Currently in Ireland, and I went to the Abbey Tavern this evening - my mother didn't feel like braving the cold. And it was great to get back there, after so long.. the staff remembered me, the food was still tasty. The place was half empty, which made it easy both to find a parking space, and to find a table. I had a nice meal. Only thing - I decided I fancied the chicken. And it was as nice as ever - but I have never seen such a small chicken on a plate! Really, if not for the sides, I'd have left hungry. Curious - the portions are usually huge here. Ah well. Got takeaway desserts for both of us, which went down well.
On Monday, the Crick Crack Club is back with Rebel Children, at the British Library. Ben Haggarty & Jan Blake - ooh yeah!
On Tuesday, my annual trip to Winter Wonderland - heading to Cirque Berserk and the Ice Kingdom, as usual. Someone said he might come along.
On Wednesday, the first night in ages with North London Friends! We're at A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, at Trafalgar Studios.
And on Thursday, our ex-company's social group's Christmas meeting. We had a tiff about the venue - the organiser decided on Thai Square, which I think is overpriced and underwhelming. So he started to grumble about the difficulty of getting somewhere before Christmas - which will take a group, and doesn't cost the earth. Still though, he came up with an alternative - we've decided on the Warwick Castle pub in Little Venice. Lovely area, the pub sounds nice - with a Christmassy open fire, and a room we can book - and hey, it's a pub, which won't throw us out as quickly! They have a wine deal.. 10% off if you order at least £150 worth. And gee, he's had us choosing what we want off the menu. I also asked for the wine list - and now am waiting impatiently for someone - anyone - to get back to me with an idea of what they'd like to drink! I doubt I'll bother ordering any, at this rate. Why can't people ever make an effort..?!
Showing posts with label Abbey Tavern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abbey Tavern. Show all posts
Saturday, 23 November 2019
Saturday, 23 February 2019
Abbey Tavern
I'm currently back to Ireland for the weekend again. We don't get to the Abbey Tavern so regularly any more - my mother isn't up to it. But every now and again we do - in particular, there's a particular guy that delivers stuff to her, and she's not available to pay him, so he goes away without. But he goes to this pub, so she takes an envelope of cash there and leaves it behind the bar.
Parking can be a problem - luckily, we got a space not too far away. And although there was a christening (there often is a function here), they either weren't eating, or had finished, and the dining area was pretty empty. We got a table no problem. And as ever, the atmosphere was great, the staff was friendly, and service was quick - important, as we were headed to Mass afterwards.
Garlic bread for a starter, as usual - somewhat burnt, unfortunately, but otherwise tasty. My mother had the salmon, as usual, and had no complaints. Me though, I decided to go for one of the daily specials - and had we not gone, I'd planned to have a curry: so when I saw a chicken Madras on the menu, I decided to go for that. Comes with boiled white rice.
Gorgeous. If you see it here, do take it - it's so, so tasty. Should really come with a spoon though, so you can mix the sauce and rice - there was no easy way to get the rice into the bowl, or the sauce onto the plate - the bowl had no spout, and was so hot that I kept burning my fingers! Managed it, only making a slight mess, and had the loveliest meal in a while. Decent portions, too. Yum. Gorgeous Chardonnay to go with it. Ah, this place is terrific at its best..
On Monday, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) to Sadler's Wells for Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch! Missed their last performance - this time though, it's Bon Voyage, Bob. And with cheaper tickets in the back row of each of the lower levels, I'm in the stalls for the first time in ages! Annoying overhang, but hey, they're the cheapest seats, and I get to avoid all those stairs, for once. Well, except that the group is meeting all the way upstairs. Ugh. We shall see.
On Tuesday - as if we weren't drinking enough - the UI team has arranged drinks with us! Well, with da boss - I assume I'll be invited if I'm around. And you know, these drinks are worth going to. So I'll be around. Long live better office relations!
On Wednesday, back with UITCS for the opening night of Don Quixote - the ballet this time - at the Royal Opera House. Olé! Expecting a lovely, spirited, Spanish evening. I haven't been there in months - I was really lucky to get a reasonably priced ticket, though! London Box Office saved the day - and on this occasion, I'm at the same level as everyone else in the group, which should be easier.
On Thursday, we have our official monthly team social - heading back to Little Georgia for this.
And on Friday, delighted to be headed off with the London European Club, since I cancelled them on Thursday - this time, I'm a bit more determined to go to the Scottish Ceilidh. Dancing this time, rather than watching, eh?
Parking can be a problem - luckily, we got a space not too far away. And although there was a christening (there often is a function here), they either weren't eating, or had finished, and the dining area was pretty empty. We got a table no problem. And as ever, the atmosphere was great, the staff was friendly, and service was quick - important, as we were headed to Mass afterwards.
Garlic bread for a starter, as usual - somewhat burnt, unfortunately, but otherwise tasty. My mother had the salmon, as usual, and had no complaints. Me though, I decided to go for one of the daily specials - and had we not gone, I'd planned to have a curry: so when I saw a chicken Madras on the menu, I decided to go for that. Comes with boiled white rice.
Gorgeous. If you see it here, do take it - it's so, so tasty. Should really come with a spoon though, so you can mix the sauce and rice - there was no easy way to get the rice into the bowl, or the sauce onto the plate - the bowl had no spout, and was so hot that I kept burning my fingers! Managed it, only making a slight mess, and had the loveliest meal in a while. Decent portions, too. Yum. Gorgeous Chardonnay to go with it. Ah, this place is terrific at its best..
On Monday, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) to Sadler's Wells for Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch! Missed their last performance - this time though, it's Bon Voyage, Bob. And with cheaper tickets in the back row of each of the lower levels, I'm in the stalls for the first time in ages! Annoying overhang, but hey, they're the cheapest seats, and I get to avoid all those stairs, for once. Well, except that the group is meeting all the way upstairs. Ugh. We shall see.
On Tuesday - as if we weren't drinking enough - the UI team has arranged drinks with us! Well, with da boss - I assume I'll be invited if I'm around. And you know, these drinks are worth going to. So I'll be around. Long live better office relations!
On Wednesday, back with UITCS for the opening night of Don Quixote - the ballet this time - at the Royal Opera House. Olé! Expecting a lovely, spirited, Spanish evening. I haven't been there in months - I was really lucky to get a reasonably priced ticket, though! London Box Office saved the day - and on this occasion, I'm at the same level as everyone else in the group, which should be easier.
On Thursday, we have our official monthly team social - heading back to Little Georgia for this.
And on Friday, delighted to be headed off with the London European Club, since I cancelled them on Thursday - this time, I'm a bit more determined to go to the Scottish Ceilidh. Dancing this time, rather than watching, eh?
Saturday, 10 February 2018
Restaurant: The Abbey Tavern
Back to Ireland for the weekend, and as usual, off to Quin this evening for a meal at the Abbey Tavern. Parking was busy, but not impossible - but inside, it was as busy as I've seen it! Both a christening and a baby shower - and as soon as the baby shower vacated their table, it was occupied by a similarly sized group who'd been waiting in the bar area. They just go from strength to strength here - booking strongly recommended at the weekends.
Well, we had our usuals - garlic bread, which is generally a side, but which we have for a starter: salmon, without the sauce, for my mother: chicken supreme for me, which comes in garlic butter. I've been known to change my choice in the past, but honestly, although the aforementioned dishes are excellent, there are several that aren't, and I'm tired of ordering steak and not knowing whether it's going to be too tough. The stew is too heavy for me, the stir-fry too salty. They once had a special of chicken topped with bacon and cheese, and I look forward to the day that that returns - it was delicious!
As I say, what we had is excellent - pity they don't vary their menu more, but they're generally known to be good: and combined with value for money and the friendliest service around, it's easy to see why they're increasingly popular.
Back to London tomorrow, and the atrocious weather we've been having is supposed to give way to yet another cold snap - better for flying, certainly! On Monday, I'm going to The Brothers Size, at the Young Vic this time. Again, I hear good things.
On Tuesday, Girls & Boys, starring Carey Mulligan, at the Royal Court, with Up in the Cheap Seats. Natch. Another that's supposed to be excellent!
On Wednesday, The York Realist, at Donmar Warehouse.
On Thursday, my £3.60 club has got me a ticket - for that amount - for Orpheus Sinfonia, at St. George's Church in Hanover Square. About time I was back with them - they do offer excellent value.
And on Friday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats - who else - for Frozen, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
Well, we had our usuals - garlic bread, which is generally a side, but which we have for a starter: salmon, without the sauce, for my mother: chicken supreme for me, which comes in garlic butter. I've been known to change my choice in the past, but honestly, although the aforementioned dishes are excellent, there are several that aren't, and I'm tired of ordering steak and not knowing whether it's going to be too tough. The stew is too heavy for me, the stir-fry too salty. They once had a special of chicken topped with bacon and cheese, and I look forward to the day that that returns - it was delicious!
As I say, what we had is excellent - pity they don't vary their menu more, but they're generally known to be good: and combined with value for money and the friendliest service around, it's easy to see why they're increasingly popular.
Back to London tomorrow, and the atrocious weather we've been having is supposed to give way to yet another cold snap - better for flying, certainly! On Monday, I'm going to The Brothers Size, at the Young Vic this time. Again, I hear good things.
On Tuesday, Girls & Boys, starring Carey Mulligan, at the Royal Court, with Up in the Cheap Seats. Natch. Another that's supposed to be excellent!
On Wednesday, The York Realist, at Donmar Warehouse.
On Thursday, my £3.60 club has got me a ticket - for that amount - for Orpheus Sinfonia, at St. George's Church in Hanover Square. About time I was back with them - they do offer excellent value.
And on Friday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats - who else - for Frozen, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
Thursday, 21 December 2017
Storytelling: Masters of Hex
Friday was my final trip of the year to the Crick Crack Club - Jan Blake was performing Masters of Hex at the British Library. Along with Ben Haggerty and TUUP. Same friend going with me as did on the 29th, and Helen too - and the same lunatic. Who would probably avoid us, and good enough for her.
