It’s been quite some time since my last blog, in fact, since that point, me and Hannah have shared our first New Year together in the UK, and, the beginning of the next chapter is starting to become clearer. Let’s get to it;
New Year in the UK, Hannah was, not as impressed, but, eventually, she got something as a late Birthday pressie ❆
I remember when celebrating New Year in the Philippines with Hannah, and, let’s just say, compared to the UK, it couldn’t be more different. They have games, there’s noise, there’s karaoke, of which, doesn’t end even until the next day, it’s chaos. Here? Not so much.
You’ll recall in my 2025 In Review blog, Hannah didn’t really like Christmas in the UK, and, generally, it wasn’t a really good one. So, how about New Year’s Day… well, we didn’t really improve that impression so much. Although, I think Hannah was impressed with the Fireworks at London, shown on the TV, everything else, though, was very boring for her.
But, we weren’t done yet, ohh no, because we had to bring the New Year in. Yeah, it’s a weird old tradition my Mum does by going outside the moment the year changes and brings in some Coal. The piece of Coal we use is actually a piece that my late Grandad stole (but, not really, for legal reasons) from a Train shed. So, it’s not just the bringing in the Coal, it’s also a piece of history from my Grandad.
Sure, these were purchased for Bonfire Night, but, I think they work better for New Year’s. Ohh yes, we started 2026 off in our Garden in the rather on-off rain, with Sparklers. Thankfully, this time, there was none of Hannah’s family to burn my finger whilst lighting it. Though, I’ll admit, the memory of this made me more careful than maybe I had to be. After that, though, admittedly, it was just a case of move on and get some sleep.
But, of course New Year’s Day isn’t just the day that brings in the new year, it’s also, of course, Hannah’s Birthday. The day was treated, pretty much, uniquely as such. I’d made Hannah a Chocolate Cake for her Birthday, mostly as she doesn’t like sponge ones. Thankfully, the Cake went down well.
Aside from the obvious gifts and garter, what else did we do on Hannah’s birthday? Well, because it falls on New Year’s Day, we did the square root of … nothing. I’m sorry, but, nothing is ever open on New Year, and, for good reason… Oddly, though, with one exception… Heron Foods 🤷♂️. So, yeah, we went there. What followed was, what would become the beginning of, Hannah’s new obsession with finding Chocolates that have been discounted following the Christmas period. This would continue for weeks, and, I imagine to talk about the result of this later this year following our Philippines trip, foundations of which you’ll be able to read about later.
One other thing that was open was the Chinese takeaway, so, Hannah was also treated to her usual Singapore Noodles, extra spicy ones, of course. Even I chipped in, quite literally, and got myself some Chips. Obviously, the Chinese celebrate New Year completely different to us, so, ours is fine. They were consumed during a rather awkward moment where my Dad was annoyed that my Mum was out having some drinks later than what was agreed. Fun times for all, I think you’ll agree.
Overall, I don’t think it was a terrible day, I mean, as far as New Year is concerned, I’m not particularly bothered how that goes, as far as Hannah’s birthday is concerned, well, if her Mum just waiting 24 hours and had her on the 2nd, there’d be more opportunities wouldn’t there 😂. Though, I think this year, not just as a result of Christmas and New Year, but, generally, has Hannah more than interested in going to the Philippines. Granted, that won’t be in the 2027 New Year, but, I’m sure she’ll be thinking of ways.
OK, I’m, kind of cheating on this one, to say Hannah got snow on her Birthday, but, hey, that’s one thing you won’t ever get from a Birthday in the Philippines. But, yes, this was a few days after, but that didn’t stop Hannah being very keen to make the most of it. This did create a rather amusing moment where the next-door neighbour just collapsed back on to the snow and created a snow angel. Hannah, herself, ended up making one much smaller, naturally, next to the one the neighbour had made. Otherwise, it was the usual, Cameras, snapshots galore. I’m sure, if others were willing, TikTok would have gone through, as well.
MY BIRTHDAY WEEK
Birthday Week off!
