Manchester, McFly and My Dad.

The time has come my little friends, to talk of many things, of shoes, of ships, of sealing wax, of cabbages and kings... Actually i'm just going to tell you about my weekend in Manchester last weekend but I wanted to open on a bit of a dramatic note. 

So Last weekend I went to Manchester with my friend Hannah to see McFly; no judging. 

I'm not even sorry, they were MINT. 

So it turned out that Manchester is the friendliest city I have ever visited, just about everywhere we went people either gave us free or discounted stuff. We decided before the gig on the friday night that we would go into Revolution as it was really close by and we didn't really have a clue where anything else was. As soon as we walked in we were given a voucher for a free drink at the bar and 25% off any food. BARGAIN. Then we decided to be fancy and have a cocktail, which turned out to be buy one get one free. Score. 

Source: http://www.ipoll.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/I_LOVE_FREE_STUFF.jpg

A quick word on the gig, any band that will don hats and get the entire crowd to do the YMCA is a winner in my book, also the bar was empty as we were among the 10 other people over the age of 18 which made getting drinks very easy. 

So then I won't lie, we didn't go out partying once the gig was over we went back to the apartment and had a few beers and watched Pitch Perfect. Remember what I said about judging. Still stands. 

So the next day we decided to go explore a bit of Manchester, we headed up to the Northern Quarter and came across a little bar that was open for breakfast called TV21.

Source: manchersterbars.com

Massive recommendation for this place! The food was yummy and really reasonable, free tea or coffee too. I got what was essentially a posh bacon sandwich with eggs but the bacon tasted barbecued which to me is AMAZING because there is normally only one place I get a barbecued bacon sandwich and that's here... 

At a music festival! 

We then saw something that actually blew my mind. 

 I just, like. What. I do not understand what i was looking at to be honest, he wasn't sitting on anything, at one point he put one leg over the other and he moved the umbrella. 

Source: http://weedposts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/mind-blown-sharp-535x240.png?41ed4f

Here are some other things we saw. 

Tennis Ball Chewing Gums

Some Gin with a worm in 

I took this for the I heart MCR that is barely visible. 

After traipsing around Manchester exploring all day we decided to head back, decide where to go for dinner and eat some cake. 

OM NOM NOM

Then eventually after about two and a half hours of sheer indecision we finally decided on a place to go for dinner. 

Source: http://www.highachieversnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/indecision.jpg

Another recommendation  - Solita, Really yummy food I got the classic burger and upgraded my fries to sweet potato fries and it was SO GOOD. Get yourself there if you are reading this and live in Manchester. Seriously. (i'm nearly done with this blog I promise, i do realise i'm banging on a bit now but hey whatyagondo). 

So from that point we headed in a round about way to a pop up bar called Kahlua. I've never actually tried it before but it looked like a cool little place so we decided to head in for a cocktail. Got to the bar, "Two black Russians please", "ok no problem, they are buy one get one free tonight"... Ref second blog pic. FREE STUFFFFF. 

We got chatting to the barmaid who explained that there was a permanent cocktail bar upstairs that did awesome things. They weren't buy one get one free though so we stayed downstairs. Let me at this point say Kahlua is tasty, which I did not really see coming. Anyway about twenty minutes passed and a man came up to the table holding a tray of really fancy drinks. 

He placed them down on the table and explained that they were closing the bar upstairs and the barmaid had mentioned to him we wanted to try some cocktails, so he had brought us some, for free. Free. FREE. The one that looks like a cup of tea, had peppermint something and kahlua in and the small pail of milk was actually milk infused with vanilla and a shot of vodka. The tall one next to it was Kahlua, vodka and tequila (i think) with coke and chocolate ice cream. Whilst I realise that sounds gross (to some people) it was so gooood! It was like the fanciest Coke Float you have ever had. Biiig shout out to the people at Kahlua for looking after us so well. Super friendly and generous. Thanks!! 

Whilst we're on the shout outs. Big thanks to my two lovely friends: 

Sal

 

And Angie

I asked them for recommendations of places to see, drink and eat at and they truly out did themselves my providing me with enough things to do for my next three visits. Much love to you! 

Fantastic weekend filled with dancing, drinking, eating, giggling and exploring. Can't wait for the next one... :D

...................................................................................................................................

Just on another very quick note, my uncle Steve had a really bad accident last week and ended up in hospital. He seems to be on the mend now though so just to let you guys know from us lot in the UK, we're thinking of you and feel better soon. 

Also 

On the 9th of May was the anniversary of my Dad's death. Always in our hearts reminding me of the fragility of life. Everyone has so much love for him, even now which I think gives a true reflection of the kind of man he was.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaand done. 

Hope you have had an excellent weekend! I have. 

