Tori Amos

So last Sunday we went to see Tori Amos at the Apollo in Manchester. I have been a fan since she first appeared on the scene when I was just 15 (the mathematically inclined can figure out how old I am from that) and have seen her in concert 3 times previously, so when I spotted she was touring again we grabbed a couple of tickets. I was worried I was going to miss it with all the recent health palaver, but after a blood test in the morning said I was good to go, we headed into Manchester to make the most of it.
We decided to eat at Las Iguanas beforehand and started with one of their lovely cairprinhas. No matter how much we practice making these at home (and drinking them, natch) they never taste quite the same. We then started with some chicken wings and nachos before both tackling burritos.

Our stomachs considerably enlarged we waddled off down to the Apollo. The support act were a folksy duo, who I hope were also a couple considering how close together their heads/mouths were when singing, then it was on to Ms Amos herself. As always she didn't disappoint, the uncomfortable looking piano playing, the eclectic outfit, the amazing voice were all still there. The set list was a nice mix of new tracks and the old classics. There was a funny little improv song about putting her glasses on rolled in with Silent All These Years and a fab cover of Moby's Extreme Ways. Cornflake Girl of course made a performance too (Mr Owl threatened to sulk if it didn't!). An excellent night out, finished with a surreal walk back to the car through the center which was full of teeny McBusted fans (they had played the arena) and victorious Mcr City fans!

Absent

I just wanted to let any possible readers out there know that I am still here, even though I haven't posted for a month or so. I have various health issues, that maybe one day I will be brave/stupid/self-indulgent enough to mention on here, and that has made the last month pretty hectic with multiple hospital trips. Once again this has left me in awe of the amazing staff on the NHS who are often overlooked in the bigger issues that the NHS as a whole faces. However please be assured that if there are any lovely readers of this little blog out there that I will hopefully be back soon and please check back for new posts.
On the plus side being ill means that you get some lovely flowers and our house has resembled a florists at points. The photo doesn't do these justice but thanks to my lovely sister-in-law for them.

Fondant Fridays #7

Ok I know what you are thinking- that doesn't look very pastel!? What can I say, it did in 'real life' but  I couldn't quite get the colours to look the same on the camera. I am going to blame it on the light being affected by the Sahara sand which got this far north yesterday, though it wasn't as bad here as down south.
Anyway, I picked this jumper up a couple of years back from H&M from their slighly more expensive range. The colour seems to vary in the light from a pale green to grey to beige. It is actually quite warm being a wool mix but as it is so finely knit it works well in spring when it is still quite cool but you don't want to be wearing a chunky knit. I think it looks great for a casual but more expensive feel, if that makes sense?
My outfit shots were disturbed by the arrival of a small visitor at the bird table and the rest of the evening was spent taking photos of him instead, so I felt obliged to include one in this post.

Jumper - H&M

Jeans - Pepe

Mouse - Wood Mouse

Spring Forward!

When we moved to our current house I made several wardrobe related resolutions, one was too try and keep our own stuff to our own room (no more filling up the spare room wardrobe with outfits) and the other was to stop rotating winter and summer clothes and just make the most out of everything. Eventually it became clear that I either couldn't keep both of those resolutions, or I was going to have to clear out a lot of stuff, so back to separating out some winter and summer things it was. As the weather has started to warm up and the nights get lighter I have found myself hesitating at putting on a thick woolly dress, so when the clocks changed this weekend I decided it was time to pack the winter gear away and get out all my lovely summery things (even if it is still too cold to wear most of it) This means pulling everything out of the wardrobe and wrestling it into vacum bags to shrink down, only to discover that winter gear takes up twice as much space and that inevitably there is a hole in one of the bags (cue a quick dash to Argos). Eventually it was done and I now feel like I have a whole new wardrobe to play with as I find things I forgot I had. Ironically saying this I am sat here writing in my usual home working attire of hoody and joggy bottoms, not a floaty summer's dress in sight, but the wardrobe is there bursting (literally) with potential!

Fondant Fridays #6

Due to this little series of posts I have now begun to associate pastel colours with Friday, which means no more work and a few cheeky beers in the pub, so my love of these shades is just increasing! Apparantly the weather might warm up again this weekend too, so even more of a chance to wear them. Anway this week's number features some pink Topshop Baxter jeans that I got last summer. I like the fact that the pink is more muted and not too bright and is therefore perhaps easier to match with other items. The top was an M&S sale bargain I think from the end of last year that I have only just got around to digging out. Like most skinny jeans you can dress these up or down, I think the look I have here would work well for a slightly smarter day outfit (due to the heels which normally means smart for me) The loose hanging of the top helps hide any tummies, so perhaps good for a lunch out (now I just need to engineer myself a lunch out as I am not sure sitting on the sofa in my joggies counts!)  Anyway as always let me know what you think.

Jeans - Topshop

Top - M&S

Walk: Nangreaves

We are both big walkers/hikers and love getting out in all weathers. Many years ago my Dad bought us a book called 'Pub Walks in Lancashire' and it was doing our first walk out of that book that we discovered the village where we live now! It is the perfect book for Sunday strolls, none of the walks are more than about 8 miles and all of them start/finish at a good pub serving proper ale. So on Sunday as the weather was looking better we decided to get out and stretch our legs. Our walk started in Nangreaves at the Lord Raglan pub. It was 7.5 miles and all fairly easy going. Like many of our walks in Lancashire it had a mix of mud, moors, industrial heritage and mud.

Walk done we collapsed in the pub for a well earned pint. The Lord Raglan has its own microbrewery on site and we decided to try a pint of the Balaclava and the Citrus. They were both extremely good and quite light.The pub has a nice old fashioned feel with wooden furniture in a mix of styles and sizes. The food also looked excellent and it was busy which is always a good sign. I think we'll definitely return to try it out. Apologies for the slight blurriness of the photos below, it was the camera not the beer honest!

Fondant Fridays #5

So this week's Fondant Friday is a lovely minty green jumper that I found the other week in Zara menswear! I figured it is perfect for a laid back spring look as it is cotton rather than woollen and a lovely pastel colour. I have worn this today just simply over a pair of Topshop skinny jeans with boots and a simple necklace for a bit of bling. However I have also styled it over a skirt and with shirts underneath to vary the look and dress it up more. The colour is also a little different (I am sure I will see it loads now I have this) which I liked. It only goes down to a medium in menswear so if you are a small wee thing then it might drown you, especially in the arms, but the fit on me is fine.
What do you think- do you buy menswear too when you like the style of something?

Jumper - Zara

Jeans - Topshop

Boots - New Look