April is here...and so is Justin Timberlake!
Hello April! One of our favourite months! Not only because Spring begins settling in, nor for the fact that the days are longer…but it’s the month Justin Timberlake comes to town! Yes that’s right, the worldwide star is bringing sexy back to Manchester. There is plenty going on this month in our City – Gary Barlow also returns as well as James Blunt – so we really are spoilt for choice! We hope you enjoy this issue!Let us know on Twitter: @WithinMagazine
Shameless actress Sally Carman is taking on a very different role these days - as a Reiki healer. Sally, who played feisty prostitute Kelly Maguire in the long-running gritty drama, has started a new job as a therapist at holistic therapy salon, Buddha Beauty in Chorlton. Sally discovered Reiki, which promotes healing by placing hands gently on the body, while filming Shameless which ended its 10 year run last year and during the BBC1 drama Prisoners’ Wives.
Sally, 36, from Salford, will also continue acting. She recently landed a new leading role in the BBC1 medical drama Casualty. Sally added: “Reiki is something different to run alongside acting. And it’s far removed from playing the character of Kelly Maguire.” Sally, who is from Yorkshire, settled in Salford while filming Shameless. She played brassy Kelly for eight years before playing a respected mother of three and wife of a man accused of a terrible crime in Prisoners’ Wives last March.
She trained at the Oldham Reiki Network and practised Reiki on herself while filming the Chatsworth Estate-based comedy.
She was introduced to Reiki two years ago by Kate Deam, the wife of her Shameless co-star Jack Deam, who played pyromaniac Tourette’s sufferer Marty Fisher.
She said: “I started Reiki towards the end of Shameless. It was such a stressful job I ended up with vertigo so Reiki was something that I tried.
She added: “A lot of my acting friends have tried Reiki and I liked it so much I decided to train so I could practise it myself.
“I gave myself Reiki every single day. It relieves stress and sends energy throughout the body. It has given me so much it will be nice to share it with other people.”
“I can imagine a lot of people will thinking ‘what’s Kelly doing here?’” Sally is based at the Buddha Beauty Company on Beech Road, Chorlton.
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Kylie Minogue has finally announced her new upcoming tour dates and is set to play her 30th gig at the arena in Manchester - a record for the venue. The popstar announced the news to her 1.9m Twitter followers. She tweeted: “#Lovers! I’m going back on tour in Europe starting on September 24! Hope to see you there.” The Aussie singer last played the venue - then under its former guide the Manchester Evening News Arena - in April 2011, where she enjoyed a five-night residency. She last played a double-header of concerts in Manchester at the Academy in April 2012, to showcase b-side and demo music as part of the Anti-Tour.
The Voice Kylie, who is currently appearing as a coach on the BBC’s The Voice ,has had a string of number ones and top ten hits over her 20-year long career, selling millions of albums worldwide. Kylie has apparently crossed out all hope for a second year on The Voice. “I’m touring this year and the timings wouldn’t work,” she said. “We started filming in November last year for the show, and this year I’m on tour in September, October and November.” BBC spokesman said they had not given up yet on getting Kylie back for the next series in 2015, despite her comments Earlier this year, in the prelude to the release of her new album, Kylie, 45, performed some low-key shows. She played Surry Hills pub in Australia, alongside Sydney dance maestros the Presets and Stereogamous, as well as a showcase at a London pub, the Old Blue Last. Kiss Me Once, the first album released by the Voice judge since 2010’s No 1 album Aphrodite, is her first LP since signing to Roc Nation Management.
According to the Urban Dictionary (yes, there is such a thing), a selfie is: ‘A picture taken of yourself that is planned to be uploaded to Facebook, Myspace or any other sort of social networking website.’ In my opinion a more accurate description could be: “Self-absorbed, totally unnecessary and often poorly focused snapshot
taken with the primary intention of posting on social network sites, for no particular reason at all.” The BBC has recently released an article, looking at the science behind selfies, explaining that ‘people generally have an image of themselves that tends to be younger and more attractive than we really are. This has led to an obsession with selfies, for
the first time ever we are able to take and retake pictures of ourselves until we can produce an image that comes closer to matching our perception of what we think we look like.’ Ok. So let’s just think about that for a second... Just because you are able to do something, it does not mean that you really should. Selfies
are the perfect example of this. I suppose it does show a certain amount of confidence, and possibly a little narcissism, to post self-portraits on the Internet, knowing that others are able to comment on them. However, if they are being Photoshopped to death and then shared in the vain hope of gaining ‘likes’ then I think you may have a deeper issue that needs addressing…
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Continued...
