AUGUST'S ENTERTAINMENT ROUND-UP POST

If you thought my June/July round-up post was extensive, wait until you see what I’ve watched in a single solitary month. Should I be embarrassed? Probably. Am I? Of course not.

I seem to heavily be in my true crime documentary era again, it’s been a while, but there is still so much I haven’t seen on Netflix yet (despite that crazy amount I have watched) so I’m steadily (or maybe rapidly) making my way through my watchlist. I’ve now reached the point where I’m struggling to find English speaking documentaries/docuseries and am having to somewhat suffer through some poorly dubbed ones in order to find some interesting stories. 

To highlight some interesting watches this month, Death of a Pastors Wife was a very interesting yet upsetting watch that I can’t recommend highly enough, along with This is the Zodiac Speaking, The Bombing of Pan Am 103 and A Beautiful Obsession which was a really hard watch as a Man City fan (so. many. tears.). I’ve highlighted my top picks in bold italics for a quick reference!

One thing I really need to point out though, is how disappointed I was with season 3 of My Life With the Walter Boys, anyone else feel the same or just me? I really feel like it’s had it’s time now despite how much I loved the show to begin with.

I’ve fully been embracing reading again, both physical and audiobooks, I took myself off for a full reading day a couple of weeks ago, sat myself down in a few cafes and read None of This is True by Lisa Jewell. It felt like a very long 5.5 hours because I’m so restless and fidgety, however it was such a good book full of twists and turns, and now I feel it’s imperative that I read every book she’s ever read. In fact, a couple of days later I listen to another of her books because I can’t get enough.

Hilary Duff, oh how I love you, yes luck…or something has STILL be on repeat for another month. I really can’t get enough and I absolutely have to see her live next week in Manchester! I’ve also been listening to Van Zee so much, he’s a Portuguese artist I’ve been loosely listening to for the past couple of years, but now I’m reaaaally hooked, just in time for my Portugal holiday in a few weeks! 

Watched lately

• Desire - Netflix
• The Idaho Murders College Nightmare - Netflix
• The Predator of Seville - Netflix
• The Fall: Skydive Murder Plot - Netflix
• Elize Matsunaga Once Upon A Crime - Netflix
• The Bombing of Pan Am 103 - Netflix
• The Carman Family Deaths - Netflix
• My Life With the Walter Boys (Season 3) - Netflix
• Bridgerton (background rewatch) - Netflix
• Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes - Netflix
• 27 Dresses (rewatch) - Netflix
• My Brilliant Career - Netflix 
• A Friend, A Murderer - Netflix
• The Crow Girl - Channel 5
• Number One Fan - Channel 5
• A Beautiful Obsession - Amazon Prime
• The Many Deaths of Nora Delmasso - Netflix
• The Isabella Nardoni Case - Netflix
• This Is The Zodiac Speaking - Netflix
• Death of the Pastor’s Wife - Netflix
• Knives Out (rewatch) - Netflix
• Knives Out: Glass Onion (rewatch) - Netflix

Read lately 

• Plot Twist - Breea Keenan
• So, I Met This Guy - Alexandra Potter
• None of This Is True - Lisa Jewell
• It Could Have Been Her - Lisa Jewell

Listened to lately 

• luck…or something - Hilary Duff (album STILL on repeat)
• Middle of Nowhere - Kacey Musgraves (album)
• Van Zee (literally his whole Spotify catalogue)

Have you watched/read/listened to any of these lately? What would you recommend?

S xo

THE MANCHESTER EDIT: COFFEE SPOTS TO WORK FROM

I spend more of my free time either planning, or thinking about, sitting in a coffee shop with a charged iPad, a temperamental bluetooth keyboard and a notebook ready to create life changing written content to amuse, thrill and inspire others, than I actually spend doing it. As soon as I sit down to do it, I remember I'm me.

All jokes aside, I do spend a lot of time thinking about drinking coffee and writing, there’s something so soothing and comforting about inhaling a smooth coffee scent whilst listening to a good playlist and having fewer distractions to work than you would at home. The amount of time I actually spend putting this into practice is significantly less, sometimes I sit with my latte and wonder why I’d planned my day around this activity when I could not feel less creative than I could in that moment. With all of that being said, living in Manchester means there are plenty of places to grab a drink, take a seat, glance out of the window to watch the world go by and not feel disturbed when I want to actually get my fingers to my keyboard. 

