Vespers

This evening, back with Bucket List London (BLL) - who obligingly was doing something midweek! I had to skip off work early - this was for vespers in Westminster Cathedral, and we were to meet at 4.30. He was actually in Westminster all day, attending Ministerial Question Time earlier - but not only do I (for the moment) have a job to go to, but jeez, I do believe this would just infuriate me! So that, I didn't attend.. I did have to be up early though, to get in early, to justify the early departure.

Well, off I trotted, heeding the organiser's dire warning to be on time, or risk missing him! The bus that Google Maps promised would get me there did indeed get me there on time! and I schlepped over to the cathedral.

Nice, sunny day. As I waited. Not like him to be late, TBH. I thought I'd give him five minutes - when that was up, I thought I'd give him five more - there was supposed to be another person too, and it was just weird not to meet either of them! No messages on the event page. But I said to myself - I really must go in after 10 minutes if I'm to see anything of the place before Vespers actually starts at 5! Well, I was seconds from going in - and there he was, with a companion from the previous event in tow. Turned out they'd overrun - which is fair enough. Should've taken a minute to message that he was running late, is all.

Never mind - in we went. It's decades since I was last here, and I hardly remembered anything..

Like that there's a chapel dedicated to Irish saints:

(Note the snakes on the altar; St. Patrick is said to have banished snakes from Ireland, you know..)

Well, Vespers - when our organiser asked someone - turned out to be in a side chapel. It transpired that this was the Lady Chapel, which was being dedicated this evening! So, something of a grand occasion:

We couldn't sit as far forward as we'd have liked, what with all the clerics bagging the front pews. The chap in the grey mozzetta, seated at the front of the photo, was the celebrant - the rest were in the congregation with us. The choristers were adult, not choirboys, as you might expect - unusual in our experience, but they were beautiful singers. More of a problem was the disconnect between the songbooks, in English, and the hymns as sung - mostly in Latin. Do you know, though, this was the first Catholic service of any kind I've attended in years.. the heady smell of the incense really brought me back. Not that I've experienced a Damascene conversion - no, quite happy to stay an outside observer, thank you.

Really nice event, though - unusual for me. And a beautiful setting. That's typical of this group - events of a sort that wouldn't normally occur to you, but which turn out to be really worth doing. I find. Roll on the next unexpected destination! Also great to see familiar faces - and a new one.

Our free lunch at work didn't enthuse me today - so I was a bit peckish, and fancied food afterwards. And what should there be, right across the road, but a Bill's.. Well, despite my last time at Bill's, my experience with them has been generally positive. So I said I'd give them a shot. I was initially phased by the large queue - but somewhat reassured to discover most of them were in the same group. When the maitre d' finally reappeared and I asked him about the availability of a table for one, he looked nonplussed for a moment, then asked whether I'd mind sitting at the bar - that was about all he could offer before 7. I said, sure, as long as I could get fed there! No problem - he took most of my order himself.

I have to say, maybe being at the bar - in the centre of things - helped, but I wasn't short on service. Sure, there were some pauses - but they were insanely busy. Indeed, they had run out of wine glasses, and were serving in whatever would do - my wine came in beer glasses. But I never felt neglected, like my last time in a Bill's - it really must depend on the particular location. Had the calamari, as usual - delish. Had the half chicken this time - wow, the equal of that time I was so impressed with the chicken in The Archduke! served with slightly spiced, diced potato. And a very moreish brownie for dessert. The put-upon lady behind the bar was a bit less busy by the time I asked her for the bill. Have to say, this was a much more positive experience than my last time at Bill's.. will remember that in future. Still dubious about that branch in Clink Street, mind.

It had the cheek to rain on me on the way home - quite unexpectedly!

Tomorrow, back with Civilised London (CL) for dinner at Caravel. Terrific reviews.. Meeting at The Narrowboat. Now, this is closer to my flat than to the office - but really, for the sake of having to take a bus, I didn't want to have to drag the laptop with me this evening and home tonight: not to mention back in on Monday, because the office will be handier again. No, I'll just bus it to the dinner tomorrow.

At the weekend, I'm back with the man with the famous name - Dr. Stephen King (not the writer) is guiding a couple of walks for London Guided Walks (courtesy of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts). Both topics / areas I've covered many times before, but gee, he's such a great guide! So I hope I make these - early. On Saturday, it's his Southwark Walk. Sadly, although it's now advertised on TAC, I booked it through the official site (discount of £3 with the code MEETUP3, as usual).

On Sunday, it's his Royal Coronation Walk - not advertised on TAC yet. I just bet he comes up with something I didn't already know..

On Monday, I'm headed to A Doll's House Part 2, at Donmar Warehouse - sequel to the famous original, where the wife leaves an unhappy marriage; this sequel examines what happens when she returns.

On Tuesday - well, I finally saw Up In The Cheap Seats (UITCS)' ad for Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, at the Underbelly Festival! A parody musical, right up my street - I hate how Meetup so often doesn't show me the events I really would enjoy! Just as well I saw this in time, before I booked anything else. So it'll be a hectic evening, with an interview scheduled for 5.30! I'd better quit work early I think, and head home for that - I can't guarantee quiet in the office.

On Wednesday, back with CT for a concert by the Royal College of Music Brass Ensemble, at the college on Shelton Street.

Next Thursday, back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for The London Necropolis Virtual Tour. I pointed out to him that the registration link had the wrong date, and he said it was outdated, and he'd replace it and send me the new link - well, he's removed it, but no new link yet. And then - you guessed it, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again!

