The things that made me think this week…
Shrub vegan eatery, Chester
The week started with a long overdue visit to an old friend and her new home in Chester. The city was a treat as always, and a real highlight was the great food, drink and atmosphere at Shrub, a new-ish vegan eatery set amidst the Chester Rows. Doughnuts recommended!
RHS Bridgewater, Salford
As per my post earlier in the week, RHS Bridgewater gets a big thumbs up from me.
Camping at home
We spent a night camping in my partner’s mum’s back garden this week, testing out our new tent in advance of a camping trip to Cornwall later in the year. A somewhat surreal experience, but it was lovely waking up to birdsong and fresh air.
Switching off for a writing day
Friday saw us switch off the router and stick our phones in a box for the day. As well as a good break from notification burn, I thought this might help with creative productivity. My expectations were more than met; I managed to fully outline an idea for a new book, something I’ve never managed to do before in the space of a day. I’ll definitely be trying this again next week!
Board games: War of the Ring & Undaunted: Normandy
Another long overdue activity saw me having a two-player board games day with a friend back in Cheshire. War of the Ring, a Lord of the Rings themed strategy game, was very much the headliner and something we’d wanted to test for years, so I’m happy to report it was just as great on the table as we’d hoped it would be. But the real highlight of the day was a few games of Undaunted: Normandy – a light deck building war game set around the D-Day landings, I thought the game had just the right balance between theme and mechanics. This review of Undaunted: Normandy from Shut Up & Sit Down is a great watch and perfect intro to the game.
New specs from Ace & Tate
The end to the week saw me popping into the brilliant Ace & Tate on Oldham Street, Manchester to grab some new glasses, after my previous pair met an unfortunate end. Aside from a little frustration at having to shell out for the new specs, Ace & Tate’s service was top notch as always and my new frames are a bit of an upgrade on the old ones. So not all bad!
tom antony davies 