I have spent many an evening ‘untagging’ myself from pictures I would rather never saw the light of day, let alone want anyone to comment on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not totally against the odd self-portrait; I even took one once, of me and my Grandma on her 90th birthday. The result was an unflattering, blurred picture of me looking ten years older than my actual age, highlighting every blemish, pimple and stray hair, and my Grandma looking terrified, staring into camera like a rabbit in proverbial headlights. S.O.S. There are just so many of them that it’s driven me to a severe state of SOS….(Sick Of Selfies). Just once I want to be able to log onto Facebook without being bombarded with countless selfies, from, ‘I am wearing bikini in winter and then taking pics in the mirror for no reason’ to the more common and disturbing, ‘look at me pulling a duck face at various locations throughout the day’…..yes, you know who you are. I’m not alone in my despair of this alleged nit-spreading, self-loving obsession sweeping
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the country. Selfies made an appearance in The Independent’s list of ’50 things we hate about modern life’ – coming in at an unsurprising number six, not quite as annoying as self service check outs but considerably more disliked than the entity known as Gangnam Style (which, for the record, came in at number 22). Every man and his dog has access to some kind of device these days, and the capacity to take pictures of some amazing things and sharing them with the world online within seconds. Sadly, looking at some of the selfies floating around it would appear that, for some people, the dog would actually be able to take a better picture than they clearly can. Who was it that decided to, rather than focusing the camera on the wonders of nature or the joy of capturing a special moment, it would be a much better idea to take a picture of yourself looking ridiculous – and then share it all over the internet like a crazed cyber-egotist? Staggering Stats The number of selfies popping up is mind-blowing; over 17 million selfies are uploaded to
social media every week and it’s not just the teenagers who are adding to these figures either. It would be nice to blame the youth for such nonsense, writing it off as a faddy craze but, while they may have started it, they are certainly not the only ones keeping this strange new tradition alive and growing at epidemic proportions. The first ever selfie was taken in 1914, by the then thirteenyear-old, Russian Duchess, Anastasia Romanov. I’m sure she had no idea just what she had started that day as she stood on a chair and took a picture of herself using a Brownie box camera. Anastasia later sent it to a friend saying: “I took this picture of myself looking at the mirror. It was very hard and my hands were trembling.” Older Selfie Offenders These days the over-55s are taking more selfies than the 18 to 24-year-olds, with one in six admitting to regularly taking one. My own great-aunt Enid is one of these OSOs (Older Selfie Offenders), she’s been known to post the same selfie over a dozen times within a minute. It seems that while she struggles with the concept of press and
wait while uploading, she is, however, a dab hand at the ‘art of selfie’- often striking her own version of the duck face pose. Bless her puckered lips. Turns out there are even a number of websites and Youtube videos offering tips on how to achieve the ‘perfect selfie’, while over on Twitter, ‘self-confessed-selfie-fan’ Kim Kardashian tweets advice to her millions of followers, before getting distracted by her own reflection. It’s Here to Stay Seems that the selfie is here to stay and, love it or hate it there isn’t much us selfie-phobes can do about it – other than ignore them and hope they go away. Several of my friends, who shall remain anonymous, are serial selfie-offenders and it drives me crazy. One in particular has even been known to post the same picture several times using different filters. I kid you not. Yes, he is good-looking and may have the nicest teeth this side of Blackpool, but, there is still only so many of his selfies that a girl can take, before she reaches for the block button. He has been warned...
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I grew up in the 80’s, when we had only 4 channels on TV to choose from and plastic Jellybean shoes were supposedly cool and I have fond memories of sitting down with my Mum to watch Coronation Street of an evening. Snuggled on the sofa we would debate the story line and each had our favourite character – I was always torn between Bet Lynch and her amazing earrings and Kevin Webster the friendly mechanic. With his almost comical moustache and rebellious pierced ear he was the epitome of cool, well to me anyway. Around the same time, and unbeknown to me (I was about 11 at the time), Michael was becoming well known as a gay icon, allegedly receiving sacks of fan mail on a daily basis. This all came to an end with the departure of his infamous facial hair, although he still remained popular with the ladies and was a permanent feature of The Street.
Marriage Off screen Michael married his co-star, Janette Beverley in 1986, they went on to have two children and spent 25 years together before separating in 2011. This was also the year things started to go wrong for Michael in a very public way, he faced allegations of 19 sexual offences and, although the Crown Prosecution Service later dropped the charges due to “insufficient evidence” the stress clearly took its toll. Friends of Michael say that this was when he started to drink heavily, often “propping up the bar” in the local pub near his home in Hale, though he did remain a popular character on the much loved soap. In 2013 the Director of Public Prosecutions reviewed the decision made previously in relation to the allegations and authorized Greater Manchester Police to charge Michael with all 19 offences once again.
ITV ITV reacted by writing Kevin Webster out of the storyline with the promise of his return – once proceedings against Michael had finished. Held at Manchester Crown Court, the case attracted media attention on a massive scale. Every day Michael arrived at the hearing to be greeted by numerous flashing cameras and eager press looking for an exclusive quote or statement. Supported by his family he looked, at times, like a rabbit caught in headlights, it would be foolish to think that the stress of such a
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high profile case didn’t affect him in a big way, despite him being eventually found not guilty on all charges. Leaving court on the day of the verdict, a relieved Michael said he was taking some time out – possibly somewhere abroad, and that he would be back on the cobbles soon, much to the delight of his many supporters.
His Return After a break of six months Michael made his return as Kevin in an explosive storyline that saw him getting into fisticuffs with the neighbours as he arrived with his suitcase in hand. Then he was gone again… New scandal now surrounds Michael and his personal life, he’s admitted to using Cocaine during the trial, at what he says was his “lowest ebb” and Corrie bosses have given him just three months to turn his life around or risk being written out permanently. As if this wasn’t enough for the shamefaced star, his ex-girlfriend, Blanca, has added her own fuel to the fire by alleging that Michael “enticed her into having sex with him and another man after he had drunk 12 pints and snorted Cocaine.” Now, while I am not defending him in any way, I would question why this story has surfaced now, and if it is humanly
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possible to entice anyone to do anything after allegedly consuming so much alcohol then topping it off with some class A drugs. It sounds to me like nothing more than a kiss and tell she was no doubt paid for, in a sad attempt to get some media attention. At the end of the day Michael is a guy who is having a tough time and it would be nice to see him get the space and privacy he needs to get back on track. Who hasn’t got drunk and made a bad decision or done something they really would rather people didn’t know. He was found innocent of any wrongdoing in a court of law and the rest is, to me, little more than tickle tackle.
The Future I reckon the future for Michael is bright, although I’m not sure the same can be said for Kevin, after all, the Corrie scriptwriters are known for their bumpy storylines, who knows what they have in store for his return this time around. There is speculation that Michael is currently in rehab although this has, so far, been unconfirmed. A friend of the star said: “Michael knows he has to sort his life out and is determined to do that. Coronation Street bosses have been incredibly supportive. They know Mike went through hell with his trial and that the stress has led to problems in his personal life, which have to be resolved. All anyone wants on the show
is Mike back, in good health.” Wherever Michael may be at the moment I hope that he is getting the support he so obviously needs and deserves. People are quick to remember the negatives and forget the positive – in my opinion he is not a bad person, as certain media sources would have you believe, more a good person that has made some bad decisions. Only time will tell if he can bounce back again but I really do believe he will.
The Mistakes Michael may have made mistakes and, in hindsight, that moustache was a bit too YMCA but at the end of the day he is a Manchester bloke that will be remembered long after the Rovers has served its last hot pot and pint.
Lauren Pope has added another talent to her ever-growing list with her first ever self-designed fashion collection, In The Style by Lauren Pope, which launches today.
Lauren continued: “Price was also key for me, I didn’t want anything to be too expensive as I know how annoying it is when you see a celebrity in something that you just can’t afford!”
