hi manchester!

I'm here! I moved to Manchester! It's weird! It's new! It's a lot!

I've already lived here two weeks now. To be honest, I'm not getting a lot done. Just experiencing this new life is apparently costing me a lot of energy. I'm trying to be kind to myself, telling myself that now is not necessarily the time to be at my most productive ... It's hard, it takes practise. But it's good practise to do.

I didn't even pick my camera up in the entire first week that I was here. But here are a few scattered photos from the past week.




Walking around Manchester. So much to see! Like this new statue of Emmeline Pankhurst. It's the first statue in Manchester of a woman that is not Queen Victoria (wtf). I'm glad she's there.



After dancing drinks at this fancy place!


This person still claims that she never looks good in photos. Shush Rachel! Stupidest thing I ever heard.


Liam and I went to IKEA! It's so much fun to go there with him. We bought random things for home, dreamed about things we can have when we live somewhere bigger and/ or less temporary than this, and generally behaved like a ridiculous couple in love.


Board game night at Rosie and Marshal's! It's such a great feeling to just jump on the train for half an hour and then be able to hang out with these lovely people!




We played Mysterium, which neither of us had played before. It's a beautiful game and a lot of fun once we got the hang of it. Marshal got to play the ghost, which is the most difficult role; hence his concentrating face. :)


<3


Sunday morning reading time! I'm trying to take some more time to read these days. Liam got me this book - the Guilty Feminist by Deborah Frances-White - ages ago and I didn't take time to read it. But I'm really enjoying it so far.


And then, in the afternoon, Rosie and Marshal and I went to the cinema to see Spirited Away. It's been ages since I saw it and I had forgotten so many beautiful details, it was a joy to relive it, and on a huge screen too.



Liam and I finishing the Christmas chocolat we got from his parents. :)

The other night, when we were lying in bed watching the Great British Bake Off (as you do), it struck me: It's here, I have it. I'm here. We live together now. I'm still surprised that I got it: everything I wanted. I'm aware of the luxury of having this. (I know not everyone wants a romantic monogamous relationship, but I do, so to me it is a luxury.) And I'm acutely aware of how many people would like to be in exactly my spot, exactly right now: Here, in Manchester, in Liam's arms. I have it. It's here. I'm here now. It's everything.

Martin Hayes Quartet | the Blue Room