Busy Weekend

I had a busy weekend in mid June which necessitated three trips across Woodhead Pass, fortunately before it was closed because of the wildfires, which as I'm writing this still aren't quite under control. It's a faff to go over the M62 from my new house, plus I really hate that motorway and much prefer Woodhead.

On the Friday Sam and I had tickets to see Jesse Malin. We've seen him a bunch of times and really enjoyed him, so we wanted to go again. In 2023 he had a spinal stroke which has paralysed his bottom half, so we weren't sure if he would ever tour in the UK again. He has had a lot of rehab and he can now stand up thanks to some braces on his lower legs. Even though he can't feel them! It's madness. So we were excited to see him again. 

We met at about 4pm at a coffee place and had a drink and then went over to Viet Shack for food. There was tons of veggie choices but I went for fake chicken loaded fries with a peanut type sauce. It was nice. I think we shared some veggie spring rolls, too. And I had a delicious mocktail, I can't remember what was in it but it was good. 

We walked over to the venue and Sam queued up for us. She had emailed for access but no one had replied and in fact access was really rubbish and I ended up complaining to the venue about it. But we got in eventually and were about six rows back from the front which gave us a great view. Jesse was great - he stood up for about four songs and sat down for the rest which is fine of course. He played a ton of his own songs, and a cover of The Pogues and a cover of The Clash like he usually does. He was enthusiastic and told all his stories. It was a lot of fun. 

I got home and to bed, and then got up quite early the next morning to go with Lee to Stockport Zine Fair. We went last year and had a great time so I was pleased to get a table again this year. We arrived in good time and got set up but it turned out we had forgotten the new badges and stickers I had got made so that was a bit annoying. My prints sold well though, which was good! 

I bought some zines and traded a bunch too. I also bought these Lord of the Rings cat stickers, I love them so much. We decided to not stay in Stockport for tea but we did get some donuts from a stall outside before we set off home. We just chilled out when we got home because zine fests are tiring!

On Sunday I had a quiet morning before setting off for Glossop to meet my friend Amy. She couldn't meet until 2pm so I went a bit earlier and had a sandwich in About Thyme by myself, reading my book, before she arrived. We got cake and coffee when she arrived and sat chatting until about 3pm, when About Thyme closes. So we went round to The Lounge and sat outside on the patio which was lovely as it was nice and sunny. I just had a drink as I wasn't hungry, but Amy had some chips. We left about 5pm, it wasn't enough time with one of my oldest and best friends! 

Mocktail in Viet Shack

And my loaded fries

Jesse's first song, as he was standing

And later on, when he was sitting down. His backing musicians sounded great too

It was a really good night

The book I was reading. It's really good, it's about an Irish woman with an abusive and manipulative husband, and about how she leaves him. I really recommend it

My table all set up in Stockport

Very cute cat stickers

Donuts with ice cream and chocolate sauce, I bloody love donuts

All the zines I bought or traded

Coffee cake in About Thyme - it's a really cute cafe in Glossop and I've been a couple of times

Amy and I just before we said goodbye on Sunday afternoon

Beginning of June

A few things from the beginning of June which don't warrant their own post but which I'll write about briefly. Actually, on the 30th of May Lee and I headed out ...somewhere. I can't remember where and I haven't written it down in my diary. I think we probably went into Barnsley but I don't know. But I did wear this new dress that I got on Vinted. It's similar to the Topsy Curvy and Carolina Dress Room ones but it doesn't have a label in it. I LOVE the leopard print pattern and it's just so cute. I wore it with handmade earrings from Loud Mary which are also leopard print and loud and which I love a lot too. I have worn this dress a lot already! 

On the 3rd of June I went into Barnsley to see Chloe and Laura. It was a while since we had been to Barnsley and it was better for me as it meant I didn't have to travel far. We met for coffee then had a quick walk round some shops. I bought three books in The Works but not sure I bought anything else. We went for lunch in the Market Kitchen. I had a halloumi kebab and chips from the Greek place in there I think. We then just sat for ages chatting at a table. It wasn't busy so we weren't taking up space. We finally said goodbye about 3pm probably. 

On the Thursday I went to Sheffield to meet my friend Philippa for lunch. She had suggested Mandala Cafe down on Chesterfield so after I had been working in the morning I set off to meet her. I've been working loads recently - I have a big new client which is great because I am earning lots of money - but it has meant that I have been working a lot more. It's been tiring!

