Prom 7: Dido and Aeneas

Today.. I took a punt that I still wouldn't actually be employed, and signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I couldn't actually make it. Another day predicted to be scorching.. shade recommended! And wouldn't you know it - he postponed it, as a result. So instead, I headed with London Baroque Music Lovers to a late-night gig at the Albert Hall - Prom 7 was Dido and Aeneas.

All afternoon, I crouched in front of my fan and sweltered. I was so glad he had cancelled that walk! Anyway, with this concert on so late, it was a bit cooler by the time I headed out for something to eat. Mindful of the trouble I had finding food near the Albert Hall before, I looked it up in advance, and identified somewhere I might like to eat. I didn't want to eat in the hall itself, given that the organiser had said she'd meet us outside.

Well, heading down that direction meant Tube.. and while it was hot, it was bearable, and I'd thought to bring a bottle of chilled water with me. Announcements were being made about severe delays, and advising not to travel on the Piccadilly Line, because of speed restrictions because of the heat.. I half thought about travelling another way, but it turned out they were all "severely delayed". Anyway, it just seemed to mean that there was only one every few minutes. We all had our ways of cooling down:

This little fellow was panting up a storm, but cheered up mightily when his mummy gave him something to chew on. They got off in Knightsbridge, presumably for some late-night shopping!

I got off in Gloucester Road. Where I witnessed a group of (I guess Canadian, by their luggage straps) girls with more than one large case each, who had just rounded a corner to discover, with some horror, the long flight of steps they had to climb with them. (On a side note, this reminds me of that problem with a boat crossing a river, which can only take so many things at a time. But anyway.) They did manage, the first emerging into daylight to exclaim in delight - "Guys, I can see road!!" But it brings up a point I have before - try not to travel by Tube with heavy luggage. Most stations are not step-free, and those flights of steps can be huge. If you must travel with luggage, say from Heathrow, plan your journey around stations that are step-free, and if necessary, complete the trip by taxi or bus - buses are much better with luggage, as long as they're not too packed.

Off I went in search of food, soon coming across the Light of India - part of the Montana Hotel. Figured I'd give it a go. The smiling receptionist showed me to a cramped table in a corner - hmph. Anyway, service was unfailingly quick throughout. They have two choices of half bottles of wine - one red, one white. And my goodness, he really wanted me to go for the tasting menu. I persisted, and got my usual.

The samosas were nice. The butter chicken was, as usual, butter sauce with a hint of chicken - passable, nothing special. The rice was decent. The peshawari naan was a delight. If I went back - which I'm unlikely to do - I might go for the tasting menu, which seems good value. And they seem to have a good dessert list. But in this heat, I don't actually think Indian food was the wisest choice - afterwards, standing outside the Albert Hall and chatting to the organiser, I felt quite faint and had to sit for a minute. That chilled water came in very handy!

Leaving the restaurant - o no! Unpredicted rain! A downpour, in fact - which wasn't predicted until tomorrow - we were given a 0% chance of rain this evening! Blast. I stood in the porch for a minute and researched how to get to the Albert Hall with the least amount of walking. Found a bus, rode it for two stops, sheltered under a stop with a couple of other blokes, and headed for the hall once it finally stopped. Where the organiser and I had some trouble finding each other, but did manage it in the end, and had a nice chat. It was just the two of us - the heat issues, combined with the lateness of the hour, meant that most people cried off.

She was in the stalls, I was upstairs - except when I got upstairs, a nice lady was blocking people's way and saying they were doing upgrades, and did we want one, and how many tickets? What a shame she hadn't been blocking our way on the stairs.. So I took my ticket from her and headed back down. Turns out they were upgrading everyone in the circle. Hah! Again, the vindication of buying cheap tickets.

Had a brief chat with the guy beside me, who'd been upgraded right in front of me! And Oh, this was a lovely performance. I had never seen the full thing, but the heartbreaking aria "Remember Me" was familiar. As our organiser had highlighted in the event details, they used no fewer than four theorbos, which looked spectacular and helped with the sound in this large venue. The audience also appreciated the comic turn of the dancing sailors (two topless), who lightened the proceedings. Yes, typical proms - always entertaining, beautiful music in a lovely venue.

Afterwards, walked out with her - once I remembered where we were supposed to meet! And wouldn't you know it, my bus stop was closed, and I needs must walk to the next - but it gave us a little more chatting time. Must try and get back with this group again. I even got my mother called while I waited - and she never did figure out where I was, just enquiring at one point what the noise was - she could hear someone speaking.. interestingly, Google Maps' advice changed en route, and had me change at a different stop: and while I waited there, another woman and I admired the accuracy of our bus apps, which predicted the many buses with precision. And I duly alighted into a stiff breeze - why, by now it was almost cold..!

Tomorrow, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show. The weather app can't seem to decide whether it'll rain.

On Thursday, I'm heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Meeting someone for this, we are getting food beforehand at Wawa - she's keen on ramen. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend. Unlikely to get to a film at the weekend, as I need to get my car serviced for its NCT - sooner the better, and I couldn't last time I was back.