On the 11th, I'm going to Favour, at the Bush Theatre - after much effort, as their website wasn't working for days! In fact, it seems to go down sporadically. I chose an unreserved seat, will be allocated one on the day. Anyway, I see TAC has now started selling tickets for this - gee, might be not only the cheapest, but the easiest way to book! Only up to the 6th, however. Wow, was only there once before, 3.5 years ago..

On the 12th, I'm going to The Southbury Child, at the Bridge Theatre. I noticed that UITCS is going, later in the week - ah well.

On the 13th, back with CL for dinner - this time at The Crown itself, where we usually meet for drinks before heading somewhere else for dinner. Excellent choice. Which marks the beginning of a whole spate of Meetups in a row! When's the last time that happened..?

On the 14th, back with The Garden Talks - this online talk is How Do Languages Evolve?

On the 15th, back with the London Classical Music and Theatre Group for the opera Otello, at the Royal Opera House.

On the 16th, which is a Saturday, I had booked with Discover London for a trip to see a cart making ceremony - and then Eleanor, organiser of TunedIn London, advertised a concert through the World Music Meetup, for that evening, at City Hope Church. So now I'm going to both.

On Sunday the 17th, back with BLL - this time, it's a trip to Sandown Antiques Market. Well, I've never been to Sandown, so this could be interesting.

On the 18th, back with North London Friends! for the first time since before lockdown. This is for an Edinburgh Comedy Festival preview, at the King's Head in Crouch End, featuring Lucy Porter and Rachel Fairburn.

On the 19th.. I'm taking a punt that I won't actually be employed that day, and have signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I can't actually make it - although, even if I have started work by then (which would be surprising), perhaps I could take a day off.

On the 20th, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with UITCS to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show.

On the 21st, I'm thinking of heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 25th, I'm headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out has an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%!

On the 26th - tan-ta-ra! I finally managed to get a decently priced ticket to Jerusalem, at the Apollo. I have heard so much about this, and it's always at the top of the Time Out listings - nearly as hard as Hamilton to get a reasonably priced ticket for, so I'm delighted to get one, if only not to have to look any more.

On the 27th, back to Summer by the River again.. for Bumper Blyton: Improvised Adventures for Grown-Ups! Improvised comedy in the style of Enid Blyton books.. sounds jolly good!

And on the 28th - another UITCS event that Meetup finally decided to flag to me. So I've booked to go with them to see Briefs Factory's show, Bite Club! at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Drag, burlesque.. should be fun!

Musical: Anything Goes

Last night, I finally succumbed to Anything Goes, at the Barbican. Now, I got my ticket for this from Time Out, which is the first place I saw the offer - but it turns out that any number of outlets have £25 tickets! If they're all for the same seats as Time Out, then I'd have to feel sorry for people that bought tickets for £38, which is cheaper than the original price of £45 for the seats on offer! Assuming anyone did. Anyway, with no bad seats here, you'd have to be crazy to pay more. And they helpfully emailed me the ticket link again yesterday afternoon!

The bus dropped me at the other end of Whitecross Street from the Barbican, which meant I just had to walk down it:

I was slightly early - the house wasn't open yet, and annoyingly, the only bar here is downstairs, which seemed a bit much effort, considering that the Upper Circle - where my ticket was for - is on the entrance level! So I skipped it and waited until I could go straight in.

Felt kind of like being on the deck of a ship.. I have to wonder though, who in their right mind thought this seat was worth £45? A decent seat, for sure - albeit with an annoying rail in view, and slightly-too-tight legroom - but not worth that. I hope nobody in these seats paid it. Interestingly - predictably, perhaps - everyone around me seemed to be foreign.

Have I seen this before? Probably, but I didn't remember it, so that's ok. You couldn't help but recognise the fantastic music, though - such famous songs, the lyrics so clever.. courtesy of Cole Porter, based on a book co-written by P. G. Wodehouse. The story takes place aboard an ocean liner heading from New York to London in 1934. Multiple stories jostle for attention, but the main one concerns a lovelorn stockbroker who discovers that his sweetheart has boarded with her mother, to travel to London to marry her English aristo fiancé. What's more, there's a woman on board who owns a bar, and who carries a torch for our stockbroker friend - not to mention that his boss is on board, and will fire him if he sees him there, rather than hard at work! Oh, and there's an undercover mobster. And those are just the main characters..

The dance numbers are amazing. The costumes are fantastic - real 30s glamour for the ladies, all flowing dresses and glitter. The comic elements are done beautifully. It's just.. would you believe, the singing. Now, it's all right for the group numbers - but oh, when they have to do solos, very few are up to the task! Lordy, I suppose it's hard to get the talent, but me-oh-my, I winced several times when the spotlight turned on individuals - or, indeed, couples. They can carry a tune.. but they're straining. Seriously, go source a film version! It's cheaper, and the singing is better.

Handily, I discovered that the bus back dropped me right in front of my local supermarket. 

This evening, back with Bucket List London (BLL) - who obligingly is doing something midweek! I'll have to skip off work early - this is for vespers in Westminster Cathedral, and starts at 4.30. He is actually in Westminster all day, attending Ministerial Question Time earlier - but not only do I have a job to go to, but jeez, I do believe this would just infuriate me! So that, I'm not attending.. I did have to be up early though, to get in early, to justify the early departure. Hence the delay with the blog.