I had the thali with Pippa because I can rarely resist a thali - I just love having little bits of all kinds of things to eat. It was all tasty. I also had a brownie for pudding. Pippa and I chatted until around 3.30 I think, and then I had to go to Barnsley for an x ray on my wrist. I've been having problems with it for months and had seen the physio about it and he wanted me to have an x ray on it. My appointment was at 5.05 but I was worried about being late due to Sheffield and Barnsley traffic, and Lee couldn't take me as he also had to go to the hospital at about 4.30. I actually wasn't at the hospital - my appointment was at one of those NHS centres in town and city centres so I was actually in the middle of Barnsley at the Glass Works. This worked out way better for me as I could park more easily. 

I was there really early and had my book with me, fully prepared to sit and wait, but no sooner had I checked in than they were calling me through. There were two x ray technicians and they joked that they had been bored for a bit so were glad I was there earlier. It was great because it meant I was home before 5pm and could wait for Lee.

We headed off to Sheffield again - do keep up, it was a busy day - for Lee to play his first gig with his new band, Lax. His old band, This Is Not A Drill, split up because the drummer has moved to York, so Lee has formed a new band with his bass player, Brian, Leah, who he was in a band with ten years ago, and their friend Joel who they've all known forever. Leah is singing which she hasn't done before so she was nervous. We got to the Lughole and I sat reading my book and talking to Brian's partner Lisa. And drinking Hooch. I was a little bit young to drink Hooch in the late 90s but my mum loved it! And I have to say I like it too. 

Lee's band sounded great, I enjoyed it. We talked to a bunch of other people and stayed for the other bands too. We left at about 10pm I guess. We stopped at Burger King on the way home to get tea for both of us. It was fun! I was wearing my 'Sometimes antisocial, always antifascist' t shirt and these 'nope' earrings. I don't remember where they came from but I was loving wearing them! 

Brunch with Lee I think in Barnsley? I think it was in the Lounge but I'm really not sure now

Ridiculous leopard print dress! I love it so much. It's so soft to wear, too

Handmade earrings

Halloumi kebab in the Market Kitchen with Chloe and Lolly

All three of us shortly before we said goodbye

The books I bought in The Works

Oh and in among all of this I managed to finish cataloguing my zines! I started this before we moved house but ran out of time so chucked a bunch more in a box and have then been working on getting them all sorted. This is what over a thousand zines looks like! I got rid of lots and got them all nicely sorted into sizes. This area in our house is on the middle landing in a bit of a random area. On the other side is a bookshelf filled with my crafting magazines, and above these zines are a bunch of my ornaments and crystals on display. It's a nice use of an area that would otherwise be a bit forgotten. It's just outside Lee's office/one of the spare rooms

Thali I had with Philippa. Part of it on the right was like a deconstructed onion bhaji and it was the best bit I think

Brownie, I do love a brownie

My NOPE earrings, haha

Hooch in the Lughole later on

And finally Lee's band on 'stage' - Lee is on the left there to the right of the speaker stack

Babyshambles in Leeds

At the beginning of December my friend Courtney came to stay and we saw Babyshambles together! I met her through The Libertines online like twenty years ago. She lives in Texas. She came over for some Libertines shows in maybe 2011, I can't remember, and spent a few days with me. We went to Helmsley which is on of my favourite places ever. I hadn't seen her in person since then right up until last August when she was in Halifax to see the Libs there like I was. We didn't have much of a chance to catch up then, so when Babyshambles reunited to play some gigs and she said she would come over for a few gigs and I invited her to stay with me and see them in Leeds. She arranged to come from Glasgow where she had seen them twice in two nights, so she arrived about 5pm in to Penistone. Lee was out at a gig so I went to pick her up and we went to Tesco to get snacks, and then went to an Indian restaurant to order food. It was a bit of a faff but we finally got back to mine to eat, and then we sat and watched TV. 

On the Sunday we just chileld until the gig. Courtney watched some of the Formula 1 which she's really into. We eventually set off to Leeds about 6pm I guess. I managed to get to the car park that I wanted to get to, which for me is a miracle because I hate getting into Leeds. As we walked out of the car park we went past some of the Christmas markets, so we decided to go for a drink in Thor's tipi as we weren't bothered about seeing the support bands, and we had specific seats in the balcony. 

