Manchester, A Different Angle.

A couple of weeks ago Peter and I went into Manchester and generally hung around like a pair of disfunctional teenagers. First we went to the Buddhist centre, and had lunch in their wonderful vegetarian caff. I had split pea soup, bread, a mince pie thing and a freshly made veggie juice and Peter had two bowls of soup, bread and a veggie juice.

We had intended to go to the museum to look at the Egyptology exhibition, but as we wandered into the shopping area, I spied the Manchester Eye. Pleeeese, pleeeese can we go on it? OK, he sighed wearily. We took our place in the queue and a little later we were sitting in our car waiting for it to begin. We were told to press a little yellow button if we wanted to get off. Fat lot of good that would have done if we were at the top of the wheel. I noticed there was also a red emergency button. I wondered what would happen if I pressed that.


On our way up.


Oooo! There's Harvey Nics, The shop that Patsy hangs out in. Patsy, from Ab.Fab. is one of my role models. The other one is Jo Brand.


Going up a bit higher. This is the glass dome of the Corn Exchange that collapsed during the Manchester bombing. On Saturday 15th June 1996 during peak shopping time, a 3,000 lb IRA bomb exploded injuring more than 200 people and ripped into the main fabric of the city centre shopping area. Because of this bomb, the centre of Manchester was closed off for goodness knows how long. The buildings have been replaced with architectual wonders and delights, and now Manchester is a vibrant and lively city says Peter.


Up higher and a good view of the Cathedral and the Shambles Public House. Although fairly cloudy it was warm and a lot of people were sitting outside having their lunch.


This is the view to the South. The glass dome is on top of the Royal Exchange building which is now one of the best theatres in the country. We get top rate actors here and I have personally drooled over Tom Courtney many a time. The large building still under construction is the tallest building in Manchester. It is so tall that I can see it from the Canal and Lyme Park when I take Badger for her walks.


Looking towards the Lancashire hills in the far distance. We had three rounds on the wheel before we were removed. I didn't press the red button or the yellow one.

We wandered around Manchester and was dismayed to find Muji had shut down. Oh well, I'll just have to go to Tokyo for my bits and bobs! Marks and Spencer was a nightmare. It's so big with so much choice, I started getting panic attacks, so we left to have a coffee in the Royal Exchange cafe. We meandered back to Piccadilly
Station, taking in some of the boutiques selling expensive clothes and grumpily tut-tutted at the extravagance of those who bought such things. Came across a Food Market in St Anne's Square and bought three exotic pieces of cheese and a loaf of olive bread. Amazing how tiring shopping is. I was glad to get home.

On Saturday Maalie paid a visit. He wanted to break his journey back to our childhood haunts of Essex and Canvey Island. He will be doing a blog on that in due course or so he assures me. All his bluster about cats actually didn't stop him stroking Scaredy, and then look what I found:



After forcing a vegetarian meal down, he fell asleep with Badger. Very unfocused picture as I was also falling asleep and a bit unfocussed too.



I lost Scaredy yesterday. He changes his 'favourite place' regularly. I searched and searched until I heard a little tinkle from his bell and I found him curled up in the bottom of the wardrobe amongst all the flotsom that accumulates there.



I tested my broken toe yesterday by trying to take Badger for a walk. I wore thick woolly socks and a pair of Wellies. It took me an hour to walk around the field that usually takes about fifteen minutes. Today my foot is telling me I didn't listen to it yesterday telling me not to even try. The toe and foot is swollen and painful again, but I might try going out on my bike later.