Frills 'n' Spills

I posted a while ago about needing to lose some weight and recently I joined a local gym and have been going a few times a week. Anyone who knows me will laugh at the thought of me in the gym but I have actually been enjoying it and it is nice to have an hour to myself in the evening after I get home from work. I am never going to look particularly glamourous in gym wear but it definitely helps to look good if you want to feel better. I picked up this bright coral top and snazzy leggings at a local sports store, I have never been one for wearing a lot of black so why would I want to change the habit of a lifetime?! 

A close up of the neon pink and flexi-sole which is supposed to make it feel like you are running barefoot. I'm not sure how true this is but it certainly helps with my ungainly stride! 

Does looking stylish help you feel better when you are exercising?

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Sports Shoes

There's something about lace dresses that I just can't resist. This is completely different to my beloved lace dress from Monki but with the high neckline, they both have a hint of Victoriana about them which I love. I just realised that this dress is basically a day time appropriate version of my favourite festive frock which seems fitting as they were both from Miss Sefridge. I clearly gravitate towards similar clothes without even realising! I picked up this dress when I was shopping with a friend. Naomi made me promise that if it didn't fit or if I ever got bored of it, that I would pass it on to her but unfortunately for her, I can't see this leaving my wardrobe any time soon!

Wearing only black and white has never really been my thing, I prefer bright colours to black and white and monochrome has always felt just a bit too safe for me. There are some notable exceptions to this rule, I loved this spotty top from Next and this maxi skirt and blouse combination is perfect for the summer but generally I steer clear of the (black and) white stuff. I really shouldn't have bought this dress from Primark, I try not to buy clothes that won't last more than a few washes but I loved the fit of this and the length makes it perfect for work.

Manchester has been on my list of places to visit for a long time now, both Mark and I have family who live there but we have never actually got round to visiting. This weekend we finally made it up there and did a whirlwind tour of the city before heading over to Mark's brother's house for a barbeque to celebrate his birthday. We only had a couple of hours in town but I fell in love with the city and I will definitely be back. Warning: this does sound like the Tourist Board have asked me to write a gushing piece about the city but I was just bowled over by the place; I mean how could you not love somewhere with more trams than you could shake a stick at?!

The Old Wellington near the Corn Exchange looked brilliant, I love the wood panelling on the eaves of the pub and it was absolutely heaving with people. Apparently there was some kind of festival on over the weekend and it was pretty busy but despite the crowds, everyone was in a good mood because of the sunshine...

The Oast House is an absolutely amazing building, next time I visit, I definitely want to go there, the food looked incredible!

I know not everyone is a fan of buskers but this guy was incredible, he had such an amazing voice! Apparently the 'Hoochie Coochie Mancunian' is the 'self-proclaimed king of buskers'- it's hard to disagree when you hear him sing...

...whereas I wanted to take home the Arkham Asylum, just look how amazing Poison Ivy is!  I have major hair envy...

In the end though I settled for a worried looking Frodo, a jazzy Wonder Woman and a Stormtrooper for Mark. Next time I go, I will definitely be bringing Gimli home with me...

The building for the National Football Museum was really cool and looked amazing in the sunlight. Apparently the museum used to be in Sheffield but not enough people visited it so they moved it to Manchester in 2011. 

Spinningfields is a 'business, retail and residential development in the west of Manchester city centre' (ooh fancy!) and it really reminded me of Canary Wharf or the Mailbox in Birmingham. How great are these flats though?! I'd love to live in the ones in the middle!

We called into the People's History Museum for a quick look at the post-1945 political posters (the perils of hanging out with two politics geeks!) and I really wish we had had more time to spend there as it was absolutely fascinating. I will definitely be devoting a full day to look round the museum next time, there looked like so many interesting collections. I especially wanted to see the one relating to Emily Wilding Davison and women's suffrage but we didn't have time :( 

Possibly my favourite poster in the collection...

Sir Robert Peel looking out over the city - I love playing guess the famous figure with statues, I had never even heard of half of the people whose statues we saw, I think I need to brush up on my history!

 

The birthday boy looking decidedly unimpressed. I'm not sure if that face was because of the chocolate cake or the insanely strong vodka jelly, who knows?! 

I hope you enjoyed my whistle-stop tour; have you ever been to Manchester? Where do I need to visit next time I go?

If you know me, you know that leggings and I have never really got on. I never thought I would be wearing leggings on the blog, let alone in a work outfit but how things have changed! I have never been able to find a dress that was long enough to avoid the dreaded 'leggings as trousers' look which I hate but this floral Apricot dress has filled that gap in my wardrobe perfectly. The mornings are still pretty cold so this green raincoat has been perfect for adding a nice loose layer that isn't too heavy when I have to carry it home in the evening! 

Bright colours have long been a favourite of mine and bright green is definitely up there with the best. This peplum top was a gift from a friend and I have fallen in love with it, I adore the colour and the textured material makes it a lot more interesting. Paired with leopard print accessories and some skinny jeans, this was the perfect mid-week boost...I love the fact that the cows are back too, can you see just how massive Eric the bull is?!