Winter Gathering

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was our main theatre outing during the Christmas holidays however we just about managed to squeeze in another trip with last minute tickets to the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester and Sweet Charity. This is one of my favourite ever theatres – the most beautiful Grade 2 listed building right in the city…

Lights By The Lowry

A theatre trip has become one of our Christmas holiday traditions, this year was no different. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Lowry Theatre in Salford was all singing, all dancing and a great festive treat. We brought Son to see Chitty several years ago, he has no recollection of that so this visit was…

Frost and Fire at the Whitworth

We’ve managed a couple of visits to the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester since its reopening a year or so ago after a massive redevelopment. Back in the area recently and discovering a Frost Fair was happening in the grounds of the gallery, we decided it was time for a return trip. It was to be…

Manchester Christmas Markets

A few weeks ago distinctive wooden chalets started to arrive and fill the streets of our city. Son noticed straightaway and from then on has been lobbying hard to visit the Christmas markets. My position is to hold out until at least the first weekend in December, after that resistance is futile and the Christmas markets…

On Board Concorde

Manchester Airport Runway Park was our destination on an icy winter afternoon with tickets booked for a tour of Concorde. Son had heard of the supersonic beauty but that was about it. Husband and I remembered this special aircraft in her heyday and never imagined one day we’d step on board – albeit not taking off.…

Snowdrop City

Part of our summer was spent visiting World War 1 battle sites in Belgium and the war cemeteries around Ypres and Passchendaele. When we heard the National Trust had some special plans in Manchester to commemorate the centenary of WW1 and were looking for  volunteers we were all super keen to get involved. Their ambitious…