Christie & Amber's Week of Fun!

Sorry for the crap title, I couldn't think of anything witty so I decided to go for the oft-copied "Joey and Janice's Day of Fuuuuuuun!" formula. Don't judge me.

Anyway, as you may have been about to glean from the poorly written name of this post, Amber (the Girlf) and I went back to Lincoln for a week in order to get some time away from the humdrum silence of home. We're both students in Lincoln and I have a house there, and what with my house-mates being in Edinburgh all last week, it seemed perfect that we could have some time to ourselves.

So that's what we did!

I shan't go into too much detail because I don't want to sound like your Nan after her third gin and tonic of the night when the holiday snaps come out. What I will do, however, is give you a run down of some of my favourite places/events of the week

The Coffee Aroma Logo
 Branded Onto a Tray.

When we arrived we got a taxi to my house, given that it's at the top of Steep Hill and neither of us fancied carrying our luggage up that beast. Especially given that I would've ended up carrying Amber's bag too and she seemed to have packed more than any human being could ever need for a week away! (Sorry dear!) However, this did mean I'd have to wait EVEN longer to get to one of my favourite places of all time; Coffee Aroma.

The Usual.

Coffee Aroma is a home away from home away from home to me. The coffee is heavenly beyond words, the cakes are trouser-tighteningly good and the atmosphere is incredible. The owner, Richard, has done an utterly incredible job in bringing this wonderful little establishment to the streets of Lincoln, and I, for one, couldn't be happier that it's there. I'm especially thrilled that each year, most of the freshers seems to overlook it in favour of their f*cking Starbucks Mochafrappacrappachinos with soya milk and extra syrups, leaving Aroma with the select few coffee-lovers who seem to appreciate and understand the place.

Amber Wears My Glasses
At Coffee Aroma.

Me Enjoying The Usual.

Long may it continue.

The thing about Coffee Aroma that makes it a cut above (aside from everything else I mentioned above) is the personal touch, every single person that works there is a character and you begin to get to know all of them with every repeat visit. They begin to know you, as well, along with your "usual" order. Seriously, there's no greater feeling that being able to in and order "The Usual". It makes me feel cool, though I'm certain I sound like a twat.

Vintage Biker Jacket @ Mr Bojangles.

The next place on my list of Lincoln Favourites would be Mr Bojangles Vintage. Run by a friend of mine, Mark Goddard, Bojangles boasts an absolutely MASSIVE array of quality vintage garments in all styles, shapes and sizes. The shop itself is modest in size yet packs a huge punch in terms of spectacle and range of products

I regularly go and check back with Mark to see what new stock he may have for me to in awe of, and it often works! On my first visit there on my trip with Ambs, I discovered a beautiful vintage biker jacket in exactly the size and style I'd been on the look out for. Result!

The Tinjo.

One of the other things that Mark had on display was the beautiful 'Tinjo'. An instrument made out of an old biscuit tin an absolutely stunning, hand made neck, this truly plays like a dream, and they're not going to break the bank either!

This was made by Different Strings and is a real belter! I'll place a link to their website at the bottom of this blog so, if you feel inclined, you can contact them about buying one of their wonderful products, or commissioning an incredible one off piece which will be sure to turn heads.

Now many of you may know that I like my records. I know that makes me sound like a pretentious, hipster idiot, but I don't care. I've loved vinyl for many years and I'm proud of the collection I've amassed recently. This is thanks, in no small part, to Back To Mono.

Back To Mono is the fantastic little shop packed to the rafters with an incredible amount of quality vinyl at ridiculously low prices. I will just say that if you're going to go and have a look around, keep your afternoon free, you may end up spending quite a long time in there.

That Thing You Do!

Amber and I were looking more for her than for me, she'd recently received a gorgeous Dansette record player from her mother for her birthday and she wanted to begin her collection in earnest.

And that she did.

The Play-Tone Label.

I may have also bought a few bits myself...


My favourite of which is this little beauty. "That Thing You Do!" by The Wonders - this a rare 90's gem that I've been in search of for many a year. This was released as promo material for the Tom Hanks film of the same name. I was thrilled to the core to see it, especially as I'd virtually given up hope of finding one, and then there it was... and at only £5 I couldn't pass it up! See what I mean by how cheap things are?!

A Pint of Alpine.

Amber Enjoys Her Pint.

 The final spot on my little list is Widow Cullen's Well; a beautiful little pub situated at the top of Steep Hill where the atmosphere is always friendly and the beer is always cold. And cheap.

Oh so cheap.

£1.65 a pint?! It's unheard of these days.

There's not much else to say about the Well except that it's best enjoyed with good friends and that when you go, be sure to sit upstairs because, in the words of Amber "it gives the best sense of not being hit on by dirty old men."

Wise words indeed.

Upstairs @ The Well.

Sorry for the essay, and if you ever find yourselves in Lincoln, be sure to check out some of these spots, you won't be disappointed!

Links:
Coffee Aroma's Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/CoffeeAroma
Mr Bojangles' Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/groups/121145184603493/
Different Strings' Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/Differentstringsguitars?ref=ts
Back to Mono's Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Back-to-Mono/137562496331894
Widow Cullen's Well Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Widow-Cullens-Well/101754349887243
Amber's Blog - http://thewayamberseesit.blogspot.co.uk/