Kinda crazy to think, but, yeah, with the exception of College days, or it landing on weekends, I’ve never really booked my Birthday off for some reason. But, with Hannah here, ironically, I’ve find myself with more time off availability than I know what to do with so, thought, heck, why not. This is especially true as, definitely the past few years, I was just using my holiday pot to see Hannah in the Philippines, something completely unnecessary now. Don’t get me wrong, as I’ve mentioned previously, I’m not someone who’s, generally, that bothered about my Birthday. I stand by the belief that once you pass “legal age”, so; like 18 in the UK, or, 21 in US, it really doesn’t matter anymore. Obviously, it’s nice when people acknowledge it, but, as far as an in-your-face celebration, I would much rather not.
Although, whilst I’m in a slightly ranting mood, I just want to point the finger at Work, to be honest. All year, every year, you’ll get a Card snuck around the office to write “Happy Birthday” to, 9 times out of 10, someone you couldn’t give a cahoots about, which you never see again, until the next time where it’s rinse, repeat. Never in the history of working, have I ever had one for me. This, as I said earlier, hasn’t bothered me as birthdays are rather nothing, but, this year was a bit more annoying as I was literally promised one. So, now, I’m in a situation where I’m promised something that, sure, I’m not that bothered about, but, now I’m given this assertion I’d get one, to then, not, I’m now bothered. Although, I think, with the year coming up, I’d of liked to have still had one as it’ll probably be the last, and, first, if you think about it, time I’ll ever be able to get one there. But, alas. I did get a Gift like, be it a last minute thing, but you get where I’m coming from.
But, this is a Birthday week off, so, why we going on about work, let’s get into some things I got up to, including, essentially, a week of Chippies, yum. Let’s get to it;
A week of very different Fish and Chips!
As a man who’s leaps and bounds more British than Britain feels anymore, that’s for sure… I digress, my favourite meal has to be Fish and Chips. But, only when it’s done right. Then, of course, it’s incredible. So, that’s likely why I have been treated to a Fish and Chips meal at, what has been described as, by many, the best Fish and Chips you can get, located near Leeds Bradford Airport, Murgatroyds. Obviously, with such high praise, the connoisseur in me had to check this place out. BUT, that certainly wouldn’t be the only Fish and Chips experience I would be having on my Birthday week, ohh no. For this one, we’re going all in.
Because, before we get to the quality stuff, we head down to something a bit more, interesting… Well, hey, it might be good. Over Christmas as you may or may not know I’ve been getting increasingly frustrated with chocolate containing palm oil, so, on my fight to find good chocolate without it, we stumbled upon M&S. And, honestly, it’s bluddy good. But it was whilst shopping for more, I found something rather funny, let’s stick to interesting. A Fish and Chips ready meal. On paper, that sounds absolutely disgusting, but, hey, let’s find out. Speaking of chocolate without Palm Oil, Tony’s is also very good.
So, essentially, or at least throughout, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, I’d be consuming Fish and Chips, in some variety or other. Even if my Birthday was on Tuesday 3rd (can’t always guarantee people’s availability), but, that’s just how it’s worked out.
So, here we go, here’s 4 Fish and Chips meals, all rated and reviewed. 🐠🍟
Monday: M&S Ready Meal Fish & Chips
I mean, sure, what could possibly go wrong, right? … Well, here’s the thing. It was… actually good … I know! I’m not sure if it was the consistent string of low expectations I’d set prior, but, no, this was actually decent. But, and it’s a big but, I do wish it was made with Haddock, and not Cod. Same way I wish that all pubs that offered Fish and Chips didn’t choose Cod. But, hey, could be worse and be a cheaper garbage Fish like Pollock etc. But, even for Cod, it was decent.
My biggest concern was, actually, not the Fish. I mean, sure, it could have been awful, but, Fish cooked in an Oven isn’t really something too difficult to achieve. Well, unless you’re Birds Eye who, miraculously, make Fish Fingers that taste good, but Fillets that are awful… make it make sense. But yeah, I was, actually, more concerned about the Chips. For one, you don’t get many, but, the ones you do get are chunky buggers. You only need to look at companies like McCain’s to find Oven Chips that taste bland, dry and tasteless, but, no, surprisingly, these were very decent indeed. The chips had just the right amount of fluffiness, and whilst remained fairly white, I’d recommend who’s cooking to ensure there’s a bit of edging on them for that crunchy taste.