The DJ and model hit our screens in 2010 on The Only Way is Essex. She has appeared in all nine series of the popular ITV show and now has a fashion collection to go with it! Fans of 31-year-old Lauren’s style will finally be able to get their hands on a wardrobe just like the TOWIE star’s, which was inspired by the latest catwalk looks as well as her own wardrobe - and be warned, we already want every single piece! DJ and TOWIE star Lauren said: “Bringing out my own fashion line has been a dream of mine for a long time, but I needed to find the right brand to collaborate with so I could have input into the design. “The range includes both amazing party wear but also glamorous day wear such as embellished jumpers and cool loungewear, as I often struggle to find nice comfy clothing for everyday.”
And the good news doesn’t stop there. Lauren’s collection is set to grow over the coming months with more than 60 pieces to be added over the spring/ summer season! From Nut’s Magazine’s sexiest DJ to a TV star with her own fashion collection…Props to Lauren! Find her collection at: www.inthestyle.co.uk
We have to disagree with Lauren there, as we think her off-duty style always rocks, but the 25-piece collection certainly ticks all the boxes for day to night style. Strut your stuff in daytime girlie glamour with chic tees, pencil skirts and pretty dresses, before hitting the clubs in Oscar-worthy embellished frocks and figure-hugging jumpsuits. Pair with heels and a clutch and you’re guaranteed to turn heads just like Lauren.
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Oh, hello there April! That crept up fast on us, didn’t it?! I will admit, I am very much looking forward to bank holiday antics, Easter (aka chocolate) and of course, the upcoming summer!
I have recently started a new job, so my recent shopping trips have been all about office wear. Do you know how hard it is to find nice fitting black trousers that don’t remind you of your school uniform?
For me, the last month has involved blogging, emails and tweeting, a lot! The sun has enabled me to keep very happy and positive - it’s amazing how it can affect our mood!
It’s very difficult and if I need to enter any more changing rooms with nine pairs only to leave with none, I might cry. On the plus, I did find a very nice black shift dress which will look great with tights
Naturally, being from Essex I do like a bit of leopard print, but of course within reason. This print is kept classy by being monochrome, and I love the style of the skirt – it screams modern retro and would look great with a red jumper and heels!
and patent brogues, so it’s not all bad. Lastly I would like to thank everyone for their kind words on my first column in the March issue. It was very exciting and surreal to see it in print, and I am looking forward to the upcoming Months at Within!
A simple necklace like this can add something special to an plain outfit.
This beautiful textured jumper has a special Chanel inspired feel to it. I can imagine this will look amazing with a retro styled kneelength skirt, peep-toe heels and a bright red lip. Grey is an extremely understated colour, but these shoes will literally go with anything. An amazing buy!
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You can never beat a classic black bag and this one from La Moda extremely sophisticated and is also big enough for all your junk!
Recently I came across these photos of Taylor Swift, I loved the outfit so much and decided she would definitely have to take the award of trendsetter for this month!
easily be adapted according to the style you are going for. Slightly tomboy? That’s fine, just pop on your cropped band t-shirt and converse, bit of a girly girl?
Taylor has a very girly/tomboy style, which works wonders for her, and lets not even mention those beautiful curly locks - major hair envy over here.
Dig out that pink fluffy jumper and dolly flats, whatever you want this skirt to do for you, it will pass with flying colours. Easy fashion is not cheating; it is in fact a massive help for us busy girls!
Pleated skirts are something that I have had my eye on ever since I saw them parading up and down the catwalks at London Fashion Week. These knee length skirts provide a unique retro fifties style, which is definitely on-trend. However, the best bit is you can pretty much wear this style skirt with anything you like! They can
Here Taylor has paired her mustard pleated skirt with a pretty knit and bright colour popping shoes. Colour choice can definitely enhance an outfit so make sure to pick your colour and base the outfit around it.
When washing pleated garments, always pop them on a hanger to dry – this minimises ironing time!
If your legs are on the shorter side, wear your skirt a little higher. High waisted items instantly make those pins look a little longer and the waist appear smaller!
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The end of March saw the arrival of our Ladies Night event alongside Boux Avenue. The girly night took place at Boux Avenue’s store in Manchester Arndale, where our guests were treated to Champagne on arrival, complimentary manicures, exclusive discounts and much more!
Boux Avenue has become a firm favourite for the women of Manchester, with it hosting two stores (one in Trafford Centre as well as the one in Manchester City Centre). They not only cater for the Bra sizes up to G, they also cover loungewear, from Pajamas to snug onesies. The ladies of Within joined the Boux Belles to celebrate the evening, as well as the launch of Boux Avenue’s Summer range.
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“We have been counting down the days, at Within, to working with Boux Avenue” Sub Editor, Hannah Burke said “and tonight has been a great success!” “It’s been great to see the women of Manchester enjoying some bubbly as well as being treated to manicures and lingerie advice.”
Hannah was also joined by Feature Writers Charlie Hooson-Sykes, Taaliah Nazar and Kathryn Lea (Pictured above) who treated themselves to some Boux goodies! If you missed out on the night then do not fear - we will hopefully be joining forces with Boux Avenue once again, in the near future, to give the ladies of Manchester another great night!
This delicious smelling peel contains natural papaya and pineapple fruit acids to rid skin of dead cells. After using twice in one week, my spots had more or less cleared and my skin looked dewy – thanks to the acids sloughing away the dead skin which was apparently blocking my pores. The milk proteins and vitamin E left my skin feeling hydrated and moisturised.
A luminous bouquet of fresh picked florals, Daisy Delight Edition is a vibrant expression of Daisy signature. The fragrance blooms into a burst of Quince flower and Iris, brightened with crisp Red Apple. Sun-ripped woods and musks dry down to a warm sensual embrace. We are totally addicted to Victoria’s beauty and fashion blog “In The Frow”. The Manchester girl talks about all things from ‘straightening tips to lipsticks perfect for certain days. Not only does Avon’s creamy BB Cream offer a full foundation-like coverage, it boasts 10-in-1 action. Here goes: “SPF 15, smoothes skin, mineral infused, vitamin E infused, feels lightweight, hydrates skin, minimises redness, evens skin tone, conceals flaws and makes skin look better, even after you take it all off.”