Working from home, I could meet Helen whenever suited - so we met on Oxford Street, about 2.5 hours before the show. For once, I got there first! so had time to think about eating. It occurred to me that Nando's would be handy, so I researched where there was one on our route - the Brunswick Centre seemed like a good option, so that's where we headed.
Mind you, when we got there, the first thing we saw was a Carluccio's - so that's where we ended up. After a brief photo stop:
Right inside the door, they have a shop, which you can browse as you wait to be seated. Which didn't take long - but never fear, they have a retail list along with the menus, on the tables! Along with the a la carte, we had a "Menu Festivo", which we ended up ordering from, mainly - we had garlic bread as a side, along with starters, mains, desserts. They had a two-course price, a three-course price, and a three-course with prosecco and a cracker price. We decided against the prosecco and cracker option - we were having wine anyway - but a table just down from us went for it. And yes, the cracker is of the festive variety.
The garlic bread, unusually, was cold - but tasty enough. My starter was a chicken broth with ravioli - never heard of it before. I had chicken saltimbocca for my main course.. all fine, but nothing to write home about. Honestly, the wine was quite insipid too. Dessert for me was ice cream, which turned out to be topped with a mountain of cream, rather unnecessarily. But hey, we were both fed - although I wouldn't rate it as the best meal ever. And we did have something of a wait for the bill, our server being busy..
Anyway, we then galloped up the road to the library - I was glad I knew exactly where to go, we were so close to time! Helen had printed out both our tickets - I'd asked her, since my printer was in my old place and my laptop in my new, and although my work laptop was in the old place too, it hadn't been introduced to the printer, and I didn't think the relationship would go well! Annoyingly, we had to produce the printed tickets for access - get with the programme, British Library, most places just let you show them on your phone! The place was quite full when we did get in, but we got seats near my other friend, if not quite beside him.
This time, a library employee mc'ed - this event was part of a larger Harry Potter exhibition they've got going. Ben Haggerty started off proceedings, clad shoulders to toes in black, as usual - he'd left his hat at home. His story, as theatrically told as ever, was familiar to me - a version of a Baba Yaga tale, and as visceral a tale as any of them. TUUP, following, gave a much more lighthearted rendition of a story about a rich man who was taken down a peg by a magician - his story started with a wee musical interlude on the drum he so often has with him, and was punctuated with frequent humour. Finally, Jan Blake upped the musical quotient, getting us all to sing along in a gospel number - before giving us a poignant tale, set in the dark days of slavery on the plantations.
All in all, a good mix - I'm just sorry I couldn't make the last Crick Crack event of the year, the following Monday (advertised after I'd booked my flights). Anyway, that exhibition runs through February, if you want to check it out. On our way out, the lunatic was spotted on the stairs, but was out long before us, as Helen and I stopped to tell my other friend how the break to Germany had gone (he'd been supposed to go, but hadn't been able to get the time off). We eventually decided to leave, passing the storytellers on the way, who were still hanging around with their families, it looked like. We dawdled some more in the lobby before heading down the stairs to leave - and would you believe it, Crazy Lady was still down there, bending the ear of someone who worked there, it looked like! We slipped out past her without incident.
My other friend headed the other way on the main road - I accompanied Helen as far as the Tube, which she caught to the station. She was going to be a bit late with her train, unfortunately - ah well, you're entitled to stay out late for Christmas! Me, I did some work when I got home, as it was my last day of the year - and had a dramatic time next day, as I flew back to Ireland for Christmas.
Unfortunately, with all I had to pack, I couldn't fit everything into my case, so booked a checked bag and took a rucksack as well (and my handbag). Sadly, the checked bag meant I couldn't check in at the self-service kiosk, and there was a queue at the two desks open. And the usual quota of idiots in front of me, who had to have the entire process explained to them - so the checkin deadline passed while I was in the queue! Then the idiot at the desk reacted with complete astonishment to the news that there'd been a queue there at all, claimed the gate had closed earlier than it had, and sent me over to the ticket desk - where the nice man, with at least two brain cells to rub together, asked whether I was ok to take the case on as hand baggage as well, and pooh-pooed the idea that I might have too many bags. And was I relieved to see that boarding pass appear - especially when he told me there was no evening flight, so that was it for the day..
I was lucky - Easyjet no longer use their discretion at Gatwick, once the gate is closed, it's closed. Here, I was one of the last to board, which is fine - a lovely young flight attendant found somewhere down the back for my bags, and also put up the rest of my things when I realised I was in the bloody exit row. And then the lovely chap, seeing my flusteredness, brought me a water - which I really needed - and a free paper. And suggested that I might go sit near my bags, at the back, later in the flight, rather than have to wait forever to get back to them when we were getting off. Which I did. Now, that's what I call service..
Finally catching up with myself. Must give a shout-out to two very good meals I've had since I came back - the first in the Abbey Tavern, where we ate on Sunday, so they had the Sunday menu on, which included the most succulent chicken and ham I've had. The second was the next day, in Nuala's, where we really don't eat often enough - and we do keep forgetting how good it is! Delicious garlic mushrooms to start, and two kinds of curry - korma, and a chip-shop-type curry, which I adore. (Mind you, I'm not mad about their rice, so had chips instead.) My mother also remarked on her very good salmon. And the chocolate fudge cake I had for dessert.. was pure fudge. Approach with caution! Nice to know we shan't starve - just a pity that neither of these is open on Christmas Day..
Running errands this week. Will be heading back to Bowes Ryan on Saturday, where my birth mother will be buying me lunch.. and seeing a couple of friends next week, once the madness of Christmas is over. Flying back to London on the 2nd of January, and on the 3rd I've booked to see Stewart Lee at Leicester Square Theatre. Determinedly not in the front two rows - not for a comedy show!
On the 4th of January, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (Happy New Year to them!), who are off to see Hanna, at the Arcola.
On the 5th of January, I thought Time Out threw me a curiously interesting event - so I'm going on this Space Descent VR experience, at the Science Museum. I'll have to leave work early for it - there are timed slots, and it consists of wearing goggles, and living the experience of a descent to earth, with the astronaut Tim Peake narrating in your ears.
On the 6th of January, Crick Crack is back! Happy New Year to them too. The story of When Time Began is being told at King's Place. Creation myths. And wouldn't you know it, we're being treated to a host of performers - the husband and wife team, Emily and Nick Hennessy, and co-founder of the club, the amazing Ben Haggerty. Accompaniment provided by the wonderful musician, Sheema Mukherjee.
On the 7th of January, another Happy new Year - this time to Let's Do This (LDT), who are off to an art exhibition. Gilbert & George: the Beard Pictures and their Fuckosophy. Sorry, but that is the title. Showing at the White Cube Gallery. Honestly, but for the group that's hosting, I wouldn't bother..
And finally, more art on the 8th of January, which I'll probably enjoy more. I'm taking the day off to go see Reflections at the National Gallery - an exhibition of Pre-Raphaelites, which, with a free day, I can peruse at my leisure. As inspired by a walk by the excellent London Literary Walks - roll on the summer, and a return of those! Oh, and just lately, LDT advertised another trip to the excellent Vintage Swing Jazz evenings at Wilton's - for the evening of the 8th. And why not, indeed? So I booked that, too..
Working from home, I could meet Helen whenever suited - so we met on Oxford Street, about 2.5 hours before the show. For once, I got there first! so had time to think about eating. It occurred to me that Nando's would be handy, so I researched where there was one on our route - the Brunswick Centre seemed like a good option, so that's where we headed.
Mind you, when we got there, the first thing we saw was a Carluccio's - so that's where we ended up. After a brief photo stop:
Right inside the door, they have a shop, which you can browse as you wait to be seated. Which didn't take long - but never fear, they have a retail list along with the menus, on the tables! Along with the a la carte, we had a "Menu Festivo", which we ended up ordering from, mainly - we had garlic bread as a side, along with starters, mains, desserts. They had a two-course price, a three-course price, and a three-course with prosecco and a cracker price. We decided against the prosecco and cracker option - we were having wine anyway - but a table just down from us went for it. And yes, the cracker is of the festive variety.
The garlic bread, unusually, was cold - but tasty enough. My starter was a chicken broth with ravioli - never heard of it before. I had chicken saltimbocca for my main course.. all fine, but nothing to write home about. Honestly, the wine was quite insipid too. Dessert for me was ice cream, which turned out to be topped with a mountain of cream, rather unnecessarily. But hey, we were both fed - although I wouldn't rate it as the best meal ever. And we did have something of a wait for the bill, our server being busy..
Anyway, we then galloped up the road to the library - I was glad I knew exactly where to go, we were so close to time! Helen had printed out both our tickets - I'd asked her, since my printer was in my old place and my laptop in my new, and although my work laptop was in the old place too, it hadn't been introduced to the printer, and I didn't think the relationship would go well! Annoyingly, we had to produce the printed tickets for access - get with the programme, British Library, most places just let you show them on your phone! The place was quite full when we did get in, but we got seats near my other friend, if not quite beside him.
This time, a library employee mc'ed - this event was part of a larger Harry Potter exhibition they've got going. Ben Haggerty started off proceedings, clad shoulders to toes in black, as usual - he'd left his hat at home. His story, as theatrically told as ever, was familiar to me - a version of a Baba Yaga tale, and as visceral a tale as any of them. TUUP, following, gave a much more lighthearted rendition of a story about a rich man who was taken down a peg by a magician - his story started with a wee musical interlude on the drum he so often has with him, and was punctuated with frequent humour. Finally, Jan Blake upped the musical quotient, getting us all to sing along in a gospel number - before giving us a poignant tale, set in the dark days of slavery on the plantations.
