Those of you who know me personally will know that this week I handed my notice in on my old job. I’d not enjoyed it for a long time, it was a huge source of anxiety for me and I’ve been off sick for nearly a year having operations and such like.
Being off for such along time forced me to re-evaluate my life. Some changes have been tough for me, some have been tough for my husband, but changes needed to be made, I just needed to grow a pair and get on with it. Hence the resignation.
What am I going to do? Well for a start I’m returning to my first love which is writing. I trained as a journalist 300 years ago, briefly worked as a journo, then taught creative writing for a long time. Lost my mojo and gave up on my dreams.
I’ve got my mojo back now, so I’m going to try and build up some work as a copywriter and blogger. I also run some social media accounts for local businesses and have done for a while now, so that too.
I have a very tiny amount of work at the moment because until my notice period is up (4th December) I can’t really chase work, but please think of me if you need a copywriter, someone to throw some words onto a page; manage a Twitter account; write and manage your email campaigns or just to blog about something fabulous. I’m your girl!
Please contact me for a chin wag about copywriting, go on you know you want to!
Approximately 12 million years ago when I was a mere slip of a girl, I had a Saturday job on Warburton Street in Didsbury. I worked for Morten’s Bookshop doing the lowest paid job in the history of the world. It did however mean that for years after, I had a Rain-Man style ability to name the author of any book you could think of. That’s gone now. These days I can barely name the people I’m actually related to, but I digress.
Last week Harriet & Dee invited me back to the second most famous cobbled street in Manchester, (the first being Coronation Street, obvs) to have a look at their range of Coeur De Lion jewellery and have a gander around their gorgeous, glittery Santa’s grotto of a shop. They also said something about Cava and mulled wine, but we all know I rarely touch the stuff (what? Don’t look at me like that).
Harriet & Dee is a gorgeous boutique gift shop, there’s one in Didsbury and one in Chester. I frequent the Didsbury one and it’s a cracking little shop with a really interesting and well sourced array of cards, gifts and jewellery. It is like no gift shop I’ve ever been in. I basically walk in and just mutter “I want that, I want that, I want that” under my breath all the way round.
Coeur modelled by the lovely Nola
I do love what Harriet & Dee have done to Warburton Street; they’ve taken the lead in turning a little hidden corner of Didsbury into a sparkling gem. The Christmas lights and displays along the lane are beautiful and really stand out against the corporation lights on Wilmslow Road. It’s a festive treat just walking past.
Being teacher’s pet (Who Sir? Me Sir? Yes Sir), I was first through the door to meet an affable chap from Coeur De Lion. He showed me some of the Coeur range, talked me through the ethos and history of the company and even (get this) let me touch some.
For those not in the know, Coeur De Lion is a German jewellery company who hand make all their pieces in Stuttgart. Their jewellery is stunning and right up my cobbled street. It’s simple, colourful and versatile. To be honest I could sit here and struggle, like I am now, trying to find words to describe them, but life’s too short, just have a look at these pictures instead.
I love the style and simplicity of the pieces. A lot of them could be every-day wear which you can dress up or down. I’m not much of a jewellery wearer, but Coeur De Lion is so different, special and eye catching I quite fell in love. It’s also not hideously expensive. I have a brochure at home and I’ve already been through and circled what I’d like Father Christmas to bring me, that’s if he thinks I’ve been a good enough girl.
My magnificent bauble
After I’d finished coveting shiny, gorgeous things, I tottered across the cobbles to the gift shop part of the Harriet & Dee empire. It was there I was forced, yes, FORCED to drink my first mulled wine of the season. I exchanged disdainful glares with Laura the shop cat and then decorated a bauble.
Now, I’m not very arty, but I was quite pleased with my efforts. If anyone wants to make me a Dragons Den style offer, I’m happy to discuss rolling out a range of baubles along similar lines. Or not, it’s fine.
So, if you want to start feeling festive, get yourselves down to Harriet & Dee. If you’re lucky Laura (the cat) might deign to say hello. Whatever you do, keep your eye out for my range of wonky baubles (not) coming soon to a shop near you!
Harriet & Dee is located at 8 Warburton St, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6WA Tel: 0161 438 2500
I’ve just returned from the Remembrance Sunday service in Didsbury where I live. My family have lived in Didsbury for several hundred years. Every street has a story. Every shop, every graveyard and every pub has the fingerprints of my ancestors all over them.
The pub I do most of my drinking in these days used to be called The Albert. It was renamed several years ago and is now called The Fletcher Moss. It’s changed a bit obviously, but it’ll always be the pub my Grandad and his mates marched off to war from.
