Grease

Went to see Grease with Tracy and grandma last night at the Empire Theatre. It was our Christmas present to grandma for her first ever trip to the theatre. We went to Tai Pan for dinner first - Not been here for years. They were shut for a bit due to hygiene and reopened.

We got 2 main dishes - seafood udon noodles - it was SO salty. I was thirsty all night and the portion was tiny. 3 meat roast (duck, crispy pork & char siu) on the bone with rice - with giant bits of Chinese leaf

4 dim sum - har gau, crispy prawn parcels with mayonnaise, chicken feet and got char siu churn fan (not pictured) - it was really dry and cold like it'd been left out for ages.

Food wasn't great and came to just under £55. Mei Mei is definitely better and where I've been going the only thing is there's no parking as it's in central town.

After we parked outside the library to go to the Empire.

Tracy asked these random Asian guys to take our photo - this has been cropped so much as it was mainly just sky!

Our seats were so good - so central

It was the first night so there was some teething issues - sound wasn't great on some of the cast as their mic were too loud and the props department weren't having a good time! It was good they did all the main well known songs but was weird because the guys weren't called the T-Birds.

Grandma thought it finished when it was the interval. Think she was ready to go home and said it was too loud! She's so hard to buy for as she doesn't want or need anything and has no hobbies - so think we just have to get her out the house to try different things.

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19 miles

19.75 miles this morning was an absolute killer. 6 weeks away now - 5 training weeks and I'm really feeling it. Just got to keep pushing and going. I'm going so slow which isn't ideal but I'm just trying to get the miles in. My ankles are really sore so I can't even go fast even if I wanted to and the goal of doing it within 4 hours is slowly fading away. I just need to rest but feel like I don't have the time to as it's getting closer. 

No-one believes me when I say I'm retiring from running after this but I really am. Long distance running is draining and tiring. I think we're going to call today 20 miles and work our way back down now and work on trying to speed up as I really can't do the marathon at the speed I'm going now otherwise I'm never going to finish never mind do it within 4 hours. 

I am struggling but I've still got a bit or time sort of to train and sort myself out. Going to see a physio is definitely a start!

3.2 miles on Wednesday night was actually a slow one as I was still recovering from last Sunday!

On Friday night we went to Tai Pan for Jo's birthday as her birthday is on Tuesday! There was 11 of us and we ordered so much food. But it actually all got ate, only a bit of noodles and duck got took home but everything else got demolished!

Chicken feet of course!

It was nice to have a catch up with everyone out of the gym and carbing up for this morning. Didn't actually eat that much yesterday though. Went to Ikea for lunch with Jo and Rich and didn't really eat anything else the rest of the day. Only had a bit of rice and broccoli for my dinner as I was full from eating 15 meatballs from Ikea so I was surprised I wasn't hungry running that far this morning!

Didn't eat that much today either, had some rice, chicken, broccoli and sweetcorn post run then had pesto pasta, with chicken, spinach, sweetcorn, broccoli, sun dried tomatoes and avocado for my dinner tonight.

Spending the rest of the night icing my legs with bags of peas and watching tv not moving as my legs are tired!

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Dim Sum Sunday's

Me, Tracy and Laura took nanny Wing out for dim sum, yan ta at Tai Pan for her birthday. We completely forgot to take a photo in the restaurant so ended up having to get one when we were wandering round Costco! Looking like proper tourists...

Hair's looking a bit faded as I had to wash it after going for a run this morning.

Tracy and Laura got there first and started without us!

Seafood ho fan

3 meat rice

Deep fried prawn parcels

Custard buns

Chicken feet my favourite! At this all myself as Tracy and Laura have gone off them and won't eat them no more even though they loved them when they were younger too!

Half Marathon Training

Did 12.3km this morning! Don't know how I managed it as it was a struggle to walk down the stairs this morning. My legs were so tight and sore they just didn't want to work for me! But I felt so good after it and I'm so happy I did do it! 4 weeks today till the big race!! Finally just entered as well so there's no going back... Scary stuff!

Off for the week filming in the night! Going to be so weird leaving the house when I should be finishing work and getting home when I'd be getting up for work. Going to mess my sleeping pattern up so bad! Should be worth it though I'm excited!

