Shake It, Baby!
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Just got back today from one of the best weekends I can remember having - I've visited the lovely and wonderful Beth in Leicester.
Got to leave work at 5 on Friday - thanks to Tim and David's solar-powered generosity - and so was on a train before six. I would have been on an earlier one, but I had to wait for four - four! - tubes to go past before I could even get on one to St. Pancras. As I pulled out of the station I noticed the BT Tower wasn't that far away; had I known, walking would have been far quicker.
Eventually got to Leicester and was met on the platform by Beth. Except she was still in town. So I got a drink and waited, and then we headed back into town - to Pizza Express for dinner, specifically, which was all kinds of fitness. Although eating pizza with a knife and fork feels odd and strangely formal. And the waitress had luminous blue contact lenses in which just looked incredibly strange.
At least, I hope they were contacts.
After that, we headed back to Beth's by bus - woo, alliteration - and I got a tour of the house as I dumped my stuff. Peep Show was on soon after and, as usual, it was a classic episode: Mark returned to work after his disasterous almost-marriage to Sophie with hilarious, and cringe-inducingly bad, consequences. We laughed our heads off, and then watched Family Guy Season 5. I'd got that box-set for Christmas but it hadn't even been out of it's wrapping yet, so it was a good time to unleash the comedy. More hilarity ensued before we hit the hay at around 4am. I'm not sure it's a good sign if you go to bed when birds are waking up and chirping and you're still sober.
After the late night - or early morning - we were incredibly lazy on Saturday. Not that I mind that at all. Spent the morning sleeping and then made breakfast bagels - Harrods bagels, to be precise - with sausage, bacon, eggs etc. All kinds of fitness. Watched Top Gear on Dave and flicked around the music channels before heading into town mid-afternoon. Our plan was to go to the National Space Centre. It's in a building that looks an awful lot like a mint-flavoured ribbed condom, but up the middle is a huge, rigid space rocket.
I'm sure that's a euphamism for something.
However, we got there at around 4 and last admission was 3:30. The slags. So we got the bus back into town and headed for Shake It Baby, a.k.a. the best milkshake shop in the entire world.
The wonderful Beth had shown me it on Bank Holiday Monday but, alas, it was closed. We went inside and I was immediately struck by the stunningly sweet aroma that wafted around the shop and then, soon after, by the menu: dozens of milkshake flavours made from any chocolate bar you care to imagine. Mars, Twix, Toffee Crisp, Double Decker - anything. Also present was every yummy sweet flavour ever invented and many familiar biscuits, cakes and plenty more. I want to try a Bourbon biscuit shake along with everything else on the menu.
They're made in a simple way: fill a blender with thick, luscious ice cream and your flavour, and swirl until a thick liquid. I had one made from a packet of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and it was stunning. Beth had Galaxy Caramel with a chocolate topping, and it was just as nice. I need to go back there. We went to a nice square in front of the City Hall to chill and drink. A large fountain is surrounded by grassy areas, benches, tress and blossom. Beth told me that, on many a drunken evening, locals fill the fountain with fairy liquid and turn it into bubbles.
Genius. I'm thinking of conducting my flat-search on the basis of a fountain being nearby just so I can do that myself.
We sat and drank our shakes and laughed/critiqued the gaggles of emo kids and herds of try-too-hard indie kids who gathered around to show off their latest skinny jeans and ludicrous hair before wandering down to Odd Bar - previously known as Oddysey - for a few drinks.
It's a great little place, but we were the only people there - so we grabbed some booze and a sofa and chatted about music, bitched about music and had a laugh. Eventually a couple more folks arrived, included a drunk middle-aged man called Frank who shook my hand. I made a friend and made a point of saying goodbye to him when we left. Then I walked up the wrong stairs.
We then wandered through town and got a bus to Beth's local, The White House. It took a while to get there but we passed the time by shuffling through her mp3 player and me skipping through the Amy Winehouse. The White House is an awesome pub with a huge beer garden and several rooms on different levels, full of chairs and tables. The food is also excellent. Beth's best friend, Jade, works there - so I met her and she's awesome, and a Fall Out Boy fan. I also met plenty more of Beth's friends and they're all brilliant too - we had a laugh even though I'd only just met them and was incredibly shy. Thank god for Whisky, that's all I can say.
