My city

I don't know what it is about Manchester that makes me love it so much. Maybe everyone feels this way about the city they went to university to. Is it Piccadilly Gardens? Is it the plethora of shops? Is it the humongous Waterstones on Deansgate? Is it the trams? Is it walking round Harvey Nichols and laughing at how expensive some of the clothes are? Is it the random cafes and delis that you stumble upon when wandering down the back streets? Is it Rusholme and its mile of curry houses? Is it the random mix of poeple that live/visit the town centre? Is it the memories of the 4 amazing years I spent there?

It's probably a mix of everything but whatever it is it keeps me coming back and wanting more.

I would love to live there and hopefully one day I'll achieve my aims and find myself tramping its streets. Until then I'll make sure that my remaining friends never leave so that I can keep coming coming back for more.

I'd been a good girl and saved my pennies for our trip to see Coldplay. I can't go to Manchester and not buy myself a little treat can I?!

I picked up this gorgeous little clutch bag, made from leather from a stall near Piccadilly Gardens. I took a ridiculously long time deciding which bag to buy, much to the exasperation of the boyfriend who stood by, silently begging me to just pick one and have done with it. I love it - especially as I know I'm unlikely to run in to anyone in Hull with the same bag.

No trip to Manchester is complete without a visit to the Waterstones on Deansgate. I have a self-imposed book ban, owing to the 40 or 50 books that line my bookshelves still watiing to be read but I'm allowed to buy on special occasions. And if a trip to Manchester to see Coldplay isn't a special occasion then I don't know what is.

I've been eyeing up this book for ages but haven't allowed myself to buy it because it's in hardback and I don't really need it. But it looks so beautiful that I had to buy it really. I promise I'll read it next...
Another thing I love about Manchester? PAPERCHASE. If you're obsessed with stationary like me then this is your mecca. I got a funky little notebook - it is much needed - sometimes I get bored at work and when that happens and my mind wanders, blog topics come to me and I need to scribble down my ideas. (Does anyone else do that?!) So this little notebook is offiically my new blog book.
I'm hoping to get the time to go back to Manchester in October/November for my annual pre-Christmas shopping trip. The lights add something magical to the normal exhilarating experience and I know that Paperchase will be on hand to provide me with fun wrapping paper and quirky Christmas decorations.

And this time I will find someone to go on the Manchester eye with me...