Tomorrow, back with Civilised London (CL) for dinner at Caravel. Terrific reviews.. Meeting at The Narrowboat. Now, this is closer to my flat than to the office - but really, for the sake of having to take a bus, I don't want to have to drag the laptop with me this evening and home tonight: not to mention back in on Monday, because the office will be handier again. No, I'll just bus it to the dinner tomorrow.

At the weekend, I'm back with the man with the famous name - Dr. Stephen King (not the writer) is guiding a couple of walks for London Guided Walks (courtesy of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts). Both topics / areas I've covered many times before, but gee, he's such a great guide! So I hope I make these - early. On Saturday, it's his Southwark Walk. Sadly, although it's now advertised on TAC, I booked it through the official site (discount of £3 with the code MEETUP3, as usual).

On Sunday, it's his Royal Coronation Walk - not advertised on TAC yet. I just bet he comes up with something I didn't already know..

On Monday, I'm headed to A Doll's House Part 2, at Donmar Warehouse - sequel to the famous original, where the wife leaves an unhappy marriage; this sequel examines what happens when she returns.

On Tuesday - well, I finally saw Up In The Cheap Seats (UITCS)' ad for Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, at the Underbelly Festival! A parody musical, right up my street - I hate how Meetup so often doesn't show me the events I really would enjoy! Just as well I saw this in time, before I booked anything else. So it'll be a hectic evening, with an interview scheduled for 5.30! I'd better quit work early I think, and head home for that - I can't guarantee quiet in the office.

On Wednesday, back with CT for a concert by the Royal College of Music Brass Ensemble, at the college on Shelton Street.

Next Thursday, back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for The London Necropolis Virtual Tour. I pointed out to him that the registration link had the wrong date, and he said it was outdated, and he'd replace it and send me the new link - well, he's removed it, but no new link yet. And then - you guessed it, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again!

On the 11th, I'm going to Favour, at the Bush Theatre - after much effort, as their website wasn't working for days! In fact, it seems to go down sporadically. I chose an unreserved seat, will be allocated one on the day. Anyway, I see TAC has now started selling tickets for this - gee, might be not only the cheapest, but the easiest way to book! Only up to the 6th, however. Wow, was only there once before, 3.5 years ago..

On the 12th, I'm going to The Southbury Child, at the Bridge Theatre. I noticed that UITCS is going, later in the week - ah well.

On the 13th, back with CL for dinner - this time at The Crown itself, where we usually meet for drinks before heading somewhere else for dinner. Excellent choice. Which marks the beginning of a whole spate of Meetups in a row! When's the last time that happened..?

On the 14th, back with The Garden Talks - this online talk is How Do Languages Evolve?

On the 15th, back with the London Classical Music and Theatre Group for the opera Otello, at the Royal Opera House.

On the 16th, which is a Saturday, I had booked with Discover London for a trip to see a cart making ceremony - and then Eleanor, organiser of TunedIn London, advertised a concert through the World Music Meetup, for that evening, at City Hope Church. So now I'm going to both.

On Sunday the 17th, back with BLL - this time, it's a trip to Sandown Antiques Market. Well, I've never been to Sandown, so this could be interesting.

On the 18th, back with North London Friends! for the first time since before lockdown. This is for an Edinburgh Comedy Festival preview, at the King's Head in Crouch End, featuring Lucy Porter and Rachel Fairburn.

On the 19th.. I'm taking a punt that I won't actually be employed that day, and have signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I can't actually make it - although, even if I have started work by then (which would be surprising), perhaps I could take a day off.

On the 20th, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with UITCS to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show.

On the 21st, I'm thinking of heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 25th, I'm headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out has an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%!

On the 26th - tan-ta-ra! I finally managed to get a decently priced ticket to Jerusalem, at the Apollo. I have heard so much about this, and it's always at the top of the Time Out listings - nearly as hard as Hamilton to get a reasonably priced ticket for, so I'm delighted to get one, if only not to have to look any more.

On the 27th, back to Summer by the River again.. for Bumper Blyton: Improvised Adventures for Grown-Ups! Improvised comedy in the style of Enid Blyton books.. sounds jolly good!

And on the 28th - another UITCS event that Meetup finally decided to flag to me. So I've booked to go with them to see Briefs Factory's show, Bite Club! at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Drag, burlesque.. should be fun!

Film: Emuthi Puthi (A Very Fishy Trip)

Last night, I booked again with Free Stuff and Free Events, for their Free Tuesday Sing-a-Long for Health and Pleasure. Online, and one where you're muted, so you don't even have anyone hear you sing! Great for the shy. But of course, I wasn't too pushed - hence I redid the film list. Now top was Emuthi Puthi, an Indian (of course!) comedy about a teenage girl who decides to run away from home, and is accompanied by her grandmother, who has this obsession with finding a magical fish. Anyway, looked ok - showing at the Ciné Lumiere. Years since I was last there, of course..

So I headed out there by bus, a bit early - thankfully, given the awful traffic in Knightsbridge! Mind you, the worst single part was trying to navigate past Grosvenor Crescent, where - for some ineffable reason - there are no traffic lights, and a stream of Audis and taxis was trying to push its way in front of us. Happily, our driver was a match for them..