On Monday, I was headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out had an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%! Sadly, yesterday evening I got word that remaining performances of this production have been cancelled, due to covid. Still with nothing on Meetup that appeals, I'm back with TAC for a classical concert - Mario Brunello is playing Bach on on the violoncello piccolo, at Wigmore Hall. He's playing in the evening as well, but cheap tickets are available for the matinee.

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

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

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

On the 29th, I was thinking about the National Theatre's River Stage 2022. This will be the first night of the Hackney Empire's Young Producers Weekend, and there'll be some dance and some music. But now, Civilised London has organised an Ecuadorian meal at El Inca Plebeyo - so I'm going to that instead. His choices are always good. Meeting beforehand at The Canonbury Tavern.

On the 30th, back in Greenwich with Bucket List London - we're starting with the Old Royal Naval College and National Maritime Museum. Was originally supposed to be the Queen's House to finish, but turns out they're booked out all day for a wedding, despite not having clarified that on the website! Then in the afternoon, we're headed to Eltham Palace and Gardens. Quite the packed day..

On the 31st, back with TAC for the opening night of I'm Not Myself Today: A Villainous Cabaret at the Bread and Roses in Clapham. An hour in which someone discusses with us why we all love the villain!

On the 1st, I'm going to the Kiln Theatre for The Darkest Part of the Night. Another troublesome website - I tried for days to get it to work..!

And on the 2nd, thinking vaguely about the Camden Fringe, which runs all next month - there's, for example, an interesting audio event called A Little Drape of Heaven, where you hold a precious item of clothing to your heart, then press play to access a YouTube link that you've paid for. Hmm.. Meantime, Laurence has postponed that walk to this day. Which I can go on as well, assuming I'm not gainfully employed yet..!

Concert: Scouting for Girls

We've been given another round of the London Literary Walks quiz - well actually, its companion quiz. Which I've about half answered - still haven't had a look to see whether I can figure out any more. Meantime, having a so-so choice on the tv this evening, I had a peek at what had been going on in Meetup. And so it was that I saw that Up in the Cheap Seats were watching a performance by Scouting for Girls. D'you know, I wasn't the slightest bit familiar with them - but said I'd give them a go. Goodness knows, it wasn't a long performance, anyway!

So, it seems they had been supposed to play the Royal Albert Hall, and were now doing a brief online performance instead. Each in their respective homes. Not exactly a simultaneous performance, mind - from what I could see, it is just the one of them really playing music, in a very well-equipped room - lots of instruments, a couple of which he plays. There's almost half an hour of music - the other 10 minutes or so is given over to dedications.

So - yeah, they're good. I'm never going to be a massive fan, but there are worse ways to pass a half hour or so. A couple of the pieces, I recognised - and the guy can both sing and play. And is decent to look at. And the songs are good. Better than most of the dross out there. Yes - recommended. And they have details of how to donate to the Albert Hall, by text from a UK number. Horrible to think that such an iconic venue could be in trouble - and they're not the only ones.

And on Saturday, back with London Social Detours for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..

Videos: Rock n Roll at the Royal Albert Hall

Tomorrow, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) is hosting another virtual Meetup - this time, of a half-hour rock concert at the Albert Hall! Actually snippets of different concerts, all broadcast for free by the venue. Again, the communal experience is a bit late for me - but the Meetup is full anyway, and there's nothing to stop me watching it earlier.

But as it happened, I got to it today! Well, it was only half an hour's worth of content. The venue has a whole range of videos available.. and this compilation was very enjoyable. Reflecting the organiser's interests, it starts with a Led Zeppelin track - unfortunately, I'm not a fan. Happily, the rest was more to my taste - next up was Eric Clapton, with Cocaine.. I was very impressed, as always, by the Stereophonics.. hit of the list for me was the next, with Iggy Pop performing The Passenger. Definitely worth tuning in for! The list ends with David Gilmour, whom I'd never even heard of! Good though, with a most interesting, animated video - the rest in this list are live. Pity these Meetups are mostly on in the evenings, which I can't manage, so I miss chatting with the others..

Alternatively, for tomorrow, UITCS are watching Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Andrew Lloyd Webber is streaming a whole heap of his musicals on YouTube for free - all you have to do is subscribe to his channel, The Show Must Go On. Shows will be released at 7pm every Friday, for 48 hours - starting tonight. Again, I'll have to watch at another time. But I suspect I'll be back to this channel! The problem, of course, with such a busy group as UITCS is, when you remove commuting time.. they can pack so many more events into a day..

On Sunday morning, Anthony's Cultural Events and Walking Activities Group is heading on a virtual tour of Mount Everest, on Google Maps! So I'll tag along. He's actually closing down this group, so this is likely to be my last event with them - I'm not sufficiently invested in it to join his Facebook group.

That afternoon, why, London Social Detours has another event I'm interested in. (And for once, she's not charging..!) She's reading a chapter of a book entitled London: The Wicked City, and there's to be a chat afterwards. First sociable thing I'm planning!

And yes, UITCS is busy again.. They're watching a play called Wild, on the Hampstead Theatre website on Sunday evening. Another by Mike Bartlett, by the synopsis, it sounds like a dramatisation of the story of Edward Snowden. So that sounds interesting.. and as Hampstead Theatre is only streaming plays free for a week each, Sunday is the last day for this.