I had a hot chocolate with Cointreau which was lush, I would definitely drink it again. We finally went into the venue and got our seats which were in the middle, just a few rows up, so there was a pretty good view. The support acts we did see weren't great but Drew from Babyshambles did come out and sing Blitzkrieg Bop with one of them which was fun. Then Babyshambles! I didn't see them back in the day because Peter couldn't be relied on to turn up all the time, and then they split up. Peter is in a much better place and it's genuinely nice to see them back together. I'm excited to see if they release any new music in 2026! 

The gig was great. They sounded good and it was nice to hear Peter's chat. The video in the background paid homage to Amy Winehouse and also to Patrick, Babyshambles' guitarist, who died last year. They played a bunch of songs I love so I really liked it. When they had finished we went to the lift to go down and had to wait, and while we were waiting, Peter came back onstage and started playing Twist and Shout! The microphones had been turned off but his guitar was still on so the crowd was just singing instead. It was really lovely! I'm so glad we caught it! Drew and Adam came back on and joined in, and then Mik did too although his guitar wasn't plugged in. They played What Katie Did and again the (thinning) crowd sang every word. Just lovely!

After the gig we finally got home and to bed. I took Courtney back to the train station the next morning, but it had been nice to spend so much time with her! 

In Thor's Tipi while Courtney was at the bar

I could drink that hot chocolate right now

We also took some photo booth pictures in there which are cute!

Outside the venue, I love it when they still have marquees

Drew singing with one of the support bands, who were Italian I think

Various shots of the band, including where you can see the videos of Amy and Pat in the background

Andfinally when they came back on after the encore, just randomly!

Gig in York

As I said in my previous post, Lee's band was touring at the end of November. These were the last gigs he will be playing for a while, as they have decided to go on hiatus and Lee has started something else. They did three in a row - Sheffield on the Friday night so Lee stayed at home, and then they went to Sunderland on Saturday and York on Sunday. I decided to go to York to see them as I wasn't sure if I would get chance again, although they've decided they will play some more dates in 2026 but won't really practice or write new music. My mum and stepdad decided to come and see them too. I asked Jac if she wanted to get lunch first and she did, so I set off a bit early to York. 

I couldn't park where I wanted so ended up in an NCP. I wouldn't mention this usually but it becomes relevant later. I then walked the wrong way out of the car park but eventually I made it to Brancusi and met Jac outside. She and Sam and I ate there in 2024 and enjoyed it, so we had decided to go again. We got a table and eventually got served - it was a bit slow. I had autumn eggs which were spicy and delicious, I would definitely get them again. Then I had some kind of cherry chocolate thing. 

We walked back to my car past a crystal shop and went in, I bought a couple of presents and some hagstones. I love hagstones (stones with holes in) and I thought Emma would like one. She is the drummer in the band Omega Tribe that Lee was touring with, so I was about to see her. I said bye to Jac and headed back to the car and got into the car at just after 2pm. I drove out of the space and towards the ramp - I was on the first floor - and then I got stuck. There was a queue to get out of the car park and it just .........didn't move. I moved one car's space in like forty minutes. By this time I was getting a bit worried because Lee's band were going to be on soon. I called him and they could put it back a bit but not much. My mum was already in York and could have come to get me, but the problem was that I was just stuck on the ramp. I couldn't even repark the car and leave the car park! People were wandering about everywhere trying to work out the problem. I could SEE the exit and there were seven cars in front of me, but NO ONE WAS MOVING. Lee was trying to ring NCP for me but there was no answer. A man told me that someone couldn't get out of the barrier which like, fine, but by this point it had been over an hour. Eventually two women just pulled the barrier up and stood there and held it so people could leave. I do not know what the problem was but it was incredibly annoying!

I finally got to the Fulford Arms well over an hour after I had wanted to be there, but the band before Lee's were just finishing up so it was okay. I made Lee get me a drink and I spoke to Emma, who did indeed appreciate her hagstone, and sat with my mum and stepdad for Lee's band. They sounded good, I enjoyed them. My mum left not long after This Is Not A Drill finished, but I stayed with Lee of course. I sat behind the merch table for Omega Tribe, which was helpful of me and also meant I had a seat. The Fulford Arms has video screens too so I could see the band on there. 