Wow, this was a nostalgic trip - it's so long since I was in South Kensington! Alighted with 10 minutes to spare - which meant the bus journey took half as long again as it was supposed to - and moseyed off down to the cinema, vaguely remembering the route. I didn't remember the sign they now have pointing to the cinema - not sure whether it was there before, but it's useful! I figured out where I was going, went and bought a ticket - I hadn't needed to reserve, there was just a small audience. Checked out the café - I fancied a glass of wine, it had been a busy day. My, but service is relaxed.. at least I knew where the single screen was, and had been told the previous film wasn't finished yet - but still! Someone was in front of me, and when the lady finally finished with her, I checked that I was ok to bring wine into the screen. Yes, as long as it's not red - seems they don't allow tea or coffee either. Fine, and I bought a glass - she instructed me to leave the glass at the café door as I was leaving.

Managed to get upstairs to the screen without spilling too much of it - and was just depositing my stuff outside the screen when lo! my name was called. And wouldn't you know it, it turned out to be an old friend from Meetup, whom I hadn't seen in years! Well, it was lovely to see her again - and also handy that she had a spare seat beside her. It was a while before we got to go in, so we had a nice chat.. and she and her companion were in the row behind me in the screen. Well, that was unexpected - how nice that my plans changed!

With the lovely, pale blue upholstery, I can see why they don't allow dark drinks! Well, this film is part of the Blue Orchid Hotels London Indian Film Festival, which runs until Sunday. And so we got a brief introduction by the cinematographer for the film (pictured), who explained to us how this was very much a female-run production, mostly women behind the camera as well as on-screen. And revealed to us that the whole thing was shot on iPhones! which were provided to them by Apple. Which, of course, helped massively with their constrained budget.

Ah, this is a good one - always delighted when a punt pays off. The comic timing of this film is excellent, and they don't waste time on exposition, just straight into the Great Escape of this unlikely couple, with some flashbacks later on for context. What the granny actually wants to find is a fish to "lead her to heaven".

Not that she's picky about fish in general - she is fish-mad! As are they all, it seems, in Assam, where this is set. The film carries a strong environmental, anti-pollution message. And so I know at least one word of Assamese - "fish" translates as something that sounds like "maas". Anyway, she seems to be working from a children's story about an angel on a lake in a national park, who feeds you this fish so that you can ascend the ladder to heaven. So, this is where they're off to - the granddaughter, mind, is just tagging along; granny has promised to leave her all her money afterwards, so the granddaughter can leg it to New York, and start a new life. And the whole way, they're being tracked by the beleaguered daughter/mother, who is a police officer..

As I say, the comic timing is excellent, the characters are engaging, and some really unanticipated plot twists are dropped in. Very highly recommended - it's a truly sweet film, funny as hell, not at all twee, but with a few laudable messages as well. I'm also liking the soundtrack. Delighted I caught this! Now, my friend apparently goes there a lot, and has asked me to message her if I'm there again - well, you never know, but it isn't really close to me any more. Still, watch this space..

Catching the bus home, the next one to arrive was the #14. Which I took, considering the destination was Russell Square! Very close to home for me - despite Google Maps saying the whole trip would take me over an hour. Now, Google Maps is generally excellent, but not foolproof - when I examined its analysis closer, I discovered it would only take half an hour or so to get to Russell Square, then I'd have to wait for several minutes before taking a very roundabout bus trip to get very slightly closer to home! Rubbish - much faster to walk from Russell Square, and I made it in about 45 minutes altogether - faster than any of Google Maps' options! Still a bit late to blog, though.

Tonight, I'm finally succumbing to Anything Goes, at the Barbican. Now, I got my ticket for this from Time Out, which is the first place I saw the offer - but it turns out that any number of outlets have £25 tickets! If they're all for the same seats as Time Out, then I'd have to feel sorry for people that bought tickets for £38, which is cheaper than the original price of £45 for the seats on offer! Assuming anyone did. Anyway, with no bad seats here, you'd have to be crazy to pay more. And they helpfully emailed me the ticket link again today! 

Tomorrow, back with Bucket List London (BLL) - who obligingly is doing something midweek! I'll have to skip off work early - this is for vespers in Westminster Cathedral, and starts at 4.30. He is actually in Westminster all day, attending Ministerial Question Time earlier - but not only do I have a job to go to, but jeez, I do believe this would just infuriate me! So that, I'm not attending..

On Friday, back with Civilised London (CL) for dinner at Caravel. Terrific reviews..

At the weekend, I'm back with the man with the famous name - Dr. Stephen King (not the writer) is guiding a couple of walks for London Guided Walks (courtesy of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts). Both topics / areas I've covered many times before, but gee, he's such a great guide! So I hope I make these - early. On Saturday, it's his Southwark Walk. Sadly, although it's now advertised on TAC, I booked it through the official site (discount of £3 with the code MEETUP3, as usual).

On Sunday, it's his Royal Coronation Walk - not advertised on TAC yet. I just bet he comes up with something I didn't already know..

On Monday, I'm headed to A Doll's House Part 2, at Donmar Warehouse - sequel to the famous original, where the wife leaves an unhappy marriage; this sequel examines what happens when she returns.

On Tuesday - well, I finally saw Up In The Cheap Seats (UITCS)' ad for Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, at the Underbelly Festival! A parody musical, right up my street - I hate how Meetup so often doesn't show me the events I really would enjoy! Just as well I saw this in time, before I booked anything else. So it'll be a hectic evening, with an interview scheduled for 5.30! I'd better quit work early I think, and head home for that - I can't guarantee quiet in the office.

Next Wednesday, back with CT for a concert by the Royal College of Music Brass Ensemble, at the college on Shelton Street.

