For yesterday, jeez, London Social Detours finally had an afternoon Meetup again! She was reading from one of her Tudor books again - this time, it was a talk about Edward VI, Queen Jane, and Mary I. Well, it'd been ages since I was at a Meetup - it'd make a nice change, so I signed up.
And it was actually very informative! We learned such things as that Edward, whom we'd always thought was a sickly boy, was actually quite healthy until his last few years. We learned that Jane wanted to marry someone else - and we learned that Mary might actually have been quite a good ruler, had she stayed alive long enough. All of that didn't stop the narrator's voice nearly putting me to sleep again, mind. (Funnily enough, during the chat afterwards, she mentioned that - embarrassingly - someone had once fallen asleep during one of her talks! Not just me, then.) A couple of minor glitches saw her first forget to start the slideshow, then forget which slide she was on. Nothing major, though.
It was nice to see everyone again - and as I was the only participant from Ireland, they were keen to find out what the lockdown was like over here. Frustrating, is the answer - I need a battery in one watch and a strap on another, but the nearest place I can get that done is well over the 5km limit that's been imposed on us, and it wouldn't be classified as an "essential purpose". Actually, the jeweller's must be closed anyway. Ditto, I need to activate a new bank card, but need to go that far for the right bank's ATM. But I never thought it was so ridiculous as when I heard this evening that newsagents, while still open, are being banned from selling greeting cards and flowers! Jeez, just as well I squeezed in the purchase of a card for my mother's birthday, then! Not to mention that you'd better not run out of underwear, because that's not essential either. The sheer obstinacy of the politician explaining that to us on a current affairs programme this evening.. all I can say is, they ain't being re-elected..
Anyway, I digress. Frequently. Back to the chat, which went rapidly downhill when someone mentioned that she'd bitten the bullet and joined an online dating service. Several people chipped in with anecdotes and advice, and as for those who didn't - I've never seen so many people drop off a call so fast. Including me - first time I've done that, but my back hurt, I couldn't change position because of the position of the light, and I was bored out of my tree. Ah well, at least the talk itself was interesting.
Now, today was supposed to be film again. I decided to check out the Raindance site - this is an annual film festival in London, which this year has gone partly online. What's available seems to be in the short film categories, and is free. And it's taken me this long to go through the offerings and see what's worth seeing! Most aren't yet rated on IMDB, but I'm happy to have a look at what's there - when I get a moment. Not tonight, I think. Some are very highly rated. Check it out.. runs till the 7th.
Or indeed, what I might do - perhaps tomorrow, if I have an opening - is watch the concert we were reminded of at the last minute, courtesy of the World Music Meetup, which took place this evening at St. Mary's Church, Rotherhithe. A sell-out, apparently, and now available at several different links.
Tomorrow, the annual Dublin Bram Stoker Festival goes virtual. Whoopee! Several events happening over the next three days - and most seem to be free. One, I've booked for tomorrow evening - called Eternal, it's an immersive audio experience, designed for someone lying in bed, alone, with headphones on and the lights off. Woohoo, looking forward to that! Something to do with how far you'd go to achieve eternal life, it seems. I have to borrow my mother's headphones - didn't have room to pack my own, when I moved back. I'll check out what else to go to, over the duration of the festival.
Another spooky thing you could do for Hallowe'en is Paranormal Researchers Ireland's livestream from Loftus Hall, advertised as Ireland's most haunted building. €9.99 covers you for the weekend, it seems.. I am curious! Again, won't start tonight. Or there's Alternative Dublin, which is running virtual walking tours over the next two days.. evenings only, at a time that doesn't work for me, sadly.
And after all that, on Monday, wooo.. the Crick Crack Club is celebrating the Day of the Dead with a livestreamed show featuring just about everybody! I booked my ticket weeks ago.. it's listed as Tuesday on the site, which is a misprint. I think it's being broadcast from Bristol. They still have to send me my Zoom link, mind..
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