All in all, a good mix - I'm just sorry I couldn't make the last Crick Crack event of the year, the following Monday (advertised after I'd booked my flights). Anyway, that exhibition runs through February, if you want to check it out. On our way out, the lunatic was spotted on the stairs, but was out long before us, as Helen and I stopped to tell my other friend how the break to Germany had gone (he'd been supposed to go, but hadn't been able to get the time off). We eventually decided to leave, passing the storytellers on the way, who were still hanging around with their families, it looked like. We dawdled some more in the lobby before heading down the stairs to leave - and would you believe it, Crazy Lady was still down there, bending the ear of someone who worked there, it looked like! We slipped out past her without incident.
My other friend headed the other way on the main road - I accompanied Helen as far as the Tube, which she caught to the station. She was going to be a bit late with her train, unfortunately - ah well, you're entitled to stay out late for Christmas! Me, I did some work when I got home, as it was my last day of the year - and had a dramatic time next day, as I flew back to Ireland for Christmas.
Unfortunately, with all I had to pack, I couldn't fit everything into my case, so booked a checked bag and took a rucksack as well (and my handbag). Sadly, the checked bag meant I couldn't check in at the self-service kiosk, and there was a queue at the two desks open. And the usual quota of idiots in front of me, who had to have the entire process explained to them - so the checkin deadline passed while I was in the queue! Then the idiot at the desk reacted with complete astonishment to the news that there'd been a queue there at all, claimed the gate had closed earlier than it had, and sent me over to the ticket desk - where the nice man, with at least two brain cells to rub together, asked whether I was ok to take the case on as hand baggage as well, and pooh-pooed the idea that I might have too many bags. And was I relieved to see that boarding pass appear - especially when he told me there was no evening flight, so that was it for the day..
I was lucky - Easyjet no longer use their discretion at Gatwick, once the gate is closed, it's closed. Here, I was one of the last to board, which is fine - a lovely young flight attendant found somewhere down the back for my bags, and also put up the rest of my things when I realised I was in the bloody exit row. And then the lovely chap, seeing my flusteredness, brought me a water - which I really needed - and a free paper. And suggested that I might go sit near my bags, at the back, later in the flight, rather than have to wait forever to get back to them when we were getting off. Which I did. Now, that's what I call service..
Finally catching up with myself. Must give a shout-out to two very good meals I've had since I came back - the first in the Abbey Tavern, where we ate on Sunday, so they had the Sunday menu on, which included the most succulent chicken and ham I've had. The second was the next day, in Nuala's, where we really don't eat often enough - and we do keep forgetting how good it is! Delicious garlic mushrooms to start, and two kinds of curry - korma, and a chip-shop-type curry, which I adore. (Mind you, I'm not mad about their rice, so had chips instead.) My mother also remarked on her very good salmon. And the chocolate fudge cake I had for dessert.. was pure fudge. Approach with caution! Nice to know we shan't starve - just a pity that neither of these is open on Christmas Day..
Running errands this week. Will be heading back to Bowes Ryan on Saturday, where my birth mother will be buying me lunch.. and seeing a couple of friends next week, once the madness of Christmas is over. Flying back to London on the 2nd of January, and on the 3rd I've booked to see Stewart Lee at Leicester Square Theatre. Determinedly not in the front two rows - not for a comedy show!
On the 4th of January, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (Happy New Year to them!), who are off to see Hanna, at the Arcola.
On the 5th of January, I thought Time Out threw me a curiously interesting event - so I'm going on this Space Descent VR experience, at the Science Museum. I'll have to leave work early for it - there are timed slots, and it consists of wearing goggles, and living the experience of a descent to earth, with the astronaut Tim Peake narrating in your ears.
On the 6th of January, Crick Crack is back! Happy New Year to them too. The story of When Time Began is being told at King's Place. Creation myths. And wouldn't you know it, we're being treated to a host of performers - the husband and wife team, Emily and Nick Hennessy, and co-founder of the club, the amazing Ben Haggerty. Accompaniment provided by the wonderful musician, Sheema Mukherjee.
On the 7th of January, another Happy new Year - this time to Let's Do This (LDT), who are off to an art exhibition. Gilbert & George: the Beard Pictures and their Fuckosophy. Sorry, but that is the title. Showing at the White Cube Gallery. Honestly, but for the group that's hosting, I wouldn't bother..
And finally, more art on the 8th of January, which I'll probably enjoy more. I'm taking the day off to go see Reflections at the National Gallery - an exhibition of Pre-Raphaelites, which, with a free day, I can peruse at my leisure. As inspired by a walk by the excellent London Literary Walks - roll on the summer, and a return of those! Oh, and just lately, LDT advertised another trip to the excellent Vintage Swing Jazz evenings at Wilton's - for the evening of the 8th. And why not, indeed? So I booked that, too..
Thursday, 9 November 2017
The Abbey Tavern
Well, the funeral went off well - very touching, in fact, with my cousins delivering moving eulogies, and the priest giving a sensitive oration. My mother met plenty of neighbours that she doesn't normally see from one end of the year to the next. Beautiful, sunny day too, unusually - if chilly. In other news, at the last minute I did find someone in Up in the Cheap Seats to take my ticket for Everybody's Talking About Jamie for tonight, which is good; I hate to see them wasted! It was Print at Home, attached as a pdf to an email, so I could just email it. And she, unlike others, didn't mind a restricted view.
Afterwards, eschewing the organised dinner with several relatives of the deceased's late husband, who'd made the trip, but whom we don't know, my mother and I had a relaxed afternoon before heading to Quin, as usual, to have dinner at The Abbey Tavern. Parking was busy, but I squeezed the car into a gap beside the decorative barrels in front, as I often have. Inside, the dining area wasn't crowded. The server who first spotted us pointed me at the specials board, and for once I decided to check that out before sitting down. Which is how I came to decide, on a whim, to have the chicken supreme special, which is topped with bacon and cheese. Otherwise, we didn't change our order.
Mmm-hmm, that was a good choice! Very moreish - and the onion rings that my mother got a yen for, and we ordered as an afterthought when the server came to clear away the starter, were soo tasty - even better than those I got in Byron on Saturday! I think they're beer-battered here, which does make a difference. I was too stuffed afterwards for anything more than ice cream, which I asked for with chocolate sauce - and that chocolate sauce was good and thick; it's just a pity there wasn't more of it! Overall, one of the best meals I've had this year.
Staying here for the weekend. On Monday, Helen is in town for an interview - good luck! We'll meet for a bite after (somewhere) - I have plenty of time before the Crick Crack Club returns to Soho Theatre for an evening called Under the Eyes of Baron Samedi, courtesy of Jan Blake. It's too late for her, sadly. Delighted to say I persuaded a couple of other friends to come along! Hope they enjoy it. Also delighted that the crazy woman isn't coming - despite being a fan of Jan Blake, she couldn't make this.
On Tuesday, Up in the Cheap Seats again, and we're off to The Secondary Victim, at the Park Theatre.
On Wednesday, I'm finally back with The London Jazz Meetup, to see Ben l' Oncle Soul at Cadogan Hall. Really, I'd go with them much more often, but there's so much else on..!
Next Thursday, I'm back at Sadler's Wells with Up in the Cheap Seats, for Hunted Maud Le Pladec / Okwui Okpokwasili.
On the 17th, I'm off to see Young Frankenstein, at the Garrick!
The weekend is Funzing, with Walking in London. On the 18th, A Secret London Tour - I've had my eye on this for a while, it sounds interesting. And on the 19th, I'm finally doing Murder Mile Walk.
On the 20th, I'm off to This Beautiful Future, at the Yard Theatre.
On the 21st, my annual pilgrimage to Cirque Berserk at Winter Wonderland! Whee..
On the 22nd, back with Walking in London, this time with Katie of Look Up London, and her Alternative Christmas Lights Tour. Delighted to give her the business, and it should be fun!
On the 23rd, back with Up in the Cheap Seats - this time at the newly opened Bridge Theatre, for their first show, Young Marx. Delighted to make this - I had booked it for the 20th October, then the Crick Crack Club got in the way, as they often do! The theatre charged me a nominal fee to change it to this date. And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again.
On the 27th, I'm headed to see Follies at the National - one that London Dramatic Arts (LDAM) went to a while ago, expensively. What with their ticket prices, and other things getting in the way, I really don't know when I'll be with them again..
On the 28th, back with Let's Do This! (LDT) at a place called The Fiddler's Elbow, for a Blues Club & Jam. Be good to see them again!
On the 29th, the Crick Crack Club has their long-awaited 30th birthday party at Rich Mix. Finally advertised by their Meetup group, I see, months after tickets went on sale. A friend is going to this, and Helen is thinking about it. Oh, and the crazy lady is supposed to be going - may she not dare to cross my path! I'm perfectly capable of throwing a drink over her. If the need arises.
On the 30th, LDT is off to.. Saint George and the Dragon! Now, when this was advertised, I remembered having booked it already. Checked, and discovered that was during my week in Stockholm - so I was happy to book it again. Completely forgot, of course, that I was already booked for yesterday, with Up in the Cheap Seats. But then, of course, I couldn't go to that either.. third time lucky, I hope! Then I'm back to Ireland again.
On the 4th of December, I'm finally seeing Heisenberg: the Uncertainty Principle, at Wyndham's Theatre. Another that LDAM saw before I have, and another I rescheduled - this from the 16th October, when I was with Up in the Cheap Seats. Another nominal fee to change. And they posted me physical tickets - how retro!
On the 5th of December, my annual trip to La Soirée! "Posh new venue", as they say - they're now in the Aldwych Theatre. Cheapest tickets at Amazon tickets.
The 6th of December sees our office Christmas party! Mercifully, I've just found out it's not black tie this year - don't have to buy a new outfit, then! It's at Bounce - a pub with ping pong tables, wouldya believe?! We have a private room, with three such tables and a karaoke machine. I foresee a noisy night..!
I can't stay long though - have to be at Stansted at 6 in the morning of the 7th of December, for a trip to Nuremberg Christmas market with LEC! We'll also be doing some travelling in the area. Helen liked the sound of it, and my other friend who's coming to the storytelling is coming too. We'll have a ball! I just bought Lonely Planet's chapter on Bavaria, downloaded it, and have shared it with them - isn't it handy how you can buy individual chapters? Mercifully, although the crazy woman was supposed to go on this, she's pulled out.