Lots of love, 

Nat x

Instagram: @natfurlong 

Twitter: @nataliefurlong 

Tumblr Natfurlong.tumblr.com

I love Liverpool = Loverpool

I've been meaning to tell you guys about my trip to Liverpool for a couple of weeks! I rather stupidly decided to make my journey on Good Friday, got to the train station to find the platform full of people with big suitcases and groups of drunk men. I got the train at 11am. 

Now I don't know if we have talked about a little thing I like to call 

Train Panic 

but here is what happened next: 
I got on the train along with half the population of Stockton and whilst looking around in panic to find a seat that wasn't reserved I spotted one at a table that was reserved from York to Leeds, facing the right way (I detest going backwards on a train) and it wasn't too close to the loos. Perfect. I threw my bag and coat above the chair and settled down for the first hour of my journey. 

Source: tgnp.me

So the plan in my head was that when the train pulled into York I would get up along with all the people getting off and sit in one of the seats across the aisle and a few rows behind. That way the people getting on at York wouldn't have nabbed these unreserved seats. 

..............

You can probably realise this didn't quite go as planned. I got up and threw my bag and coat into the free seat, Turned back to get my bag from the overhead shelf and a queue had formed behind me. At this point my brain went into meltdown. I would like to point out the logical thing to do at this point would have been to sit down, let the people get off the train and then calmly get up and get my bag. But no, no no. 

Source: Allthetragefaces.com

The bag was only slightly out of my reach so I stepped forward and said to the man blocking my way, 'sorry I just need to get my bag' but then he didn't move, I moved. I tripped on my own foot and fell forwards because there was nowhere for me to put my feet. I then half crushed the man... My face touched his face guys.

I can't even find a picture fitting to this situation so i'm just going to sat it again in a bigger font size. 

My face touched his face. 

At this point you would think i'd just give it up and sit down. But no I still reached over him and about three other people to drag my bag off the shelf almost giving said three people concussion whilst doing so. I honestly think I got drunk off all the alcohol fumes on the train and just lost all real ability to think. 

No one else got on the train at York and I had the entire table to myself all the way to Manchester. 

Source: en.wikipedia.org

So lets move past that, I had such an awesome time in Liverpool. Stayed with one of my bezzie mates Caz... 

Girl makes a mean omelette

Drank copious amounts of wine with the lovely Linda on Friday night and got all caught up in a couple of a years worth of gossip, and ate some lovely deep fried food. We also were drawn into conversation with some VERY drunk Glaswegian men who did not understand a word we were saying.

Stolen from facebook... :P

I let Linda go home eventually and met Caz, who then pulled out the old card tricks, which I must say I found very impressive! AND she gave me her bed which I was very grateful for!!

On the Saturday I met up with Becky a friend of mine (that I love loads) from when we worked together at Waterstones many moons ago. She has the two most beautiful boys I have ever seen in my whole life and we went for Brunch at Brink. I chased her child around for about an hour, cutest ever.

Pre mum Becky

With Permssion, gorgeous children!

Ok I had to put an old photo of you here dude because you're such an awesome mum that ALL your recent photos have children in and I didn't want to put one of those on without permission. It just felt a bit creepy. 

I then dashed from Brink to Leaf to meet my other beauuuuitful friend Angelica for a quick coffee as she was in serious prep mode for going to Prague the following day. We ate cake. It was wonderful (and I don't just mean the cake). 

Angie and Cow. 

Then came Caz and her birthday celebrations! 

Drunk eyes Caz!

Keyring shaped evidence that at the end of the
night we did not look as drunk as we were! 

So there it is. My weekend in Liverpool was amazing. I love the city, I love my friends and Liverpool will always be one of the places I grew up. I love that visiting there is just as much like going home as where I live now. 

The train journey home almost killed me due to the severe need for junk food and no way to get any. Just wanted to end on a realistic note. 

Love, me. 

Have an awesome weekend guys! 

@nataliefurlong

natfurlong.tumblr.com

Blackbeard's Tea Party

Hey guys, I have three blogs up my sleeve for you this week! Sadly they will not be in the order I wanted them to be because technically this one should be last but I just can't wait to tell you about my adventure in York! 

Source: Stolen from Rosie's Facebooook. 

We went to York for my AWESOME friend Laura and her birthday celebrations. 

My friends and I went to see a band called Blackbeard's Tea Party, I genuinely didn't know what to expect. I pretty much had quite a chilled out folk band vibe in my head. I was sooooooo wrong!! If you go onto their website www.blackbeardsteaparty.com. They are described as...

"Funky folk tunes, saucy songs and an infectious stage energy, Blackbeard's Tea Party mix fiddles & squeezeboxes, guitar noise & synth bass, and a feast of international hand percussion to bring you an unforgettable folk-rock extravaganza."