UPDATE: This meal is purchased and recommended to be put in the Fridge, stating, though, it can be Frozen. Don’t! It tastes completely different, the Chips are bland and it’s rubbish. This may explain the mixed reviews on the M&S website. But, I did it correctly and that’s how my review followed it.
But yeah, no word of a lie, this was actually a very enjoyable meal, and, I’ve put my money where my mouth is and got more, since this blog. Portion wise, sure, I’d of liked a bit more, but, anyone who knows the way I eat breakfast cereal probably won’t be surprised to hear that. For anyone else, there’s probably plenty. Although, I admit, one of the biggest reasons I thought these would be rubbish is that I thought this was a Microwave meal, but, it’s not, it’s an Oven meal. Although, for 20 minutes, it’s quick, convenient, and, very nice.
Wednesday: Murgatroyds Haddock & Chips
This was the big one. The big birthday do at the Murgatroyds Fish and Chips shop. Well, to be more specific, restaurant. This was the place that was bragged about by many, raved about by many, spoke about repeatedly by all who’s visited. Well, except my Dad, so far, I don’t believe he’s gone. So, as you can imagine, the expectations were set very high. But, I think with such high expectations, that was always going to be the shortfall, really. Where I never expected M&S Fish and Chips to be good, meaning, I was pleasantly surprised that it was, with Murgatroyds, the expectation was set sooo high, it meant, we were always going to be disappointed.
To be clear, they’re not bad… at all, in fact, they’re very nice. But, when everyone tells you how absolutely incredible something is, for it, then, to just be, alright, it is a bit disappointing. You’re told to expect 10/10, so, even if they stretched to a 9, you’d be let down, due to the hype. Despite saying that, however, the plates were empty clean at the end, so, I can’t really complain too much. But, another reason I wasn’t complaining was that I didn’t foot the bill, because this place is EXPENSIVE! Covering my Mum, sister, me and Hannah, we were well over £50, just for the Fish and Chips.
One thing that was a bit disappointing was the Table we were given. We were sat right next to the entrance, meaning, especially as we got closer to lunch time, there was a consistent draft every time it was open. Hannah would probably add she was disappointed with the Food, but to be fair, she had a Lasagne at a Fish and Chips shop. Although, if we ever do go back, she preferred my Mums starter she had a bite from. Speaking of getting there, yeah, it’s not, exactly, local, but, if you’re on your way to Leeds Bradford Airport, you’ll pass it. This does mean that every Leeds Bradford bus from Leeds, does go past it, so, technically, we could bus to it.
Just before it was time to go, came the question of desserts. I’d no interest, Hannah was talking up one, but, I convinced her not to, and, as it turns out, with good reason. My sister got an Ice cream that was too big, so Hannah ended up with a scoop, which, by itself, was too big for Hannah. But, after all that, that was it, time to go. …Well, the intention was to go home. Hilariously, whilst attempting to go home, my Sister had an issue with her Satnav. By requesting it to go home, unbeknownst to her, it had been set to a Car showroom by her husband. Thankfully, some of us, namely, me, noticed this, and made sure we didn’t go to Pontefract. Once we’d headed back home, Hannah decided to take out the rest of her Lasagne, and at it later at home., concluding the majority of the day.
Friday: Local Fish & Chips shop
Probably the only sense of normality in the week came on the Friday. Friday’s are meant for Fish and Chips, so, here we are. Our local Fish and Chips shop is Richard’s Family Fisheries. We had dabbled at a Chippy at Shears, but, that went from being, literally, 10/10, to just being very below average and disgusting, so, we were stuck with our average one. I’m not saying Richards is awful, but, it’s nice enough, and, normally, consistent. But, even though, the following week was better, that does not defend what we got on the week of the Fish and Chips week, it was absolutely awful.
The Chips were just bland, undercooked, tasteless. The Fish was more bite than might. Yeah, I have to say, I was incredibly disappointed. Such a shame, really. Not much more I can add to that. They’ve also been below average now rather consistently since, as well. -sigh-
Sunday: Wetherspoons Fish and Chips
Maybe if Richards were better, I wouldn’t have been craving somewhere else, but, hey, why not. I found myself at Spoons on the Sunday, so, I thought, this is perfect. I’ve been having Fish and Chips every two-days this week, and, this would perfectly complete it. When you go to Spoons, you can order Fish and Chips with Peas, Beans (oddly) and some other stuff, for me, I want just Fish and Chips, so I made sure of that. Didn’t stop them putting a Lemon next to it, still never understood why.