Back late on the 10th of December, and on the 11th of December - having taken the day off work (I'll be exhausted) - I'm off to the Barbershop Chronicles. At the National.
On the 12th of December, I've just booked a Funzing talk - Interviews With a Serial Killer, courtesy of London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. For which, with their new loyalty scheme, I earned £10 credit! Not so shabby..
On the 13th of December, my last visit of the year to Sands Films - finally advertised on Meetup, through the World Music Meetup, TunedIn London has a concert by Plastikes Karekles, a Greek group.
On the 14th of December, my friends who are off to Soho on Monday are headed to Wilton's Music Hall, for something called The Box of Delights. And for once, I'm letting them decide for me, and am going myself too.
And on the 15th of December, my final trip of the year to the Crick Crack Club - Jan Blake is performing Masters of Hex at the British Library. Along with Ben Haggerty and TUUP. Same friend going with me as on the 29th of November, and Helen too - and the same lunatic. Well, after the nasty things she had to say about me, I'll be surprised if she dares to approach me at all.
Next day, I'm back to Ireland for Christmas. Farewell 2017 - it's been good! Roll on 2018, and the next U2 tour..
Afterwards, eschewing the organised dinner with several relatives of the deceased's late husband, who'd made the trip, but whom we don't know, my mother and I had a relaxed afternoon before heading to Quin, as usual, to have dinner at The Abbey Tavern. Parking was busy, but I squeezed the car into a gap beside the decorative barrels in front, as I often have. Inside, the dining area wasn't crowded. The server who first spotted us pointed me at the specials board, and for once I decided to check that out before sitting down. Which is how I came to decide, on a whim, to have the chicken supreme special, which is topped with bacon and cheese. Otherwise, we didn't change our order.
Mmm-hmm, that was a good choice! Very moreish - and the onion rings that my mother got a yen for, and we ordered as an afterthought when the server came to clear away the starter, were soo tasty - even better than those I got in Byron on Saturday! I think they're beer-battered here, which does make a difference. I was too stuffed afterwards for anything more than ice cream, which I asked for with chocolate sauce - and that chocolate sauce was good and thick; it's just a pity there wasn't more of it! Overall, one of the best meals I've had this year.
Staying here for the weekend. On Monday, Helen is in town for an interview - good luck! We'll meet for a bite after (somewhere) - I have plenty of time before the Crick Crack Club returns to Soho Theatre for an evening called Under the Eyes of Baron Samedi, courtesy of Jan Blake. It's too late for her, sadly. Delighted to say I persuaded a couple of other friends to come along! Hope they enjoy it. Also delighted that the crazy woman isn't coming - despite being a fan of Jan Blake, she couldn't make this.
On Tuesday, Up in the Cheap Seats again, and we're off to The Secondary Victim, at the Park Theatre.
On Wednesday, I'm finally back with The London Jazz Meetup, to see Ben l' Oncle Soul at Cadogan Hall. Really, I'd go with them much more often, but there's so much else on..!
Next Thursday, I'm back at Sadler's Wells with Up in the Cheap Seats, for Hunted Maud Le Pladec / Okwui Okpokwasili.
On the 17th, I'm off to see Young Frankenstein, at the Garrick!
The weekend is Funzing, with Walking in London. On the 18th, A Secret London Tour - I've had my eye on this for a while, it sounds interesting. And on the 19th, I'm finally doing Murder Mile Walk.
On the 20th, I'm off to This Beautiful Future, at the Yard Theatre.
On the 21st, my annual pilgrimage to Cirque Berserk at Winter Wonderland! Whee..
On the 22nd, back with Walking in London, this time with Katie of Look Up London, and her Alternative Christmas Lights Tour. Delighted to give her the business, and it should be fun!
On the 23rd, back with Up in the Cheap Seats - this time at the newly opened Bridge Theatre, for their first show, Young Marx. Delighted to make this - I had booked it for the 20th October, then the Crick Crack Club got in the way, as they often do! The theatre charged me a nominal fee to change it to this date. And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again.
On the 27th, I'm headed to see Follies at the National - one that London Dramatic Arts (LDAM) went to a while ago, expensively. What with their ticket prices, and other things getting in the way, I really don't know when I'll be with them again..
On the 28th, back with Let's Do This! (LDT) at a place called The Fiddler's Elbow, for a Blues Club & Jam. Be good to see them again!
On the 29th, the Crick Crack Club has their long-awaited 30th birthday party at Rich Mix. Finally advertised by their Meetup group, I see, months after tickets went on sale. A friend is going to this, and Helen is thinking about it. Oh, and the crazy lady is supposed to be going - may she not dare to cross my path! I'm perfectly capable of throwing a drink over her. If the need arises.
On the 30th, LDT is off to.. Saint George and the Dragon! Now, when this was advertised, I remembered having booked it already. Checked, and discovered that was during my week in Stockholm - so I was happy to book it again. Completely forgot, of course, that I was already booked for yesterday, with Up in the Cheap Seats. But then, of course, I couldn't go to that either.. third time lucky, I hope! Then I'm back to Ireland again.
On the 4th of December, I'm finally seeing Heisenberg: the Uncertainty Principle, at Wyndham's Theatre. Another that LDAM saw before I have, and another I rescheduled - this from the 16th October, when I was with Up in the Cheap Seats. Another nominal fee to change. And they posted me physical tickets - how retro!
On the 5th of December, my annual trip to La Soirée! "Posh new venue", as they say - they're now in the Aldwych Theatre. Cheapest tickets at Amazon tickets.
The 6th of December sees our office Christmas party! Mercifully, I've just found out it's not black tie this year - don't have to buy a new outfit, then! It's at Bounce - a pub with ping pong tables, wouldya believe?! We have a private room, with three such tables and a karaoke machine. I foresee a noisy night..!
I can't stay long though - have to be at Stansted at 6 in the morning of the 7th of December, for a trip to Nuremberg Christmas market with LEC! We'll also be doing some travelling in the area. Helen liked the sound of it, and my other friend who's coming to the storytelling is coming too. We'll have a ball! I just bought Lonely Planet's chapter on Bavaria, downloaded it, and have shared it with them - isn't it handy how you can buy individual chapters? Mercifully, although the crazy woman was supposed to go on this, she's pulled out.
Back late on the 10th of December, and on the 11th of December - having taken the day off work (I'll be exhausted) - I'm off to the Barbershop Chronicles. At the National.
On the 12th of December, I've just booked a Funzing talk - Interviews With a Serial Killer, courtesy of London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. For which, with their new loyalty scheme, I earned £10 credit! Not so shabby..
On the 13th of December, my last visit of the year to Sands Films - finally advertised on Meetup, through the World Music Meetup, TunedIn London has a concert by Plastikes Karekles, a Greek group.
On the 14th of December, my friends who are off to Soho on Monday are headed to Wilton's Music Hall, for something called The Box of Delights. And for once, I'm letting them decide for me, and am going myself too.
And on the 15th of December, my final trip of the year to the Crick Crack Club - Jan Blake is performing Masters of Hex at the British Library. Along with Ben Haggerty and TUUP. Same friend going with me as on the 29th of November, and Helen too - and the same lunatic. Well, after the nasty things she had to say about me, I'll be surprised if she dares to approach me at all.
Next day, I'm back to Ireland for Christmas. Farewell 2017 - it's been good! Roll on 2018, and the next U2 tour..
Wednesday, 26 July 2017
Concert: U2 (Éire)
Interesting month I'm having, zipping from city to city, from bed to bed. The latest was upon leaving work on Friday, when I was heading to Dublin, for U2's one-and-only (!) concert there this year. And, for a change, I was going from City airport! I don't normally, because they don't fly from there to Shannon, which is where I'm normally headed to, in Ireland.
It'd be very handy if you were based in East London - not so much from where I was coming from, in the West End. Still, no longer to get to than Heathrow. If I were to do it in under an hour, I'd have to take the Tube - to Waterloo, then catch the Jubilee Line to Canning Town, from where I could take the bus or DLR. Now, I must have been feeling a bit distracted, because, while you can happily change Tube lines without touching out, something persuaded me that I should exit at Waterloo. It was as I was ascending on the escalator that I saw signs ahead, started to prod myself to remember where I was headed next, and went, "Oh, hell!".. so that cost me some unnecessary time and expense. Never mind - my life is just too damn busy these days. "Sleep when I'm dead", indeed.
So, back down again - by stairs, as the down escalator was out of order. A packed Jubilee Line took me - not to Canning Town, but to the stop before, North Greenwich. (I hadn't even thought to check.) And I really wish I'd heeded the driver's advice to get off at the stop before that (Canary Wharf) if we wanted to go further - when we arrived at North Greenwich, it turned out I had to go all the way upstairs and down onto another platform to get a train going my way. And this journey really wasn't going my way - when I finally got to Canning Town, I couldn't flippin' find the exit! You could go up or down to change platforms, but there was nothing about an exit. Heading up, I saw a sign pointing down for the exit, and sure enough, the basement was where I finally found it. The rather aggressive charity collectors gathered around the exit got short shrift from me, I'm afraid..
Guess what? It was easy from then on. I'd decided to take the bus, and easily found the stop: only to find that the next wasn't due for a while. I was just wondering whether to take the DLR instead, when the bus arrived (so much for departure boards, again). And a quick, 10-minute journey took us right to the airport door. A short walk, the automatic terminal doors opened - oh look, there are the self-service kiosks! (Desks with people at them are just behind.) Duly checked in - why, there's the escalator to Departures, just over there. Ascended, through security nice and quickly, and I was hungry. Looked around - oh look, people eating! "The Pilot's Kitchen". Ok then.
