Prosecco, skincare and a makeover in Didsbury

I am not by nature one of the beautiful people. I don’t have lovely swishy hair and flawless make up. In fact on the rare occasions that I wear make up it’s usually a quick flick of an ancient mascara and some free lip gloss I got with a magazine years ago.

The saying goes – you can’t polish a turd, so there’s no point in me trying, but this week my friend Jane and I went to Toni & Guy in Didsbury to find out more about their beauty rooms and Jane persuaded me to have a makeover.

makeover

Jane has recently had what ladies of our age call “a special birthday”, she arrived at her party looking stunning. Gillian Rafferty, a local make up artist had done her make up and although Jane is naturally beautiful anyway (with swishy hair) she looked flawless and fabulous. Gillian has been a make up artist for ten years and has worked with celebrities including Colleen Rooney, Kate Kelly and Michelle Keegan.

Gillian did my make up and Jane watched keenly. Gillian quickly assessed my skin and applied a tinted primer, deftly hid my quite massive eye bags and put eye-shadow, mascara and eyeliner on me to make more of my eyes. She finished my makeover with some pink lipstick in a shade I’d never normally try, but obviously worked for me, and then sort of spray painted my face which fixed my make up and made it look flawless. Yes, I looked flawless.

makeover

We spent some time looking around the beauty rooms, Clare Angela is the resident beauty therapist and she offers pretty much everything you might need -manicures, pedicures, tanning, waxing and facials. Clare is passionate about skincare and she offers a range of facials using Environ products starting from £45.

During the evening Environ were there with a special camera which takes photographs of your face and allows you to see how damaged your skin is and what you can do about it. They come to Didsbury every few months, so if you’re interested it’s worth phoning Clare and booking a session with them.

makeover

We had a lovely and interesting evening learning about make up, beauty and skincare at Toni & Guy and then we went off to drink some more prosecco in a local bar. And my make up still looked good when I got home!

makeover

Beauty and Skin Health by Clare Angela is available by appointment at Toni & Guy in Didsbury, phone 0161 445 5466 for more information on what Clare offers. Makeovers and make up tutorials are available from Gillian Rafferty by appointment.

My Sunday Photo 29.5.16

About three years ago my OH took a lovely photo of the small boy climbing a tree in our local park, we loved it so much we got it printed on a canvas and it has pride of place at home.

I’ve been meaning to take an updated version of the picture just to compare then and now. With my OH off at an Indie All Dayer in Manchester I took the opportunity to have a date night with my boy. We started off with a trip to the local park, then onto a local restaurant for a plate of sausages and a chocolate milkshake.

In the park he spotted the tree and I grabbed a very quick snap before he scampered off in search of sticks (fairly sure he’s part labrador).

We had a lovely date night, it’s something we need to do more often, maybe he’ll even buy me dinner some day!

My Sunday Photo 29.5.16

Well-Being: Experiencing an AromaTouch Massage

Earlier this year my local holistic health centre, Healthyspirit in South Manchester added a new massage treatment to their already impressive list – AromaTouch. I was keen to find out more, and when a friend tried it and recommended it I knew I had to get myself booked in.

The massage sounded blissful, “a light relaxing massage technique of applying therapeutic grade essential oils to produce a profound whole-body experience. The many benefits of this massage include stress management, immune support, and support of your body’s autonomic balance. AromaTouch enhances essential oils activity and stimulates known body meridians and energy zones, while balancing body systems and function.”

I was shown up to the Crystal Room, a cosy and comfortable therapy room at Healthyspirit. The therapist, Helen Scott sat down and talked me through the treatment and asked me some questions about my physical and emotional health. I explained about my spinal injury and Helen reassured me that it was very gentle and the massage wouldn’t hurt me. We talked about how I was feeling at the moment and the reasons why I was feeling stressed and under pressure. Helen then left the room while I got ready for the massage and made myself comfortable on the massage table.

AromaTouch

As Helen would be touching my back, ears and feet, I lay on my front covered in a warm towel. I had taken my jewellery, clothes and socks off, but she let me keep my leggings on as I was comfortable wearing them.

Helen began by getting me to breathe deeply several times to relax me, and as soothing music played in the background she gently and rhythmically massaged a series of essential oils into my back. Her hands felt like warm waves moving from my spine to my side, very gentle, but with each application of oil I could feel some of my stresses being stroked out of me.

Several different essential oils were used on me in a specific sequence, after each one was applied Helen would massage the oils into my back in that same wave like motion. It was blissful and I was incredibly comfortable, almost dosing off at one point.

Helen then moved onto my feet, applying peppermint and orange essential oils to them, she massaged them using a gentle rhythmic motion and I felt incredibly relaxed, I didn’t want it to stop. I have eczema on my feet which wasn’t a problem and Helen double checked if I was happy for essential oils to be applied before she started, which I was.