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Tai Pan

Went to Tai Pan for yan ta - Chinese brunch with some of the gym crew - Andrea, Sarah, Lewis, Jo, Jacob, Rich and Jonny. Jonny had to leave early and didn't want to get in our photo.

Andrea, Sarah, Lewis and Jonny had never tried yan ta before so we thought it we would take them to try something different! I've never actually been with any of my mates only ever been with my family so I'll have to sort that out soon!

Selection of dim sums 

Chicken feet  my favourite!

Crispy chow mein with green beans, asparagus, mushrooms, pork and carrots

Egg tarts - also my favourite!

Jonny's orange chicken

3 meats - duck, char siu and crispy belly pork

Soup ho fun with pak choi 

Crispy belly pork

Custard buns

We ordered so much food and managed to eat all of it! They all enjoyed it and was definitely an experience. Chinese food is obviously the best not bias or anything!

We did go to the gym this morning and I did a 5k run with Jo and Jonny in the snow and hail!! I was an actual drowned rat but luckily Rich lent me his coat so was alright apart from the hail hitting me in the face actually hurt! My worst nightmare I don't do rain never mind snow/hail/sleet. I had to go to try and make up them miles 9 weeks to go!

After going to Tai Pan went to Costco with Jo, Rich and Jacob. We just went round eating all the samples. Come home and had crispy duck and pancake for dinner cos my brother was home.

I only managed 3 cos I was that full!

I was a domestic goddess yesterday I made lasagne and scones. Was in the kitchen for about 4 hours cooing and cleaning. My mum thinks I'm the worst daughter ever - well I proved her wrong didn't I.

Avocado and poached eggs on seeded bread for lunch post gym.

I thought I posted a lasagne recipe when I made it before but turns out I never so will have to get one up next time I make it again. I've made scones so many times so the recipe is here if want to make them! Productive busy weekend - back to it this week then a week off work!

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Congratulations to the happy couple!

Uncle Ray & Christine's Wedding

Wing Cousins

Wing Cousins with Nanny Wing

Pork & Jelly Fish

Scallops, Seaweed & Lettuc

Bird's Nest with Scallops, Mushrooms, Asparagus & Carrots

Crap Meat & Prawn Balls

Shark Fin Soup

Lobster!!

Lobster each!!

Duck's feet with veg

Duck

Fish

Sticky Rice

Chicken

Noodles

Cookies & Red bean in pastry

Red Bean Sweet Soup

Wedding Cake

The Menu

Dress - Diamond by Julien Macdonald Debenhams

Necklace - Mum's

Heels - Carvela Kurt Geiger

Congratulations to uncle Ray who is finally married!! Last one out of my dad's 3 brothers to be married! (He's the youngest, my dad is second oldest)

The marriage bit happened in a small room in St George's Hall & then we went to Tai Pan Restaurant to have our meal which consisted of 15 different dishes as you can see with 2 being soups! So stuffed after! The one course we were all waiting for was lobster & we couldn't believe we were getting one each! It was so good! Chinese love their fine food especially meat & seafood as you can see, sadly not for you if you're vegetarian or don't like fish cos you're missing out! 

Christine got changed 4 times, the last outfit there isn't a picture as it was what she wore to leave the restaurant to go home in. 

I wanted to get a long dress but I kinda regret wearing a long dress as I had to wear it all morning whilst doing my hair & make up otherwise I wouldn't be able to get it on so was having to carry it all around the house which was a pain same with going to the toilet! Not sure whether I want to wear a long dress again! Also I don't really like my dress but it was too late to find another!

The day went so fast I was up at 8:15am for my mum to do my make up & my hair which took a while as we used 2 curlers. Curled held it in while my mum did another bit then swapped. We left the house at 11:15am to go to St George's then left & got to the restaurant at 3. Was home by 8:45pm as everyone had work, school, uni etc but there was no after party sadly but if there was would've been better if it wasn't Sunday.

The weather wasn't great windy & cloudy compared to last Sunday where the sky was blue & the sun was shining like it was properly Spring! But at least it didn't rain so I guess it wasn't all that bad.

If this wedding was in China it would last for days & would be so much bigger with so much more food! If you ever get a chance to go to a Chinese wedding you should jump at the chance to!

Julie

XxX

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