The only thing missing from this description is the word pirate, pirateish or perhaps pirate adjacent but then perhaps this is implied in the bands extremely apt name. Guys watching these perform was like nothing I have seen for a very long time! You can absolutely tell that the entire band love to play and they do a fantastic job of drawing the crowd in and getting everyone involved, it is impossible not to at least bob your head or tap your toes along with everyone else in the crowd, by the end the entire group I was with was joining in and punching the air at every opportunity, infectious stage energy couldn't be a more accurate description.

Source: blackbeardsteaparty.com

At this moment i'd just like to take a second to remind everyone how much I like pirates... and also to say i'm singing the song Chicken on a raft in my head. 

Ay-O Chicken on a raft!

Chicken On a Raft

We saw them at a venue called 'The Duchess' in York, excellently intimate and it completely lends itself to the bands sound, at one point I honestly felt like I was in some sort of secret cave, then out came the sword dancers which very nearly made me lose all sense of reality. It's bands like this and gigs like these that remind me why I love live music so much. Sometimes it's easy to forget what it feels like to be stood with people who are all there for the same reason and all getting caught up in the same moment as you. 

Source: weheartit.com

This band know their stuff, with a sound that I haven't heard before yet seems strangely familiar. They have more instruments than I would even attempt to list and a violinist that could rival any lead guitarist Blackbeard's Tea Party are a must see! If these guys are at a venue near you I implore neigh insist that you go and see them and then message me on here and tell me how excellent my taste is, i'd like that. 

Also buy their new album here! 

http://www.blackbeardsteaparty.com/shop.php

So moving on from the gig portion of the evening, Laura, Ellie, Rosie and I along with a host of Laura's lovely friends danced the night away drinking extremely cheap vodka and free shots. Here's what happened next... 

Rosie and Ellie woop!

...

sexxxxxxxy

Ellie was born to be in the spotlight.

I'm not going to lie to you guys, I respect you too much. We danced to the Spice Girls and David Guetta, we drank too much and ate pizza and then when we finally got into bed we all sat watching videos of goats that scream like humans for about half an hour. 

Fast Forward to 0:24 for the real giggles. 

That's just who we are, a group of bloody fantastic weirdos. Wouldn't change them for the woooorld. 

Love yah don't ah! 

Have an excellent Sunday Evening, I'm going to go now because i'm still hungover and this is making my eyes hurt. 

Love, 

Me. 

@Nataliefurlong

natfurlong.tumblr.com

Pink Jelly Beans that taste like Banana

Sometimes in life, you eat a pink jelly bean that tastes like banana and it makes you question everything you have ever known. 

Last night I was just chilling out and munching on a few of these bad boys...

Source: coolbrands.uk.com

When, as the title of this blog suggests, I selected a pink one expecting either 'candyfloss' or 'pink grapefruit' but no. Banana. BANANA?! 

Tumblr.com

Then I got to thinking about a few other things that are not all they seem to be. 

It's no real secret that I enjoy a glass of wine or two, white or rose and i'm your friend Red wine though, really? ... Really?!

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Expectation

blog.ribena.co.uk

Reality

mysupermarket.co.uk

Rather typically i'm fairly sure that red wine is the only one with any health benefits what so ever! Who drinks wine to be healthy anyway? I think i'll just have a beer. 

Another pink jellybean has to go to, cotton buds, or Qtips depending on where you are reading this from. 

Source: Improbable.com

On all boxes of these you will find a warning, 'Do not insert these into your inner ear'. I'm sorry but these were blatantly invented to be put in your ears and then i'm fairly sure people who were too over zealous at shoving these in their ears because it feels so good there were popped ear drums all over the place. So then they decided these were only for putting on make up, and cleaning between babies toes.  

Well cotton buds. I call BULLSHIT. We all know what you are really for, even if you are prepared to lie. 

Lets talk about how umbrellas are meant to be awesome at keeping you dry. 

This is everything I want from an umbrella. 

Source:photographyblogger.net

In reality how often do we really get rain without wind? As soon as you mix rain and wind together you no longer have a cute/ whimsical umbrella keeping you dry. You enter into a crazy game of predicting the wind direction. A few weeks ago I entered into this very game whilst waiting for the bus to take me into town. It was actually quite fun despite the water running up my arm and one side of my body slowly soaking up a few liters of water. Until someone else came and stood at the bus stop. I promise you the pressure of having a spectator nearly made me crack. 

Source: keepbusy.net

I won. 

Next time though i'm doing this. 

Source: quitor.com

Deciding to start a blog and post it publicly on my Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr is the final thing I will talk about today. Although it is fun and I absolutely love writing this blog, what I didn't think about was that whenever I start a new job and the people there add me on Facebook. Maybe not straight away but eventually they will realise what I am actually like and how ridiculous I really am. New work friends, if you are reading this... Welcome. 

Source: http://funny-pics-fun.com/funny-compilations/happy-saint-patricks-day

Happy St Patrick's Daaaay! 

Love you! 

Love, me. 

@nataliefurlong