Nearly Hometime

This week is the last week of the show and so come Sunday morning I shall be back on the train to London, home. Back to The Big One, Gary and Cooper, my friends, my garden....it's going to be lovely!

I have 2 weeks at home (many DIY tasks are planned) then The Big One and I are off to his parent's in France for one weeks hols then I am off to Belfast to do another show. Fun-times all round!

I have genuinely loved my time here in Manchester and would happily work here again. The people are so friendly, the city so fun...other then the spooky amount of magpies all is well. 

I have also been very productive here (besides the actual play). I have made;

2 cowls

1 baby blanket

1 shawl (& another in progress)

1 bobble hat

2 secret things (soon to be revealed)

Not too shabby!

"Where thou art, that is home." 

Emily Dickinson 

Magpie City

Almost every day at least twice a day I have to sing out "Good Morning/Afternoon Mr Magpie!"

Manchester is FULL of Magpies, it's actually bizarre. And yet there are never more then 2-3 together. The majority of the time it's just one, hence the greeting!

In fact as I'm writing this I can see two outside of my window

Not the greatest pics I grant you but you get my point!

One for sorrow

Two for joy

Three for a girl

Four for a boy

Five for silver

Six for gold

Seven for a secret, never to be told

Eight for a wish

Nine for a kiss

Ten for a bird you must not miss

Saw It - LOVED It!

Just watched this and thought it twas awesome! I totally wanna invest in some roller boots now!

However I will, just fall over...so maybe I'll just hold onto the dream of being a roller-derby rock chick...

"The last time I wore skates, they had
  Barbies on them."

- Bliss 

A Must See

My friend Oli has Cystic Fibrosis and 3 years ago he had a double lung transplant which saved his life. He is a filmmaker and has taken part in this fantastic short for 4thought.tv about Organ Donation.

It is a brilliant, must-see point of view from someone who appreciates his gift of life every single day.

I can't embed it but I really hope you'll watch it here

Should you after watching this, want to sign up to the organ register, you can find it here . It takes no time at all but can save many people's lives, people like my friend Oli.

More than 10,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant. Of these, 1000 each year – that's three a day - will die waiting as there are not enough organs available.

-  NHS Organ Donation

Currently Cabling...

A warm wooly hat for Berlin. He requested it after seeing the one I did for my sister, Red's Christmas pressie.  

I am also working a secret project, shouldn't be too long til I can reveal it!

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master”

-Ernest Hemingway

Sugar Junction

I have spent a lot of my time here in Manchester in Sugar Junction, a fabulous vintage tea room with a tea selection to die for and the cakes...oh my giddy aunt, the cakes!

All the tea is served in china cups with china teapots, fresh flowers on the tables, vintage inspired eye-treats on the walls and genuinely friendly, welcoming service.

If you find yourself here in Manchester my top tips would absolutely include a visit here for some Wendy tea and Chocolate and Guinness Cake.

I would also recommend you bring an umbrella, to Manchester not to Sugar Junction.

“Where there's tea there's hope.”

-Arthur W. Pinero

Some Friday Frockage

This is a very belated post on the resort collections that caught my eye...

Rag and Bone:

Super slick trousers

Love how sexy/sophisticated the collection is.

Costume National;

The whole collection is worth a look, it really captures that capsule aim with interchangeable seperates in different colours and prints.

Celine;

Kind of obsessed with this look

Gorgeous, bold and exciting.

The complete collections and more are available to view at Style.com

"Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress."

- Coco Chanel

How I Wanted to Be A Teen Witch!

Best Junk Food Movie ev-ah!

"You think you're hot stuff cos you went to a dance? DREAM ON!"

-Richie (Teen Witch)

A Dichotomy of Feelings

For the record, I am not a Katy Perry Fan. I actually am a non-fan. She's a bit tooooo.....much for me.

However I am a big fan of 80's teen films. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Lost Boys, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles and my ultimate favourite - Teen Witch. So when Katy Perry makes a video homage to that genre I have to watch it. And now I want to share it...cos...alright...I kinda like it!

This doesn't change anything though Katy Perry!!

"Donger's here for five hours, and he's got somebody. I live here my whole life, and I'm like a disease."

-Samantha (Sixteen Candles)

Finished!

I finished this yesterday just in time to wear it in to the theatre....on one of the hottest days here so far!

Typical.

I assure you I was happy although I look like misery.