I was quickly seated, and quickly served - and with a smile; they're lovely, here. The menu consists mainly of variations on the same dishes, so they can get it out swiftly - and many of these are burgers. I noticed you could have a plain or posh (Aberdeen Angus) burger, with or without plain or posh bacon and cheese (posh = Stilton). I was plain all the way - with bacon and cheese, mind. And very moreish it was! Funnily enough, I forgot to ask for it without the pickle that was advertised on the menu - but there wasn't any; instead, they had tomato, which hadn't been listed. And which I had to remove, as I'm intolerant. I'd have had dessert, maybe, but my gate had been announced by the time I'd finished eating, and I just paid and left.
Duly found my gate, only to discover that BA was doing its thing of keeping people waiting an eternity before boarding. (One U2 t-shirt, ahead of me in the queue.) We finally boarded a plane with only four seats across - rather nice. Also nice was to discover, once we were airborne, that - despite me being on the same airline, in the same class, as my last trip, to Barcelona, where economy were charged for everything - on this flight, we got a free drink and snack! Gee, I'm liking this airport more and more. (They forgot to close the curtain separating us from Business class, so I can testify that the difference is that they got a proper meal, with metal cutlery and proper glasses. And cloth napkins. Ehh, not worth the extra. Except I was a bit jealous of their chocolate cake.)
In Dublin, sure enough, the bus information desk was closed, where I'd hoped to get a Leap card - the card they've brought in, since I was last here, that works the same as an Oyster card. I also noticed no sign for the bus - just as well I remembered where the stop was! Got a regular ticket for my ride into town, and a clear information system told me the stop names, which bore a vague resemblance to those that Google Maps had given me. Again, it pays to have some idea of your bearings.
My hotel was on Talbot Street, so when we came to the Talbot Street stop, off I got - and glee! The Ripley Court was right across the road. And the doors were locked - I had to buzz the intercom to get in, and the guy on reception had to tell me when the door was unlocked, as there is no indication. Checked in - and straight away, a rip-off: I'd thought the hotel in Barcelona was a tad exorbitant, but at €250 per night (over twice the normal rate), not including breakfast, this was really taking the mickey! Apparently, some foreign tourism minister stayed in Dublin recently, and returned home in high dudgeon, saying he'd never recommend Dublin, for its inflated prices. As it happened, that was one of the lead stories in Saturday's paper, how local hotels had boosted their rates by an average of 40% for the concert - indeed, I remember the hassle of booking accommodation in Dublin, back in January on the day I bought my concert tickets, when the availability map on Booking.com had hotels disappearing in front of my eyes, and I had to book fast to get a bed in the city at all..
So, for €250 per night, I got a decent-sized twin room (for single occupancy), with double glazing, standard, heavy, oak furnishings and trim, and the pokiest bathroom you've ever seen. Plenty of towels, nowhere to put them. Still, I was exhausted, and slept well - but only with the help of the earplugs I'm never without; I was on the first floor, and that double glazing does nothing to mitigate the noise from this city-centre street, or the trains that rattle right by the window, on their way to and from nearby Connolly Station. Convenient location, adequate accommodation - but very overpriced.
Saturday dawned fine and sunny. Got the aforementioned paper - packed with enthusiastic articles about the concert: event of the year in Ireland, y'know! I was supposed to meet my friend, who was going to the concert with me, at Café Kylemore for brunch; she texted to say she was running late, so I stayed reading a bit longer before I headed out. She hadn't got there when I arrived, so I staked a claim to a table - it can get very busy at lunchtime, which we were now approaching. She was coming by bus, and traffic was horrendous - in the end, I was waiting over half an hour before she arrived! So, she had breakfast and I had lunch - roast chicken, with veg and gravy. As I didn't want the cabbage, they let me have something from the breakfast menu to substitute - I chose mushrooms. The chicken was lovely - unfortunately, the carrots and mushrooms were stone cold. Hey-ho, I got fed at last, and was glad of it.
Popped out to her place for a while, where she kindly fed me with chocolate cake - then back into town, for something to eat before the concert. I fancied Chinese, all of a sudden - so we decided on the Good World, which we used to go to, back in the day when we both lived here. An early-bird menu, with a cheaper and a slightly more expensive option, was great value, and we were well and tastily fed. Ice cream for dessert - I asked for chocolate sauce, but she mistook it for a request for chocolate ice cream. Delicious, anyhow!
Back to the hotel then, briefly, to drop off the large bag of prezzies my friend had kindly given me. (Can't take large bags into rock concerts.) And also to drop off any food products - that's what they're really looking for, with those security checks, you know! A minor panic followed when it seemed she'd lost her phone and went back to look for it; in the meantime, I heard a ringing.. it turned out to have scooted under the dressing table, of course, and we hadn't heard it, as it fell on carpet.
Finally, we were off. I had Google Maps to hand, but you really don't need it on the way to the concert - just follow the hordes.
More photos here. No queueing allowed, this time - must've been manic when the gates opened! Routes were split, as ever, according to what section of the stadium you were headed to, as stated on your ticket; Google Maps was kind enough to direct us by the correct route, anyway. It's an impressive structure, rising above the rooftops.. Bag check complete, we were soon in our seats - the best for me yet on this tour!
Practically down on the pitch, as the concert progressed, it felt as though we were in the world's largest rave! Predictably, the most international crowd yet - we had Spanish and Germans beside us, a row of French people in front of us - I overheard American accents, and there were Spanish, Greek, and Brazilian flags in the crowd. A lot of Northern Irish accents, too. And the place was, apparently, packed with the Great and the Good - a huge round of applause went up when the President and his wife took their seats, high above us (not as good a view as we had). The Taoiseach was on the pitch, rather overdressed:
The Archbishop of Dublin, Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Colin Farrell and his family, Larry Gogan, Amy Huberman, the various members of U2's families.. yes, all were in attendance when a scream arose, as someone saw a procession of folks heading for the rear of the stage. Finally, Larry Mullen strolled out, took his seat, and laid into the military beat of Sunday Bloody Sunday. And we were off..
Setlist:
Bono started by saying that he wanted this night to be epic: and as the hymn-like strains of Where the Streets Have No Name heralded the turning-on of the screen, someone had obviously done their best to make it so, as everybody raised their eyes to a military flyover, jets trailing the Irish colours! Nobody seems to know who actually made that call, but as people have remarked, there was enough political clout in the house to make it an easy task.
Awesome concert, a real sense of one-ness, when all you could see frequently were hands raised aloft below the stage. A real toss-up as to whether this or Barcelona was THE concert of the tour - I suppose I have to give it to Dublin.
Afterwards, a schlep back to the hotel - my friend's sister had got a last-minute ticket, not too badly priced on Stubhub, and met us at the hotel afterwards, but it took her until nearly midnight to get there. They were hungry, and I started to get peckish myself, so we headed out to forage; the queue at Supermac's extending into the road, we headed around the corner to Saigon City, an Asian takeaway with long tables. Where the queue was.. lively. For the authentic Dublin experience, do come here late night at the weekend. Just be prepared for rough language.. we could have stayed and eaten there, but thought we might have had a quieter experience back in my room, where there was a table, and three chairs - just right. And she of the last-minute ticket managed to cadge a fork and spoon from the bar, downstairs. I have to recommend the chicken balls, which were excellent - I found the curry too spicy for my taste, and wasn't mad about the rice.
And so to bed, eventually - and I was glad I set the alarm, given that late checkout would have cost me €40 extra, and without the alarm I'd probably have missed the deadline. That bus stop I'd got off at was set-down only, and rather than try to figure out where to go for the bus to the station, I decided to walk - it was a nice day. I was taking the train down to my mother's for a couple of days, you see. Unfortunately, I was dragging quite a weight of luggage.. never mind, I made it eventually, and after discovering I'd left my charger in the hotel and would have to buy another (damn!), I headed for food in the station bar, which was by now serving carvery lunch. Service for food was good, for the bar was indifferent, and the food was excellent - apart from the overly sweet marinade on the chicken. Oh, and I finally got a Leap card! (too late) - I don't know whether the feature was available at the other ticket machines I used over the weekend, but I have one now. And since the cash slot didn't seem to be working, I used my Monzo card.. thank goodness for it! The prepaid card that you top up with your debit card - no fee for using abroad, and very safe. And unlike my existing credit card, I don't have to pay this one from my Irish account - the one with no regular funds going into it.
After some standing around - no seats available - my platform was finally announced, and I had a relaxing journey all the way to Sixmilebridge, where I picked up my car. By the time I got to my mother's, both of us were ready to be fed again, and headed to the Abbey Tavern - and again the next day. She does like it there - good atmosphere, and the staff all know us. A pity they hardly change their menu.. so, on the first outing, I had lamb (for a change) - wasn't that keen, and they gave me far too much, as is typical. On the second outing, I had steak - always excellent, it's a good staple choice here.
And so back to London, finally. Tonight, I had booked free comedy in Greenwich - London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, Random London, and London Art, Comedy & Culture Lovers. Then Funzing rode to the rescue, and I booked a Funzing talk entitled "Politics - WTF!" Appropriate, no? Anyway, I booked on a once-only code "iwantfunzingagain". Or you could try "Funzing30" - both give 30% off, but are time-limited. But last week, I checked.. and whoopee, London Literary Walks is back at last, with a Sculpture in the City walk. Thank goodness I can cancel Funzing up to 48 hours beforehand without penalty. So I did.
Tomorrow was free comedy in Hammersmith again. With the first three of the above groups, plus DiscoverLDN.UK. And would you believe it - before I had the chance to cancel, they did! Well, Hammersmith & Fulham Friends did - which I'm taking it applies to all. Maybe not -anyway, it gave me the excuse. So I'll go to a film, as I was already thinking of doing; predictably, top of the list is Dunkirk. Showing at multiple times, nice and close to me.
So, that brings us to Friday, and it's off to Amsterdam, for my final two U2 concerts of the year (sniff). On Saturday and Sunday. Really, you have no idea of the organisation that went into all of this, back in January..! These were the only ones I couldn't get tickets for officially - bought them on Viagogo. And I see I booked from City Airport again - lovely!