On the 7th, back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for The London Necropolis Virtual Tour. I pointed out to him that the registration link had the wrong date, and he said it was outdated, and he'd replace it and send me the new link - well, he's removed it, but no new link yet. And then - you guessed it, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again!

On the 11th, I'm going to Favour, at the Bush Theatre - after much effort, as their website wasn't working for days! In fact, it seems to go down sporadically. I chose an unreserved seat, will be allocated one on the day. Anyway, I see TAC has now started selling tickets for this - gee, might be not only the cheapest, but the easiest way to book! Wow, was only there once before, 3.5 years ago..

On the 12th, I'm going to The Southbury Child, at the Bridge Theatre. I noticed that UITCS is going, later in the week - ah well.

On the 13th, back with CL for dinner - this time at The Crown itself, where we usually meet for drinks before heading somewhere else for dinner. Excellent choice. Which marks the beginning of a whole spate of Meetups in a row! When's the last time that happened..?

On the 14th, back with The Garden Talks - this online talk is How Do Languages Evolve?

On the 15th, back with the London Classical Music and Theatre Group for the opera Otello, at the Royal Opera House.

On the 16th, which is a Saturday, I had booked with Discover London for a trip to see a cart making ceremony - and then Eleanor, organiser of TunedIn London, advertised a concert through the World Music Meetup, for that evening, at City Hope Church. So now I'm going to both.

On Sunday the 17th, back with BLL - this time, it's a trip to Sandown Antiques Market. Well, I've never been to Sandown, so this could be interesting.

On the 18th, back with North London Friends! for the first time since before lockdown. This is for an Edinburgh Comedy Festival preview, at the King's Head in Crouch End, featuring Lucy Porter and Rachel Fairburn.

On the 19th.. I'm taking a punt that I won't actually be employed that day, and have signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I can't actually make it - although, even if I have started work by then (which would be surprising), perhaps I could take a day off.

On the 20th, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with UITCS to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show.

On the 21st, I'm thinking of heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 25th, I'm headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out has an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%!

On the 26th - tan-ta-ra! I finally managed to get a decently priced ticket to Jerusalem, at the Apollo. I have heard so much about this, and it's always at the top of the Time Out listings - nearly as hard as Hamilton to get a reasonably priced ticket for, so I'm delighted to get one, if only not to have to look any more.

On the 27th, back to Summer by the River again.. for Bumper Blyton: Improvised Adventures for Grown-Ups! Improvised comedy in the style of Enid Blyton books.. sounds jolly good!

And on the 28th - another UITCS event that Meetup finally decided to flag to me. So I've booked to go with them to see Briefs Factory's show, Bite Club! at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Drag, burlesque.. should be fun!

Interview: Chris Patten

Tonight, I booked with TAC to hear an interview with Chris Patten, the last UK governor of Hong Kong before it was handed back to China. Happening at Conway Hall. Walking distance from both home and office, but slightly closer to the office - so goodee, I could avail of the free food! Stayed late, as it was such a short walk..

I arrived 25 minutes early, and they were already going in. Checked my name off the list, and I was given directions - left to the bar, straight ahead to the book signing (yes, there would be a book.. mind you, he wasn't doing the signing), right to the auditorium. So I headed left.. they had a choice of small or medium for the wine, I guess because of the size of the glasses! I asked for "the larger", and confused the poor lad behind the bar, who pointed out they only had small or medium, bless. We sorted that out, I got quite a decent tipple (actually a bit extra, as he gave me the dribble from the end of the bottle), and headed in. I really don't need another book (especially hardback) cluttering the place up, even if it is signed! by whomever. And I'm sure it's interesting.

Inside, seating was free - and an Oriental-looking lady swapped seats with me to be more on the edge, because as she said, she was expecting some friends. As you might expect, the place was thronged with people from Hong Kong, Taiwan.. perhaps other places, I don't know. The event started five minutes late - possibly delayed because of the people gettings books signed - and got pretty hot, with all those bodies; it was fairly thronged. Meanwhile, I snuck a look at the copies the people around me were browsing through - apart from some interesting maps (TBH, I always find maps interesting), the acknowledgements carried a caveat that many people the author would have credited were not mentioned - for their own good. This, of course, is standard when talking about Hong Kong - the fear of reprisal against dissenters is ever-present.

For all that, this was a very pleasant evening! Both interviewer and interviewee were convivial souls, whom you could imagine being excellent company as dinner guests. And Chris Patten proved himself a political being by practically never answering the questions he was actually asked! However, what he had to say was consistently interesting.

We got the sense that he really enjoyed his time there - although he never did rise to the bait of answering the interviewer's question of how he came to get the job. Of course, he was too much of a politician to give his true feelings about the Chinese government - generally. Although, during the Q+A at the end, when someone asked him whether there were anything he regretted, his reply was that he sorely regretted wasting time trying to negotiate with the Chinese. He said the chapter in the book that deals with this is called "Round and Round the Mulberry Bush" - he was always urged to go the extra mile: and for what? They've scrapped it all now anyway.

While I haven't bought the book, I wouldn't be averse to reading it, some day..

Of course, someone else at the Q+A asked the inevitable question of what he thought of the current state of the Conservative Party, of which he is a member. Cue laughter at his long silence. His first response was that he had remarked to his wife that he really did hope that tonight would be a "Boris-free zone"! Not a hope. Well now, given that he had already criticised the Chinese government for not sticking to their treaties, he'd hardly be a fan of Boris, would he?! That man wouldn't stick to a treaty if you superglued him to it. Chris did go so far as to say that it's sad, being a populist party if you're not popular.. he also reminded us that he was responsible for reforming the PSNI after the Good Friday agreement - and lamented the lack of consideration for that agreement that is being shown with the NI Protocol. Well, you know what they say - those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it..