Concert: Symphonic Queen

Last night, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) was off to the Albert Hall for Symphonic Queen - the Royal Philharmonic was performing Queen. And, of course, one advantage of Meetup is that you usually meet beforehand - which does give you a buffer, in case you're running late, so you at least make the show! And ooh, it didn't rain yesterday, for once..!

Ah yes, just as well I didn't aim to make it just in time for the show. Because, you see, I left it too late to take the bus again - well, the estimated travel time might just have got me there in time, but probably not. Not to mention that I wanted to meet the others beforehand. So I headed off by Tube. What greeted me when I entered the station was a large sign warning of severe delays. Oh Lordy.. Just at that moment, an announcement clarified that a train had broken down at Notting Hill. Well.. I wasn't going that far on the line. And I had no alternative from there. So off I went.

And it was actually fine - apart from a brief delay at a red light at Oxford Circus, which had me wondering whether I should change lines. But no - I guess they got it sorted pretty fast. And I duly disembarked - at Lancaster Gate. And maybe I should have checked beforehand, but it turns out that I was now on the wrong side of Hyde Park..! Google Maps merrily suggested that I walk through the park. Well, apart from the dubious advice to walk through a city park in the dark - they were actually in the process of locking the gates! Happily, there is at least a road through the park, which I made for - but it did take longer, and I had visions of a repeat of Monday's episode! Mercifully, I eventually panted in to where the group was standing - and boy, was I relieved! And only 20 minutes later than I'd planned.

So.. there was a choir for this, as well as the orchestra. Ladies in front, in colourful, sparkly dresses, they looked like nothing so much as a row of Quality Streets.

Can't say I was enamoured of them. They hardly got up from their seats - not singing at all for most numbers; when they did, it was generally only the chorus. The only number they did anything substantial with was Bohemian Rhapsody, just before the interval. Which, to be fair, was excellent. They did click their fingers for a couple of numbers. Mind you, when they did sing, I often had trouble hearing them over the orchestra.. but the effort was appreciated. Hell, I thought it was a travesty that there was no singing at all for I Want to Break Free - and with so many people bursting into song around me, I think I wasn't the only one. When the lyrics are so familiar..

The concert was generally quite good, but by and large we agreed that the second half was much better - seemed to flow better. Certainly, the opener of We Will Rock You was a damp squib - all you really need for most of that is a drum kit, and the orchestral treatment dampened down the excitement of that, and of several numbers. The melodic ones worked better, of course. But the second half did provide some excellent numbers, and a particular shout out to the drummer, who had a blistering solo at one point, and to whoever was playing electric guitar. By the time they got to the last number of We Are the Champions, they finally seemed to have managed to rock the hall, with most people swaying along. And a reprise of We Will Rock You for the encore - worked, finally. A good night. And great to see everyone!

Afterwards, predictably, and as predicted by the organiser, it was impossible to find each other - well, certainly for me; I was ages coming out, the people on either side of me taking so long to move! And then the saga of getting home - by bus - started. Firstly, it turned out that my regular bus stop was closed for roadworks. Most people headed in the direction the bus would travel in - I decided it was a wiser plan to walk in the other direction, to avoid the crowd. Then there was no sign of my bus - never mind, Google Maps said I could take another bus, which would be along imminently. And it was.

The plan was to hook up from that route with my bus home, the 11. So I got off at the interchange stop, which has one of those dinky new style displays. And I don't know what it is about the 11, but it never seems to be predicted to arrive. Within the next half hour, there was no sign of it appearing. I checked alternatives, and discovered that they'd take another 45 minutes to get home from here - and I could have stayed on my last bus to do it, duh.. So I was just wondering whether to give up and take the Tube: and lo, what comes around the corner, like the proverbial knight on a white charger, but an 11 that must have been just starting its route, and was just turning on its lights. Which I jumped onto. Although I still wasn't believing Google Maps' estimate of a 3-minute journey..!

Well, what with the protests having been outlawed, I see that most of the 11's diversions have been lifted - it's going through Westminster now, without that long detour south of the river. Still has a weird detour around Trafalgar Square though, which took forever to get through. And gee, to finish off the evening.. the final stop was closed (for roadworks), and I needs must get off at the one before, and walk. Took me an hour and a half to get home. And with a meeting scheduled for this morning, I had to be in early - so no blogging last night.

The meeting - as with the one after it - was cancelled in the end. Of course. Now begins a long period of non-Meetup stuff. Tonight, I'm heading to the ballet Manon, at the Opera House. Which, blessedly, I can walk to.

Tomorrow, the Crick Crack Club (CCC) is back at Rich Mix, with Melusine. TUUP is the headliner on this occasion, which should be terrific!

On Friday, Helen's in town, heading to a Midge Ure concert at the Palladium - we're meeting for dinner beforehand at the Slug & Lettuce. Now, that's the day I should be flying back to Ireland - so I'm going the next day instead. And with my mother's birthday during the week - and not having any major holidays booked - I said, why not just take the week off and spend it in Ireland? So I am.

On the 28th, the CCC is back again - Ben Haggarty is in Soho Theatre with Grim Grimms - a dark take on fairytales, highlighting four lesser-known tales of the brothers Grimm. With musical accompaniment. Tickets weren't available when I noted this in my calendar - they have now, predictably, sold out.