I fly back on Monday, and saw an interesting Funzing talk advertised for that night - "Are We Living in the Matrix?" Well, I'm well overdue a free talk, with all of them that I've booked (every fourth free), so I contacted them to get a code to get this for free. Still waiting..! Despairing of them, I finally booked it on one of their limited 50% deals. It had been advertised with London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @Night - funnily enough, they've now both cancelled. It still seems to be running, though. No loyalty points for this one, I guess!
On Tuesday, I finally get to see Jennifer Rees again, when she's giving a talk on The Psychology of Criminals. With dim sum, great! (Had to stick with a 10% discount for this one - Fun_Day10 or Fun_Week10 are the ones you want for that.) And it's walking distance from me for once, in Covent Garden. She's a fantastic and engaging speaker. Excellent.. and Helen has sensibly decided to come too. On which occasion she'll deliver all the stuff I couldn't fit in my bag, coming back from Twickenham!
I was just looking up what to do next Wednesday - and wouldn't you know it, at that moment the Pop-Up Opera sent me a mail with upcoming events. Une Éducation Manquée is a short, French comic opera, whose run finishes that day. All right then!
On the 3rd, my first Meetup with Up in the Cheap Seats, one of several new groups I've joined to fill the great void left by the sad departure of the Man with the Hat. We're off to see The Tempest, with Simon Russell Beale, at the Barbican. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And on the 7th, back with Let's Do This for a vintage swing jazz evening at Wilton's.
It'd be very handy if you were based in East London - not so much from where I was coming from, in the West End. Still, no longer to get to than Heathrow. If I were to do it in under an hour, I'd have to take the Tube - to Waterloo, then catch the Jubilee Line to Canning Town, from where I could take the bus or DLR. Now, I must have been feeling a bit distracted, because, while you can happily change Tube lines without touching out, something persuaded me that I should exit at Waterloo. It was as I was ascending on the escalator that I saw signs ahead, started to prod myself to remember where I was headed next, and went, "Oh, hell!".. so that cost me some unnecessary time and expense. Never mind - my life is just too damn busy these days. "Sleep when I'm dead", indeed.
So, back down again - by stairs, as the down escalator was out of order. A packed Jubilee Line took me - not to Canning Town, but to the stop before, North Greenwich. (I hadn't even thought to check.) And I really wish I'd heeded the driver's advice to get off at the stop before that (Canary Wharf) if we wanted to go further - when we arrived at North Greenwich, it turned out I had to go all the way upstairs and down onto another platform to get a train going my way. And this journey really wasn't going my way - when I finally got to Canning Town, I couldn't flippin' find the exit! You could go up or down to change platforms, but there was nothing about an exit. Heading up, I saw a sign pointing down for the exit, and sure enough, the basement was where I finally found it. The rather aggressive charity collectors gathered around the exit got short shrift from me, I'm afraid..
Guess what? It was easy from then on. I'd decided to take the bus, and easily found the stop: only to find that the next wasn't due for a while. I was just wondering whether to take the DLR instead, when the bus arrived (so much for departure boards, again). And a quick, 10-minute journey took us right to the airport door. A short walk, the automatic terminal doors opened - oh look, there are the self-service kiosks! (Desks with people at them are just behind.) Duly checked in - why, there's the escalator to Departures, just over there. Ascended, through security nice and quickly, and I was hungry. Looked around - oh look, people eating! "The Pilot's Kitchen". Ok then.
I was quickly seated, and quickly served - and with a smile; they're lovely, here. The menu consists mainly of variations on the same dishes, so they can get it out swiftly - and many of these are burgers. I noticed you could have a plain or posh (Aberdeen Angus) burger, with or without plain or posh bacon and cheese (posh = Stilton). I was plain all the way - with bacon and cheese, mind. And very moreish it was! Funnily enough, I forgot to ask for it without the pickle that was advertised on the menu - but there wasn't any; instead, they had tomato, which hadn't been listed. And which I had to remove, as I'm intolerant. I'd have had dessert, maybe, but my gate had been announced by the time I'd finished eating, and I just paid and left.
Duly found my gate, only to discover that BA was doing its thing of keeping people waiting an eternity before boarding. (One U2 t-shirt, ahead of me in the queue.) We finally boarded a plane with only four seats across - rather nice. Also nice was to discover, once we were airborne, that - despite me being on the same airline, in the same class, as my last trip, to Barcelona, where economy were charged for everything - on this flight, we got a free drink and snack! Gee, I'm liking this airport more and more. (They forgot to close the curtain separating us from Business class, so I can testify that the difference is that they got a proper meal, with metal cutlery and proper glasses. And cloth napkins. Ehh, not worth the extra. Except I was a bit jealous of their chocolate cake.)
In Dublin, sure enough, the bus information desk was closed, where I'd hoped to get a Leap card - the card they've brought in, since I was last here, that works the same as an Oyster card. I also noticed no sign for the bus - just as well I remembered where the stop was! Got a regular ticket for my ride into town, and a clear information system told me the stop names, which bore a vague resemblance to those that Google Maps had given me. Again, it pays to have some idea of your bearings.
My hotel was on Talbot Street, so when we came to the Talbot Street stop, off I got - and glee! The Ripley Court was right across the road. And the doors were locked - I had to buzz the intercom to get in, and the guy on reception had to tell me when the door was unlocked, as there is no indication. Checked in - and straight away, a rip-off: I'd thought the hotel in Barcelona was a tad exorbitant, but at €250 per night (over twice the normal rate), not including breakfast, this was really taking the mickey! Apparently, some foreign tourism minister stayed in Dublin recently, and returned home in high dudgeon, saying he'd never recommend Dublin, for its inflated prices. As it happened, that was one of the lead stories in Saturday's paper, how local hotels had boosted their rates by an average of 40% for the concert - indeed, I remember the hassle of booking accommodation in Dublin, back in January on the day I bought my concert tickets, when the availability map on Booking.com had hotels disappearing in front of my eyes, and I had to book fast to get a bed in the city at all..
So, for €250 per night, I got a decent-sized twin room (for single occupancy), with double glazing, standard, heavy, oak furnishings and trim, and the pokiest bathroom you've ever seen. Plenty of towels, nowhere to put them. Still, I was exhausted, and slept well - but only with the help of the earplugs I'm never without; I was on the first floor, and that double glazing does nothing to mitigate the noise from this city-centre street, or the trains that rattle right by the window, on their way to and from nearby Connolly Station. Convenient location, adequate accommodation - but very overpriced.
Saturday dawned fine and sunny. Got the aforementioned paper - packed with enthusiastic articles about the concert: event of the year in Ireland, y'know! I was supposed to meet my friend, who was going to the concert with me, at Café Kylemore for brunch; she texted to say she was running late, so I stayed reading a bit longer before I headed out. She hadn't got there when I arrived, so I staked a claim to a table - it can get very busy at lunchtime, which we were now approaching. She was coming by bus, and traffic was horrendous - in the end, I was waiting over half an hour before she arrived! So, she had breakfast and I had lunch - roast chicken, with veg and gravy. As I didn't want the cabbage, they let me have something from the breakfast menu to substitute - I chose mushrooms. The chicken was lovely - unfortunately, the carrots and mushrooms were stone cold. Hey-ho, I got fed at last, and was glad of it.
Popped out to her place for a while, where she kindly fed me with chocolate cake - then back into town, for something to eat before the concert. I fancied Chinese, all of a sudden - so we decided on the Good World, which we used to go to, back in the day when we both lived here. An early-bird menu, with a cheaper and a slightly more expensive option, was great value, and we were well and tastily fed. Ice cream for dessert - I asked for chocolate sauce, but she mistook it for a request for chocolate ice cream. Delicious, anyhow!
Back to the hotel then, briefly, to drop off the large bag of prezzies my friend had kindly given me. (Can't take large bags into rock concerts.) And also to drop off any food products - that's what they're really looking for, with those security checks, you know! A minor panic followed when it seemed she'd lost her phone and went back to look for it; in the meantime, I heard a ringing.. it turned out to have scooted under the dressing table, of course, and we hadn't heard it, as it fell on carpet.
Finally, we were off. I had Google Maps to hand, but you really don't need it on the way to the concert - just follow the hordes.
More photos here. No queueing allowed, this time - must've been manic when the gates opened! Routes were split, as ever, according to what section of the stadium you were headed to, as stated on your ticket; Google Maps was kind enough to direct us by the correct route, anyway. It's an impressive structure, rising above the rooftops.. Bag check complete, we were soon in our seats - the best for me yet on this tour!
Practically down on the pitch, as the concert progressed, it felt as though we were in the world's largest rave! Predictably, the most international crowd yet - we had Spanish and Germans beside us, a row of French people in front of us - I overheard American accents, and there were Spanish, Greek, and Brazilian flags in the crowd. A lot of Northern Irish accents, too. And the place was, apparently, packed with the Great and the Good - a huge round of applause went up when the President and his wife took their seats, high above us (not as good a view as we had). The Taoiseach was on the pitch, rather overdressed:
The Archbishop of Dublin, Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Colin Farrell and his family, Larry Gogan, Amy Huberman, the various members of U2's families.. yes, all were in attendance when a scream arose, as someone saw a procession of folks heading for the rear of the stage. Finally, Larry Mullen strolled out, took his seat, and laid into the military beat of Sunday Bloody Sunday. And we were off..
Setlist:
SET LIST
Sunday Bloody Sunday
New Year's Day
Bad
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Where The Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
With Or Without You
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running To Stand Still
Red Hill Mining Town
In God's Country
Trip Through Your Wires
One Tree Hill
Exit
Mothers of the Disappeared
New Year's Day
Bad
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Where The Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
With Or Without You
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running To Stand Still
Red Hill Mining Town
In God's Country
Trip Through Your Wires
One Tree Hill
Exit
Mothers of the Disappeared
ENCORE
Miss Sarajevo
Beautiful Day
Elevation
Vertigo
Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
One
The Little Things That Give You Away
Beautiful Day
Elevation
Vertigo
Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
One
The Little Things That Give You Away
Bono started by saying that he wanted this night to be epic: and as the hymn-like strains of Where the Streets Have No Name heralded the turning-on of the screen, someone had obviously done their best to make it so, as everybody raised their eyes to a military flyover, jets trailing the Irish colours! Nobody seems to know who actually made that call, but as people have remarked, there was enough political clout in the house to make it an easy task.