But what do we love most? Her Hair!! It takes a lot of bottle (no pun intended) to dye your hair pink and not many can pull it off – but Victoria has pulled it off immensely. It works perfect with her fashion styles too! You can check out Victoria’s blog at www.inthefrow.com
To celebrate World Sleep Day today, we’ll be splashing out on a bottle of our must-have Deep Sleep Pillow Spray, a gorgeously relaxing lavender, chamomile and vertivert spray that gets us off to sleep every time. Sweet dreams everyone.
For an instant hair treat, invest in Herbal Essences’ new Moroccan My Shine range, enriched with argan oil for super-shiny locks. It leaves hair smelling great, too.
Pop beauty Alesha Dixon went for sophisticated glamour as she launched her new perfume at the Trafford Centre. The Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha showed off her slim post-baby figure in a nude and black lace dress teamed with nude heels as she launched her new perfume, Rose Quartz, at Indulgence Fragrances inside the shopping mall.
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Back in the day when You’ve Got Mail graced our screens, Internet dating was an elusive indulgence of the desperately lonely. Though Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan’s tale was romantically portrayed to illuminate how getting to know someone anonymously can be more beneficial than meeting in real life; we don’t live in a Hollywood movie, and it’s not just the computers which have developed in the 16 years since Internet Dating begun.
Plugged in It started as quite the taboo associated with perverts and the socially inept, but now that the internet has become so ingrained in to our lives that our fingertips are living out a multitude of cyber lives on various different
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platforms, dating was the next obvious plateaux to tumble down the rabbit hole and dominate over real life experiences. I.D’ing has soared as our lives have sped up. In this fast forward day and age, with little time, compartmentalisation of life activities, and established friendship circles - our immediate dating market is thin at best, making meeting someone organically unlikely.
Shopping for love and lust Most believe I.D’ing to be a subpar way of meeting someone due to the clinical approach of what can only be labelled as shopping. Becoming unnaturally selective is the most common condition of elongated exposure to dating online.
I can tell you that I have met none of my partners online, and that if I was now to come across them as a potential, I would undoubtedly disregard them for any number of trivial preferences. One for instance had terrible grammar, this drives me insane online. Another would undoubtedly have posted loads of Man-U related photos, which would have given me the fear of hell. And one of my exes was just plain ugly, but he made me laugh continually. There is something incredibly dangerous about the instant accessibility that the internet offers. I can get my hands on absolutely anything I want at the touch of a button. But ticking the boxes to filter through the trawl of possible partners to find what I think to be my “dream man,” I am confronted with zero results. I think that says it all.
Who are you anyway? Though my search options were undoubtedly unrealistic, so are the representations of oneself that each person offers for consideration. You create a persona, consider a character and have the option to edit, delete and retouch our entire entity to pass the test. No one is going to put up the last 5 photos they were tagged in on Facebook, they’ll put up the best they have, even if they are 10 years old. In the same way that no-one will truthfully divulge anything that may make them seem less attractive to a prospective partner, like character flaws, excess hair, no hair, braces, children and current wives. Men apparently lie most about their age, height and their income and we women lie about our age, build and weight. Three points for each of the genders, which illuminate the lack of depth to the attributes of desire...
Sex Appeal As shallow as it sounds, you don’t approach someone in person whom you’re not attracted to in the hope that they have a great personality; it’s the dating dance. When you are inundated with an infinite array of partners to choose from, who are you going to talk to? It’s going to be whoever has the pictures you fancy the most! This is why Tinder has become the latest dating phenomenon; it’s a hetro spin-off
from the gay app Grinder. It simplifies Internet Dating to where it lays offline, attraction. By swiping left you disregard directly those who you don’t like the look of and by swiping right; you open the opportunity for discussion. Romance isn’t dead.
Affiliation VS Attraction
you anticipated. Some of them are nice, some of them are really pretty weird and some of them bear absolutely no resemblance to their online persona whatsoever. (Hail to the documentary Catfish where the weirdest of the wonderful instances are filmed and to which I am now hooked!) All the time and energy that you have to invest to get to this stage is then obliterated within 30 seconds of meeting them if you just don’t fancy them. These next few hours can then be pretty awkwardly spent trying to text SOS to your scapegoat mate under the table, or having a decent enough time with someone that you’d just never want to snog.
As far as my research and personal preference allowed, I found this app to be a lot more direct and biological than spending hours filling out questionnaires about how you spend your free time, what you want from life and even how many times you masturbate, to ultimately be matched with someone that resembles your aunty Janet. We are physically attracted to a lot less people than we enjoy the company of, hence why people tend to have a great deal more friends than they do partners. A lot of time can be wasted over analysing the affiliations of a prospective when attraction is instantaneous in the flesh. I.D’ing doesn’t allow you to make that distinction, you still have to meet.
Nothing compares to locking eyes with a stranger and the butterflies of anticipation you feel. Love and lust cannot be processed by check boxes and affinity matches, it’s chemistry, it’s animal instinct and it’s something that only meeting face to face can ensure.
It’s easy to get carried away fabricating an idealised version of a person when presented solely with heavily positive photos, facts and figures. You invest way too much time messaging back and forth idly in order to safely conclude that if you do meet, you won’t end up in a body bag. Then in the eventuality that you do meet, you are presented with something different to what
That is not to suggest that you won’t find what you’re looking for online; after all, the way we cyber junkies are going, we might not have much choice down the line... But just to warn you that you better be prepared to spend a great deal of time weeding through the weird, the very weird and the psychotically terrifying to get to the wonderful. Good luck! I’m off to buy some cats.
The real deal
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Hoorah! Spring is in the air or at least a there’s a whiff of it. The days are getting longer, the great outdoors is about to burst into glorious technicolour life and, best of all, you no longer need to try and look good whilst shivering away under four layers of clothing on a daily basis! Never a good look. So, when we’re not dealing with the small irritations in life, i.e. job, career and work, what do we do with our free time? Why not shrug off those winter cobwebs and get out and about!