At this particular Spoons, I, regularly, get myself a few Chips. Sometimes they’re just right, sometimes, they’re simply, not. This time, they were on form, you can tell by looking at them. The Fish, I’ll admit, wasn’t extraordinary, but much nicer than the crap from Richards, so, no, I actually enjoyed it. I will say there’s nothing more disgusting than Fish and Chips and a Pint, so, I focus on eating the entire Fish and Chips before drinking. But, then, it’s a good combination.
Summary
So, there we have it, 4 different Fish and Chips, from multiple different avenues, all with very different results. From a Ready Meal, to Restaurant, an actual Chippy and a Pub, we went all in for this one. Whilst most I think reached how they were expected, or, will always do, Richard’s really was a let down. Anyway, let’s get back to the actual birthday.
Celebrating my ACTUAL Birthday 🎂
In between a week of consuming Fish and Chips, believe it or not, was my actual Birthday, on the Tuesday. And, in between trying to get over a rough cough which, honestly, ruined my time-off work, in between all of this, came the day itself. As is traditional, my Mum made me a very delicious Birthday Cake, as all Cakes you can purchase are now absolutely disgusting and riddled with sweeteners and preservatives. This was also another Birthday I was able to celebrate alongside Hannah.
I think it’s fair to say Hannah has learned now that I’m not one for the attention-seeking, in your face celebrations. She tried that with a definite sense of realisation that I’d rather she didn’t. So, on paper, this was a rather uneventful day, in reality, which, really, is how I prefer it. Crazily, this made Hannah actually want to consider going to work, instead, which is just bad, really, let’s be honest.
Whether feeling guilty, or, otherwise, Hannah did, eventually, decided to get me something’s for my Birthday from the Supermarket. I ended up with some Cereal, Scones and some reduced Flowers. Look, I wouldn’t normally point out that they were reduced, it was just the fact that when she passed them to me, the huge Yellow sticker was right in my eye-line. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the Scones, I enjoyed the Cereal, I’m not being ungrateful, just, next time Hannah, at least take off the sticker.
So, yeah, a rather empty Birthday, but, par for the course, so mustn’t grumble.
Valentine’s Day
I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day, I remain on the view that is a consumer scam event, invented by the Retail industry, used to victimise men into buying pointless tat… aaand here we are again doing just that 😂. Yeahhhh. To make up for it, though, I decided to add a bit of difference to it, so, went for this rather awesome 3D pop-up Valentines Card, as well as some matching Chocolates.
This time, Valentine’s Day fell on a day that Hannah was working, meaning, that it worked out best to meet her afterwards. Thankfully, she didn’t finish too late so we were still able to do things after. This also gave me opportunity to get some fresh Flowers, which I did. Then, met up with her with all her goodies, and we decided to watch a Movie. Unfortunately, for me, the Movie choice was the typical soppy-romance choice that was out at the time. In this case, the 2026 version of Wuthering Heights.
Now, I don’t really fancy doing a review of Wuthering Heights because, quite frankly, it was shit, but, I think Hannah enjoyed it. In the end, ironically, I think my Mum was jealous we’d seen that as she’s a huge fan of the earlier versions. I think Martin Clunes portrayed a very good Earnshore, matching the differing stages very well. I will say this, the Cinema was packed. I can’t remember the last time we went to see any Movie in the Cinema and it was this busy. Of course, it was full of couples. All the women going “aww, how sweet… awww, how sad”, and the men all going “god, this is shit”. We all felt the same pain.
Eventually, thankfully, it was over, and we were able to head back. Once we got back, it must have taken a good hour to build that M&S 3D Valentines Card, it was, admittedly, quite the challenge. But, once it was up, the day had reached its post, and that was that.