Awesome concert, a real sense of one-ness, when all you could see frequently were hands raised aloft below the stage. A real toss-up as to whether this or Barcelona was THE concert of the tour - I suppose I have to give it to Dublin.
Afterwards, a schlep back to the hotel - my friend's sister had got a last-minute ticket, not too badly priced on Stubhub, and met us at the hotel afterwards, but it took her until nearly midnight to get there. They were hungry, and I started to get peckish myself, so we headed out to forage; the queue at Supermac's extending into the road, we headed around the corner to Saigon City, an Asian takeaway with long tables. Where the queue was.. lively. For the authentic Dublin experience, do come here late night at the weekend. Just be prepared for rough language.. we could have stayed and eaten there, but thought we might have had a quieter experience back in my room, where there was a table, and three chairs - just right. And she of the last-minute ticket managed to cadge a fork and spoon from the bar, downstairs. I have to recommend the chicken balls, which were excellent - I found the curry too spicy for my taste, and wasn't mad about the rice.
And so to bed, eventually - and I was glad I set the alarm, given that late checkout would have cost me €40 extra, and without the alarm I'd probably have missed the deadline. That bus stop I'd got off at was set-down only, and rather than try to figure out where to go for the bus to the station, I decided to walk - it was a nice day. I was taking the train down to my mother's for a couple of days, you see. Unfortunately, I was dragging quite a weight of luggage.. never mind, I made it eventually, and after discovering I'd left my charger in the hotel and would have to buy another (damn!), I headed for food in the station bar, which was by now serving carvery lunch. Service for food was good, for the bar was indifferent, and the food was excellent - apart from the overly sweet marinade on the chicken. Oh, and I finally got a Leap card! (too late) - I don't know whether the feature was available at the other ticket machines I used over the weekend, but I have one now. And since the cash slot didn't seem to be working, I used my Monzo card.. thank goodness for it! The prepaid card that you top up with your debit card - no fee for using abroad, and very safe. And unlike my existing credit card, I don't have to pay this one from my Irish account - the one with no regular funds going into it.
After some standing around - no seats available - my platform was finally announced, and I had a relaxing journey all the way to Sixmilebridge, where I picked up my car. By the time I got to my mother's, both of us were ready to be fed again, and headed to the Abbey Tavern - and again the next day. She does like it there - good atmosphere, and the staff all know us. A pity they hardly change their menu.. so, on the first outing, I had lamb (for a change) - wasn't that keen, and they gave me far too much, as is typical. On the second outing, I had steak - always excellent, it's a good staple choice here.
And so back to London, finally. Tonight, I had booked free comedy in Greenwich - London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, Random London, and London Art, Comedy & Culture Lovers. Then Funzing rode to the rescue, and I booked a Funzing talk entitled "Politics - WTF!" Appropriate, no? Anyway, I booked on a once-only code "iwantfunzingagain". Or you could try "Funzing30" - both give 30% off, but are time-limited. But last week, I checked.. and whoopee, London Literary Walks is back at last, with a Sculpture in the City walk. Thank goodness I can cancel Funzing up to 48 hours beforehand without penalty. So I did.
Tomorrow was free comedy in Hammersmith again. With the first three of the above groups, plus DiscoverLDN.UK. And would you believe it - before I had the chance to cancel, they did! Well, Hammersmith & Fulham Friends did - which I'm taking it applies to all. Maybe not -anyway, it gave me the excuse. So I'll go to a film, as I was already thinking of doing; predictably, top of the list is Dunkirk. Showing at multiple times, nice and close to me.
I fly back on Monday, and saw an interesting Funzing talk advertised for that night - "Are We Living in the Matrix?" Well, I'm well overdue a free talk, with all of them that I've booked (every fourth free), so I contacted them to get a code to get this for free. Still waiting..! Despairing of them, I finally booked it on one of their limited 50% deals. It had been advertised with London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @Night - funnily enough, they've now both cancelled. It still seems to be running, though. No loyalty points for this one, I guess!
On Tuesday, I finally get to see Jennifer Rees again, when she's giving a talk on The Psychology of Criminals. With dim sum, great! (Had to stick with a 10% discount for this one - Fun_Day10 or Fun_Week10 are the ones you want for that.) And it's walking distance from me for once, in Covent Garden. She's a fantastic and engaging speaker. Excellent.. and Helen has sensibly decided to come too. On which occasion she'll deliver all the stuff I couldn't fit in my bag, coming back from Twickenham!
I was just looking up what to do next Wednesday - and wouldn't you know it, at that moment the Pop-Up Opera sent me a mail with upcoming events. Une Éducation Manquée is a short, French comic opera, whose run finishes that day. All right then!
On the 3rd, my first Meetup with Up in the Cheap Seats, one of several new groups I've joined to fill the great void left by the sad departure of the Man with the Hat. We're off to see The Tempest, with Simon Russell Beale, at the Barbican. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And on the 7th, back with Let's Do This for a vintage swing jazz evening at Wilton's.
Saturday, 15 April 2017
Opera: La Boheme
Back to Ireland for Easter. Happy chocolate bunny time, as they say! And isn't it lovely that the spring opera at the University Concert Hall was scheduled to coincide with that, taking place on Good Friday, of all days..
A dry day - the only one in Ireland annually, apart from Christmas Day: so you couldn't buy alcohol. I considered smuggling some wine along with us, but decided it wasn't really worth the trouble. When we entered the bar at the Castletroy Park Hotel, it was obvious there was
something different - it was as deserted as I've seen it! There were a couple of people drinking what looked like alcohol, but they must have been residents (there are some exemptions to the rule). At least it meant there was little trouble getting seating! or service.
We had our usuals - soup and a stirfry for me, salmon for my mother. This time, tap water for me (in an interestingly slanted jug), tea for her. She proclaimed her salmon nice - unfortunately, my bad restaurant run was continuing! It seems that alcohol wasn't the only thing missing from my meal - they seemed to be skimping on the flavour as well. I'm no cook (when would I have time?!), so I don't know what was lacking - but both soup and stirfry were curiously, and unusually, bland. (The bread that came with the soup was nice.) I was glad to finish, and we skipped dessert.. although we were quite early, the desserts here tend to be fiddly affairs. And I noted that the price was still high enough, despite us only having had two mains, one starter and a pot of tea - it's not the cheapest, here.
And so over to the concert hall, whose car park was already, unfortunately, pretty full. I let my mother off at the door - she can't walk far - and secured parking as close as possible. Then we headed in, and up to the cafe - plenty of seating, although not on the sofas she prefers. And, of course, no alcohol - although they had wheeled out someone to manage the bar they open for concert hall events; he stood forlorn and neglected behind a couple of displays of chocolate. Instead, I fancied an ice cream, and headed over to that stand. And after some unmerciful whining of instruments, drifting from the concert hall - they were practicing - they opened the doors, a bit earlier than usual.
We had booked quite central seats, and the stage setting was quite impressive, I thought - there isn't any curtain here, so you get to see everything from the get-go:
(Mind you, their garret does look rather open to the elements, here..)
This was a production of La Boheme, which is my favourite opera. However, this was also an Ellen Kent production, as always in this venue - and that is not my favourite opera company. And sure enough, I've seen far better productions of La Boheme than this. Now, to be fair, the stage sets were good - although lordy, they did take their time about the change in scenery between the first two acts, when they didn't have a proper interval, and of course, with no curtain, we could see exactly what they were doing!
A few things combine to make this such a great opera: the fun scenes where the students are bantering together, the tragic and sudden death scene, leading to an abrupt ending (spoiler!).. and primarily, the gorgeous score. The last time I saw this, several of the scenes moved me to tears - and indeed, I have to give credit to Musetta, who played her part to a T. (And to her little dog, so popular with audience and cast alike, and that my mother remarked was very calm, amidst all the attention.)
But oh, I could have wept with frustration for the performance of Rodolfo. Great voice, but as wooden an actor as the set behind him. It wasn't such an issue after the first act - when he's trying to act cold anyway, and when he doesn't play such a role in the last act. But my, in the first act, when he's supposed to be a passionate poet, falling in love with Mimi - it destroyed the whole act for me! Not the whole opera, and I did shed a tear at the very end - but what a disappointment, considering other productions I've seen. Ah well, typical Ellen Kent.
Had to be in bed early last night, to take the doggie to the groomer today. And doesn't she now look lovely! Afterwards, we headed to the Abbey Tavern, as usual - where we were lucky to get one of the last parking spots, ahead of a large funeral to be held there this evening. I had one of my usual dishes, the steak - and what a treat! Some meals are, in themselves, a celebration - and with perfectly cooked steak, perfectly singed onions and mushrooms, and perfectly crisp roast potatoes with fluffy innards - this was one such. Truly, it's made my weekend.
Finally, to Mass - and Easter Saturday services involve the lighting of the paschal fire, to symbolise Christ's rising from the dead. Wisely, what with local weather conditions, this is generally done indoors, in front of the altar. And it had been set up, in some container housed in a wok, sat on a table. However, the poor chap charged with doing it couldn't seem to get it to his liking, and as he continued to fiddle with it, it veered from shooting flames high into the air (a tricky thing to light the paschal candle from!), to billowing smoke upwards instead. As someone behind me remarked, he wouldn't have liked to be sitting in the balcony. As someone else remarked dryly, "What DID we do long ago..?" And as the priest remarked wryly, when the bit with the fire was over, it had been safely extinguished, and the church retained a slightly smoky demeanour - "I was assured it wouldn't smoke.."
