Meeting up with old friends

Umm... perhaps "old" friends was not such a sensitive title. She's not *that* much older than us. But she does have a bus pass. Yes, this afternoon we got together with an old Corrie mate for drinks and a meal and to pass on hugs from a variety of mutual friends. We've not seen her in Manchester since our housewarming party at our previous house, which was over seven years ago.

We decided it would be fun to maintain the Corrie connection by starting off at the Grapes - the pub in town owned by Liz Dawn. It has a nice atmosphere and although the beer isn't the best, it is passable. We found some very comfortable armchairs and settled back (almost too far back) for a natter. As usual it was difficult to make yourself heard over the bar music and we hadn't helped ourselves by sitting almost directly under one of the speakers, so after only one pint we ventured further down Deansgate and onto Liverpool Road in the direction of the Ox. Another old favourite of ours - we've even stayed there on occasion - and another pub with a Corrie connection (in this case, the site of the general assembly of fans last time we visited the set).

Food at the Ox continues to win awards, so along with a pint of Deuchars we found ourselves a table and ordered something substantial from the menu. Pork & Leek sausages on herby mash for me, followed by a delicious raspberry & vanilla panacotta.

I've noticed recently that although pub portions often look small when they arrive, they prove extremely filling. Maybe they've discovered a secret ingredient that expands in the stomach, or maybe it's an age thing. Either way, once we were done no-one had room for more beer, and having talked non-stop for four hours or more there was no more catching up to be done, so we headed home.