I never knew my Grandad, but I know he didn’t like to talk about the war. He fought in North Africa and then spent the last couple of years of the war in the London ambulance service, pulling bodies and parts of bodies out of the crumbled remains of houses. I think it takes a special, brave, resilient kind of person to be able to do that job day in and day out. I never met him, but I’m bloody proud of him.
Today I remember two of my Great Uncles, (John) Robert Atherton (1886-1915) and Stanley Harold Atherton (1899-1918). Their names are on the Didsbury War Memorial and also on the plaque at Didsbury CofE School. John Robert is also commemorated on the memorial plaque at St James Church, Didsbury. They both died in the First World War; young boys who met their deaths hundreds and thousands of miles from home.
Robert Atherton is listed on the War Memorial st St James Church, Didsbury
I can only imagine the horror these boys, these children were met with when they found themselves on the battlefield. They weren’t even cut down in their prime; they were years off their prime. These boys didn’t leave behind them wives or girlfriends or children. They were still young men themselves, doing their bit for King and country.
Robert Atherton joined the Manchester Regiment 11th (Service) Battalion based in Ashton-under-Lyne. On 3oth June 1915 they sailed from Liverpool on the Aquitania and Empress of Great Britain. on 6-7th August 1915 they landed at Suvla Bay, Gallaopli. It was there on 17th August 1915 that Private John Atherton, a former Coal Carter from Didsbury, lost his life. He is commemorated on the Helles Memorial on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey.
To my knowledge there are no pictures of Robert and Stanley in existence. As far as I’m aware their descendants locally boil down to me and my brother. No one remembers the boys who died in 1915 and 1918. The only thing we have to remember them are their names on a memorial. Theirs is not a unique story, but it’s a story most families have in their past. War touches everyone and continues to aftershock down through the generations.
I also remember William Henry Harrow (1917-1944), nephew of Robert and Stanley Atherton. William is my first cousin twice removed and he died in the Netherlands fighting in WW2. William was a Rifleman in the 6th Battalion of the Carmeronians (Scottish Rifles) and was born in Didsbury. He died of wounds and is buried at Bergen-Op-Zoom War Cemetery. I don’t know much about him and I’ve only recently discovered that he is related to me.
Today at the Remembrance Service at the Didsbury War Memorial there were a few veterans. Every year there are fewer of these proud, straight-backed men wiping away a tear, laying wreaths and saluting old pals. At the Remembrance Service today there were maybe 200 or more people, a great turn out and main roads were closed to accommodate the crowds.
People often ask who will remember when the veterans have gone. Well there were 200 or more people there today who will remember them, and that’s just in a small-ish village in South Manchester.
To me, maybe it’s because I’m a mother, I prefer to remember not just that whole swathes of youth died for their country and for our freedoms today. I prefer to remember them as individuals, each with a story, no matter how short. So tonight when I go to the pub, I’ll walk past the house where Robert and Stanley were born, order a pint at the bar where my Grandad ordered his pint, and I will remember them.
We will remember them.
If anyone has any information about Robert Atherton, Stanley Harold Atherton, William Henry Harrow or their relatives, I’d be very interested in hearing from you. Please do get in touch. Thank you.
I have in the past spoken about my incredibly selfless dedication to ensuring the good people of Didsbury, nay, Manchester, have something decent on their plate and something delightfully quaffable in their glass.
This week I once again saw fit to don my cape of selflessness (I’ve had one specially made, don’t worry) and gallop down to the Alpine Tea Room to sample their panini/panino/Italian style toasted sandwich. Whatever you want to call it.
Now, in the spirit of honesty, I am quite good chums with Lou who runs the Alpine Tea Room. He’s basically ace and has a way with cake that would make Mr Kipling green with envy. Any road, he was launching a new range of paninis and (adjusts cape of selflessness) asked if I’d come down and wrap my face round the roasted veg, pesto and cheese panini in exchange for my brutally honest opinion.
Honestly, my brutally honest opinion was that it was ruddy lovely. The bread was sprinkled with sesame and nigella seeds which when toasted added a nicely nutty note. The roasted veg was amongst the best I’d ever had, often roasted veg is floppy and tasteless but this was mega and incredibly flavoursome. There was a thin schmeer of pesto which suited me as these things can tend to be over pestoed for my tastes and enough cheese to ooze seductively from the panini.