Safely back, with no lasting damage from smoke inhalation, I'm headed back to London on Monday, and on Tuesday back with Funzing - London Speaks Sessions, LDN Talks @ Night, and London for a Tenner or Less, for a talk on the Science of Paranormal Activity. Unless I get a better offer, in time - it'd have to be a good one, I'm interested in this! Be nice if I got a stamp on my loyalty card - I didn't at the last one!
Wednesday, London Literary Walks is off down Brick Lane - and so am I. There'll be a few familiar faces at that - be great to see them again!
Thursday, I had my usual placeholder of free comedy in Hammersmith - courtesy of Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Greenwich, and London Live Comedy. Of course - much like Funzing - I usually end up cancelling these, when something better comes up. And lo and behold, it did - Walking Victorian London is off to see Six Islington Squares. Did sound better, so I cancelled the comedy - the walk costs £12, but I wasn't charged on RSVPing. So, when I later got an email from ShowFilmFirst, advertising £2 tickets to a concert - Nancy & Beth - at the Royal Festival Hall.. well, that sounded better again, and now I'm going to that. Stars Megan Mullally, from Will & Grace.
Ditto the comedy on Friday - or I may go to the cinema that day. As usual, watch this space..!
Next Saturday, I'm off to see the Naked House Cleaner! Venue to be revealed just the day before.. ooh!
On the 23rd, I'm on a walk of Hampstead Village Highlights, with Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts. Be good exercise, leading up to my own sponsored walk in September, in aid of Cats Protection.. Helen and I are going as Dick Whittington and his cat. She's the cat.
The 24th, a summery treat! The Man with the Hat is taking both London for Less Than a Tenner and Let's Do London - for less! to the Globe (ah, it's been too long..). For one night only, the Comedy Store Players will regale us with Shakespeare-inspired improv. As usual, London for Less than a Tenner standing in the yard, Let's Do London - for less! in lower gallery seats. Which is where I go - couldn't take standing for that long. Better savour this trip - he only has four more events scheduled, three of which I'm going to, with no word on whether he'll continue longterm. And if he doesn't (Heaven forbid!), that'll leave a huge, hat-shaped hole in my life. Plenty of other stuff to go to, but hardly anything I'll look forward to as much as his events.
The 25th, London European Club again - it'll have been a while! They're off to an informal evening of classical music, in Peckham.
The 26th, London Literary Walks is doing the Sloane Ranger.
The 27th, Helen and I are on an Underground treasure hunt, courtesy of Walk, Talks and Treasure Hunts. TFL goodies to be won, it seems.. Then back to Ireland for the bank holiday weekend - which I'd forgotten was a bank holiday, or I'd have stayed over an extra day!
Instead, for 1 May, I've booked The Ferryman, with LDAM, at the Royal Court.
And 2 May, those same three Funzing groups have advertised a talk called Origin of Vampires: Fact or Fiction?
A dry day - the only one in Ireland annually, apart from Christmas Day: so you couldn't buy alcohol. I considered smuggling some wine along with us, but decided it wasn't really worth the trouble. When we entered the bar at the Castletroy Park Hotel, it was obvious there was
something different - it was as deserted as I've seen it! There were a couple of people drinking what looked like alcohol, but they must have been residents (there are some exemptions to the rule). At least it meant there was little trouble getting seating! or service.
We had our usuals - soup and a stirfry for me, salmon for my mother. This time, tap water for me (in an interestingly slanted jug), tea for her. She proclaimed her salmon nice - unfortunately, my bad restaurant run was continuing! It seems that alcohol wasn't the only thing missing from my meal - they seemed to be skimping on the flavour as well. I'm no cook (when would I have time?!), so I don't know what was lacking - but both soup and stirfry were curiously, and unusually, bland. (The bread that came with the soup was nice.) I was glad to finish, and we skipped dessert.. although we were quite early, the desserts here tend to be fiddly affairs. And I noted that the price was still high enough, despite us only having had two mains, one starter and a pot of tea - it's not the cheapest, here.
And so over to the concert hall, whose car park was already, unfortunately, pretty full. I let my mother off at the door - she can't walk far - and secured parking as close as possible. Then we headed in, and up to the cafe - plenty of seating, although not on the sofas she prefers. And, of course, no alcohol - although they had wheeled out someone to manage the bar they open for concert hall events; he stood forlorn and neglected behind a couple of displays of chocolate. Instead, I fancied an ice cream, and headed over to that stand. And after some unmerciful whining of instruments, drifting from the concert hall - they were practicing - they opened the doors, a bit earlier than usual.
We had booked quite central seats, and the stage setting was quite impressive, I thought - there isn't any curtain here, so you get to see everything from the get-go:
(Mind you, their garret does look rather open to the elements, here..)
This was a production of La Boheme, which is my favourite opera. However, this was also an Ellen Kent production, as always in this venue - and that is not my favourite opera company. And sure enough, I've seen far better productions of La Boheme than this. Now, to be fair, the stage sets were good - although lordy, they did take their time about the change in scenery between the first two acts, when they didn't have a proper interval, and of course, with no curtain, we could see exactly what they were doing!
A few things combine to make this such a great opera: the fun scenes where the students are bantering together, the tragic and sudden death scene, leading to an abrupt ending (spoiler!).. and primarily, the gorgeous score. The last time I saw this, several of the scenes moved me to tears - and indeed, I have to give credit to Musetta, who played her part to a T. (And to her little dog, so popular with audience and cast alike, and that my mother remarked was very calm, amidst all the attention.)
But oh, I could have wept with frustration for the performance of Rodolfo. Great voice, but as wooden an actor as the set behind him. It wasn't such an issue after the first act - when he's trying to act cold anyway, and when he doesn't play such a role in the last act. But my, in the first act, when he's supposed to be a passionate poet, falling in love with Mimi - it destroyed the whole act for me! Not the whole opera, and I did shed a tear at the very end - but what a disappointment, considering other productions I've seen. Ah well, typical Ellen Kent.
Had to be in bed early last night, to take the doggie to the groomer today. And doesn't she now look lovely! Afterwards, we headed to the Abbey Tavern, as usual - where we were lucky to get one of the last parking spots, ahead of a large funeral to be held there this evening. I had one of my usual dishes, the steak - and what a treat! Some meals are, in themselves, a celebration - and with perfectly cooked steak, perfectly singed onions and mushrooms, and perfectly crisp roast potatoes with fluffy innards - this was one such. Truly, it's made my weekend.
Finally, to Mass - and Easter Saturday services involve the lighting of the paschal fire, to symbolise Christ's rising from the dead. Wisely, what with local weather conditions, this is generally done indoors, in front of the altar. And it had been set up, in some container housed in a wok, sat on a table. However, the poor chap charged with doing it couldn't seem to get it to his liking, and as he continued to fiddle with it, it veered from shooting flames high into the air (a tricky thing to light the paschal candle from!), to billowing smoke upwards instead. As someone behind me remarked, he wouldn't have liked to be sitting in the balcony. As someone else remarked dryly, "What DID we do long ago..?" And as the priest remarked wryly, when the bit with the fire was over, it had been safely extinguished, and the church retained a slightly smoky demeanour - "I was assured it wouldn't smoke.."
Safely back, with no lasting damage from smoke inhalation, I'm headed back to London on Monday, and on Tuesday back with Funzing - London Speaks Sessions, LDN Talks @ Night, and London for a Tenner or Less, for a talk on the Science of Paranormal Activity. Unless I get a better offer, in time - it'd have to be a good one, I'm interested in this! Be nice if I got a stamp on my loyalty card - I didn't at the last one!
Wednesday, London Literary Walks is off down Brick Lane - and so am I. There'll be a few familiar faces at that - be great to see them again!
Thursday, I had my usual placeholder of free comedy in Hammersmith - courtesy of Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Greenwich, and London Live Comedy. Of course - much like Funzing - I usually end up cancelling these, when something better comes up. And lo and behold, it did - Walking Victorian London is off to see Six Islington Squares. Did sound better, so I cancelled the comedy - the walk costs £12, but I wasn't charged on RSVPing. So, when I later got an email from ShowFilmFirst, advertising £2 tickets to a concert - Nancy & Beth - at the Royal Festival Hall.. well, that sounded better again, and now I'm going to that. Stars Megan Mullally, from Will & Grace.
Ditto the comedy on Friday - or I may go to the cinema that day. As usual, watch this space..!
Next Saturday, I'm off to see the Naked House Cleaner! Venue to be revealed just the day before.. ooh!
On the 23rd, I'm on a walk of Hampstead Village Highlights, with Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts. Be good exercise, leading up to my own sponsored walk in September, in aid of Cats Protection.. Helen and I are going as Dick Whittington and his cat. She's the cat.
The 24th, a summery treat! The Man with the Hat is taking both London for Less Than a Tenner and Let's Do London - for less! to the Globe (ah, it's been too long..). For one night only, the Comedy Store Players will regale us with Shakespeare-inspired improv. As usual, London for Less than a Tenner standing in the yard, Let's Do London - for less! in lower gallery seats. Which is where I go - couldn't take standing for that long. Better savour this trip - he only has four more events scheduled, three of which I'm going to, with no word on whether he'll continue longterm. And if he doesn't (Heaven forbid!), that'll leave a huge, hat-shaped hole in my life. Plenty of other stuff to go to, but hardly anything I'll look forward to as much as his events.
The 25th, London European Club again - it'll have been a while! They're off to an informal evening of classical music, in Peckham.
The 26th, London Literary Walks is doing the Sloane Ranger.
The 27th, Helen and I are on an Underground treasure hunt, courtesy of Walk, Talks and Treasure Hunts. TFL goodies to be won, it seems.. Then back to Ireland for the bank holiday weekend - which I'd forgotten was a bank holiday, or I'd have stayed over an extra day!
Instead, for 1 May, I've booked The Ferryman, with LDAM, at the Royal Court.
And 2 May, those same three Funzing groups have advertised a talk called Origin of Vampires: Fact or Fiction?
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