Out and about and getting organised in sunny Manchester.

 We went into Manchester yesterday on a reconnaissance mission. For years and years now we have been having reunions of a group pf friends who went through school together in some cases, through university together in others. We’re scattered around the country, even around Europe. One member has been our social secretary for ages, emailing everyone, checking dates, booking tables at restaurants, sometimes even organising us onto adventures on old steam trains. This year he’s been ill and so Phil and I found ourselves volunteering to do some organising.

We’re not quite up to investigating steam train journeys but finding a suitable venue for lunch, we decided, should not be beyond our capabilities. One of our number recommended Mr Thomas’s Chop House in Manchester, oddly enough a place I have written about recently after reading an article about someone who gave it a damning review, mostly because it didn’t provide colouring pages and  sets of crayons for their children. Some people just ask too much! 

It was hard to tell from their website whether they could accommodate a dozen of us sitting down to lunch together. An in-person, face-to-face investigation was called for. All good! We would have preferred a round table but settled for a long rectangle, set a date, paid a deposit and off we went to email the gang that all was well and would they please look at the menu and send us their preference so that we could inform the establishment in advance. Job done!

 

Walking through murky back alleys to St Ann’s Square we came upon St Ann’s church from a different angle to the usual a fine little church, rightly referred to as “the little gem”. I may be mistaken about that title as if you look up Manchester’s Hidden Gem it directs you to the website of St Mary’s Catholic Church, a much more hidden church not far from St Ann’s. However, I like that view of St Ann’s church. Indeed I also like the interior of the church and have attended Christmas carol concerts there on several occasions. 

The trees in St Ann’s square are festooned with red / orange paper lanterns. I was a little taken aback by this. After all, Chinese New Year  is hardly around the corner! Then I remembered that Hallowe’en is Indeed just around the corner! 

Before we know it we’ll be on the mad slide towards Christmas. In fact, Phil has already selected a fine hard-book as a gift for our son. Making an early start this year! Maybe the unusual sunshine went to his head. 

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!