12 Months to Go!

So it's 20th May 2015 - exactly one one year until my wedding day.

I have a feeling these 12 months are going to fly by! I love planning and organising so I'm in my element now - in fact everything is pretty much sorted. If it isn't booked already we know what we are buying nearer the time. There are just two things stumping me at the moment - the dress and the honeymoon.

Searching for the dress - "the one" - is tricky because I want something boho and quite relaxed rather than an over the top princess dress.Turns out not many bridal shops cater to boho brides like me without trying to charge out of the arse for a bridal dress which is more casual!

And where do I start with the honeymoon? We really can't decide where to go. I want to do it all, I have a serious case of wanderlust at the moment. But we did get engaged in Fiji, so we have to top that! I want to do something really special, have one last adventure before we will have too many commitments to just go and explore when we fancy it. So a once-in-a-lifetime trip is on the cards - an African safari or South East Asian escapade. But how will I ever decide?! I need your help please.

To be honest I'd much rather spend more on the honeymoon than the wedding itself. After all, the wedding is just one day and you're investing in everyone else having a good time - the honeymoon is just the two of you, as it's going to be for the rest of your life.

So - suggestions, please? J x

Gig Review: The Maccabees, Manchester

13/05/15 - The Ritz, Manchester

Last night I had the pleasure of going to a lovely little gig. The Ritz as a venue is an oldie but a goodie - more intimate than The Apollo and more room to dance than The Academy. It was the perfect setting for a band that I've loved for 8 years and not yet had the opportunity to see live, The Maccabees.

The quirky five piece treated the crowd to some of their most loved hits old and new, in addition to some brand new unreleased tracks from their forthcoming album. The slower songs have the crowd mesmerised while catchy tunes such as Precious Time, Wall of Arms and Pelican transform the audience into jumping, clapping, cheery creatures. New single Marks to Prove it went down well but not as well as their debut, the electric X Ray Vision.

The Maccabees really are one of the most unique sounds in indie rock - there's nobody else making songs like them. However I have a massive complaint about the set list - how could they shun one of their best ever songs, Toothpaste Kisses?! It's not only my favourite, it happens to be their most played song on Spotify. Why would you punish your fans guys!

I soon forgave the boys when one of the roadies threw me a pick. #Fangirl! 
J x

Interview with a Dancer: Shelley Eva Haden

This week I had the chance to catch up with an exciting and talented dancer who is busy touring the UK at the moment - Shelley Eva Haden. She is currently performing in Rosie Kay Dance Company’s 5 Soldiers, described as an intimate viewing of the human body in war and how it affects those that put their body on the frontline. The piece debuted last week in Birmingham and has received 5* from The Guardian’s Luke Jennings. Here’s what Northern graduate Shelley has to say about the whole experience…

You recently wrote in the Guardian about your training exercise and experience in the army - how demanding was it physically? Do you think you could be a real soldier?

Training in the army (4th Battalion The Rifles) was one of the best experiences of my life, mainly because of the people and the extreme situations that pushed my comfort zones and capabilities like never before. The training mainly focused on combat and the approach of enemy and hostage situations. I personally found the training more demanding mentally other than physically as it challenged my ability to adapt to completely new ways of thinking. The exercise was the most physical part of the training, this involved managing our rifle and defending ourselves against platoons of infantry soldiers as they landed in from real life off spray aircraft. This was the most terrifying yet infusing experience and I dived in with 100% guts. Do I think I could be a soldier? I truly don’t know the answer to that, and I don’t think I ever will. My week of training was merely a taste of military life and I don’t think any of us really know the reality of a soldier’s life unless we have been there. 

Anyone who has seen any rep or photos of 5 Soldiers will know that you are the only female in the cast. (What an achievement!) What's it like being around so much testosterone all the time, how does it affect group dynamics when dancing together?

The cast of 5 Soldiers are amazing. I love the boys like my brothers and feel completely at one with them. Yes, of course I am aware that I am the single female of the company but I see this as positive rather than a negative as the female influence is so important in such a masculine, intensive work. The banter is hilarious and the chemistry we have as a cast is

very special, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Has working on this piece changed your opinion on military action? What do you think the audience will take away from it?

I have never had a strong opinion on military action, it’s a very big and complex topic that quite frankly scares me. I have however gained a much stronger understanding of the Army and I truly value and appreciate the life and work of a soldier. I don’t just think, I know that audiences are touched by the experience of 5 Soldiers. Civilians/People get an insight into a world that is hidden from society, a military land that people finally get to see and understand. People feel and witness emotion, passion, guts, and sweat. The show really works and I have every faith in its success to connect with all audiences. 