Lee and I didn't stick around that long after Omega Tribe had finished but I was glad I got to see them! We went home where we had already put the Christmas tree up even though it wasn't yet December, because we knew we wouldn't have much chance to do it. We bought a new one which is seven feet tall and SO wide across the base. We have room in the new house for it! It looked gorgeous and made the living room so cosy. 

Coffee in Brancusi 

And my autumn eggs. We shared some bread and butter, too, which was lush

Cherry chocolate something

Not pictured here is the HOUR PLUS LONG WAIT IN THE CAR PARK OMG

Lee's band

And finally here I am behind the merch stand a bit later!

The Skints in Leeds

At the end of November a lot of things happened in a few days but not really enough to make separate posts so I'm just going to mush all of these things together into one post. I'm sure you'll cope! 

First of all Chloe and I were supposed to be meeting up with Lolly but she couldn't make it so Chloe and I just met up instead. We decided to go to Pot House Hamlet in Silkstone which is pretty close to my house. I like the food there but the vegetarian choices aren't great and the service is always a bit rubbish, so I actually think it's off my list now, especially as I now live in Penistone which has better cafe options. I had a hot chocolate and I don't even remember what I had for main course, but when we had had that we went for a walk round the shops there. I bought some plants I think, oh and some dried orange slices for crafting. Then we went back into the cafe and sat in the exact same place and had cake and coffee before saying bye. 

Lee works in the office on Wednesdays so when I got home I did some tidying up and I did a Christmassy design on Lee's neon light up board thing which I bought for him last Christmas. I also then made a few garlands with the dried orange slices and some other stuff. Then I did some work in my new work space. I desperately needed a separation between work and personal, so we got me a laptop and we have put it in the back bedroom on a desk that is fitted to one of the bookshelves (thank you Ikea!). It is SO much better for me and has been working well so far. 

On the Thursday evening we put up our Christmas tree. Yes it was early but we were just too excited to put it up in the new house, and also Lee was away for the weekend so it was better to get it up. Last year we didn't put up a big tree because I didn't trust Kiki with it. So far she has behaved with this one. We've always had a slim tree before because our old living room was small (and was also a dining room, and Lee's office) but now we have the new massive living room so we went and bought a new tree. It's huge! It fits in the space though. I love it, I've spent a lot of cosy time in there recently with the lights on. I also liked the really ridiculous tinsel candy cane so put it at the top of one flight of our stairs, it's cute. 

On the Friday I had to take Katniss to the new vets for her injections but she's fine, a clean bill of health. When we think about the cat who arrived in November 2024, she's a totally different animal. She is happy and confident and she's getting better with other adults. She still doesn't like children or the hoover, but she adores me and Lee. I'm so glad we adopted her, she's a little sweetie. 

I did some work and then I set off to Leeds quite early to meet Sam for food before a gig. We had booked to see The Skints absolutely ages ago. We used to really like them in the late noughties and early 2010s, but hadn't seen them in forever, so we decided to go. We booked a table at Oba Korean and Japanese food. I have been there a couple of times and the food is always nice. I had spicy Chinese fake chicken which was nice, and a mocktail which I think had elderflower in it. 

We finished food way before doors were opening, so we decided to go for dessert. I can't remember where we went but there are a few dessert places round there. We had a hot chocolate each and shared a crepe with strawberries, banana, and chocolate sauce. It was nice and just enough! Then we went to the Key Club and joined the queue to get in. I had requested access as I know it's good there, and indeed someone came out and asked if anyone had access, so we went down. There were several high stools to sit on at the back, which were fine but not that comfortable for me to sit on for over three hours, so I sat on the floor for a bit while the support act was on. She sounded great but I didn't see her, it was fine. The floor was actually quite clean!

The Skints came on and were really good! I really enjoyed them! They do make a lovely racket. Marcia sings beautifully and I like Josh's rapping type singing a lot too. He chatted a lot to the crowd which was really nice too. I'm really glad we went! 

Hot chocolate with Chloe

Coffee cake at Pot House Hamlet

The very silly artwork I did for Lee, he needs to have this plugged in more!

One of the orange garlands I made with some felt flowers too

My new little workspace, it will do!

The new tree from both sides. It now has a bunch of presents under it!

And this ridiculous tinsel candy cane, I bought it from the Range. I love it

A mocktail and food in Oba

I feel like I have been drinking a lot of hot chocolate this winter

The crepe we shared

My view from the floor while I was waiting for the Skints to come on

And here they are, and sounded great!