Tucked away, in the heart of Cheadle, lies The Indian Tiffin Room. Step beyond it’s understated décor and immerse yourself in its warm and welcoming, fragrantly aromatic atmosphere. The friendly and extremely knowledgeable staff are happy to guide you through the menu of colourful, enticing, delicious dishes that are inspired by the flavours and spices of India’s many different regions. The emphasis of the food here is based on sharing, so involves lots of small dishes and platters that encourage you to just ‘dig in’. It’s a wonderfully sociable way of eating that combines exciting, deliciously presented, traditionally prepared Indian street food made from freshly cooked, healthy ingredients. Well worth the effort of booking a table in advance, you won’t be disappointed!
It might not be the obvious choice for coffee and a cake but once you step inside, you’ll find yourself whisked away to the 1930’s in this wonderfully restored Art Deco dining room. It’s as far removed from the trendy coffee shops of NQ as you can get. Freshly made sandwiches, hand baked cakes and a good selection of teas and coffee abound. Waitresses wearing black and white serve amongst cloth covered tables, whilst music of the era plays softly in the background to complete that atmosphere of classic Art Deco glamour. You really will forget you’re in 21st century Stockport. You’ll find the café on the first floor of what is undeniably a beautiful example of art Deco restoration and is well worth a look round after your tea.
Team Truth know about hair and it’s loyal band of truth devotees, wouldn’t go anywhere else. From the latest up-to-date cutting edge styles to the very best in colouring techniques, they certainly know their stuff and are happy advise you throughout your consultation. The surroundings are welcoming and friendly, with a great atmosphere, good tunes, and plenty of tea and coffee. Their ethos is to leave you with an easy to style cut that will still look good until your next appointment. Your visit to Truth will certainly leave you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world whilst looking your fabulous best.
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For anyone trying to find the quirky and unusual, this place is an absolute treasure trove. You won’t find products on nice neat shelves or marketing campaigns on every corner. It’s like a time travelling adventure through generations of period features, fashion, furniture, homewares and art. Lose yourself amongst huge elaborate fireplaces, reclaimed timer floors and ornate carvings. You’ll find sparkling chandeliers, jewellery and all the vintage fashion you could want. It’s a place filled to the rafters with inspiration and such a diversity of stock that you can be sure to find your own little piece of vintage treasure.
Once you discover this little gem, cosily tucked away off King Street, it’ll become a firm favourite. You’ll find sumptuous décor both inside and out, music, good food and a great range of good beers but what they really do best is cocktails. It’s bespoke range of reasonably priced cocktails are it’s signature and you won’t see them anywhere else. Bar staff are friendly and extremely helpful, especially so when it comes to choosing from their fabulous selection and if you choose to go off menu, they’re more than willing to assist in a new ‘experiment!’ - A perfect night out with friends and family.
Explore its interactive galleries and discover why Manchester was, and still is, at the forefront of many of the worlds’ scientific, technological and industrial discoveries. Ok, we all know its there and has been a Manchester treasure for years but it really is a fantastic, and FREE day out, with something for everyone. It’s always been a hugely exciting educational resource with plenty of hands-on experience for children of all ages but why should they have all the fun! From times gone by to exciting glimpses into futuristic innovations and ideas, you’ll have an inspiring day that’ll leave you proud to live in Manchester.
When the Manchester weather makes you yearn for summer holidays and Mediterranean food you can’t get better than Alexandros Greek Restaurant. It’s a family run restaurant where you’ll certainly get a warm welcome from the owners and staff. Food is freshly cooked, using traditional Greek methods, and served with plenty of Greek hospitality (and red wine of course!). It’s no surprise that it’s often been proclaimed as the ‘Best Greek in the UK’ by it’s huge army of very happy fans who enjoy it’s authentic Greek food, atmosphere and excellent service. Definitely well worth a visit!
So, what’s stopping you? However you choose to relax, get yourself out there and reclaim your ‘me’ time!
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Over recent years, we have been blessed with quirky grill bars popping up by the dozen, in Manchester. Offering unique tastes and recipes for every type of meal you could possibly think of. But the arrival of Red’s True Barbeque, in Albert Square, might just be one of the best additions to our city yet! The Southern USA themed BBQ joint is originally based in Leeds, however their second restaurant, in Manchester is nearly twice as big, fitting over 160 hungry mancunians! As soon as you walk into Red’s, you’re hit with two things: the buzzing atmosphere and the delightful smells from the open kitchen. This was our first time at Red’s True Barbeque, but you can tell the feeling of the atmosphere and the delicious smells will never become anything of the ordinary. One thing we had to try was the Donut Burger. Two housemade 100% steak burgers flame grilled over hickory, melted double cheese, smoked peppered bacon dirty sauce and deep-fried crispy onions, all between two sweet glazed donuts. Yes, you heard us right. Donuts! And this comes served with hush puppies and skin-on fries. Even Red’s admit that this shouldn’t work. But it does. It works amazingly well.