When I started to branch out of my regular Caffè Nero spots, I had no idea where the ideal places for working were, nor could I really find much online to guide me, so I figured I’d do my own research and make my own guide for anyone looking for something similar. There are many places I still want to try, something perfect for the spring/summer months when getting out of the flat is a necessity, but I’ve rounded up a few of my current faves that I love to work from.

Pot Kettle Black

Angel Gardens

1 Rochdale Rd

Manchester

M4 4GE

If there’s one thing I’ve made no secret about on Instagram (aside from my love of Manchester City), it’s my love of Pot Kettle Black. If I could go there daily and not go broke or put any weight on, best believe I would. The difference between both PKB in the city is stark, and the weather essentially makes my decision for me if I’m unsure which one to go to. 

The Angel Gardens branch really is my favourite, especially when the sun is shining, the massive floor to ceiling windows makes it a gorgeous sun trap that has you glowing both inside and out. The furniture is all light wood and neutral, and it’s the lightest coffee shop I’ve been to that's calming and refreshing and doesn’t have decor to create distractions. It’s simple and my favourite place to tuck away for a few hours with a coffee and their stunning granola bowl.

In contrast, their Barton Arcade branch is much darker and the perfect spot to seek refuge from the perpetual Manchester drizzle, it feels like a rainy day place, if you’ve been you’ll know exactly what I mean. I took myself there a couple of times at the end of last year for lunch and writing, and it’s not hard to see why so many do and I’d call it a win if you manage to get a table, there’s alway queues out the door for their delicious brunches!

Price: £

Plug sockets: Yes (in both)

Wi-Fi: Yes

Environment: Busy but relaxing

Loyalty card: No

200 Degrees

75 Mosley St

Manchester

M2 3HR

As I write this, I’m sat on a high stool at a long bench, not somewhere I thought I’d be comfortable sitting whilst trying to write (my brightness is virtually non-existent, I'm not that comfortable in public), at this very 200 Degrees branch. The coffee is delicious, their pots of tea are the gift that keep on giving, there are plenty of tables and their pistachio cookies are absolutely not to be missed for that mid-morning treat. At 10am on a Tuesday morning it’s busy, business men popping in for a morning coffee, university students studying and at-home workers tapping away on their laptops. 10am on a Saturday morning has told a different tale, the one weekend morning I have spent here was quiet and comforting and ideal for planing my Lisbon trip itinerary. 

You’ll find plug sockets a plenty, especially at the end of the long bench (preciously mentioned - although someone beat me to the punch and nabbed the ports before I arrived) and the row of tables along the back wall (to the right when you enter the shop, sockets are under the seats).

Price: £

Plug sockets: Yes

Wi-Fi: Yes

Environment: Busy but relaxing

Loyalty card: Yes

Nomad

24 Lever St

Manchester

M1 1DW

Nomad is the workspace coffee spot. Created as a minimalist coffee shop to entice anyone and everyone needing an inexpensive workspace, it really does what it says on the tin. Following the recent refurbishment, the place is now twice the size and never have I had an issue finding somewhere to work from. It’s all bare wood, no-frills and not a distraction insight (unless you’re nosying at what everyone else is up to). Sometimes it can be a little too basic for me and I don’t tend to spend as long as I want to in there, however if you’ve got real work to be doing (and not just writing your blog posts), I can see how this spot can be a full workday space to really get stuff done.

Price: £

Plug sockets: Yes

Wi-Fi: Yes

Environment: Quiet and minimalistic

Loyalty card: Yes

92 Degrees

Trinity Court

16 John Dalton St

Manchester

M2 6HY

I went there for the first time a month or so ago when I first downloaded the NeoTaste app, there was a great deal on a free coffee with a sweet treat purchase, I was sold. My first visit had me sat in there for hours because they were playing an elite selection of pop-punk songs, the second time there was a lot of Sam Fender, I love the vibe of the music in there but if you're working, pop your headphones on and it won't matter to you. I like being able to watch the world going by when I need a few minutes to reset when writing, however it's not too busy on the street so you won't be distracted, and the fact you can sit in the open space downstairs, or the cosier selection of tables and high benches upstairs. Their coffee is delicious, it's quiet in there, the staff are all lovely and the tasty baked goods are too good to resist!

