Left Over Sparkle

Picked up a handbag I had at Sparkle which had some jewellery I left in it, but also a £20 note which really cheered me up.
Should really check things when I get home after a trip out. I'll take this as a good omen and quit my slow purge.

Wednesday (ST7)

My last day out so I went for a wander round Manchester city centre. Down by the Avenue I found what looked like cut outs of famous people. A couple of photos are below.

                                                                             (Kylie)

                                                                      ( Roberto Mancini)

After a coffee I had a wander round the shops and bought a book I had been looking for. It was a really nice sunny day. As the day went on in the afternoon I went back to The Village and had a couple of  drinks before going back to my room and got changed for the evening.
That evening I went to  Eden for a pizza. I met Mary who runs Manchester Concord the local support group that meets every Wednesday. I over joyed when I got texts from Diana and Kate that they would be out later.
At Manchester Concord Mary took a picture of  Kate, Diana and myself which is below.

After Concord we went to Naps and had a couple of dances.  We didn't stay to late as both Diana and Kate had work in the morning. Seeing them going and knowing I had to also depart in the morning made me feel so sad. I hope I will see them again as I never take anything for granted.
I had an absolutely wonderful time, but sadly my Sparkle Trip came to an end.

 12/08
Sadly since my trip, there have been riots in some of the major cities in England. Manchester and Liverpool were caught up in the wanton destruction. It all started in London. There has been much debate about the riots and why they happened. I have my own thoughts, but there is not much point to me recording them here. What I will say is I have never lived in Manchester or Liverpool, but both cities have had a profound influence on my life since I was a teenager. I did once live in London and that had it's own influence.
Cities being wounded  by their own residents  was horrible to see on the telly.  Hearing some people had died made it even more sickening,  but on the other side the clean up by decent people was heartening to see. I sincerely hope something positive emerges in the aftermath.
Next month hopefully I'll be back in Manchester where I  will hopefully be able to celebrate another first for me.
Until then may Love and Light Fill Your Days.

Karen xx

Monday, Tuesday, (ST6)

Monday

Diana would be making her way home but that would not be until the evening. She checked out of the hotel and I helped get her luggage to the car. After breakfast we went for a wander and a bit of shopping.
I got a really nice top and jeans. There was a particular pair of shoes Diana was looking for, but unfortunately we didn't find them except for a pair which were very expensive.
That evening I could resist wearing my new purchases when we went for a meal in Eden.

(Above a  picture of Diana, looking great with that beautiful smile)

It came time for Diana to head for home which and that would leave me on my own. I was sad to see her go, but she would be back out on Wednesday.
After seeing Diana off. I would attempt to remove my nails which would cause me some problems and and quite a bit of worry.

Tuesday

I had decided to take a trip to Leeds on the train.  I had an uneventful journey. The train was quite busy which does make me a bit nervous, but I really had no need to be. I did do quite a bit of shopping and got some good advice at a busy MAC concession.
Lunch was at a very quite Fibre in the gay quarter.

  (Outside the Corn Exchange Leeds)

I decided to try and beat the rush hour and headed back to Manchester.
Back in Manchester I took a wander along to Afflecks Market and found a stall that sold crystals and such like. I had a really nice chat with the man who owned it. I bought a really nice bracelet and heart shaped quartz pendant.
When I got back to The Village it was very quiet almost empty. I decided to just have a couple of drinks and an early night.
Wednesday would be my last day, but I'll leave that for one last post on this trip out.