GRACE NOTES XI
A quiet week has preceded the upcoming [and infinitely busier] one ahead; the pre-holiday prep list really is racking up and I have birthday dinners, catch-ups over coffee, and beauty-related meetings scheduled within the next few days, amongst all the usual pre-trip madness [packing, ordering $$$, last minute bikini purchases]. Consequently, this Sunday's 'laze' will be pint-sized [or should I say Venti cappuccino-size?]; a pinning-spree from under the waffle duvet, a quick flick through this month's Vogue, and tub-time with my last remaining So White bath bomb [yes really, I stockpile them], before the to-do list calls.
What's on the agenda for your week?
P.S. I must also throw in a mention for the newly launched Origins Original Skin Retexturising Mask, which landed on my desk this week and erased my open pores in one use.
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from the archives
read
Ahead of Tuesday's highly anticipated release of Go Set A Watchman [tipped to be the year's bestseller], I've spent the past week rereading To Kill A Mockingbird. Unlike most, I didn't read this under the National Curriculum; a fortune I am incredibly grateful for, as after a term spent picking apart prose and compiling lists of literary devices I almost always ended up despising some of my favourite reads [a case in point, Emma; once beloved, now unread since A Level English]. However, To Kill A Mockingbird is a beloved classic and I warrant there are few who haven't read it [under duress or not]. Speaking volumes for racial and class issues in the post-Depression Deep South, the novels tells the story of a lawyer defending a black man [charged with the rape of a white girl] through the eyes of his young daughter.
FURTHER READING : Read the first chapter of Go Set A Watchman.
lipstick loving
Meet my current favourites...
eat : the wharf, castlefield
Hearty pub dinners with finesse are served in Brunning & Price pubs across the country, including Castlefield hotspot The Wharf. A chain without the chain feel [it's family owned] Brunning & Price are famous for occupying architecturally interesting spaces, with an eye to eclectic but historically appropriate decor, and a menu dedicated to showcasing locally sourced ingredients. The Wahrd itself offers both intimate nooks and crannies as well as a dedicated downstairs bar space. The menu features a luxe spin on the fishfinger sandwich alongside Lancashire cheeses, Cheshire made sorbets, and the brand's signature bacon and cheese burger [a personal favourite].
FURTHER READING : A brief history of Castlefield, starring The Wharf.
reading list
- Morwenna Ferrier investigates the movement behind Vogue's now infamous Buzzfeed header.
- A series of eery images capture Manchester's Northern Quarter at dawn.
- History and feminism combine in the form of a new app that sends a notification when you pass a place where women made history.
- It's been over a year since I was last in Oxford [after living there for three years] and this article made me miss it terribly - but if you're headed to the City of Dreaming Spires anytime soon, it's well worth a read.
- Thomas Mallon asks 'Is self-loathing a requirement for writers?' in The New York Times.
- Discover the inspiration behind Topshop's new archive collection.
- 'Beauty and feminism can happily exist together' is a phrase I am more than an advocate of. Read more from Tavi Gevinson.
- Not caught the running bug yet? Join The Telegraph's new running blog.
- Summer-themed love lessons from ELLE's wonderfully witty E. Jean Carroll.
- Lena Dunham shares her thoughts on marriage.
- Aēsop's The Fabulist explores the mystery and magic of New York's fire escapes.
- In Defence of Slow Fashion, Leandra Medine speaks out against speedy clothing production.
- If ever a single article could sum up Manchester's particular brand of music history, it's this one.