Price: £

Plug sockets: Yes

Wi-Fi: Yes

Environment: Quiet but good working vibe

Loyalty card: Yes

Northern Pour

Sevendale House

Lever Street

Manchester

M1 1JA

Located just across from Nomad, this branch of Northern Pour is a pretty large open coffee shop that smells delicious, is lowkey and somewhere I could definitely spend a day working. It seems to be a relatively popular spot to take your laptop and zero in on whatever your project may be. I've only been the once but immediately marked in on my Google Maps Manchester list as my new fave place to work from. Again, their coffee is delicious, as are their cookies (I can't comment on the rest of the food), and it feels like a homely, relaxed and chill place to get stuff done.

Price: £

Plug sockets: Yes

Wi-Fi: Yes

Environment: Plenty of space, low-key and in a good location

Loyalty card: Unsure

Stay tuned for the next instalment of this when I try out more places! Where do you love to work from in Manchester and where should I try next?

S xo

THE GRIEF EDIT: ARE YOU OKAY?

When you’ve lost someone, everyone checks in with you, and I mean EVERYONE you’ve ever known, or so it feels like. It’s lovely, I truly appreciated everyone who messaged or called me to check up on me, but it’s so overwhelming. In the early days you have everyone around you, you’re constantly surrounded, but what about when the dust settles and you’re trying to adjust to normal everyday life without the person you’ve lost, and the contact from most people actually stops? You feel the loneliness more than ever, it’s a strange feeling. Like it’s all or nothing. 

I’ve never felt so lonely surrounded by so much love. That’s what the effect of losing one person in your life can have. 

With that being said, I don’t cope with a lot of contact. I don’t reply straight away (although I’m learning to do so with family and friends so as not to worry them), I’m constantly tired, and talking feels like more of a chore than it ever did. 
I broke down in front of a friend a while ago, he was grieving and his emotions made mine pour out too. He asked me how I was doing, the first time I’d properly been asked that for a while, and I answered honestly. 

I’m okay, I think. I didn’t tell him what I thought I should tell him I’m fine, I’m getting on because we all have to don’t we? Because for once I was tired of telling everyone, and myself, that I’m okay. 

Most of the time I do feel fine, until I fall apart over something small, washing the dishes seems to be where I cry (although I guess that’s just what being a dishwasher does to us anyway, right?) and I can’t explain it. I’m trying to feel fine and normal all the time, I hate to give anyone a reason to worry about me so I’ll smile and pretend until I have time to myself and then I let myself fall apart.

I’m not saying that if everyone asked me how I was doing, and didn’t just mean on a surface level, I’d be really honest and say I’m not doing great because I wouldn’t. But maybe I’d feel like I didn’t have to hide it as much. The hardest thing I’m finding at the moment is that I was so busy after the loss of my mum that I didn’t have time to grieve, and people warned me that 3 months down the line it would probably hit me. Here we are, 7 months on, and it’s hitting me the hardest. Everyone has seen me acting pretty much the same, still lively, sassy, always laughing, so they must think I’m fine. 

How do I turn around all of these months after the worst event in my life and tell people honestly that I’m struggling and constantly feel on the verge of a breakdown? I’m a no-fuss type of person, I’m a lets not worry anyone type of person, I can’t give anyone reason to look at me differently.

Grief is a such a personal, strange, abstract process to go through, no 2 people ever encounter it the same way so we never know how others are coping when they go through it.

I guess that what my long-winded, bizarre ramblings here are trying to say is, please check in with people when they’re grieving. You don’t need to make a big deal out of it, just check in with them later down the line when everything has quietened down and their lives are supposedly having to go back to ‘normal’, just ask them how they really are and let them know that you are a safe space for them to be honest. You can’t change what’s happened for them, like they can’t change anything for you either, but knowing you both have someone there to just be yourself in your grief is such an important step in trying to keep yourself moving though the process.

S xo

THE SOLO EDIT: PORTUGAL FOOTBALL MATCH

Pinch me, I still can’t quite believe I’m getting to write this because it was something I actually experienced. 

For so long I’ve been itching to sit in the stands and watch a Portugal national team football match, it felt like a dream I’d love to make true but wasn’t likely to unless they played against England (and naturally I’d have to be patriotic for that particular game) on home soil.