If Donuts aren’t your thing (see a doctor!) then you can always opt for the Pit Burger - Housemade Steak burger. Sliced brisket, pulled pork, streaky bacon, melted cheese, dill pickle, tomato, lettuce, dirty sauce, American mustard and our BBQ sauce all stacked on a glazed brioche bun. Served with fries. Do not be fooled, however, this isn’t just another burger – this is possibly one of the front runners for the best burger in Manchester (there, we said it!) The dirty sauce oozes all over the succulent meats and really gives it that southern American authentic taste. You cannot go wrong with this choice. The only down point we could find for Red’s was the fact that we had left it this long to visit. Yes, the restaurant is quite new on the Manchester scene, but believe us, when you go, you will be kicking yourself for not being there on the opening day! Many restaurants fail on trying to give you that American authentic feel. But Red’s True Barbeque is not one of them. This place is everything you want it to be and more. A massive addition to the Manchester food scene! Red’s True Barbeque 22 Lloyd Street Albert Square M2 5WA
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How does it feel to be heading back north to another Cake and Bake Show? And is there anywhere you always make time for when you head up here? It’s fantastic, I love coming back up North and The Manchester Cake & Bake Show has a great vibe to it; everyone is enthusiastic and relaxed and you can feel the passion for baking bouncing off the walls. I’m Yorkshire born and bred but live in London, so it’s always a pleasure to go back up North – the people are so friendly and welcoming. What are you looking forward to most at the next C&B show? Meeting lots of my fans, new people and being able to share my knowledge and skills. At this year’s Manchester Cake & Bake Show, as well as my classrooms and demos on The Cake Kitchen, I’m taking part in the Tala Competitions Theatre for the first time – it will a great chance to let my competitive side out and have some fun as I compete against a member of the public. I’m also going to be demonstrating a fabulous new recipe, which I can’t reveal just yet – but I will say it will be using California Prunes. Prunes are sexy! They’re such a wonderful ingredient and woefully underappreciated. We’ve seen your expansion of sites in London, any plans for opening in Manchester at all? (pretty please) I have recently expanded and opened a brand new chocolaterie, my fourth, at Heal’s on Tottenham Court Road so we’ve been really busy lately. One of my dreams is to open a chocolaterie in New York; we do plan to open shops outside London in the UK when the time is right, when the business is ready to expand. I am so inspired by the work of chocolate makers in the States. Wherever you are in the country though, you can phone my chocolateries
for delivery. We’d like to move online too, but as everything we make is handmade in our instore kitchens we can only make so much. I don’t want to have to move our production out of the stores Which do you enjoy more, and why - Demos/teaching or making? Making chocolates is obviously a huge passion of mine but as we’ve opened more shops and the business has expanded, I have really enjoyed sharing my expertise and spreading the joy that chocolate making brings. Teaching is a huge privilege and I love inspiring people. We don’t have the same tradition in chocolate that countries like France and Switzerland have, where they’ve been training chocolatiers for decade so I’m passionate about getting more people involved in the industry. A lot of my staff come from different cooking backgrounds and we welcome apprentices in the kitchens. Away from chocolate, what do you really love to eat? And what do you really love to make?
Finally, what’s next? What’s the next big project for you? Last year, amongst many achievements, I opened my fourth chocolaterie, released a new book “How To Make Chocolates” with Lakeland and became Vice President of the Sick Children’s Trust, which was a real honour. This year I’ve got so many ideas for what I want to do, but I’m really excited to continue working as Vice President with The Sick Children’s Trust. We’ve just hosted a successful Big Chocolate Tea Party launch party and the support we received was overwhelming. I’ll be appearing at quite a few shows this year too, including The Cake & Bake Show in Manchester. It’s great to meet people who are as enthusiastic about chocolate as I am – so make sure you come and say hi! We are also excited to launch the world’s first whole bean chocolate. We buy Madagascan beans and rather than shelling them, grind them whole with unrefined Demerara sugar. The result is amazing and a new style of bean to bar chocolate.
I am a huge fan of pork – all of the different cuts! The restaurant scene in London is firmly embracing pork at the moment. Places like Pitt Cue are great for indulging in my cravings. I also love food inspired by the American South! I do have an insane sweet tooth and cant go a day without something baked and sweet. However, I also firmly believe you can’t beat a good roast. I have so many fond memories of roasts made by Grandma. I get really nostalgic about food especially baking. My mum is a fantastc baker and makes the best corned beef, potato and onion pie and she bakes lots of traditional cake recipes such as Brack, tea loves and biscuits too.
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Opus One sits in the Free Trade Hall on Peter Street, Manchester. This beautiful building was built as a public hall in the 1800’s and was bombed in the 1940 Manchester Blitz, only to be reconstructed as a concert hall. It’s a place that has seen many famous faces perform, including Charles Dickens. So needless to say, it was a great privilege to be invited to come and dine within the same walls.
Orchestra; a Manchester based symphony orchestra who’s home was, of course, the Free Trade Hall before moving to the Bridgewater Hall in 1996.
The building is now the award-winning Radisson Blu Edwaridan and is also home to one of Manchester’s liveliest and popular restaurants. Opus One is a perfectly designed hot spot suitable for dining during the evening as well as popping in for a spot of afternoon tea. Their quirky oversized chess pieces, dramatic hanging chandeliers, antique furniture and tasty cocktails, make this place a must for anyone looking to soak up the history and architecture of our amazing city.
I would highly recommend the Ham Hock & Baby Leek, Apple & Vanilla Chutney with Mustard Dressing for your first course. An excellent start to the Experience and the presentation is exquisite.
Class and Sophistication Upon arrival, you’ll cross through the threshold to enter a completely different time zone that oozes class and sophistication. You’ll be looked after from the moment you arrive till the moment you leave and you will be made to feel like a true queen (or king!). Opus One offer an extremely upper class and quality guaranteed menu named the Opus One Experience, a four course set menu complete with champagne on arrival, tea or coffee and their signature cocktail The Hallé Berry, named after the Hallé
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The Opus One Experience. I imagine all of the available courses are as good as they sound, so it was a shame we couldn’t sample them all.
For your second course I would definitely choose the Vegetable Spring Roll, Sweet Dressing, Mango & Chilli Dressing. An oriental combination that really sets your taste buds to life. There is also a choice of Confit Duck with a Celeriac and Apple Remoulade, A trio of Salmon with an Almond Dressing and Hand Dived Scallops, Pancetta and Scottish Mussels. Again, the presentation is truly unique and your Main Course is right around the corner. There are a total of six meal choices to choose from for your Main Course and each one sounds as persuasive as the next. Be sure to choose the Roasted Monkfish with Gnocchi, Parmesan Custard and Braised Beetroot. Or if you prefer, the 8oz Fillet Steak with Wild Mushrooms, Turnip, Cep Puree and Red Wine Jus is perfection on a plate and the fillet will melt in your
mouth. All courses offer a vegetarian option and for your Main Course you have a choice of two, not including the two fish options that include Sea Bass and the Roasted Monkfish. Everyone’s favorite course offers three tempting Desserts. The Warm Chocolate Fondant, White Chocolate Sauce and Raspberry Sorbet will truly melt your heart. If you’re big on chocolate then look no further, this ones for you!