Hannah’s back to the Philippines
Not long after Valentine’s Day, a week, in fact, it was time for me and Hannah to part. But, don’t worry, nothing will ever come up to extend that time any further… right …🇮🇷…
We’d decided, pretty early, that me and Hannah were going to go to the Philippines together around March 2026, of course there’s an additional reason for March, but, that’s a story for later this year. Hannah, however, wasn’t satisfied with just March, so, she decided to make the decision to go alone 2 weeks earlier in February. I was actually, very, fine with this, as this gave Hannah the chance to catch up on everything in the Philippines, without me, and, for my side of things, could just chill for a couple of weeks, work, prepare for when it’s time to fly.
For this reason of, really, being only 2 weeks apart, the trip to the Airport wasn’t really as emotional as it usually is. But, that didn’t stop that added bit of stress to the whole occasion. Hannah had decided to bring more chocolate than has ever been produced in the history of the world inside her Luggage and, as a result… yeah, she’s over the weight allowance. After a bit of resolving, we were good. Annoyance at the actual Airport involved, well, first my Dad decided to set off too early, then, having to navigate from two Terminals over to our actual destination. But, at least we’d only have to do it once…ohh, Hannah’s left her phone in the car…..back we go.
Thankfully, that was the brunt of any additions. Well, until Hannah decided she was thirsty, so, as Terminal 2 in Manchester is terrible and lacks anything worth consuming, the only thing really there for anyone, was Starbucks, so, I spent a kidney on that so everyone was satisfied. Although, I have to say, we’re not entirely sure whether Hannah picked up the actual correct drink. I’m sure she ordered a cold drink, then, ended up with a warm one, but hey… just keep walking.
Then, it was time. Hannah headed to the Departures, we all hugged, kissed Hannah goodbye and she was off. But, the good thing is, as I said at the start, this is just 2 weeks, so, absolutely nothing will come between us seeing each other until that time, right?? …………….
There’s a war on…
Literally the weekend after Hannah arrived in the Philippines, some things happened in the Middle East, specifically, TL;DR – Israel and USA vs Iran. Now, obviously, the Philippines is not in the Middle East, neither is the UK, so, why is this relevant? Well, you can’t really avoid it when it comes to traveling between. To get to places like the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, etc, you’re, pretty much, guaranteed to pass through Arab countries. This isn’t just because they fall in the eye-line, but, also because the only real ways to get to those Counties is using airlines like Emirates and Qatar.
But, even so, there was a clean week before I was set to fly, so, things were still looking fairly fine, and, should work themselves out by that point, right?
Well…
Yep, as the week began to when I was supposed to fly, it happened. On the Wednesday, flight cancelled. To be clear, the Manchester to Dubai flight, was perfectly fine, it was the after that was the issue. So, what to do? Well, Emirates, like the rest of them, to be fair, gave everyone two clear-cut options; 1. Contact and book a new Flight, or, 2. Request a full refund. If my Mum had it her way, I’d of been selecting option 2, without any real effort to move any further. But, I had a lot riding on this Trip, including a non-refundable Hotel, so, I was more keen to get this resolved, otherwise.
Luckily, the original plan, was to arrive on Wednesday, stay at a House in the Philippines, then, my Hotel wasn’t until Saturday (for check-in), so, the hope was, I would be able to get there before that would be an impacted problem. Well… no. After, quite the experience (more on that later), to get through, I finally reached Emirates who gave me three choices;
- Divert through South Korea: This would mean flying the same first flight from Thursday, but, instead flying to South Korea, specifically, Seoul. Then, they’d pay for a Korean Air flight, to get me to Cebu
- Divert through Manila: Yes, Emirates were, and still are, flying to the Philippines, but, only to the Capital. Again, Manchester flight would take place on Thursday. Then, once in Manila, they’d pay for a Philippines Airlines flight, to move me from Manila to Cebu.
- Wait for Cebu to resume: At the time, Emirates were promising to resume operations to Cebu, from Dubai, on Sunday, so, I could fly from Manchester on Saturday 14th
Quite a lot to think about. But, for obvious reasons, even though this will cause annoyances with the Hotel, I decided to choose the Cebu option. The trouble with the other 2 options was, honestly, time. The Korea option wasn’t, terrible, but, quite a bit of waiting around. The Manila option, simply, was! 12 hours in Dubai, waiting for a Manila flight, then 9 hours in Manila to wait for a Cebu flight… yeahhh, no thank you. PLUS, you’d need to get your Luggage back in Manila, to go back in, re-check in your Luggage for Cebu. Mayhem.