After being dead set on a solo Lisbon trip this year, I originally planned to go in March during the international break to catch a home Portugal game, however things didn’t quite turn out the way I’d hoped and sadly the trip had to be put on hold. With hindsight, there was nothing sad about that, because everything worked out exactly as it should have. 

Fast forward to July/August and I’d spotted another international break scheduled for October that had not only one, but two, home games in Lisbon. Naturally the seed was planted and I had to go, there were no two ways about it.

After booking my Airbnb and flights, I then jumped straight to looking for tickets for both games. After stumbling on Stubhub (controversial I know), I found tickets for the 2 matches for a really reasonable price of around 45 euro each including fees and secured them rapidly. 

I won’t lie, right up to the moment I arrived at the stadium, I was panicking in case my ticket didn’t work. I knew I’d be refunded if that was the case, but I would have been heartbroken to stand outside and not have a ticket to get in, I most likely would have fallen victim to panic buying a last minute ticket from a tout outside for an extortionate amount. Thankfully I had zero issues with my tickets (although my ticket for the 2nd game was really late coming to me and I was stressed right up until the day of).

With a 7:46pm kick off, I headed out to grab a Metro to Alvalade and then walked my way over to Estádio José Alvalade. Alvalade is the metro stop before the stadium, however there is a closer one to the stadium, I just opted for Alvalade so I could have a 30 minute walk in case I had anxiety or nerves I needed to work out and get rid of.

I won’t lie, it was the most incredible experience, the fact that I almost had a panic attack the first time I went to a football match alone at the Etihad Stadium in January 2022 and was now attending a match alone in a foreign country that I hadn’t been to before, was a massively proud moment of mine. It didn’t feel real, but at the same time it felt like the most natural thing ever, I wasn’t anxious aside from the minor concern that the ticket might not scan.

I did realise how used to collecting programmes at games I have become because the absence of them at this game wounded me, I just love a souvenir! I did, however, get myself a Portugal cup from the bar, you pay a euro for it when getting a drink and can return it for your money back, but the cup (filled twice with alcohol free Sagres) was absolutely coming home with me.

The atmosphere was amazing, everyone was singing, waving flags (I want these introduced to English games please) and so thoroughly into it, but I didn’t feel out of place despite the language barrier (and the singing/chanting I couldn’t participate in). I definitely think it helped hearing a mix of accents and languages around me, it seems quite a few people had taken advantage of a holiday there to watch football.

Watching Rúben Neves score on his first home national team game since his best friend passed away, wearing Diogo’s shirt number, was one hell of an experience, and then to see him celebrate such a massive personal goal right in front of me was next level.

I feel so enriched after those experiences and cannot recommend this enough to anyone who wants to do it, just because you’re solo travelling doesn’t mean you have to miss out on certain things, don’t be the one holding you back from experiences you want. Even 6 months ago this would have terrified me, but the day I went I had zero fear, it’s like it had just evaporated from my body.

Do the things you want, do the things you love, make those memories whilst you can.

I can’t wait to see where I go next!

S xo

THE GRIEF EDIT: THINGS NO-ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT GRIEF

T/W: Death of a parent, grief

Grief is something I’ve been lucky enough to not have too much experience with - grieving the loss of a loved one that is. at 8 years old I lost my great-grandma, one of my best friends at a young age and a loss so awful that I had counselling sessions a few year later (mixed with a different type of loss in my early years), it was terrible but she was 91 years old and it felt more of a kindness to her than anything. For the next 23 years I was lucky, there was the passing of a family friend that hit hard but more so because he was someone still so young that I’d known since I was very small, it hard to comprehend his children were now without their father. But that was all the loss I’d dealt with.

At the end of June I lost my mum. Those words still don’t seem real, they seem fictional, like they are someone else’s words and not mine. But at 31 years old, I lost my mum, my best friend in the world and my protector. There aren’t words to describe the grief and the pain and the anger at what feels like an injustice to the world as I know it. But there is a lot I need to get off my chest about how I’ve been feeling, I need to vent out my thoughts and feelings whether anyone reads this or it’s just an exercise to help clear the clouds that hang heavy in my brain. 