BUT it was quite a hit once I showed my fellow actresses and I may be making some more!

"A warm smile is the universal language of kindness."

- William Arthur Ward

There's No One Like Barbra

This always always makes me cry. One of my very favourite films.

"I am simple, complex, generous, selfish, unattractive, beautiful, lazy, and driven."

-Barbra Streisand

Blognames A Plenty!

This week is due to be my most sociable week here in Manchester! Over the weekend The Big One's parent's arrived, 'Patch' and 'Tache'. They came all the way from France to see me and the show! I met them on Sunday for lunch (another lovely one at Manchester Art Gallery) then despite the perpetual rain we wandered around The Northern Quarter looking at all the vintage shops til tea and cake time at Teacup.

I had my first Manchester Tart (whoopla!) which was pretty amazing. Coconut on top of runny custard on top of jam in a homemade pastry tart.

Later I met them and The Big One's sister 'Pheebles' for dinner and had a fabulous Thai meal at Chaophraya. Lucky ain't I!

They saw the show last night which they luckily seemed to have enjoyed, then we had a few drinks before being joined by 'Spaghetti Arms'! He'd arrived in Manchester last night and
 is here on a fleeting visit due to a family event.

Patch and Tache headed off, early start for them this morning. So then Spaghetti Arms, his 3 friends ('Giggles', 'All Business' and 'Crazy Legs') and I continued on chatting, laughing and generally having larks til 4am this morning.

We will hopefully meet again tonight for some dancin'. Tomorrow I meet up with a friend who's based here and come Friday, My Lovely Dad, his wife and my other 'brother from another mother' (I have 3 'brothers' I've adopted from jobs inc. Spaghetti Arms) arrive to all see the show. 

Huzzah!

“I don't know a lot about politics, but I can recognise a good party man when I see one”

-Mae West

P.S See Spaghetti Arms, no mention of yarn this time - I am capable! 

Currently Knitting...

The weather here in Manchester is changeable to say the very least! I recently cast on a quick knit cowl to help combat the frequent chills. My summer scarf/shawl just ain't cutting it!

I got seduced by this gorgeously coloured Sirdar Escape Wool which was in the sale in a local yarn shop here and got knitting. It's not the cosiest yarn (49% acrylic) but I do love the colour changes.

"During 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?' I knitted a scarf from Hollywood to Malibu"
- Joan Crawford

Can You Ever Have Too Much?

As I previously posted Purl City Yarns recently launched a range of Possum Yarn - in fact they may be the only UK stockist to have it! So I could not resist pur-chasing a few balls, I mean it's not everyday you come across Possum Yarn!

That was a couple of weeks ago now...so yesterday, what with it being Friday and me being so well behaved and not going drinking after the show each night I thought I deserved a wee little yarn treat. I accidentally/on purpose strayed into Purl City and picked myself up this amazing Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball. I have been tempted to have a go at socks for a little while now and this amazing self striping ball makes a pair...so...

I will try my very hardest to be good and not buy anymore but it's soooo hard!

"For people allergic to wool, one's heart can only bleed."

 ~Elizabeth Zimmerman

Tea and Cake with Guinness and a Chum.

Finally today I managed to meet up with my lovely friend...I shall blogname her 'Celia' for  a spot of lunch and a catch up. She is also up here doing a show and finally this week our schedules allowed us to see each other!

It was so lovely, she is such great company and she had picked a wonderful chic and unique Cafe in the Northern Quarter for us to sit and munch and natter. It seems the Norther Quarter is full of lovely teashops and today it was Sugar Junction. A lovely little vintage tea room with proper china and amazing homemade cake selections.

It was great to hear all about her rehearsals, her news and the very exciting job she has lined up after this one!

After a Halloumi salad and drink each (Pear and Elderflower for me - oh my), we selected a slice of Chocolate and Guinness Cake and a pot of Wendy Tea to share. Yums all round!


We're meeting again next week and she has decided she'd like me to teach her to knit....we all know how much I am looking forward to taking someone yarn shopping! Whoo Hoooo!

Wendy Tea

A refreshing uplifiting tea that will leave you feeling relaxed.Wendy Tea is a magical faery blend of Rooibos Earl Grey,sweet South African Honeybush, Lavender Flowers, RosePetals, Marigold Petals and Cornflower Petals.

"Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea."

~Henry Fielding

Just as We Open So Do The Flowers

I woke up this morning to discover my lilies are emerging....