On the 29th, I'm trying to persuade the social group from my former company to come with me to a Design My Night event - Fright Night Cinema is showing Hallowe'en in the Rivoli ballroom, with a themed cocktail bar and people dressed in spooky costumes. Now, that sounds like fun.. I've booked, at least, and a couple of others have indicated they'll come.

On the 30th, back with Meetup at last - UITCS is at a mixed programme by Birmingham Royal Ballet, at Sadler's Wells. I've seen part of it before, and it's excellent.

For Hallowe'en, The Embers Collective stepped up to the plate, with a storytelling performance called Witch, at The Jago.

On the 1st, meeting Ivan.. he's away most of the time till then, and I'm busy the rest of the time!

And on the 2nd, I've booked with Best Authentic Walking Tours in London, for a Royal Maritime Greenwich Ghost Tour. Now, this is - as with all their walks - with Funzing, so I can get a refund up to 48 hours beforehand. Which I'll probably do (have, in fact, done for this twice already), as I might go to a film that day - depending what's on - or, if I don't like the offerings, Love London Theatre, Arts, Music & Stuff is off to Blood Wedding, a new adaptation of the Lorca play, at the Young Vic. But I now see that's sold out - was bound to happen.

Concert: Prom 68 - Wagner Night

Tonight, back with London European Club (LEC) for a night at the Proms - this was Prom 68: Wagner Night. At the Royal Albert Hall, natch. And I managed to leave in good time! Two buses got me there quite fast.. and you know what they say about getting off a stop before your scheduled one, and walking the difference for exercise? I didn't have the choice - the stop at the concert hall was closed, and I joined a whole host of people who got off when we finally heard the driver's announcement. There'd been a recorded one just before that, which nobody had heard - luckily, the driver was canny enough to realise that a fair amount of people would want the Albert Hall, so took the effort to repeat the announcement for us.

A pretty short walk to the hall then, and handily the ticket gives the door number. Most of the group were standing in the central "pit" - I had a long climb to the Rausing Circle. It's not too arduous though - and I was second row from the front, so quite happy with the view. Despite the near corner of the stage being cut off.

Now, it wasn't all Wagner.. but stirring stuff all the same, reminiscent of the style. For the first section, we had some Weber, some Wagner (Siegfried), and some Franck. But after the interval, we were into the big guns - they brought on four harpists, lots of folk to play the percussion instruments that hadn't been used until then, and a couple of singers. Because now we were into the Götterdämmerung.

Someone behind me took the trouble, as the interval drew to a close, to explain the story to his companions. For me though, it's simply a combination of two things; Siegfried's Death and Funeral March will always remind me of the glorious soundtrack to Excalibur: and while I don't care for that style of singing, the climactic finale should send shivers down anyone's spine.. breathtaking.

Afterwards, a few of us met outside - and it was nice to see the folks again, it's been a while. Then it was the bus again for me - and lo, I was with the same troupe of music students that got off the bus with me earlier! I had to sit on the stairs - where I got a great view of the practically empty bus of the same number, following behind. And while it was a relief when they got off - along with a lot of others - at Piccadilly Circus, and I could get a seat, I certainly didn't hold with the opinions of the stuffy old gent who was complaining about how they'd thought they were God's gift. For what - chatting to each other?! What did he want them to do - be seen and not heard? Old git. Anyway, guess what? the bus stopped one stop short again. Gee, they do love me getting my exercise.

Tomorrow, back at Trafalgar Studios - this time with North London Friends (NLF), for The Fishermen. Wonder whether there'll be another protest.

On Wednesday, I was back to the Proms, on my own.. Prom 71: Bach Night. But London Literary Walks finally advertised one - which is a better proposition. I just wish he'd post them earlier! This one is Bank Alleys - again, nice and convenient for me! Probably be my last of the year - he doesn't run them past September, and the rest of my Wednesdays are booked for the month.

On Thursday, I was thinking film - but not being enthused about what was coming up, I booked a cheap ticket to Remember, at the Cockpit, instead.

On Friday, back with the LEC for a Scottish ceilidh! It's at Cecil Sharpe House. I had to cancel the last one of these I booked for, so hopefully I make this one!

On Saturday, London Dramatic Arts is off to see Two Ladies, with Zoe Wanamaker, at the Bridge Theatre. So am I - for half the price! (shh..) Going on my own, and will be avoiding them, as she takes umbrage at that sort of thing.

On Sunday, back with The Embers Collective - they haven't yet revealed the venue for Mischief on the Marshes! They did say, when I asked, that they'd tell me midweek..

Next Monday, finally going to see Waitress, which I had to cancel earlier in the year. It's at the Adelphi.

On the 17th, some comedy, with Shappi Khorsandi, at Soho Theatre.

On the 18th, back with Civilised London (CL) for a Lebanese meal at Al Waha, meeting beforehand at the Prince Alfred. Then I'm back to Ireland for a long weekend.

On the 23rd, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - again, it'll have been nearly three weeks since I was last with them! The occasion is a production of Giselle, by the English National Ballet, at Sadler's Wells.