Sit Back and Enjoy Before you get chance to slurp on your signature cocktail take 15 minutes to just sit back and enjoy a tea or coffee complete with home-made treats! Your stomach doesn’t get much rest when you dine like a rock star. Soak up some more of the culture and history of this amazing building and become lost in its stunning high ceilings and peaceful and theatrical atmosphere. Towards the end of your Experience you’ll be escorted to, what used to be, the main entrance of the hall, which is now a relaxing well opened area where you can watch the world pass by. Catch up with the times as the Hallé Berry gives you a modern kick and completes the end of your Opus One Experience. As you would with the Orchestra before, you’ll definitely be requesting for an encore. By Hannah Burke
Hold onto your hair ladies, Justin Timberlake is bringing Sexy Back to Manchester this month with the European leg of his 20/20 Experience world tour.
er himself, along with Harmen and Justin’s long-time friend and producer Timbaland, who has worked with Justin since the start of his solo career.
The Grammy and Emmy Award winning star will take the stage at the Phones 4U Arena on April 7th and 8th for two of the nine UK tour dates.
Justin recently premiered the video for his latest single from the album on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in an attempt to start a real-life search for a mystery couple who got engaged on the Long Island Rail Road to a Justin Timberlake song in January.
Tickets for the gigs are hot property - all but one of his nine UK tour dates have already sold out, including the first night in Manchester, but if you move fast enough you may be able to get tickets for his show the following night.
Top of the Tours According to billboard.com JT tops the hot tours with ticket sales of $23.6million (£14.2million) for the first part of his US tour, while mega star Beyoncé trails behind with $5.5million. The first leg of the tour which stretched from November to March raked in ticket sales of over $70.7million for 44 concerts in 38 US cities, most of which were sold out shows. After the UK tour, which finishes April 12th in Birmingham, Justin will be a busy man taking his tour across the globe from Asia and Africa to Australia and New Zealand. According to the New Zealand Herald the Auckland show in October this year sold out in less than an hour and a second date has had to be added for the city due to huge demand.
20/20 Experience The album, also called The 20/20 Experience, was released in two parts during 2013 and has bagged Justin the highest sales figures of his career and his second number one album. Collectively the album made it to #1 on iTunes in 89 countries, sold 1.3 million copies in its first week, and became the best-selling record of 2013 in the US. It features vocals from Jay Z and Drake, and was produced by the singer/songwrit-
Not a Bad Thing is not a typical music video and documents the hunt for the couple by a team of researchers who took to the streets of New York City to find them, and even went on z100, one of New York’s hit radio stations, to reach out for the city’s help.
Jessica Biel The star, who married Jessica Biel in Italy in 2012, clearly has a soft spot for all things love and helped a fan with his proposal during a concert in Kentucky back in December, and the video also features couples answering questions about their ideas of love, how they met and how to keep hold of it. In an effort to find the pair using crowdsourcing on social media the research team has also created a twitter account called Find This Couple, a respective Tumblr page, and started the hashtag #haveyouseenthiscouple. Although the video ends ‘To Be Continued…’ there has been speculation as to whether or not they have found the couple and what Justin and his team’s plans are for the second half of the venture. The album is Justin’s first studio LP in seven years, during which time he took a break from music to focus on his acting career, appearing in noteworthy films like The Social Network, Friends with Benefits, and In Time. But hopefully it won’t be another seven years until we hear new music from the singer again, as there has been recent speculation about him recording fresh material.
Last month Rob Knox, part of Justin’s production team The Y’s, tweeted a picture of a studio mixer with a channel labelled ‘Justin vocals’ indicating that the pair were back in the studio together, and although it isn’t confirmed if the music is for Justin or not The Y’s haven’t produced music for anyone else for a number of years. If you’re not lucky enough to get your hands on tickets for The 20/20 Experience, the 33 year old heartthrob is headlining V Festival on August 16th and 17th along with other big names like The Killers, Lily Allen and Rudimental. The festival is held across two sites at Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire, and although you will have to brave the outdoors and dig out your wellies, you will be in with a chance of getting up close and personal with the Summer Love singer if you can fight your way to the front of the crowd.
Times Have Changed The man we see today has come a long way from his singing and dancing Mickey Mouse Club days, cheesy N Sync vocals, the 90s wardrobes, and that double denim suit. With tickets for his tour selling out fast, a successful acting career, and two number one albums under his belt, Justin Timberlake is a far cry from the curly haired teenager we used to know. Hold on to your hair ladies, JT is in town. By Shaunagh Durkin
SINGER songwriter James Blunt will be performing at the Manchester Apollo later this month. James Blunt, who shot to fame in 2005 with number one hit You’re Beautiful, will take to the stage on 17th April, which is one of Manchester’s hottest gigs. James Blunt will perform tracks from across his career including his latest album Moon Landing. Blunt, whose latest single Bonfire Heart reached Number 2, is best-known for his debut album Back to Bedlam, which sold 11 million copies. Before his pop career he trained at Sandhurst and served six years in the Army, seeing action in Kosovo. The 36-year-old chart-topping singer made the stunning claims in an interview with John Pienaar on Radio 5 Live’s Pienaar’s Politics. Blunt, a former cavalry officer in the British Army, was leading a NATO column under order to seize the Pristina airfield in Kosovo in 1999. Facing a 200-strong Russian advance, the then- 25-year-old was given orders to ‘destroy’ the Russian troops by the Supreme Allied Commander of the NATO Forces in Europe. ‘I was given a direct command to overpower the 200 or so Russians who were there,’ the You’re Beautiful hitmaker has revealed for the first time. ‘I was the lead officer, with my troop of men behind us... It was a mad situation.’ ‘The direct command came in from General Wesley Clark was to overpower them. Various words were used that seemed unusual to us. Words such as “destroy” came down the radio.’ He said his men were given orders by the American general to ‘reach the airfield and take a hold of it.’ But Blunt - who served under his real name James Blount - says: ‘We had 200 Russians lined up pointing their weapons at us aggressively.’ The singer, who has gone on to sell over 11 million albums since leaving the forces in October 2002, risked a court martial by refusing to go along with the orders to attack, a command he feared would spark a major conflict with Russia.
