and then up through some of the parkland and into a replica Corinthian temple! It was pretty fun. There are lots of seats on the way so I rested when I needed to, but it was fine. We took lots of photos, too. 

Then we walked back to the cafe and had lunch. I cannot remember now what I had, and I didn't take a picture. We managed to get in before everyone else did, though. Then we went into the book shop (which operates on a donation system of £1 per book). I bought a couple of books for me and one for R because you definitely cannot spoil a child with books. We went into the playground for R to play for a bit too (that might actually have been before lunch) and then we walked back to the car because it wasn't far. It was a lovely day!

I got home and relaxed for a bit. I had been wearing my galaxy print dress although I didn't get a photo of it. And since it was Halloween I wore my Strange and Unusual necklace which I took a photo of, also showing off my new yellow leather purse. I got it in France - it was a birthday present from Alison and came from the market in her town. I love it, I love the colour and I really needed a new purse!

Coffee and flapjack in the morning

Looking down into the park - there's acres and acres of it, and there are so many deer wandering around!

The first side of the house that you come to, but like I said it's not open to the public (although I think there are tours at times)

Sarah and R in the garden bit right near the house

We weren't sure what this flower was but we liked it

The other side of the house from the main path

Further up the path towards the bridge

In the "Corinthian Temple". Posh people were weird

Enjoying kicking some leaves about

And finally my necklace and new purse when I got home

The Wave Pictures in Huddersfield

On the last Saturday in October I went across to Huddersfield to see The Wave Pictures with Sam. They're an indie band I quite like, and I went to sixth form with their drummer, Jonny, so I'm always happy to see them and try to make the effort to see them maybe every eighteen months or something. When Sam and I saw they were playing Huddersfield we decided to go, because that's obviously a hometown show for Jonny! Plus the venue is really small so we thought it would be fun.

I got the train from my village and met Sam at Lala's Indian restaurant which is right on the edge of the station square so it isn't far at all. We had poppadums to start with and shared starters, and then I had paneer chana and rice, which was delicious. 

We headed down to the venue, only a couple of streets away, just as doors were opening. It is a tiny room, with a tiny stage in one corner and a tiny bar in the other. There were a few seats against one wall so I snagged one while Sam went to the bar. The sound desk was up in a tiny hole above the toilets, it was about the size of a bed and the sound guy had to go up and down a ladder to get up to it! So it was a proper DIY venue and perfect for the Wave Pictures. 

The support band were alright, their bass player was Jonny's brother Ben which was cute. Sam and I had a couple of drinks each and then the band came on. They were really good - they're really talented and always make a nice noise. Plus they played my favourite song of theirs (I Love You Like A Madman) so that was a nice bonus!

Lee was going to come and pick me up but they finished early enough for me to go and get the train home. It's quite a pleasant journey if you have a book. Lee picked me up at the station and then it was time for bed! 

I was wearing my gorgeous teal footless tights and black sparkly Converse, comfortable but warm enough for the time of year

Starter

Paneer channa and whatever Sam had, I'm not sure 

Inside Northern Quarter, the filter has washed us out because neither of us really looks like that!

Jonny on drums, David on guitar, Franic on bass

Sometimes Jonny comes to the front to sing which I really like; he tends to stamp his foot as percussion

And taking a bow!

Lunch with Philippa

Towards the end of October I went to Sheffield to meet Philippa for lunch. She suggested we go to Aesthete in Walkley; we've been before but it was in the summer so we sat outside. This time it was much too cold for that! But I agreed as the food had been nice. I had to park on what is practically a vertical hill but I did very good parallel parking and then made my way inside to where Philippa already was. 

It was really busy but she had managed to get a table. I went for poached eggs on a muffin with cubed potatoes, tomatoes, and mushrooms. It tasted really nice but I think the portion was a bit little. I also had a vegan caramel shortbread which was lovely. 

As we were leaving I got a photo of us because I always forget and didn't want to. As you can see I was wearing the jumper that I made - it's lovely and warm without being too big or bulky, so I will probably wear it a lot over the winter. 

Breakfast muffin

Lovely cake for dessert; I had coffee too 

And finally a lovely photo of Pippa and me!

Tea Out with Friends

The night after the Libertines I went into Wakefield to meet two friends for food. My friend Stacey lives in Wakefield and I see her pretty often, and we are friends with Gemma, who we went to school with. Gemma works in the civil service and she has been working abroad for a long time now. She was back to visit, though, so we had arranged to meet up. We were going to go to a new Indian restaurant near Wakefield, so I had arranged to go pick Gemma up in town. 

