but is no 24 hour party person

Manchester. Meeting up with the GlamourPuss and Profski (who was there for a conference). A couple of days catching up, chatting, exploring;  maybe a cocktail or two? I researched dog friendly places via my regular dugswelcome haunt and this blog and was really pleased to find out there were lots, and in the Northern Quarter, I remembered that district fondly from my last visit.  We'd really enjoyed walking around there. And so we returned....

I had a list of places in my head and thought we could wander and then just  choose the one we liked best. And so on a lovely sunny, late Spring evening that's what we did. We wandered about looking for somewhere for a drink and something to eat.

Perhaps at this point I should introduce the "Perfect Teashop"concept. Back in days of yore, before DogStarke was even a gleam in anyone's eye, indeed even before her mother was born, on Sunday afternoons MrS and I would drop MasterS off at his dad's and go for a drive. Sometimes to the seaside sometimes to the country. We would have a walk, maybe visit an historic site, admire dogs. And then come mid afternoon I'd get a hankering for tea, and perhaps cake. And so the search would begin..... This one would be too busy, these cakes too generic, those cups too clumsy. And so on. Until even the ever patient MrS would grow exasperated, and thirsty.  And lecture me on the futility of my search.

very nice, but this was lunch

nice, but not a teashop

maybe I should stick to coffee

or wine?

Cut to the Northern  Quarter, and that lovely sunny, late Spring evening. Four mature adults and one cute dog. I had my list.We wandered. Now, where shall I start on my list of "nots"? This one's too busy, that one too noisy, this one looks nice? Ah, nothing 'til 10pm. Eventually two very lovely young folk, with an equally lovely dog, suggested very tactfully that Bluu would maybe suit us; it was big so we should be able to get a table, dog friendly and "smarter". A very tactful way of saying, suitable for oldies.  I even liked the music*.



Anyway, I got my cocktail, we ordered some wine and dug into ribs and brisket. In our banquette we could hear each the speak. And DogS was a great hit. So the evening ended well.

Next day with Profski duly waved off to his lectures the rest of us set off for Didsbury, where after a short bus trip (no. 42, there's a choice of services, nb  the tram does not allow dogs)

a scritch from the long arm of the law

on the bus

DogStarke was able to have a lovely run around the park and we had a late, late breakfast at Lounge.

very GlamourPuss

what none for me?

But what of our evening? Friday evening to be precise.

afternoon cocktails

We didn't venture out. We cocooned in our big Novotel room with some drinks and snacks and watched the Chelsea flower show  and a gem of a documentary about the flower trade.

chill zone

I know how to party.

Marina x

*it has a 80s theme