Nice stroll home, through an area I haven't visited much..

Tomorrow, I booked again with Free Stuff and Free Events, for their Free Tuesday Sing-a-Long for Health and Pleasure. Online, and one where you're muted, so you don't even have anyone hear you sing! Great for the shy. But of course, I wasn't too pushed - hence the redoing of the film list. Now top is Emuthi Puthi, an Indian (of course!) comedy about a teenage girl who decides to run away from home, and is accompanied by her grandmother, who has this obsession with finding the fish of life (or something). Anyway, looks ok - showing at the Ciné Lumiere. Years since I was last there, of course..

On Wednesday, I'm finally succumbing to Anything Goes, at the Barbican. Now, I got my ticket for this from Time Out, which is the first place I saw the offer - but it turns out that any number of outlets have £25 tickets! If they're all for the same seats as Time Out, then I'd have to feel sorry for people that bought tickets for £38, which is cheaper than the original price of £45 for the seats on offer! Assuming anyone did. Anyway, with no bad seats here, you'd have to be crazy to pay more.

On Thursday, back with Bucket List London (BLL) - who obligingly is doing something midweek! I'll have to skip off work early - this is for vespers in Westminster Cathedral, and starts at 4.30. He is actually in Westminster all day, attending Ministerial Question Time earlier - but not only do I have a job to go to, but jeez, I do believe this would just infuriate me! So that, I'm not attending..

On Friday, back with Civilised London (CL) for dinner at Caravel. Terrific reviews..

At the weekend, I'm back with the man with the famous name - Dr. Stephen King (not the writer) is guiding a couple of walks for London Guided Walks (courtesy of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts). Both topics / areas I've covered many times before, but gee, he's such a great guide! So I hope I make these - early. On Saturday, it's his Southwark Walk. Sadly, although it's now advertised on TAC, I booked it through the official site (discount of £3 with the code MEETUP3, as usual).

On Sunday, it's his Royal Coronation Walk - not advertised on TAC yet. I just bet he comes up with something I didn't already know..

Next Monday, I'm headed to A Doll's House Part 2, at Donmar Warehouse - sequel to the famous original, where the wife leaves an unhappy marriage; this sequel examines what happens when she returns.

On the 5th - well, I finally saw Up In The Cheap Seats (UITCS)' ad for Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, at the Underbelly Festival! A parody musical, right up my street - I hate how Meetup so often doesn't show me the events I really would enjoy! Just as well I saw this in time, before I booked anything else. So it'll be a hectic evening, with an interview scheduled for 5.30! I'd better quit work early I think, and head home for that - I can't guarantee quiet in the office.

On the 6th, back with CT for a concert by the Royal College of Music Brass Ensemble, at the college on Shelton Street.

On the 7th, back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for The London Necropolis Virtual Tour. I pointed out to him that the registration link had the wrong date, and he said it was outdated, and he'd replace it and send me the new link - well, he's removed it, but no new link yet. And then - you guessed it, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again!

On the 11th, I'm going to Favour, at the Bush Theatre - after much effort, as their website wasn't working for days! In fact, it seems to go down sporadically. I chose an unreserved seat, will be allocated one on the day. Anyway, I see TAC has now started selling tickets for this - gee, might be not only the cheapest, but the easiest way to book! Wow, was only there once before, 3.5 years ago..

On the 12th, I'm going to The Southbury Child, at the Bridge Theatre. And now CT is selling cheap tickets for that too, bah. I also noticed that UITCS is going, later in the week - ah well.

On the 13th, back with CL for dinner - this time at The Crown itself, where we usually meet for drinks before heading somewhere else for dinner. Excellent choice. Which marks the beginning of a whole spate of Meetups in a row! When's the last time that happened..?

On the 14th, back with The Garden Talks - this online talk is How Do Languages Evolve?

On the 15th, back with the London Classical Music and Theatre Group for the opera Otello, at the Royal Opera House.

On the 16th, which is a Saturday, I had booked with Discover London for a trip to see a cart making ceremony - and then Eleanor, organiser of TunedIn London, advertised a concert through the World Music Meetup, for that evening, at City Hope Church. So now I'm going to both.

On Sunday the 17th, back with BLL - this time, it's a trip to Sandown Antiques Market. Well, I've never been to Sandown, so this could be interesting.

On the 18th, back with North London Friends! for the first time since before lockdown. This is for an Edinburgh Comedy Festival preview, at the King's Head in Crouch End, featuring Lucy Porter and Rachel Fairburn.

On the 19th.. I'm taking a punt that I won't actually be employed that day, and have signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I can't actually make it - although, even if I have started work by then (which would be surprising), perhaps I could take a day off.

On the 20th, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with UITCS to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show.

On the 21st, I'm thinking of heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 25th, I'm headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out has an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%!

On the 26th - tan-ta-ra! I finally managed to get a decently priced ticket to Jerusalem, at the Apollo. I have heard so much about this, and it's always at the top of the Time Out listings - nearly as hard as Hamilton to get a reasonably priced ticket for, so I'm delighted to get one, if only not to have to look any more.

And on the 27th of next month, back to Summer by the River again.. for Bumper Blyton: Improvised Adventures for Grown-Ups! Improvised comedy in the style of Enid Blyton books.. sounds jolly good!