On the 24th, back with NLF, to Donmar Warehouse, for Appropriate.

On the 25th, the Crick Crack Club is back! Tricksters & Fools is at Rich Mix - it's another in Crick Crack's Archetypes series, and stars Sarah Liisa Wilkinson, Tim Ralphs, TUUP, and Nell Phoenix.

On the 26th, UITCS is back with Groan Ups, at the Vaudeville.

On the 27th, Love London Theatre, Arts, Music & Stuff is at Our Lady of Kibeho, at the Theatre Royal Stratford. Ahah, I knew I'd booked something else with them!

And on the 28th, I booked for the matinee of Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. at the Royal Court. And then CL organised an outing to see London Concertante perform the Four Seasons at Southwark Cathedral. What the hey, I figure I can make both! It's ages since I heard it, in fact.. and it'll be a nostalgic trip for me, as my very first Meetup with the Man with the Hat was to listen to Concertante in Southwark Cathedral. He's much missed.

Circus: Totem

Today, I headed on my annual trip to Cirque du Soleil at the Albert Hall - this year, it's Totem. I see I have something in common with royalty there.. Cheapest tickets from the venue, and they ain't cheap! I woke in decent time, and got myself out in time to shop, eat, and print out my ticket - the Albert Hall hasn't yet advanced to scanning, it seems. I had fun digging through my inbox for the ticket, which I booked last month but couldn't remember when - of course, I shouldn't have searched by "Cirque du Soleil", but rather by "Royal Albert Hall", as the e-ticket email didn't mention the specific show.

This far out, I was going to have to take the Tube. Crowded it was, but not too much - I got a seat the whole way. South Kensington, however, was horrendously crowded - and matters weren't helped by the subway being closed! So I had to meander my way through the crowds on the pavements, and cross several roads. Anyway, I got to the Albert Hall 10 minutes before showtime - never believe Google Maps for this venue, it always takes 10 minutes longer than they say. And although we were told we could take any entrance, I still had to climb all the way up to the fourth floor! Ah well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger..

More photos here. Interestingly, someone was in my seat. And with the whole row section full, this was a question for the usher to solve - turned out that two ladies, who came together, had booked what they thought were adjacent seats - unfortunately, one of them was on the other side of the stairwell. So naturally, rather than split up this pair - and disturb the whole row - I took the seat on the other side. Which was absolutely fine. Row 3 of the Rausing Circle is interesting, actually - a lot of it consists of "box" sections above stairs, which is nice, as there's no-one directly in front of you, and you get a rail on which you can lean. Comfy cosy. Mind you, my knees were a bit stiff after a couple of hours..

Giant turtle shell, or something, visible there - from under which acrobats pop out, of course. The show is called Totem - but as usual, they hardly bother sticking to whatever spiel they've bothered to come up with to go with the title. I mean, in this show you get South American / tribal characters, Native North American imagery- could believe either of these for the "totem" theme. But - flamenco, dropped randomly into the mix? Oh, whatever. The circus acts are suitably spectacular, but Cirque du Soleil's focus has always been on the incredible visuals. One of these days, I might do better than a side view.

Runs till the 26th of next month. Oh, and that lady with whom I swapped seats came over afterwards to thank me and check my seat had been ok! which was nice. As I made my way out, I noted that the better souvenir shop is at Door 6. I just missed the bus home - on the plus side, it took so long for the next to come that most of the crowd had gone by then. And I didn't have to wait long to change buses, which was good, in this freezing cold..

Tomorrow, I'm back with London Speaks Sessions for "True Crime: Survivor Stories and Straties (sic.)". This is a talk about survivors of extreme situations - and delivered by the excellent Jennifer Rees, whom I've seen a few times before. Not only that, but I got to use my loyalty Funzing discount for it, having cancelled a previous event for which I'd used that!

And on Tuesday, I had arranged to go with the London Jazz Meetup - but gee, it's all the way out in Ealing! So I said sod it, I'd go to the pictures again. Watch this space..

Prom 21: An Alpine Symphony

Today, I booked for the Proms, at the Albert Hall, for the first time in ages. This one is An Alpine Symphony. Unfortunately, my tummy decided to play up - I'm spending the night in. Wasn't going with anyone anyway. And I can listen on Radio 3.. except it bloody keeps crashing! (Much better on my phone.) What the hey. Just finished Mozart's Notturno, currently on Haas' Concerto Grosso, with alphorns (which is a bit weird), and Richard Strauss' An Alpine Symphony. Nice to have commentary.

Tomorrow, I'm finally back with North London Friends, for Give My Regards to Broadway, Upstairs at the Gatehouse. Completely sold out now, I believe.

On Wednesday - London Literary Walks is taking a break! That was the day I was originally looking at films for - but what was coming top was Teefa in Trouble. A Bollywood film - fine: except when I watched the trailer, the jokes weren't quite as funny to me as I think they were to the makers, and there was a bit too much exaggerated action - think slo-mo, and people balancing motorbikes on their fingertips. And 2.5 hours of all that was, I thought, a bit much - so no thanks. Which left Sanju again. Not so much.. so I then thought about heading, with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS), to Julie, again at the National. Huh! Only tickets left were £50, when I checked! I then checked again.. they had two tickets for £26! Then they were gone, but they had £44 tickets.. think they might be sold out now. Anyway, I've booked for a Heroism & Villainy Walking Tour (with Real Magic!), via Walking in London.