The AromaTouch massage was incredible. Afterwards I felt a bit woozy so I sat for a while and sipped some water. I often feel this way after a particularly relaxing treatment. Helen suggested I have a bath the following day so that the oils could stay on my skin for as long as possible, so I went home and snuggled under a blanket for a few hours whilst I enjoyed feeling blissfully relaxed.

The AromaTouch massage is currently £35 for an hour long massage. It’s very gentle and soothing, but I’ve rarely felt so deeply relaxed. The effects lasted for quite a few days and it was gentle enough that my rickety spine felt no ill effects afterwards. AromaTouch is so pampering and blissful, if you need some time out from life for an hour, a serious stress release or a pamper I can very much recommend this treatment.

The AromaTouch massage is available from Healthyspirit in South Manchester. For more information and to book, visit their website.

My Sunday Photo 18.10.15

Calender House Didsbury

This is one of the most beautiful buildings in Didsbury in Manchester. It’s a bit of a hidden gem. Do any local people know where this is?

Answer: It’s Calender House Didsbury

Born Survivor 2015 – How Team Didsbury Triumphed

This morning my little family went on an adventure. At 8.30am we clambered bleary-eyed and slightly grumpily into the car and set off for Capesthorne Hall about a half hour drive away from home. My husband, generally a stranger to exercise, had joined a team of friends to take part in Born Survivor, a 10k, 30 military obstacle course. It was all for a good cause and having hit 40 this year he was up for a challenge.

Way back in the spring, a brave group of 29 men and women signed up for Born Survivor. When Matt (hubs) signed up it seemed an age away, he started training but quickly managed to knacker his knees and a physio told him to take it easy, so he did. His preparation for this military style beasting was a few visits to the gym and losing a stone on the 5:2 diet. But was it enough?

Born Survivor

The brave 29 were doing Born Survivor in memory of Lizzie Lowe and to raise money for the Didsbury Youth Cafe at St James & Emmanuel. It’s a great cause, it’s a lovely safe place for school kids to hang out on a Friday night and gets around 60 local kids in every week.

The team were a range of ages and fitness levels, but all were well up for it, determined and smiling. They were ready for mud, sweat and tears. They had a plan and were sure no one would be left behind.

Born Survivor

I managed to catch up with them at some of the obstacles, I was incredibly proud to count these people as my friends as they leapt over barriers, climbed sheer walls, dove into deep muddy pits, crawled under barbed wire and smiled through every minute.

Born Survivor

There was fantastic teamwork going on from start to finish, with everyone helping each other and each playing their part. The large group did naturally split into three smaller groups, with about 15 minutes between them. Matt was in the middle group and did remarkably well for a bloke who’d done comparatively little training and wasn’t very well prepared.

And they all said they’d do it again next year!

Born Survivor

Visiting the Didsbury Bug Hotel

One of my favourite places to go for one of my regular walks is Fletcher Moss Botanical Gardens in Didsbury, not least because I can pop into the cafe for a pot of tea and a big wedge of cake while I’m out. This week whilst I was walking through the park I spied this, the Didsbury Bug Hotel.

The sign reads…

Find twigs, pine cones, leaves or bark around the park and add it to our bug hotel to look after all our mini beasts!

I thought this was a fantastic idea to encourage kids and families to do a little bit for nature and to learn more about the insects we have in the UK.

Apparently the average garden is home to over 2,000 different species of insects, some of these bugs are essential for helping to control the pests which eat our flowers, fruit and vegetables, some like bumblebees pollinate our plants who are in decline, so by building the Didsbury Bug Hotel we can contribute to their conservation.

I was incredibly excited to see the hotel pop up and I couldn’t wait to take the small boy out to see it at the weekend. Sadly by the time weekend had come around and we’d got to the park, the Didsbury Bug Hotel was gone. Vandals (for want of a better word) had burnt it down and I felt incredibly angry about that.

At home in our own garden I’m trying to create a space which encourages wildlife to thrive. Planting flowers which bees and butterflies love and we’ve got some bird feeders up for the local bird life. I think we’ll have to create out own little Didsbury Bug Hotel, it might not be as big as the one in Fletcher Moss, but it’s a small thing that we can do together to help our local insect population.

Didsbury in Bloom 2014

Didsbury is a fine old part of the world. It’s often referred to in somewhat sneering tones as “leafy Didsbury” because, well, it’s a particularly leafy suburb of Manchester. Today the RHS Britain in Bloom judges came and inspected the little village where I’ve spent my entire life.

Last year the judges were very pleased with the efforts of our local team of dedicated green-fingered volunteers, so much so Didsbury won gold. As far as I’m aware the judges look around the village at the planters and displays, taking in the Jubilee Gardens on the corner near Cafe Nero and then make their way down the road where we live, because (and I say this without a hint of smugness, honest) it’s a very pretty road, it has a small green at the top, it overlooks fields and leads down to the river. It’s very nearly countryside, nearly.