1. Mentally making it all about yourself

Maybe this is me outing myself as a more selfish person than I ever realised, or maybe this is a more common feeling than I’ve seen others share. In mourning the loss of a loved one, I’ve found myself constantly thinking about how it’s going to change my world, how I’m going to move forward without them, how I want everyone to stop asking me how I’m feeling whilst simultaneously not wanting them to stop because if they stop then who do I have left to worry about me? I’m so busy in my grief that I forget to really check in with the people around me who are also grieving, or checking in with my friends like my pain overpowers any other responsibility I have to others. I keep letting myself off for not doing things when really I have to keep going and not allowing that to be my excuse.

2. Walking down the street feeling like you have a neon sign above your head

Especially during the first couple of weeks, when I took solo trips out of the house, just walking down the street I felt like everyone knew I’d just lost a parent. Like even though my face wasn’t blotchy, my eyes weren’t read, there must have been something obvious about me that just screamed ‘GRIEVING CHILD’. I’ve never seen anyone explain this feeling, but I wanted to scream at everyone I walked past, I wanted to shout in peoples faces that my world has turned upside down and how are they going about their day as normal when I’m a broken wreck inside? I wanted to stop people in the street, actual strangers, and tell them to hug their loved ones tight and tell them they love them at every available opportunity.

3. Who will love me unconditionally now?

Losing my mum is like losing 10 people all in one. First and foremost she was my mum, the single parent who raised me and did everything she could to keep a roof over my head, kept me clothed and for a long period worked 3 jobs to keep me fed. She was my bestest friend in the world, she was my travel buddy (both summer holidays and city breaks), my gig buddy, the person I’d spend 3 hours on the phone to, my biggest cheerleader, the person who would literally drop everything if I needed her and the person who loved me more than anything in the world. She was my person, and I was hers. After a week or so, following her passing, it dawned on me - who will love me now? My favourite person in the world is gone and now I’m no ones favourite person. It’s such a painful thought and shakes me every time I think of it. As an only child, there were just the 2 of us, we were our own little family for 28 years or so, and suddenly that one person going can make you feel so incredibly alone despite being surrounded by people who care about you.

4. Feeling guilty for carrying on

The guilt I felt the first time I smiled or laughed, after I heard the news, knocked me sick. Or rather it knocked me sick that I was able to do it so easily and freely. How dare I laugh and crack jokes when the bottom has just been ripped out of my world? Every time I laugh with family or friends, I feel like my brain feels the need to remind me of what has happened, like it wants me to know that I shouldn’t be too happy because why should I be when there’s no reason to be?

One thing I’ve struggled with the most over the past 12 weeks is how I’ve coped, it seems truly bonkers that I’m angry at myself to coping well and cracking on, but I feel incredibly guilty about it. Whenever mum threw out like comments like oh I’ll be long gone by then when talking about 20 years in the future, it used to knock me sick and make my eyes brim with tears immediately, I couldn’t fathom what life would be like and I didn’t want to because even the vague idea of it would tear me apart. So being faced with the reality, I expected to stop functioning, I expected to be in zombie like state, to barely eat, sleep, communicate, I thought I’d regress into my darkest time and be a shell of the Sam everyone knew. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so incredibly grateful that my body and mind didn’t allow that to happen, that they have allowed me to cope really well given the circumstances, but it doesn’t ease the guilt I’ve felt for it. Why am I not crying every hour, on the hour? 

We all grieve differently, that’s been the recurring theme whenever I’ve mentioned this on the odd occasion to people recently, and it’s so very true, it’s just a strange concept to come to terms with when you grieve differently to how you expected to.

I can openly talk about about her passing, speak somewhat nonchalantly about it, and not be phased, but then I’ll hear a song or smell her perfume or catch sight of a photo and I’ll be so overcome with grief I’m struggling to breathe through my tears. Washing the dishes earlier, I started crying because for a brief second I questioned if I loved her enough because what if I’m coping okay because I should have loved her more. I gave myself a stern talking to immediately because that was such a cruel thought, I know full well (and so did she) that I couldn’t have loved that woman any more if I’d tried and I tried so hard to be the daughter that she deserved (I could have done the bare minimum and she still would have told the world I was the best thing to ever happen to it). 

If you’re in the early stages, or really any stage, of grief, I need you to know now; there is no right or wrong way to grieve, a lot of how your body may react is self-preservation, it wants you to keep going for both yourself and for the person you lost. You already lost someone you love, you don’t need to lose yourself too in the process.

Sending so much love and strength to anyone going through similar right now and anyone struggling.

S xo