On Thursday, I was also booked with them - for The Summer Ghost Walk. I've been with this guide before - found him very good. And then.. Ryanair announced another bloody strike!! Yes, for the next day. Yes, when I was to go to Ireland for the weekend. So now I'm flying on Thursday, instead - happily, it was Funzing, so I'll get a refund. And they've even refunded me the credits that I used to book it! And I retain the record of bookings that'll earn me more credits. And at least I found out earlier this time, so booked an alternative flight earlier, so it was a bit cheaper.

Next Monday, Anthony's Cultural Events and Walking Activities Group is off to Westferry Circus again, for The Importance of Being Earnest. I RSVPed for that.. but then London Dramatic Arts announced that they were off to see One for Sorrow, at the Royal Court. They cleverly left the announcement until the theatre had sold out for that day - I guess there's an offer. So they were the only place I could get a ticket, and I did - probably at a slightly higher price than the theatre charged. Anyway, better than sitting on the grass, in the heat.

On the 7th, UITCS is off to When Midnight Strikes, Upstairs at the Gatehouse.

On the 8th, London Literary Walks is back with Brook Green - another area near where I used to live! Actually, the first medical practice that I registered with, in London. Nice nurse - one very narky doctor.

On the 9th, UITCS is back to the Camden Fringe, with How to Be a Londoner in an Hour, at the Hen & Chickens Theatre. Then I'm down to Helen's for the weekend, for a party..

And on the 13th, back with Anthony's Cultural Events and Walking Activities Group, back to Westferry Circus.. this time it's for A Woman of No Importance.

Day in South Kensington

Today, back with Up in the Cheap Seats.. all day, as it happened. See, one of the organisers went crazy booking things the other day - it seems the V&A have an annual performance festival, and this year's theme was censorship, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the Theatres Act, which abolished censorship of the theatre in the UK. The day started with Decorum X: Brunch with Bite.. tickets required. This was followed by a talk on Censorship on the Elizabethan Stage, then finally came a performance by Belarus Free Theatre (the only theatre company in Europe banned by its government on political grounds, it seems), with Artists Fighting Oppression. Sold out by the time he advertised it, but he had tickets for us, if we were in quick. All events free. In the evening, we were off to a film music gala at the Albert Hall. What the hey, the V&A is very near to there!

Ohh, but I could have done with more sleep. Never mind, out I hopped, and with a number of options for getting there. The one that promised to get me there quickest was to take the bus from my nearest stop, then the Tube.. either bus would do. I was in good time, it was sunny - all was good. Unfortunately, the buses took forever.. the first to come was the #56, for which the plan was to alight at St. Paul's, then take two Tube lines. The problem arose with all the connections.. with the bus delay, I missed the Tube I should have got, and ended up with about a five-minute wait for each of the two trains I needed. At least I got a seat on the Piccadilly Line, for most of the way.

I didn't arrive at South Ken till gone the time the first event was due to start. Still, I persevered, trotting down that subterranean tunnel, praying I'd see the right exit soon. I emerged into the museum with a vague notion that I had to go left, having checked the interactive map last night - of course, it's not as easy in person, and when a helpful assistant asked whether he could help, I asked directions to the Sackler Centre. Yup, just keep heading left - I was almost there, and the Arts Studio is plain to see once you get there.

Mercifully, they let people in late, and I followed another woman, our tickets checked at the door. We could grab free drinks and pastries, and were instructed to grab a stool and sit at the side, which I did. I was a few minutes late - when I came in, the lady who was chairing the talk, at the head of the table, was discussing how Elizabeth I used to encourage people to stay away from the theatres by convincing them that the players spread the plague.

A lovely, bright and airy room, and a nice, custardy pastry left me in a receptive mood for the talk, which showed how political censorship in ages past switched to more prudish, sexual censorship in more recent times. A photocopy of the censor's report on Waiting for Godot was passed around, with much mirth at the censor's complete bafflement as to what the play is actually about. The speaker explained how she never appreciated the Carry On films, with their crude sexual innuendo, until she realised that that was as far as their expression of sexuality was allowed to go! And now, she concluded, censorship has been abolished - or has it? What about works that are seen to criticise certain religious groups, for example? A very interesting talk, a nice start.

I joined the others at the end - the ladies of our small group went in search of the loo, and finding the main toilets had a terrible queue, we enquired of an usher, who directed us to some well-hidden toilets, upstairs from the Raphael Gallery (ooh, there's a Raphael Gallery! and it's gorgeous). And then we went exploring, for a bit.

More photos here. Then we assembled at the meeting point near the entrance, for a gallery talk on Censorship on the Elizabethan Stage. For that, our guide took us up to the Performing Arts Gallery, which I'd never known existed - another terrific find, with its displays of costumes, theatrical posters, and video footage. She explained to us the difficulties of proving censorship from this period, and how one way of detecting it was to examine different copies of the same work, to check what had changed.