I’m proud to say I was the first human being ever to try the Alpine panini (I think I get a badge or a trophy or something). As you can see from the picture, it’s a pretty handsome piece of hot Italian toasted sandwich. It’s massive and well priced at £4.95. I had intended to shovel a piece of carrot cake in for pudding but I was so full that I couldn’t manage it, and we all know my feelings about carrot cake.
Lou’s luscious panini hit the posh toasted sandwich spot! It was, in short, a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I normally (for shame and convenience) indulge my panini based urges in one of the popular coffee chains as its just round the corner from my house. I’m always, always disappointed and a little bit weirded out because they always taste vaguely of disinfectant.
You know, it’s really no less convenient for me to amble over to Fletcher Moss. I’m pretty much addicted to the filter coffee in the Alpine Tea Room anyway and the cakes are just FIT. So should you find yourself on the south side of Didsbury I heartily recommend a fortifying walk round Fletcher Moss followed by a well deserved butty and a brew served by the lovely Lou.
The Alpine Tea Room is located in Fletcher Moss Gardens and is open Tues-Fri 11am-4.30pm. Sat & Sun 12 noon – 4.30pm.
Disclaimer: Fair enough, Lou gave me a free panini to try for no other reason other than he wanted an honest opinion (and I clearly need feeding up). He didn’t know I was going to write a blog about it, but I loved the panini and reckoned he’d be as pleased as peas if I did, bless him (he’s a good lad).
I’ve lived in Didsbury for 30 something years and for the last six years we’ve celebrated that fact by going to the annual Didsbury Beer Festival. This year is the 6th and seemingly biggest of the festivals so far.
We ambled along on opening night, which just happened to be Halloween. Festival patrons (sounds posh that doesn’t it) were encouraged to dress up in their spookiest costumes for Halloween. Although most of the visitors (or patrons as I now somehow feel obliged to call them) were dressed reasonably normally, there was a decent group of zombies, witches, superheroes and spooks necking some of the 100+ ales available. There were ciders and perries too, as well as a couple of lagers for the ale intolerant.
Much as I would’ve loved to have sampled every drink available in the enormous marquee, I felt I owed it to my liver to moderate my intake for once. Ably assisting me was husband Hodge, fine ales aficionado and emergency carrier of the handbag. Together we sampled a mere 8 of the vast array of foamy drinkies on offer.
I had two stand out favourites. The first being Halloween from the Outstanding Brewery. A cheeky little number, containing ginger, cinnamon and treacle. I only tried it because of its terrifyingly topical name, but my goodness, I’ve never, ever tried a drink that tasted like Parkin before. I need to get my sticky cake loving, beery mitts on some bottles of this beautiful beverage of gorgeousness.
My other favourite (so good we got a second one) was the Chocolate Cherry Mild from Dunham Massey. I love cherries so thought I’d give this a go, I wasn’t really expecting very much at all, thought it’d be some novelty awfulness but my giddy aunt, it was amazing. Even husband Hodge couldn’t get enough of it. Those two brews are definitely going on my Christmas list.
Lucky husband Hodge is off enjoying each remaining night of the festival. So no doubt he’ll work his way through most of the list. If what we tried was any indication, I’d say the beers were of a high standard and thoughtfully chosen for inclusion in the festival. There’s a huge range of ale styles available and something to suit all tastes.
There is food, entertainment and drink aplenty available throughout the festival, so get yourself down there. Sample some beers, vanquish any remaining vampires and have a great, social, community night out.
Didsbury Beer Festival runs 31st October – 2nd November at St. Catherine’s Social Club, School Lane, Didsbury, Manchester. Visit their website for more information.
Being a helpful, affable type, it’s in my nature to answer pleas for help and to do what I can to help my fellow man (or indeed woman). With this in mind I donned my expert wine tasters cape (yes, I do have one) and toddled off to Didsbury Lounge to help them decide what wines to add to their existing wine list.
Despite the fact I’d miss out on the final of GBBO, I considered it my duty to ride to the rescue, ensuring the good people of Didsbury will have top notch wine to quaff on the run up to Christmas. I’m incredibly selfless; you’re picking up on that aren’t you?
We were guided through a veritable sea of wines by Noel Reid, Wine & Spirits Manager from Robinsons Brewery. I felt in expert hands, Noel is a former international wine judge and an expert wine taster. Noel, (the lucky pup) basically gets to travel the world drinking wine for a living, or as he put it “sourcing exceptional wines”.
We tried a range of wines (listed below), but fear not, I’m not going to get all Jilly Goulden on you and start prattling on about hints of gerbil or that the wine tastes like freshly mown meadows or what not.