So beautiful!

"Each flower is a soul blossoming out to nature."

- Gerard De Nerval

And We're Open!

Last night was opening night and I was spoilt rotten with cards and flowers! I had a beautiful and enormous bunch of lilies delivered from The Big One, a stunning bouquet from Barbarella, 'Hai Yah' (yes L - that's your blogname!) and Alfredo and then a gorgeous bouquet of a dozen roses, red, white and pink from HawkandFallow!

The show seemed to go well - everyone seemed happy with it and so at 10:20pm once the show came down, we got out of our Victorian finery as quick-smart as we could and headed to The Castle, a Victorian pub down the road with a late license. The theatre had arranged delivery of more pizza then I've ever seen and of course the drinks flowed.

I was in bed by 2am, perfick!

"Drama is life with the dull bits cut out."

- Alfred Hitchcock

A-Mazing Robyn

When I saw her live last year I was struck by how incredible a dancer she was....now you can see too! This is her first song of her new album. 

Exciting times!

"and it won't make sense right now but you're still her friend"

Night Walking

c/o wetbehindtheears

It is 11:40pm and I have just got in. Tonight we had our first dress rehearsal and also our first audience, of sorts. As the piece is a promenade style the director chose to open our dress rehearsals to friends and family of the cast. It was immensely helpful and very interesting.

On the way home. in my rush to get back to my digs, I inadvertently jumped on the wrong bus. Tired as I was it took me about 20 minutes to realise I had no idea where I was. In fact initially I thought that I had simply missed my stop, so got off. Only then did I realise that in the dark I recognised nothing. Thank goodness for iPhones as I could use the Gmap and see where I had ended up...turned out I was about a mile from where I needed to be.

I quickly worked out a route and set off in the right direction. Despite it being night, me being on my own and having no clue of the area, I really enjoyed it.  I am not a stupid girl and know to keep to residential areas, cross the road if someone is coming towards me etc. It was a beautifully mild evening and I was in comfy shoes and despite being alert, very happy.

When I was younger I used to walk at night a lot. I would sneak out of the house and walk around my area in the early hours. I have always been a night owl and loved the quiet, the calm and the peace of being on my own, walking in the streetlit dark.

On a few occasions, when I was staying at friend's houses I would sneak out there too and would walk around their villages. I'm sure this would strike fear into my friend's mothers if they had known but I genuinely longed for the peaceful solitude at the end of the day.

I had forgotten my walks until this evening when I felt a familiar drop of my shoulders. I was able to process the noise and clatter of the day and I was entirely on my own, blanketed by the dark.

Tonight, as I turned into the final road and was minutes walk from my digs I thought how much I had missed my night walks and how, although I am a very different person now, I still respond so strongly to that time, on my own, working through the day I just had.

I might just have to get the wrong bus again...

"I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day."  

~Vincent Van Gogh

For the Brand New

Our lovely friends R & K are expecting a baby, the bump has been called Herbert while he is a bump but when the baby behind that bump emerges he shall have a name which is secret to all but them.

While awaiting Herbert's arrival I planned and started a baby blanket for him. It has taken me nearly a month but it is nearly nearly finished. Just as he is nearly nearly here.

Now I am crocheting round the edge and then it will be finished and ready for the brand new baby and his brand new name.

P.S Talking of little brand new people:  Happy 1st Birthday Leo!!!

"Every child begins the world again...."

~Henry David Thoreau

Long Way from Home

The older I get the harder I find working away from home. I keep getting short pangs of homesickness despite everyone being lovely.

The more I am getting my bearings both in the city and in the play the better I feel though! I am totally aware I am very lucky to do a job where I get to set up camp somewhere for a couple of months, get to travel and see life in many different places.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

- Mark Twain

Manchester Part 2

The other weekend when The Big One was here we explored parts of Manchester's Northern Quarter - my favourite part of the city so far. Full of trendy shops, lovely teashops with several choices of Green Tea (my prime day-time tipple), and warehouses full of vintage clothing all at student friendly prices. What's not to like?

We also came across an old Fishmarket which has been turned into a two storey Arts and Craft centre. The resident artists have little studios which double as shops to sell their beauties. Lots of jewellery, art and textile work, well worth a meander.

The play I am doing is just outside this area so I will be able to take better pictures next week once the tech is over! Running it today for the first time - fingers crossed!!

“The life so short, the craft so long to learn.”

-Hippocrates