A quick trip to the cafe, and we were into an afternoon of political theatre. As the speaker remarked, she'd been told for weeks that this was sold out - and here we were, in a rare spell of British hot weather, with the room half full. Ah well, can't be helped. An interesting few hours followed, in which we watched an enlightening film about Belarus Free Theatre, listened to an interview of two people involved, then had to participate in an interactive session.. wasn't too bad, of course. First, people were encouraged to speak about something they always carry with them, and describe its significance. Then, we ended up carrying this long strip of red fabric around the building and back - a symbol of the red line that won't be crossed. We ended with what I found most moving - a Skype call to one of the underground group in Belarus, standing outside tonight's secret theatre, as the audience filed in. "Say hi to London, guys!" Good luck to them.

Time to eat, before the film gala; I fancied trying the cheap Oriental place I'd spotted - Oriental Canteen, as it turns out - so went and got a table there. It's mostly communal tables, but they have small ones along the windows, suitable for one or two. I'd ordered, and was sipping my 7Up - they don't have a full licence, and the only alcohol is Tiger Beer - when I realised the place is cash-only.. and I didn't have any! I checked with them that I'd need it, then asked where the nearest cash machine was - South Ken Station again. Complete with a couple of enterprising beggars, of course. Well, I got it and returned.. they only do mains here, but damn, they're cheap! £5.50 for any of the specials, which come with a choice of three sides - I had Teriyaki chicken with fried noodles. Which was fine - not the tastiest, but perfectly decent, and a good size helping. Friendly service, too. I'd be ok with coming back to try something else.

And afterwards, back up to the Albert Hall, where I ran into a couple of the others. You have to print out your tickets for here - one of us had had his ticket print ridiculously large, and had to go off to the box office to fix it! We others continued up to the Second Circle, where most of us had booked seats. Well, we'd barely arrived when someone let us in on the fact that the ushers were offering free Stalls upgrades..! We didn't need to be told twice. And as more group members arrived, I directed them all to her, and the ever more frazzled usher tried valiantly to seat us all together. Hey, she managed it for a whole group of us - we got terrific seats!

And so for a fantastic end to the day, with film (and tv) themes I mostly recognised. Goddamnit, even Game of Thrones made it in, as it does everywhere else.. the night ended with Star Wars (natch) and Rocky as encore.. but somehow, the theme of the night for me was E.T. As it soared over us, it couldn't be beaten..

Bus home, then, in enough time to drop into the Co-Op for something sweet. Tomorrow, another Funzing talk - An Introduction to the Dark Net. At Sink.. only about 10 minutes' walk from the office. For which I earned a loyalty discount, on account of all I booked recently!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, back again with Up in the Cheap Seats: Tuesday is for An Ideal Husband - part of the Oscar Wilde Season, at the Vaudeville. Stars father and son, Edward and Freddie Fox. And Susan Hampshire. Wednesday is for Mood Music, at the Old Vic, with Ben Chaplin.

On Thursday, the London European Club is attending a lecture at the LSE, on Euroscepticism and the Future of European Integration. Then I'm back to the highly non-Eurosceptic Ireland again, for the weekend.

On the 30th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, for A Gym Thing - got a fright when I saw that, but no, it's a play - in the Pleasaunce.

On the 1st, I'm back with North London Friends - to the Theatre Royal, Stratford East for Our Country's Good.

On the 2nd, Up in the Cheap Seats is off to The Writer, at the Almeida.

On the 3rd, London Literary Walks is doing - ahem - Stalin's Doss House. Meeting at Starbucks, naturally!

Then we're into the Early May Bank Holiday - and I saw an interesting trip, advertised by Carpe Diem, for a long weekend in Bulgaria. So I applied for a place - only to be told that there'd only been six, which were now gone. When I pointed out that the Meetup page advertised 12 places, and that some were shown as still available, they removed the event entirely. Instead, on the 4th I'm headed - with the £3.60 club - to Music Hall Monster: The Insatiable Mr. Fred Barnes, at Wilton's. Could be good.

And on the 5th, as of now, I'm signed up to an overnight trip to Newquay in Cornwall with Eddie's Excursions. This time, I got in the first six - ironically, they're not guaranteeing it'll go ahead unless they can fill a minibus! Watch this space..

Cirque du Soleil: Ovo

Yesterday was my annual trip to Cirque du Soleil at the Albert Hall! The show this year is Ovo - cheapest tickets for the date coming in at just under £50, but they're worth it! So, back through that subway again.. I left in plenty of time. A journey this long was a bit far for bus, so I decided to take the Tube to South Ken and walk, like I used to when I started going there.

Oh Lordy, you do forget how bad rush hour traffic is! Not road traffic - the sea of people that I waded into at Old Street Station. Made it down to the platform at last, where a train was due shortly - when it did come, as we waited for everyone to get off, they hardly gave us any time to get on before the doors closed! Most unfair, when we could see plenty of standing space in the carriage. Someone jammed himself in the door to force it open again, and I managed to squeeze on after that - just as the doors were closing again. The person in front of me could have moved a bit faster.. Got a nasty bang on the shoulders - they do close with some force. Someone congratulated me on making it.