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Elbow return to Manchester for a special show at the Phones 4u Arena this month to celebrate the release of their sixth studio album. Formed in Bury in 1990, Elbow have released five studio albums, four EP’s and ten top fifty singles. Four years ago the band won the Mercury Music Prize for The Seldom Seen Kid, followed by a 2009 Brit Award for Best British Group and NME Award for Outstanding Contribution To British Music. Elbow is an alternative rock band, which formed in Bury, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom in 1990 while at sixth-form college. The band consists of Guy Garvey
(vocals, guitar), Mark Potter (guitar, vocals), Pete Turner (bass), Craig Potter (keyboards) and Richard Jupp (drums). Over the band’s 20 year career, it has released six studio albums, four EPs and ten top fifty singles in the UK. The band is named after a line in the BBC TV mini-series The Singing Detective which says that the word “elbow” is the most sensuous word in the English language, not for its definition, but for how it feels to say it. Elbow began specializing in “chilled funk”, but changed the direction of its music after unanimously deciding that they were “shit.” The new songs were noticed from both Island Records and Universal, but the band
Following the release of ‘Since I Saw You Last’, his first studio album in 14 years, Gary Barlow will be embarking on a full solo tour in this month, beginning right here in Manchester! Gary toured as a solo artist last year to acclaim from fans and critics alike, with demand being so great he could have sold it out more than six times over. The Since I Saw You Last Tour 2014 will see Gary play some of the biggest venues he has ever played as a solo artist, including The O2 in London, Birmingham LG Arena, Glasgow SSE Hydro and Manchester Phones 4U Arena.
was dropped before anything was released after it signed with both labels. The band then released two critically acclaimed EP’s on the independent Ugly Man Record label, which caught the attention of V2 Records. V2 released Elbow’s debut album: “asleep in the back.” The album was a surprisingly moderate success, gaining substantial critical acclaim and, ultimately, a nomination for the mercury music prize in 2001. The single “Newborn” received attention after being banned by radio 1 for the lyric, “I’ll be the corpse in your bathtub.” The band are said to be over the moon about being back in their hometown this month!
With Take That Gary has released eight number one albums that have collectively sold more than 30 million copies. He has also been party to fifteen No.1 singles, sold seven million concert tickets as well as being the proud recipient of six Ivor Novello Awards. He was awarded an OBE for his contribution to British music last year following the work he has done with BBC Children In Need and the hugely successful Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert. Gary quit being a judge on the UK’s No 1 show The X Factor last year. If you have tickets to Gary’s concert, this month, then count yourself lucky as they sold like hot cakes! Tweet us your pictures!
Lucy Porter -familiar from popular TV and Radio panel shows such as Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Mock The Week and The Unbelievable Truth - returns to the UK tour circuit, fresh from The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with her best show yet. Does geography shape our destiny? Born in Croydon to a Northern Irish dad and a Midlander mum (who met in Africa), Lucy never felt that she belonged down
South. She tried moving to Manchester, marrying a Welshman and travelling the world, but she’s still - like the littlest hobo - seeking her spiritual home. A show, at the Waterside Arts Centre, Sale, that you will not want to miss this month. The Telegraph describe it as: “Impeccably punchlined anecdotes of the everyday. Genuinely delightful”
The world famous Harlem Globetrotters have been thrilling families and millions of fans for 88 years, all the while innovating the game in exciting new ways. Last year, the Globetrotters did something unparalleled in the history of sports and entertainment, letting fans vote on new rules to be used in actual games. It was so much fun, we are doing it again, and there are cool new rules to choose from on our 2014 “Fans Rule” World Tour
Caravan are considered by many to be the undisputed, unsung heroes of the British Prog movement, and have often been quoted as one of the most formidable acts to emerge from the ‘60s progressive rock scene. Originally formed in Canterbury in 1968, Caravan were at the heart of the 1970s burgeoning Canterbury rock movement.
They produced their own brand of “superior pop music, full of taste, craftsmanship and hard work” (New Musical Express) and packed venues worldwide. 2014 see’s the release of Caravan’s first new studio album in over 10 years “Paradise Filter’. The Paradise Filter Tour will feature tracks from the new CD as well as some old favourites.
Scorpio
Taurus
Capricorn
Gemini
A property deal could run into problems and grind to a halt. Try not to rush things. It’s important to protect your interests. If that means walking away from a bad offer, so be it. Enjoy some me-time.
Working with a group won’t be rewarding. You won’t enjoy having to compromise your principles for the sake of money. It’s frustrating to see wonderful ideas watered down for the sake of popular appeal.
If an inconsiderate person is upsetting everyone. You are the only one who is brave enough to take them to task. Unfortunately, this confrontation will be stressful. It may take several attempts before they get the message.
Escapist tendencies will get you into trouble. Resist the urge to run from a difficult problem. The sooner you confront the situation, the quicker it will pass into history. You will have to operate by stealth.
Leo
Libra
Aquarius
Cancer
It might not be possible to put your talents to good use. Instead of cursing your fate, try to do the best you can with the work you’ve been given. Having a positive attitude will pave the way for bigger and better opportunities. Beware of falling for a sob story.
A partnership is showing signs of strain. One or both of you is putting too much emphasis on their career. Have a heart to heart discussion about your expectations for the future. You may be surprised how different your goals are. A temporary accommodation may be necessary.
Arguments about money and intimacy could erupt. You and your partner value different things. This is causing tension in your relationship. Neither one of you is right so you’ll have to meet in the middle. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to do so.
You will fall short of a goal, which is unusual for you. An accomplished person like you is used to racking up one success after another. Try not to dwell on your disappointments. Some dreams are simply not meant to be. Take this opportunity to count your blessings
Virgo
Sagittarius
Pisces
Money from an inheritance, refund or legal settlement will be delayed. You’ll have to juggle the budget to cover your expenses. Resist the urge to ask for a loan. You can remain financially independent if you are wise and careful. Be honest with a business or romantic partner about your situation.
Your plans for fun and frolics at home or abroad could suddenly come to nothing. This is very upsetting, but it can’t be helped. Financial matters demand your attention. You might have to renegotiate the terms of a loan or look for ways to make money.
A moneymaking opportunity doesn’t seem worthwhile. You want work that is more challenging. Unfortunately, it’s not available. Don’t turn down an opportunity even if it is boring. Bills need to be paid. A successful friend will try to give you career advice.
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Omar Thompson
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Within Magazine is a free magazine delivered directly to businesses and households in and around South Manchester. Website: www.withinmagazine.co.uk. Within Magazine does not assume responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and illustrations. Within Magazine reserves the right to reuse any submissions sent to Within Magazine, in any format or medium. For more details please contact us info@withinmagazine.co.uk.