This month I feel like all it’s taken is a blink and we’re in autumn – the leaves have started to fall, there’s a chill in the air in the mornings, and I’m searching the shops for new jumpers. I’ve got quite a bit in the calendar for October and I’m not usually one for planning ahead, so it’s an odd feeling for me to have so much of my month already spoken for – it feels like the month will just fly by. First I’ve got a trip to London to go wedding dress shopping with one of my best friends, then Oktoberfest and London Grammar at the Leeds O2 Academy, and I’ll be spending the last week of the month exploring Marrakesh and the Moroccan desert. But let’s see what’s going on closer to home… Continue reading
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Leeds Diary Dates: September 2017
I’ll hold my hands up and admit it – I’ve been a lazy blogger this month. I’ve scribbled down title ideas, half-written a couple of things, but for the most part I’ve just given my neglected blog a guilty half-thought before rushing out the door to whatever I’ve got planned for the day. August had busy work days and a holiday and a wedding and so many nice little things, but they tired me out. I needed my small amounts of free time to rest and recharge, and I think it’s ok to sometimes prioritise that over being productive.
The arrival of September always makes me feel a little sad. I’m a summer girl and the start of autumn means saying goodbye to the possibilities of sunshine and long afternoons in beer gardens, and hello to dark mornings and months sealed inside a big coat. Hopefully I’ll get a few more good days before I have to pack away my sandals for another year, but if not at least I have some exciting plans to cheer me up. Continue reading
Leeds Diary Dates: August 2017
Well. July was A MONTH. My big change was that I left my job at a company I’ve been settled in for 3 and a half years, and threw myself into a Digital Marketing Manager role at an agency. Agency life is fast-paced and exhausting and so, so different to client side, but I’ve been leaving work every day with the biggest smile on my face and that has felt awesome. I also had a packed weekend in London sailing dinghies down the canal and dancing all night, and booked myself a solo weekend in Krakow for this month which I cannot wait for. But what’s going on at home in Leeds? Continue reading
Leeds Diary Dates: July 2017
Can someone tell me how we’re halfway through the year already? It feels unacceptable that it’s July, especially as the weather recently has been distinctly un-summery. Instead of breezing around in floaty dresses, I’ve spent the last fortnight cowering from the rain under my slightly broken umbrella that is way too frail to cope with the winds around Granary Wharf.
That’s not to say there haven’t been some bright moments in June – I attended a fab rum event at Call Lane Social for Leeds Loves Cocktails, tried out the spectacular brunch at Ham & Friends, and went to The Botanist this week to taste a few highlights from their new summer menu. The best day of the month was watching one of my oldest friends get married – the venue was amazing, my friend looked the happiest I’ve ever seen her, and everyone spent a large portion of the day sat outside in the hot sunshine getting slowly drunk. It was perfect.
So what’s coming up in July? It’s actually looking like a fairly quiet month in terms of stuff I want to go to, which actually suits me just fine as I have a new job and a weekend in London to keep me entertained. Here are a few things I’d like to show my face at… Continue reading
Leeds Diary Dates: June 2017
Right now I’m sat in bed with a mug of tea and my book, enjoying a relaxed bank holiday Monday. It’s been a quiet but beneficial bank holiday, spending time with friends in the sun and catching up on some much needed sleep, and though I’m not looking forward to going back to work I at least feel equipped to deal with it.
So what’s on the cards for June? Well, I’m trying to organise myself a little solo getaway for summer, even if it’s just a few days off for a city break, and I’ve got an exciting but terrifying work project to tackle at work. In my free time I’ve got some great events to distract my brain with – here’s where I plan to be this month…
Leeds Diary Dates: May 2017
After a busy and, to be honest, pretty rough time in April, I am so ready to say hello to a new month. There was so much going on in Leeds but due to spending the middle two weeks on holiday in Cuba, all the excitement of Leeds International Festival and the Digital Festival pretty much passed me by. Not that I’m complaining – two weeks offline in Cuba was just what I needed and I came back just in time to go to my first Live at Leeds with my best friend by my side.
May will see me heading to Tenerife for a 3-night hen party (and I assume far more drinking than I’m now used to), and spending the rest of the month doing post-holiday catch up with friends and checking out some Leeds Indie Food events. Let’s see what’s on the agenda in May…
Leeds Diary Dates: April 2017
Spring is finally here, and even though we lost an hour of sleep I’m so glad to finally see the daylight sticking around until after 7pm. I’ve been looking forward to April for a long time, because on the 9th I’m jetting off to Cuba for 2 weeks! Cuba has been on my bucket list for a few years now, and I can’t wait to put my out of office on, grab my backpack and enjoy a couple of weeks exploring with one of my best friends.
Of course this means I’m not going to be in Leeds a lot, but luckily for me a lot of the best upcoming stuff isn’t happening until the end of the month. Take a look at my event picks for April.
Leeds Diary Dates: February 2017
Is it really February already? January is my birthday month and for the first time in a long time I turned a year older on a Saturday and got a work-free day of presents, cakes and treats from all my loved ones. But to be honest I’m never that sad to say goodbye to January; it usually means saying goodbye to my post-Christmas slump, sale season and the worst of the winter weather. February, on the other hand, is looking like a good month… Continue reading
Leeds Diary Dates: January 2017
Everyone’s talking about resolutions, diet adverts are everywhere, and my Twitter timeline is full of #Goals posts- it can only be the start of a brand new year. For all the ‘new year, new start’ bravado, January always feels like a quiet month to me; as usual I’m recovering from a fun but busy Christmas period and trying to get back into the swing of the normal working week. I do celebrate my birthday halfway though the month – I firmly believe that January is the worst month of the year for a birthday, but it does stop me from really experiencing the January Blues that everyone else seems to feel.
So, what’s going on in Leeds? Not that much this month – like me, Leeds always feels to me like it’s recharging in January, taking a deep breath after all the Christmas craziness and gathering its thoughts for the coming year. But of course we’re never without things to do, and if nothing else there are some killer January dining offers going around at some of the city’s best restaurants. Ox Club, Shears Yard, Arts Cafe – I’m looking at all of you. Continue reading
Leeds Diary Dates: December 2016
So, November feels like the month where a whole year’s worth of significant stuff has happened. I confirmed an extension on my flat tenancy (ensuring I won’t be homeless on Christmas Day, yay), got promoted, and my company won Best Travel Blog at a major travel awards, to the shock and delight of my fellow content writers and I. Add to all this the fact that basically every week from now until the end of the year is filled with lovely plans and celebrations, and I’m feeling positively festive as we head into December.
The street lights have been turned on, the Christmas trees are up in City Square and the Trinity Centre, and Christkindlmarkt is open for business, which means Christmas has officially started in Leeds. So it will come as no surprise that the majority of my diary dates for December are dominated by festive cheer. But really, is anyone complaining? Continue reading
A Life of Moxie 