Films: The Black Phone & Battle of the Sexes & Restaurant: Casa Tua

Was back in Ireland for the weekend again. There are a few films on that I'd like to see.. now, when I first looked, Elvis was as yet unrated on IMDB. Directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann and with Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker and Austin Butler in the title role, it subsequently debuted with a high rating of 8.1. But in the meantime, I'd become enthused at the next highest rated film - The Black Phone, currently at 7.4, a very high rating for a horror film, is the story of a 13-year-old boy who is kidnapped by a serial kidnapper and killer of children (Ethan Hawke). Trapped in a soundproof basement, when the disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, he answers it - and finds himself talking to the killer's previous victims. So, you know, I thought I might go see that - Elvis has fallen a bit in ratings in the meantime anyway. Both showing in Ennis, and at roughly the same time.

And so I did, in lashing rain. Ran to the toilet first - someone was washing their hands as I entered a cubicle, and while I was in there, their phone rang. I could hear the person on the other end - and gee, whatever it was about the acoustics, it sounded really weird! Appropriate for the film I was about to see, I guess. And wouldn't you know it, when I eventually made it in, I was the only one at the screening! Years since that last happened to me. I have a friend who would walk out if that happened to her - nuts, as far as I'm concerned, it just makes me feel as though I'm watching it at home. As it happened, I was late enough that I missed most of the advertising - I didn't even have my phone turned off when the lights dimmed and the opening credits started.

Good start - this is a Blumhouse production, and I've heard them described as being at the forefront of horror film-making. Given the list of films they've been involved with, I'm inclined to agree. Anyway, right from the start, with unusual opening credits, this is different - very understated, little build-up. No horrific soundtrack, no constant sense of dread - not from the "grabber", anyway; much more so, the dread in our protagonist's life comes from the bullies at school, who constantly pick on this nerdy guy, and from his and his sister's alcoholic father, constantly looking for solace for his wife's death at the bottom of a bottle, and venting his frustrations on his terrified kids.

Similarly, our villain is very softly spoken, (mostly) gentle - you begin to wonder whether he'll do anything. Until he does. And when horrific things do happen - or horrific images present themselves - they're all the more effective for having had no build-up. For a story that could be very cliched, this doesn't present itself that way at all - non-typical direction, editing, soundtrack, acting.. our protagonist isn't a snivelling, terrified kid. Yes, he's scared - but he's also determined. And in the end, the story isn't about the "grabber" at all - but about this kid learning to stand up for himself in a violent world. How you feel about the message is another story - but it works really well as a horror film.

And as for being on my own in the cinema - as I left, there was a huge queue of adults and children - for Lightyear, I think. With the voices of Chris Evans (in the title role) and James Brolin (as a bad guy), this is the spin-off story of the astronaut doll in the Toy Story films, in which a bunch of toys, led by Tom Hanks, have various adventures. Now, I like the Toy Story films, but this one isn't supposed to be great - and with that queue, I am so glad. Can you imagine the chaos..?

And so to Jade Cottage again, where I found myself in a queue of people collecting takeaways! Not only that, but several tables were occupied in the restaurant - it's great to see them doing so well. I took my turn, and asked for a table when I got the chance - no problem. I decided to revert to the General Tso's chicken - and was sorry I did. It really is stodgy, and I felt so bloated all night as a result.. I dunno whether I'll come back here, to be honest. Athough the chocolate chocolate chip ice cream was delish..

The film on TV that night was Battle of the Sexes, which I had been interested in but never got to see. This is the true story of an exhibition tennis match, organised in 1972 by men's champion Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) against women's champion Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) - he was the one who gave it its title, and marketed himself as a "male chauvinist pig" to garner interest. Honestly though, he fully expected to win - it's amazing to see on screen how sexist society was in those days, in comparison with now. And for some years after - I remember! The story is a good one, and it's lovely to see him get his comeuppance (although he's quite sympathetic, as played by Steve Carell). Mind you, I had to run the gamut of my mother, who (a) isn't interested in films in general, and (b) remembered Billie Jean King in real life, and disapproved of her "mannishness" - indeed, she did have a female lover (depicted in the film, although in real life she was her secretary, not her hairdresser), and she ultimately married a woman.

Back in London now, following an entertaining flight where one of the attendants was trying to persuade us to buy cigarettes ("if you don't smoke, this is your chance to start!") and alcohol ("any alcoholics on the plane will be interested in this"). Was hungry when I arrived, and looking around for Italian restaurants, was surprised to see one at the end of my road! Casa Tua is a nondescript little place - I wasn't aware that it was a proper restaurant, which it is! So I moseyed over to have a look. I was put off by the queue at the door, as it was also packed inside - was going to head elsewhere until I overheard the owner tell someone in the queue that it was all right, they have a downstairs room as well! So I decided to wait - and it wasn't too long before we were all seated. They really hate to turn anyone away.

So - it's crowded, the tables are close together: but that's a function of its popularity. Having said that, my meal wasn't terrific - the service took a while, naturally, as it was so busy, but I never really felt forgotten about. But the (toasted) garlic bread I had, while very garlicky, was a bit weird - would have been helped by cutting off the crusts, which were very tough. And the carbonara was fine - but honestly, there was too much parmesan on it, which just looked like sick in the bowl after. Still, it was edible. The wine was lovely - but wow, pricey! Still, I was glad to see carafes on offer. The owner is amazingly friendly - but if I go back, I'll have something different.. 

