People are A-Moving

Last week I found out that my sister had got a new job in Manchester and will be moving in a month. Very exciting!

Today one of my closest friends has moved to Manchester and I am about to head out to meet her.

Lu is now a Manc lass!

 As well as this, two old friends from  Newcastle will be moving to Manchester this summer!!

It seems that Manchester is the place to be for 2011. The picture above is of Albert's Square. It is one of my favourite parts of Manchester and I look forward to many a summery walk round the fountain and lazy afternoons sitting outside one of the eateries that surround the square.

I do have one concern for the immediate present however. Now I have two people I'm very close to moving to Manchester will it mean that I find more excuses to drink? Last minute meet ups in the pub, someone to call for a drink after a stressful day, someone to cook for and therefore of course share a bottle of wine or three...

A friend of mine said to me today via one of the many social networking sites that she was glad I was questioning my relationship to alcohol. Even though I didn't think about it that way when I first started this blog (a whole 1 1/2 days ago!) I realise that that is something I do want to achieve from abstaining from drinking. I don't want the month to be over and for me to then return to my daily drinking, which may even get worse as I have been off it for so long.

What I really want to gain from this month is to re-teach myself what I actually love about my friends and family. And that is not the opportunity to drink more than I should, but for the conversations shared, advice given, timely hugs, and generally time spent in their company. If (after this month) one or two glasses of wine occasionally accompanies this then fine, but it should not become the reason for me to seek the company of loved ones.