But, we’re re-booked so all is g….. ohhh. Flight cancelled, AGAIN!
Take two…
All of a sudden, back to square one. At this point, honestly, I was ready to just give up, get a Flight refund, and try my Travel Insurance and make a Claim for the Hotel. But, after some persuasion from Hannah … well, let’s be real, entirely due to persuasion from Hannah … there I was, again, ringing Emirates at the crack of, the, barely, morning. Because, getting through to them during the day is, IMPOSSIBLE, right now. This isn’t the norm, because I once had to ring them a few years ago and it took barely 3 minutes after the options, so, this is, obviously, unprecedented circumstances. To make matters worse, the number never worked, although, that could be an issue with my phone, as when I rung through my Mac, it worked immediately.
I’ll be honest, compared to the first time, I was a lot more pessimistic. I’m not sure if this was spreading because I got through to one of the most depressed sounding people I’ve ever spoken to on any Customer Service. Seriously, give this girl something to live for, she was down, she was tired, she was done with the world. And, surprise, not very helpful. **Yawn, umm, yeah, you’ll just have to like, Manila, maybe and get yourself to Cebu… umm, ohhh yeah just cancel on our website emirauuguuuu dot com** … wow. At this point, I was telling Hannah that there was no way of going. But, I still ended up ringing again, as Hannah has this idea of meeting me in Manila, to make up for the bullshit times between that and Cebu. Plus, I think we can all agree, the woman I got, probably didn’t give us much help.
Second time in, got through (at usual around 50 minute wait), to someone who, at least, sounded alive, which is something. To be clear, my very first call was pleasant, as was this one, so, it really was just one lonely soul. It was here that Manila was confirmed a bit more clearly. The wait times, though, no matter how much Hannah gestured, was a straight, NO. Not doing that. Then, Hannah was like, what about Korea? Is that still not an option? So, I just brought it up, saying, hey, this is second time I’m rebooking this and South Korea was an option last time, is that no longer the case? What followed was around 3 to 4 minutes of typing, sighing, and, yes, tutting. I think, ideally, Emirates were trying to avoid paying for a rival Airline, or, at least paying a lot for one. I was thinking, damn, I’ve not broken her too, have I. Thankfully, not. She came back and, yes, was offered the same option as before, option 1, if you recall from before.
And, that is where we stand. I will be flying to the Philippines, in fact, the day this blog is released, is the day I’m flying, so, as you’re reading this, I, either, am, or, have flown. Going to be quite the adventure, though, I mean, look at my roadmap;
MANCHESTER > DUBAI. DUBAI > SEOUL. SEOUL > CEBU
I’ll land in Cebu at 10:20PM (local time) on Sunday … ugh. That’s going to be… fun. This will, also, be a day after I’m supposed to check-in to the Hotel. So, arrangements were made, before I flew, to get Hannah, via me creating an Authorisation letter, to check-in to the Hotel on the Saturday. That way, when I did arrive, it’s as simple as, get an Airport Taxi to the Hotel, and straight to the Room with the Key already in hand, then, collapse. That’s the plan, anyway. Let’s see how things go.
I will be back with a follow up to this later in the next blog. So, should be interesting.
A lot coming up…
I hinted in this blog that there’s a reason that March was the date we went to the Philippines, and, their certainly is, but, that’s something we’re going to cover in my next blog. It’s work related, life related, and, well, just the next chapter of a lot of things going forward.
Plus, I feel like a lot of things deserve a send off they deserve. For those who know, they already know, and I’ve given those important to me a little thank you for everything. I’ll be making that a lot more clearer in the upcoming blog. Of course, that’s if I get back from the Philippines alive… yeah. But, in all seriousness, a big step has been taken, a risk you could argue, but, it means the rest of this year will be shaped on how we tackle it. So, let’s just go for it.
As far as getting back is concerned, I, personally, don’t think getting back should be an issue, it’s just a shame all of this mayhem has happened, when it did. Couldn’t they have waiting until April, so, selfish. But, for now, I think that, just about, catches you up, for now, at least.
BEHANN 