326: Sweethearts and Sisters (it's an in-joke, that)

Ever since moving house I've been all out of sorts – pretty much settled now in terms of kitchen and bedroom, but the office space/living room area is all higgledy piggledy and squiggly wiggly, that will not do- i must dive head first into a boxy pit to find blu-tac and medicines. Still can't find the printer ink; and now my books are all in disarray – it's a modern day Tempest and shit. The previous residents (you know who you are) have left an iron burn on the bedroom carpet, and a spattered selection of wall-mounted mould and mildew in the corners and above the window. There are crumbs in the kitchen draws and sticky shelves in the refridge'. On the plus there is all the chilli powders, flakes and peppers a boy could ever hope for.

Nearby Chorlton seems to be a haven for second-hand book geeks like me, and it has a top-notch fishmonger that even stretches to octopus and sashimi-grade tuna. I'm a get me some crabs and pop them in the pot for me dinner. Still have loads of second-hand shops to trawl for glossy art books and tatty ol' pulp sci-fi before sucking the jerked chicken from its bones. Visited the hippy haven (Excuse me, where is the cheese, the honey, the meat!??) Unicorn Grocery for the first time, where I thoroughly enjoyed sniffing the fresh, yeasty odour of fresh yeast. It reminds me of being a little boy on a Saturday morning, visiting the old Lancaster market with my mum and dad ; buying fresh yeast , a living breathing life , in a little white paper bag. We would walk up the aisle lined up and down either side with fishmongers, and stare with our cold wet dead eyes at the shiny piscine-optics behind the glass. Where are they now -?- the fishmongers, not the fish.

So, er; oh yeah, books. Here's the books wot i did bought – sci fi with pretty covers, mmm:

Also found in Chortlton of interest to many is the Wetherspoon's pub The Sedge Lynn, a former billiard hall built by the Temperance Movement (specifically the Temperance Hall Billiard Company) as a safe haven where gentlemen could play a spot of pool free from the temptations of the demon alcohol. Happily we at the un-Temperance Movement have triumphed and drunkardlyness has trumped sober-snooker : Huzzah!

The least rubbish of the two shitty photos of The Sedge Lynn on the Wetherspoon's website.
They both manage to hide all of the buildings interesting features ; the bar itself has a large art deco
style sort-of proscenium arch behind it, completely ignored by the crappy photographer.

Last note of interest in Chorlton that eye spied with all four of my eyes, is a community allotment where one can go for a bit of fresh air and health stooping, weeding and shovelling in exchange for a pile of vegetables, tubers and fruits, and the pleasant ache of a hard days work. Grow-for-it by clicking here. For a little BBC-style balance, and so as not to risk triggering the fifth Chorlton inter-community allotment riot of the year, there is also a community allotment around the corner: The Lost Plot. I'm sure they are both jolly.

Good night :)