Jade very kindly gave us a lift back and we watched TV for a bit before heading to bed, pretty damn tired. Waking up slowly this morning, we got ready, watched Top Gear some more, had breakfast and got the bus into town. And now I miss Beth an awful lot. Lots and lots and lots.Got to leave work at 5 on Friday - thanks to Tim and David's solar-powered generosity - and so was on a train before six. I would have been on an earlier one, but I had to wait for four - four! - tubes to go past before I could even get on one to St. Pancras. As I pulled out of the station I noticed the BT Tower wasn't that far away; had I known, walking would have been far quicker.
Eventually got to Leicester and was met on the platform by Beth. Except she was still in town. So I got a drink and waited, and then we headed back into town - to Pizza Express for dinner, specifically, which was all kinds of fitness. Although eating pizza with a knife and fork feels odd and strangely formal. And the waitress had luminous blue contact lenses in which just looked incredibly strange.
At least, I hope they were contacts.
After that, we headed back to Beth's by bus - woo, alliteration - and I got a tour of the house as I dumped my stuff. Peep Show was on soon after and, as usual, it was a classic episode: Mark returned to work after his disasterous almost-marriage to Sophie with hilarious, and cringe-inducingly bad, consequences. We laughed our heads off, and then watched Family Guy Season 5. I'd got that box-set for Christmas but it hadn't even been out of it's wrapping yet, so it was a good time to unleash the comedy. More hilarity ensued before we hit the hay at around 4am. I'm not sure it's a good sign if you go to bed when birds are waking up and chirping and you're still sober.
After the late night - or early morning - we were incredibly lazy on Saturday. Not that I mind that at all. Spent the morning sleeping and then made breakfast bagels - Harrods bagels, to be precise - with sausage, bacon, eggs etc. All kinds of fitness. Watched Top Gear on Dave and flicked around the music channels before heading into town mid-afternoon. Our plan was to go to the National Space Centre. It's in a building that looks an awful lot like a mint-flavoured ribbed condom, but up the middle is a huge, rigid space rocket.
I'm sure that's a euphamism for something.
However, we got there at around 4 and last admission was 3:30. The slags. So we got the bus back into town and headed for Shake It Baby, a.k.a. the best milkshake shop in the entire world.
The wonderful Beth had shown me it on Bank Holiday Monday but, alas, it was closed. We went inside and I was immediately struck by the stunningly sweet aroma that wafted around the shop and then, soon after, by the menu: dozens of milkshake flavours made from any chocolate bar you care to imagine. Mars, Twix, Toffee Crisp, Double Decker - anything. Also present was every yummy sweet flavour ever invented and many familiar biscuits, cakes and plenty more. I want to try a Bourbon biscuit shake along with everything else on the menu.
They're made in a simple way: fill a blender with thick, luscious ice cream and your flavour, and swirl until a thick liquid. I had one made from a packet of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and it was stunning. Beth had Galaxy Caramel with a chocolate topping, and it was just as nice. I need to go back there. We went to a nice square in front of the City Hall to chill and drink. A large fountain is surrounded by grassy areas, benches, tress and blossom. Beth told me that, on many a drunken evening, locals fill the fountain with fairy liquid and turn it into bubbles.
Genius. I'm thinking of conducting my flat-search on the basis of a fountain being nearby just so I can do that myself.
We sat and drank our shakes and laughed/critiqued the gaggles of emo kids and herds of try-too-hard indie kids who gathered around to show off their latest skinny jeans and ludicrous hair before wandering down to Odd Bar - previously known as Oddysey - for a few drinks.
It's a great little place, but we were the only people there - so we grabbed some booze and a sofa and chatted about music, bitched about music and had a laugh. Eventually a couple more folks arrived, included a drunk middle-aged man called Frank who shook my hand. I made a friend and made a point of saying goodbye to him when we left. Then I walked up the wrong stairs.
We then wandered through town and got a bus to Beth's local, The White House. It took a while to get there but we passed the time by shuffling through her mp3 player and me skipping through the Amy Winehouse. The White House is an awesome pub with a huge beer garden and several rooms on different levels, full of chairs and tables. The food is also excellent. Beth's best friend, Jade, works there - so I met her and she's awesome, and a Fall Out Boy fan. I also met plenty more of Beth's friends and they're all brilliant too - we had a laugh even though I'd only just met them and was incredibly shy. Thank god for Whisky, that's all I can say.
Fun times, though - Leicester rocks!
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