a day well spent

Today has been one of those lovely days, you know? Where you don't have much to do, but end up having a wonderful day. We had tickets to the Manchester Cake and Bake Show at Manchester Central, (or the GMEX is you are local!) and it was amazing. I mean, how could such a thing as a CAKE CONVENTION not be? We wandered around, getting free marzipan (you know when you walk past the same person giving out free stuff about 9 times to get ALL of the free stuff? That.) Several celebrities of the cake world were there, such as Rosemary Shrager, Frances Quinn who Great British Bake Off, and several other GBBO contestants. We missed the demonstration because we were too busy conning free marzipan, but we saw them milling around. Yeah, I mill around with celebrities.

There were amazing cakes everywhere you looked, to look at, sample, and buy. We came away with cookies, flapjack, sausage rolls, focaccia and this.

A true thing of beauty. There is something about macaroon's, that feel so special and decadent. Not only are they delicious, but there is such a skill to making them (one that I can't master, hard as I try) it really feels like a treat to eat one! I wish I had bought a whole box but we only saw them on the way out and I had already spent my life's savings, so I just got one, and it took me a good while to choose a flavour. I settled on strawberry.

I couldn't stop looking at the cake on the bottom left. It was so good, I took about a hundred pictures, in the hope of one day recreating it for my own wedding cake. One day...

Weighed down with carbs, we decided to walk up to the Manchester Museum. It is a part of my university, so I have visited a lot, but I love it. They have a pretty impressive collection of Egyptian artefacts, including a few mummy's. I always spend ages looking at the mummy's, there is something so fascinating about them. There is also a massive taxidermy collection on display, which is equal parts creepy and brilliant, and you know, other pretty things to look at.

             

On the walk back into the centre for some lunch, we came across an outside second hand book stall. You might imagine how long I stood here for. Most of my books are second hand, I love the second hand book smell so much, it's also lovely to open the inside cover, and occasionally find a little message, or a declaration of ownership. If you opened any of my books before I was about 12, every single one had my name, address, phone number and age on the inside cover. Not entirely sure why. Also waiting on possible future stalkers.

 A well spent Saturday I feel. It was lovely to just spend the day with my little family, after a pretty disappointing week of job hunts and interviews.  I hope you all had a lovely Saturday too!