What do you have lined up after this UK tour?

Rosie Kay and 5 Soldiers has the potential to expand the tour internationally. Rosie is also working on a new piece which is due to tour in 2016. After the tour ends in June I have plans to continue performing, teaching and creating and can’t wait to continue doing what I love.

5 Soldiers is in London this week and on tour around the UK until 13th June – visit the website to find a venue near you and book a ticket: http://www.5soldiers.co.uk/

The General Election: Arts and Culture

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you probably know there's an election looming and the battle for Number 10 is ON. People say this is the most unpredictable election of our times, with another coalition almost certain.

There's been TV debates, interviews and social media campaigns covering the usual 'big' issues: the NHS, the economy and the deficit, immigration, unemployment, the housing crisis. All these have been discussed at length and I think it's pretty clear where each party stands on each issue.

However, I don't think funding for arts and culture has been brought up at all. For people in the arts and culture sector or the creative industries, or even people who enjoy going to the theatre and having access to a free library - where the parties stand on the arts may be the deciding factor when May 7th rolls around.

It's been a dismal few years for the arts in the UK, with companies losing funding, theatres closing and the level of competition for jobs in the industry soaring. Everyone is hoping that this can be reversed in the next government, especially as the current one keep going on about much money they have saved and how the economy is booming thanks to them. (Raised eyebrow).

So the Arts Council have helped us out here, by scanning all the major parties' manifestos and pulling out the important bits when it comes to commitments and spending for arts and culture. Looks like the Greens are the only party willing to increase arts funding, and they also want to give local authorities powers to support local performances. Ed Miliband has also pledged to put the arts "at the heart" of a Labour government, by setting up a special committee which he will chair himself. Read up on all the political parties and their summaries here. 

So who will you be voting for? J x

Restaurant Review: Fazenda, Spinningfields

Last night Rik and I had a Saturday night off together (a rare occurrence) and so decided to head into town and try out one of the many new restaurants in Spinningfields.  We were spoilt for choice with so many amazing eateries in the area, but we decided on the rodizio style restaurant Fazenda - mainly due to our love of meat!

Rik refusing a beard-on photo

I have to say I'm at a loss for words at this place. When seated we were explained how it all worked, with the carvers continuously coming to your table with fresh cuts of meat until you turned your card over to red for a break. We were quite greedy so we were mostly on green to be honest! I have a never ending stomach so an all you can eat situation like this is pretty dangerous for me!



 

On to the actual meats - they were out of this world. All the beef/steak cuts were cooked to juicy medium rare perfection (although they will take requests if you prefer it a different way). I never expected to be eating large chunks of fillet steak on tap, or trying chicken hearts which are a Brazilian delicacy. The staff who came to the table to carve the meat were also extremely friendly and really made an effort to make you feel at ease and answer any questions about the meats being served.

 



With so much attention paid to the rotating meats, you'd be forgiven in thinking that the sides would be somewhat lacking in variety or quality. But yet again Fazenda performed better than expected, with skin-on fries being delivered to the table and an all-you-can-eat salad, rice, bread and vegetable bar to accompany the main event.

 

We couldn't sample the desserts as of course - we had stuffed our faces too much - but for those who intend to leave room the menu looked lovely. Fazenda gets five stars from me for the food, the service and the value for money. We'll be back!

 

 

Manchester is becoming an incredible dining destination - does anyone have any suggestions where we could try for our next date night? J x

 

**As always I haven't been sponsored or offered any freebies for this post, all views are my own and impartial**





Cheering My Way to Croatia!

So recently I've found myself accidentally in a cheerleading squad. Yes, it just kind of happened! Although I'm a dancer it's very different from cheerleading, and I can safely say I've never really had an interest in it. But one of my friends runs a squad nearby, and he asked me to stand in for someone on his Masters team for a competition at the start of the year.

Always eager to stay active and try something new, I said of course I would help my friend out. Although I was a bit apprehensive - naturally I thought it would be full of people looking like this and being bitches of the year, Bring It On style.

But guess what? It wasn't! As I was part of the Masters team, that meant it's the over 25's team, so most of us have grown out of bitching. In fact I'm the youngest person in the squad - most of the women are in their 40s or older, so it's not your typical intimidating cheer squad :) The routine is really fun, and we competed at Manchester Velodrome in March.