However, the busses from Gemma's mum's house weren't running properly, and at 6pm when I was supposed to be picking her up she was still waiting. So she said for me and Stacey to just meet up in Wakefield city centre and that she would join us when we could. We were dithering between a Thai restaurant and a Vietnamese one, so I made the decision as I was close by, and chose the Vietnamese one. I didn't even know it existed so I was interested to try it. 

I had just ordered a drink when Gemma arrived and then Stacey did too! So it wasn't what we had planned but it was totally fine, we managed to meet up and have a good time. It seemed like quite an authentic Vietnamese restaurant and it was quite busy for a random Wednesday night. I had summer rolls with tofu and then tofu curry. The curry sauce wasn't exactly what I was imagining, but I'm gladi  tried it. 

Stacey took Gemma home so I could just head home myself. I was wearing a new jumper I got recently from Simply Be. It's rainbow and pastel and knitted and I really like it. It isn't too itchy either, which is good, because I can't stand itchy yarn. I also wore my 'be reyt' necklace that a friend bought me for my birthday back in January. It was the first time I had worn it! I love it, it's very cute 

Summer rolls with a really spicy sauce

Tofu curry with rice

Wearing an old Scarlett and Jo skirt (used to be a dress) and a black t shirt underneath, and this new rainbow knit jumper. I can see myself wearing this a lot over the winter!

Very cute acrylic 'be reyt' necklace 

The Libertines in Leeds

On the 22nd of October I went to see The Libertines in Leeds with Sam and Jacqui. As you may know, they're one of my favourite bands and I like to see them often. I met Sam through them too, back on LiveJournal in 2006, if you can believe it! Jacqui isn't a fan, but she wanted to come to a gig with me and Sam so she booked a ticket with us too. We had balcony tickets at the o2 Academy in Leeds which is okay as venues go. 

So we arranged to meet up at 5pm for food before the gig. I got the train from Barnsley and walked from the station to The Light. That's a fair old walk for me but I took it slow and I was fine, I was pleased with myself! I was early so I went into Tamatanga anyway, where Sam had booked a table for us. She had been before but I never had and it sounded so good. And it was!

Sam arrived and we ordered some cocktails each, and then Jac arrived too. Tamatanga has a good vegetarian menu and a good vegan one too, so I was spoilt for choice. I went for papdi chaat and black butter lentils. They were both SO good. The chaat was spicy and cold and delicious, and the butter lentils were so good. They were almost like Dishoom's black lentils, but not quite. But very close in terms of richness and deliciousness. I had them with rice. 

After we had eaten it was around 6.15 and Sam went to go queue outside the venue. She had volunteered so that we didn't all have to (I find queueing really difficult and painful for me) which I was very grateful for. She got into the venue and got three seats on the right hand side of the balcony for us, so Jac and I followed not too long after. The venue staff let us up in the lift which was really kind of them as I hadn't booked access. We got to Sam and sat down. 

The support bands were fine. We were chatting and we had some wine which was good. Then the Libs! They had a new album out in April so it was our first chance to hear some of these songs live. They sounded really good and the whole thing was just a joy from start to finish. Jac enjoyed herself which was really good too. 

The band finished about 10.45 so we left the venue and walked down to the train station together. Sam had to get a rail replacement bus so she went off to that, and Jac and I went into the station. Again this was quite a long walk for me but I was fine as we were together and just happy after the show. Jac and I sat together for a bit before she went for her train and I waited for Lee. He didn't mind picking me up but traffic around the Academy is awful which is why I had said I would walk down to the station for him to get me there. 

I'm seeing the Libs at the very beginning of November too, so watch out for that post too! 

This was a lychee cocktail and it was nice. They were on 2 for 1 so it would have been rude not to, really

Papdi chaat to start with - the blueberries were a bit of a weird addition but okay

Black butter lentils - I could really eat these again right now

The second cocktail that Jac and I shared while we were waiting - I can't remember what it was but it was nice

Jac and I in Tamatanga before Sam left

The Libertines! This was Carl doing some singing at the front

I just love them so much

At the end just about to take a bow

Sam took this of the three of us, we're adorable! 

And Sam also took this of the outside, too, on the way out