Tales From The Tearooms; Fig and Sparrow

One of the advantages of the teen being back from Uni for a week, is being able to visit a few nice places for lunch. She enjoys a good cafe as much as I do and it's a lot more fun than eating alone. The Fig and Sparrow in Manchester's Northern Quarter is a super little eatery which also sells an eclectic selection of homewares. We had the spinach and feta parcels with salad, which were delicious and an ideal portion size. Some places do enormous portions and I much prefer smaller sizes so room is left for cake. Saying that, we didn't have cake today...again. Being good is almost killing me!

Little Bit of Orla

I really like rummaging in Homesense for bargains. There are two branches nearby, in Manchester city centre and at the Trafford Centre and I always come away with some really good buys. Today, I bought some Emma Bridgewater soaps, some lovely stationery, an Orla Kiely type mini jug and then I spied a gem...the Orla Kiely "Home" book for only £9.99. Considering it sells in Waterstones for £30, I was very chuffed.

Tales From The Tearooms: Tinderbox, in Paperchase, Manchester.

Every time I go into Manchester, I intend to visit the top floor of Paperchase after spotting a very cute looking coffee bar on one of my visits. Today, I finally remembered, so me and Isobel ( back from Uni on a post-exam week break) climbed up to the second floor and it was well worth it. The green tea was very good, the goats cheese focaccia was delicious and the actual place was a cool oasis in this part of town..like a little bit of the Northern Quarter had migrated down to St Mary's Gate. The cakes looked gorgeous and very Italian deli-like with delicious looking cannoli on offer. However, we've slightly overdone the cakeage this weekend, so will have to wait for another day.....

I'm Baaaaack!

Well, I've been away from the blog for quite a while! Since I last checked in, my daughter has gone off to Durham to study classics and I got an actual paid part time job. As the last time I worked was 20 years ago, this is a rather big deal for me! Just two days a week, but enough to keep me out of mischief (and out of the shops of Manchester).

I've been reading a few blogs recently, as well as falling in love with Instagram ( I'm on there as @ecotogni). Rather than getting bogged down reviewing every book I read, I'm just going to dip in and out with things I have like; books, clothes, places etc.