We won 1st place and so did my friend's Senior Team in their category - winners all round for Fever Elite. So here comes the really exciting news...I'm going to Croatia!!

As we qualified in the UK Championships, both teams now get a chance to compete in the European Championships, which this year are being held in Zadar, Croatia. The Masters team have been incredibly lucky to get fully sponsored - which means a free trip to Croatia for us in June. I'm so lucky, and fingers crossed we bring home that trophy too!

However, the Fever Elite Seniors - who are really the main, younger cheerleaders who are extremely talented and deserve this chance - they have not yet been sponsored. The costs associated with this trip are huge, even though the competition is only for a weekend. Flights to Zadar are expensive and hard to find, and the accommodation is also pricey as it is in peak season and at the same time as Hideout Festival. (Which, by the way, I really wanted to attend after the comp but there's no way I can afford it and no one will come with me!)

So anyway, the cost of getting the Senior team is going to be huge so we're in the process of organising fundraising events to try and make sure all the girls can go. Here is the Go Fund Me page if you'd like to help out: http://www.gofundme.com/Feverelite 

Fever Elite seniors in action at UKCA Competition

But I am so excited for this amazing opportunity. I've always wanted to go to Croatia, and now I can add it to my list! I'll post all the photos on here of course and keep you updated.

March Buys...

Well, April is here already! Where is this year going?!

I thought I'd share with you some of the stuff I bought last month, as I bought quite a lot (whoops) and I love it all. I've put it into two categories - beauty and home.

So I definitely had a splurge on home interior things this month, but it's about time really! As you can see a few things are travel related too, I can't help but love everything with a map. I've always wanted a vintage globe, and I found this one on sale in Laura Ashley. However I was rather disappointed with the size, as I ordered it online and picked it up in store expecting it to be a lot bigger! Oh well, what was I expecting for twenty quid  from Laura Ashley really?!

I'd spotted a print on Etsy a few months back which I really liked, and finally got round to buying it. It says 'Home is wherever I'm with you' and I thought it would look nice in our bedroom, which at the moment has very bare walls indeed.

Then the cushions were a spontaneous buy from one trip to the Trafford Centre. We'd already bought new cushions for the sofa that day when I spotted them as we were walking through Marks and Spencers at 9.30pm heading back to the car. (Yes, I wasn't even browsing but saw them from the escalator!) I knew they would look really cute if we could find a J and a R, but after searching the stock it looked like we were out of luck. Until I looked underneath a cushion and there my initial was! So I decided it was fate and had to buy them there and then. £10 each from M&S, but apparently Next are also selling something similar.

So this month I've had hair troubles. It was so long and knotty all the time, just getting completely unmanageable. Even with conditioning and deep intense conditioning treatments, I couldn't get a brush through it after washing. So I decided to buy this Aussie conditioning spray for 'Luscious Long' hair to detangle. It made it a bit easier, but didn't exactly detangle my thick mane of hair at first. However, now I have had my hair cut - mainly layered - and it is much better now and I can notice the effects of this leave-in conditioner more.

At the same time I invested in a blow drying spray, which has a number of benefits but the one which I was most bothered about was it cutting the drying time. As noted above, I have stupidly thick long hair and it takes me FOREVER to blow dry. Seriously, I can wash it in the morning and it will still be damp when I go to sleep at night. Again, I have noticed the effectiveness of this spray more after my recent hair cut, and I think it really does dry faster now.

On the left there is my new moisturiser which is part of my Aesop skincare regime. I've already written about this once so click here for my Aesop review. I love how the jar looks rather old fashioned, like something my Nana would have in her medicine cabinet. This is the Mandarin Facial Hydrating Cream, and it smells absolutely divine - really fresh and perfect for the morning. It's specially designed as a lightweight moisturiser so it's good for people like me with an oily complexion or combination skin.

I also picked up these little beauties from a shopping trip while I was in Lisbon. How adorably cute are these toiletry bags? They came together as a set with the words 'Your summer, your dreams, your holidays' printed at the top. So simple, but so effective, they are a holiday essential and I knew I needed them as soon as I saw them. They are also really thin and light, made from a cotton material or something similar so are perfect for travelling light. I picked them up from Zara in Portugal, but I'm sure they'll have them in the UK too.

So those are my favourite purchases from this month. Now I can't wait to get shopping for clothes next month as my wardrobe didn't get much attention in March! What are you planning on buying this month?

J x