Wednesday 12 February 2014

Interesting February

I am on a roll here people.

Last month saw me kick my Not Really Resolution of doing something interesting each month in to action and I met up with special internet friends in real life.

So when February came along I thought I'd just carry on with the theme and meet another special internet friend.

Enter Janet who writes over at Words That Can Only Be Your Own we 'met' last May during Blog Every Day May and I guess that's why it's fun to join in with those kind of blog memes that travel around, they bring you into contact with all kinds of people. Also if you use Twitter you can get your hashtag on and find lots of people that way.

I immediately decided I liked Janet as she does the same kind of blogging as I like to think I do - a little bit of this and a little bit of that and a little of the other. And then she wrote a post about deciding not to monetise her blog and I think at that point I fell a little bit in love. (Even if saying how much I liked it on Twitter got me into a world of pain from people who got pretty defensive about the whole PR thing.)

So how pleased was I when I discovered that Janet not long doesn't live too far away from me, in Leicester, she also lives in a city that is the only one accessible by public transport from the backwater that I currently live in.

So I hopped on a bus for a journey that took over an hour each way - but didn't really feel like and only cost £6 return and gives you views like this out of the window...


...and made my way to Leicester.

Upon arriving early into Leicester I made a beeline into my most favourite of places. That of the crappy bus station cafe. I love these places. Their food and drink is relatively cheap and the cups of tea always taste good and they are terribly imaginatively named...


When Janet found me I was deeply ensconced in my book and nurturing the dregs of my brew. And that's where there's another cool thing about Janet I can tell you about - she reads the Game of Thrones books too! Hello my name is conversation starter. You can't go wrong with a person that likes these books.


I had no agenda for the day other than to just get out and about and see something different. As someone who lives in a place where the only high street shop is a New Look the size of most people's living rooms I would have been ecstatic just to see shops, let alone go in them.

Janet took me to some brilliant places that I never would have come across in a million years had I gone to Leicester by myself. We vintaged ourselves up a treat in Dolly Mix Vintage where I got myself a brilliant crocheted waistcoat for a 70s party that I'm heading to this weekend and I stopped to admire the impressive collection of (and very reasonably priced) vintage suitcases. There was a part of me that very nearly snapped one up but common sense prevailed and I remembered what happened the last time I fell in love with a vintage bag and ended up with something that is very beautiful but is heavier than trying to carry a World's Strongest Man contender around over your arm.


Janet patiently waited whilst I ransacked haberdashery shops and clothes shops alike, as a year of never going shopping came bursting out all in one go. And she even took me to the best bar/pub ever, The Orange Tree, which I will be visiting again in order to neck their entire cocktail menu.

I only intended on being in Leicester a couple of hours, but when I realised that I'd been there for four I counted that as a job well done. It was only on my way back to the bus station that I realised I had basically talked for the whole four hours and Janet had probably gone to lie down in a darkened room with a flannel over her eyes.

I can only say sorry - I don't get out much and the combination of being out + meeting someone new + discovering a new place was too much for my senses to deal with as I bulldozed my way around Janet's fair city like rampaging bulldozer type animal.

But I count it as a job well done. I've discovered a new city which I can actually get to and I have discovered a new special internet friend, who I have more than likely terrified and will never step foot out of her front door again.

13 comments:

  1. Aww, shut up, you're marvellous company and I'm sure she was thrilled to meet you, too! I've only been to Leicester once and remember one nice vintage shop and little else.

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  2. I'm sure Janet will have been happy that you enjoyed yourself so much. £6 return? - bargain! Now you have somewhere fairly easy and cheap to escape to when you need a city fix.

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  3. I'm so close to Leicester and I've only been twice. That was years ago too.

    My husband works in Leicester and tells me I'd like it there. Why haven't I been? I don't know.

    I'm glad you has a good time. I've met up with a few bloggers and really enjoyed myself. I can't imagine how awkward it would be if you didn't get on.

    As for GoT, I've never read them but I feel I know them. Husband and eldest talk about them all the time and shout at the tv show for being wrong.

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    1. Ha yes! I love that someone else does that too. I go mental at the TV show - the last series just went totally off on its own little thing and there's loads that's different. So annoying!

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  4. Actually I enjoyed the day so much I'm already planning my next blogger meet-up! Although - typical introvert - I did have to go home and not say very much of anything for the rest fo the day.

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  5. Awesome! Good job Miss! Glad you had a good time and got a chance to go shopping. Those vintage suits are beauts. I've never been to Leicester. Doesn't sound half bad.

    Also, I read Janet's post about monetising one's blog. I have been approached to write reviews etc. in exchange for goods but each time, and thinking about it in between, I've always concluded that I never wanted to do that. And thought I was perhaps weird or uncool for not wanting to. But it seems there are a whole cohort of bloggers out there that agree! :D

    Jen | gingerellaj.blogspot.co.uk

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  6. Haaaaaaaaa WANT those suitcases!

    I don't think I've ever been anywhere near Leicester. How odd. I'm quite well travelled when it comes to the UK but have never made my way there yet.

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    1. Well *technically* you have been close, you've been to my home town! Come and visit Leicester! Or Nottingham - I still haven't done that city either!

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  7. I'm glad you had fun in Leicester. My knitting group friend has a blog that reviews charity and vintage shops in Leicester for next time you visit our fair city. The blog is http://leicestersecondhandista.wordpress.com/ The Orange Tree is one of my favourite pubs too. There are some nice places to eat around there now. One of my newly discovered places is James Cafe Bistro that's not to far from there. The food is amazing but affordable. Hope you manage to escape from your small town more often.

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  8. Leicester sounds awesome, I have never been but it sounds like I should visit sometime soon!

    Maria xxx

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  9. I had a random weekend in Leicester, they have a few FREE museums I sopped up which can be rather interesting if you plan to head back :)

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  10. Interesting things for the win. I like it when two internet people meet, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy even if I have nothing to do with either of them :)

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