Today the sun shone. The road had been swept. Plants watered and deadheaded, it looked beautiful, so out came my camera to capture the moment. So for your floral pleasure may I present Didsbury in Bloom 2014: Ford lane.

This year celebrates 50 years of the RHS Britain in Bloom competition, hence the rather stunning display on the green.

As a resident, I’d like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard to make Didsbury beautiful year round, but especially for occasions like this. Fingers crossed we do well again this year!

Didsbury Bake Off

It’s been a funny old day. One minute I’m perusing stalls at the Didsbury Craft Fair, the next I’m being roped into helping to judge the Didsbury Bake Off competition. Nice work if you can get it I’m sure.

I ambled into the judging tent to say hello and lend moral support to local cake-eating expert and foodie blogger Liz. I then ended up joining her and fellow judges – local chef and food hero Robert Owen Brown; Emma Caine from Heatons Cakes; actress Tina O’Brien and local businesswoman, telly star and local gad-about Sian Astley.

There were over 40 entries in total across the various categories and we tried everything from jam and chutney, brownies, biscuits and buns to epic and beautiful show-stoppers. Here are some pictures to give you a flavour of the day.

General cakery. The rose cupcakes (pink) and the parma violet cupcakes were something else!

three tier cake — This was the show-stopping winner of the 12-17 year old category.

If you fancy having a go and entering a local bake-off yourself then follow Heatons Cakes on Facebook and keep your eyes peeled, they’re organising one as part of The Heatons Summer Festival on Sunday 22nd June 2014.

Well done Didsbury Bakers!

A New School for Didsbury

A little while ago I blogged my support for the bid to create a new free School in Didsbury. I know free schools have had a mixed reception, but there is some evidence that run well free schools can be an excellent asset to the community.

I have high hopes for Didsbury CE Free School, for a start it’ll be run by the team who run the massively successful and horribly oversubscribed Didsbury CofE (also known locally as Elm Grove).

In 2013 Didsbury CofE had 180 applications for just 30 places in their reception class. What we do know about the new school is that it will be two-form entry which will massively alleviate pressure on all the schools in Didsbury.

Didsbury CofE has been a part of Didsbury for 400 years and generations of my family attended the school, some of their names are on a memorial plaque dedicated to former pupils who died in WW1. It is an integral part of the community and a place that means a lot to me.

Not everyone wants their child to go to a church school, but some do, in fact there are quite a lot of us who do want our children to go to a church school and that’s our choice. It’s not that they’ll get the bible rammed down their throats, because I’m pretty sure that’s not what’s going to happen. What I am pretty sure about is that my son, should he be lucky enough to go to our local CofE school, will be taught to be polite, considerate and mindful of the world around him. Yes of course he gets that at home, but to me manners and respect are everything.

As for religion and religious education, they state that the school is open to, and welcomes children and families of all faiths and none, with their intake reflecting the religious and cultural demographic of the surrounding area. Which is as it should be.

I’m excited about the new school, I’m excited about the possibilities it’ll bring to Didsbury and the difference it will make within the community. It’s just exciting.

Apparently the bid for the school received the most amount of positive support for a new free school in the country, they don’t know where it’ll be located yet, the Department for Education will decide that, but it will be in Didsbury and it will be for me at least, an exciting and positive step forward for families like mine.

The school will open in September 2015.

You can find out more about the school and its ethos on their website and by following the Free School on Facebook and Twitter for updates and further information.

Shop Local #SmallBizSatUK

Today (Saturday 7th of December) is Small Business Saturday. We shouldn’t need it, and to my mind it’s a sad indictment of our nations shopping habits; but today is a day when we’re all encouraged to shop local and indeed celebrate our brilliant local shops. I’ve previously blogged about how much I love my local high street and feel I need to get behind this day of days too.

For some that’ll be hugely difficult; the enormous behemoth out of town shopping centres will have rendered their high streets barren and their shops boarded up and empty.

I know how hard it can be to make the effort to shop local, especially as Christmas approaches and it’s really tempting to just go to a huge megastore and heap everything into a trolley and have done with it. I used to do that, but the last few years, I’ve preferred to spend my money locally in the knowledge that I’m helping to provide local jobs and support businesses in my community.

Did you know that for every £100 spent in local independent shops around £48 is ploughed back into your community, whereas for huge supermarkets and the like, it’s only £13.

For the lucky folk of south Manchester, in particular the good people of Didsbury we are blessed with some amazing independent shops and businesses. I know a few local shops have embraced the day, here’s what I’ve garnered from Twitter, Google and local gossip.

Giddy Goat Toys – Mince pies, stollen cake, Kids Lucky Dip, your fave Christmas tunes playing & some very awesome toys
Airyfairy Cupcakes – A free cupcake with any purchase, open 10am-5pm
The Flower Lounge – A free gift for customers visiting the shop on Saturday
Harriet & Dee – A free gift with every purchase as a thank you to thier lovely customers

I urge you to shop local, especially this Christmas. It’ll give you a nice warm, fuzzy feeling, I promise.