It ran too late to blog, the last two nights, what with redoing the film list, last-minute. Tonight, I've booked with TAC to hear an interview with Chris Patten, the last UK governor of Hong Kong before it was handed back to China. Happening at Conway Hall.

Tomorrow, I booked again with Free Stuff and Free Events, for their Free Tuesday Sing-a-Long for Health and Pleasure. Online, and one where you're muted, so you don't even have anyone hear you sing! Great for the shy. But of course, I wasn't too pushed - hence the redoing of the film list. Now top is Emuthi Puthi, an Indian (of course!) comedy about a teenage girl who decides to run away from home, and is accompanied by her grandmother, who has this obsession with finding the fish of life (or something). Anyway, looks ok - showing at the Ciné Lumiere. Years since I was last there, of course..

On Wednesday, I'm finally succumbing to Anything Goes, at the Barbican. Now, I got my ticket for this from Time Out, which is the first place I saw the offer - but it turns out that any number of outlets have £25 tickets! If they're all for the same seats as Time Out, then I'd have to feel sorry for people that bought tickets for £38, which is cheaper than the original price of £45 for the seats on offer! Assuming anyone did. Anyway, with no bad seats here, you'd have to be crazy to pay more.

On Thursday, back with Bucket List London (BLL) - who obligingly is doing something midweek! I'll have to skip off work early - this is for vespers in Westminster Cathedral, and starts at 4.30. He is actually in Westminster all day, attending Ministerial Question Time earlier - but not only do I have a job to go to, but jeez, I do believe this would just infuriate me! So that, I'm not attending..

On Friday, back with Civilised London (CL) for dinner at Caravel. Terrific reviews..

At the weekend, I'm back with the man with the famous name - Dr. Stephen King (not the writer) is guiding a couple of walks for London Guided Walks (courtesy of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts). Both topics / areas I've covered many times before, but gee, he's such a great guide! So I hope I make these - early. On Saturday, it's his Southwark Walk. Sadly, although it's now advertised on TAC, I booked it through the official site (discount of £3 with the code MEETUP3, as usual).

On Sunday, it's his Royal Coronation Walk - not advertised on TAC yet. I just bet he comes up with something I didn't already know..

Next Monday, I'm headed to A Doll's House Part 2, at Donmar Warehouse - sequel to the famous original, where the wife leaves an unhappy marriage; this sequel examines what happens when she returns.

On the 5th - well, I finally saw Up In The Cheap Seats (UITCS)' ad for Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, at the Underbelly Festival! A parody musical, right up my street - I hate how Meetup so often doesn't show me the events I really would enjoy! Just as well I saw this in time, before I booked anything else. So it'll be a hectic evening, with an interview scheduled for 5.30! I'd better quit work early I think, and head home for that - I can't guarantee quiet in the office.

On the 6th, back with CT for a concert by the Royal College of Music Brass Ensemble, at the college on Shelton Street.

On the 7th, back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for The London Necropolis Virtual Tour. I pointed out to him that the registration link had the wrong date, and he said it was outdated, and he'd replace it and send me the new link - well, he's removed it, but no new link yet. And then - you guessed it, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again!

On the 11th, I'm going to Favour, at the Bush Theatre - after much effort, as their website wasn't working for days! In fact, it seems to go down sporadically. I chose an unreserved seat, will be allocated one on the day. Anyway, I see TAC has now started selling tickets for this - gee, might be not only the cheapest, but the easiest way to book! Wow, was only there once before, 3.5 years ago..

On the 12th, I'm going to The Southbury Child, at the Bridge Theatre. And now CT is selling cheap tickets for that too, bah. I also noticed that UITCS is going, later in the week - ah well.

On the 13th, back with CL for dinner - this time at The Crown itself, where we usually meet for drinks before heading somewhere else for dinner. Excellent choice. Which marks the beginning of a whole spate of Meetups in a row! When's the last time that happened..?

On the 14th, back with The Garden Talks - this online talk is How Do Languages Evolve?

On the 15th, back with the Classical Music and Theatre Group for the opera Otello, at the Royal Opera House.

On the 16th, which is a Saturday, I had booked with Discover London for a trip to see a cart making ceremony - and then Eleanor, organiser of TunedIn London, advertised a concert through the World Music Meetup, for that evening, at City Hope Church. So now I'm going to both.

On Sunday the 17th, back with BLL - this time, it's a trip to Sandown Antiques Market. Well, I've never been to Sandown, so this could be interesting.

On the 18th, back with North London Friends! for the first time since before lockdown. This is for an Edinburgh Comedy Festival preview, at the King's Head in Crouch End, featuring Lucy Porter and Rachel Fairburn.

On the 19th.. I'm taking a punt that I won't actually be employed that day, and have signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I can't actually make it - although, even if I have started work by then (which would be surprising), perhaps I could take a day off.

On the 20th, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with UITCS to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show.

On the 21st, I'm thinking of heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 25th, I'm headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out has an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%!

On the 26th - tan-ta-ra! I finally managed to get a decently priced ticket to Jerusalem, at the Apollo. I have heard so much about this, and it's always at the top of the Time Out listings - nearly as hard as Hamilton to get a reasonably priced ticket for, so I'm delighted to get one, if only not to have to look any more.

And on the 27th of next month, back to Summer by the River again.. for Bumper Blyton: Improvised Adventures for Grown-Ups! Improvised comedy in the style of Enid Blyton books.. sounds jolly good!