Frederico Pinot Grigio Collezione
Finca Los Alijares Viognier
Verdicchio Dei Castello Di Jesi Manciano Bonci
Sancerre Blanc Serge Laloue
Durius Reserve Syrah 2007
Rolling Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
Tiasta Malbec Reserve
Casarena Single Vineyard Perdriel Malbec
Montelvini Asolo Prosecco Millesimato Extra Dry
They were all good wines, some were great wines and some I wanted to take home and marry. Not everyone agreed on which wines we preferred, so there really was something to please everyone. Not all the wines listed above will make the final cut, but my standout favourites were the Sancerre and the Casarena Malbec. All of the wines I’d happily drink again and again and again though.
Thankfully the good people of Didsbury Lounge were kind enough to reward our wine quaffing generosity by laying on some nibbles from their new menu. We had sticky rice balls, salmon mousse, aubergine dip, hummus, falafel, tzatziki and some still warm bread.
For me a highlight was the falafel, which were crispy and spicy. Falafel can often be bland afterthoughts, but these really hit the spot for me. I also really loved the sticky rice balls which had a warming hint of Thai spice with a crispy, crunchy exterior. I’ll be back for more of them. Possibly for breakfast in the morning. Who knows.
We finished the evening with a glass of Prosecco (this is Didsbury after all). It was a very fine prosecco, just the right level of dryness for me. I believe magnums of this delicious prosecco are available on Saturday nights for a bargain £25. You know where to find me on Saturdays now!
So next time you’re sipping a rather special Sancerre in Didsbury Lounge, spare a thought for this selfless blogger and all the hard work she put in to ensure you, yes you, only get the best. You’re welcome.
Didsbury Lounge can be found at 43 Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury, M20 6TW, Tel: 0161 434 2408 http://www.didsburylounge.co.uk/
Disclaimer: We were invited guests of Didsbury Lounge and were not asked to pay for any of the food or drink we had.
Living in Didsbury, Manchester and being known to enjoy an occasional pint, I am incredibly excited about going to the 6th Annual Didsbury Beer Festival.
The festival runs from 31st October to 2nd November and is usually hugely popular. It’s got a great community atmosphere, not to mention a fantastic selection of over 100 beers, ciders and perries from local-ish breweries.
I’m planning on going on the opening night, 31st October and I’m intent on sampling a good few beers. They have live bands on too, which just adds to the party atmosphere.
It’s a great night out and every time we’ve been on previous years we’ve always discovered something new and delightful to seek out in the future. We’ve bumped into old friends and neighbours and we’ve always, always had a blast.
Tickets are priced from £3, or you could buy a weekend VIP pass for a bargain £10. To find out more, buy tickets online or to peruse the extensive beer list visit their website.
If you’re going do say hi, look forward to bumping into you. Cheers!
I’ve just been for a walk around my village, a place I’ve lived all my life. I popped into a few shops, I’ve stocked up my cupboards and started my Christmas shopping (eek). I love Didsbury with it’s strong community spirit and it’s great independent shops and businesses.
Didsbury is a suburb of Manchester divided into three parts, East, West and the Village. There aren’t many shops in East Didsbury, a small smattering maybe, but Didsbury village and Burton Road in West Didsbury are buzzing with independent shops and businesses. I think this makes the area so unique and vibrant.
I live in Didsbury village and my favourite shops, in no particular order are:
These are all fantastic local businesses which I make a very special effort to support. I’m married to a local businessman and I know how badly the economic downturn has affected local businesses. We try where possible to shop local and now I’m at home all day I can happily while away a few hours doing my shopping and having coffee somewhere lovely. I know that is a luxury that not everyone can enjoy.
Wherever you live can I urge you to support your local shops and businesses. Yes the big chains have their place, but if you shop locally then you’re essentially supporting your community. You’re making it an interesting, vibrant place, you’re helping to support businesses which employ local people, you’re reinvesting in your town. Most of all, you do get a nice warm fuzzy feeling from shopping locally and you’ll more than likely pick up some bargains too.
What’s your town like? Is it buzzing or does Mary Portas need to step in? Do you shop locally or are you supermarket mad? I’d love to know what you think.
Note: I’ve not been paid to write this post, I just really love my local shops!
Those of you who know me personally will know that this week I handed my notice in on my old job. I’d not enjoyed it for a long time, it was a huge source of anxiety for me and I’ve been off sick for nearly a year having operations and such like.
