Manchester

'I've brought my camera''oh...Good!' The groan with which this is greeted doesn't surprise me, as I'm used to the lack of enthusiasm for my photographic efforts. I'm in Manchester for a 'girly' shopping weekend and to 'do' the Christmas Markets*. We'd planned this months ago, and only last week, it seemed like it might not happen, but we decided to go for one night instead of two, and it was back on.

I do like Manchester, it's such a vibrant city, with a great range of shops restaurants, and bars. I suppose it was slightly worrying to be able to point out the theatres that I'd stage door-ed at. There were also restaurants I'd eaten in, the car park that I nearly got stuck in, and the first Golden arches we ever discovered with Internet access.

The markets were great, and we wandered around sampling the gluwein, brawurst, and (for me) potato pancakes, which, rather bizarrely were served with apple sauce, but they tasted good. The weekend was pretty much taken up with shopping, eating and drinking - we found a great, and not very expensive, Italian restaurant for dinner which was close to the hotel (and also to the Palace Theatre, which is always useful to know).

Of course I spent far too much money. As one friend said, 'well, you didn't get anything you didn't need', but I think she was being kind in using that to justify me buying the black feathery glittery corsage thingy**

It was a great start to the Christmas season though.

*having planned this trip some time ago, we then saw that York was having it's own german Christmas Market for the first time - but when I went to it last Friday, it was rubbish. I've never actually worked out why it is that York just can't 'do' Christmas. We always have rubbish lights too

**I mean, can you imagine anything that's more 'me', apart from ruby slippers, that it?