Well, that was a sardine can - luckily, I was only going two stops on that train, and switching to the Piccadilly Line. Which wasn't quite as bad - after a couple of stops, I even got a seat. Barely managed to squeeze off at my station- then had a relaxed stroll through the subway. How unusual for me not to be rushing for here! Outside again, I knew my way, but had to walk all around the Albert Hall to find my door.

The climb to the Circle was long enough, but with the short flights of stairs here, you don't feel it so much. The lift is tiny, so not usually an option. By the time I got to the top, I would have liked a drink, but the bar at that entrance didn't seem to offer anything non-alcoholic, so I passed. My seat - to the side, but Row 2, so close to the edge - was right beside the steps: very handy for leaving my stuff on!

More photos and videos here. (They encourage the taking of them, as long as you don't use flash.) Insects, the theme is, this year. Insect noises fill the auditorium before the show and at the interval, and we were all intrigued by this big egg. Sadly, the lights go down for the big reveal, which we don't see - left behind when the lights come up are a group of performers, who, I guess, are supposed to have emerged from the egg: I guess they couldn't find a show-worthy way to do that.

The insect theme, of course, allows them free reign to dress in weird costumes, things sticking out on all sides, beautiful colours:

Grace and beauty, incredible skill. You see these things in many circus shows, but nobody combines them with art and design so skilfully as Cirque du Soleil. The first half was quieter - they saved the most dramatic acts for the second half. Between the acts of derring-do, they occupied our attention with madcap clowning. Not just onstage either - they were wandering around the stalls, beforehand and randomly during the show. Beware - they love audience participation! There wasn't much of it, but one extended piece saw a young lady play a highly immersive role, onstage! You have been warned..

Plenty of ooh! moments, and I actually couldn't believe the time had passed when the show ended, in a shower of confetti:

Cirque du Soleil: there's no-one quite like them. Mesmerising, and highly recommended - runs until the 4th of March, booking highly recommended, too.

The bus back promised to be quicker, at this time of night - now, from the nearby stop, I could take the 9 or the 10. When I got there, a 9 was taking on passengers - but it was already crammed, and as a 10 was approaching, I decided to take that instead, even though it promised to be a longer journey. It had a slight detour off Oxford Street - probably due to the upcoming Lumière Festival. The driver yelled back at us not to worry, we wouldn't be missing any stops!

True to his word, we didn't. And I waited at that frigid stop for fully 20 minutes for a second bus that never came. Google Maps said it'd be coming in 10 minutes - the Bus Countdown app wasn't so optimistic, giving a blank screen when I asked about the 55. I refreshed Google Maps, which gave me another 10-minute estimate; when that didn't come either, and with my phone battery just about dead so I couldn't check alternative buses, I ended up getting the Tube back. Which was welcomingly warm, and astonishingly empty. I've complained about the bus, as usual.

Tonight, more comedy - Sara Pascoe, at Wyndham's. This should be a lot easier to get to - even though I'll be depending on the 55 again!

Tomorrow, back at last with Meetup, with Up in the Cheap Seats - my first Meetup in a week will be Lady Windermere's Fan, at the Vaudeville Theatre. Stars Jennifer Saunders.

Finally, I have something for Friday! Jeez, that took a while - well, with Meetup resolutely providing practically nothing that day, I'm with one of my groups whose names I can't mention. I hadn't checked for a while, and when I did, over the weekend, the "£3.60" club had tickets for Bunny, at the Tristan Bates Theatre. So I'm going to that.

On Saturday, Happy New Year to Helen and her husband! We're all off to see Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution, which is showing in County Hall - should be fun.

On Sunday, I'm going to the matinée of Barnum, in the Menier Chocolate Factory. And then, wouldn't you know it, Up in the Cheap Seats advertised a trip to the Lumiere Festival that evening! It's the last day. So I said I'd tag along, after my show - as the organiser said, it could be a problem finding each other, but what the hey! I see London Social Detours is doing the same thing - and charging £3. So I'll stick to Up in the Cheap Seats.

On Monday, I'm finally off to see Everybody's Talking About Jamie, at the Apollo - I rescheduled from the date I'd booked for last year.

On Tuesday, I'm going to Yous Two, at Hampstead Theatre - my first Meetup with North London Friends, finally! I think they might have been the only outlet for tickets, when I booked - I haven't tended to book with them, as they charge a fee.

Next Wednesday, I'm finally going to Rita, Sue, and Bob Too! at the Royal Court, with Up in the Cheap Seats. Interesting one, this - we'd booked before, but then the whole run was cancelled after the co-director thought that the subject matter, about the exploitation of teenage girls, was too controversial in the wake of the Weinstein controversy. The artistic director subsequently reversed the decision.

On the 25th, I'm going to The Birthday Party, in the Harold Pinter Theatre. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 29th, back to the Orange Tree in Richmond for Out of Love, with Up in the Cheap Seats. Have to rush for that one - it's another evening I have a late meeting! Should make it, though.

On the 30th, finally back with Funzing! LDN Talks @ Night and London Speaks Sessions are talking about the Seven Wonders of the Solar System, at Cafe 1001. Yeuch - can't stand the place: hipster central. Still, at least I can walk there from work..

On the 31st, I had RSVPed with London Science Talks and Museums Meetup, for a Science Museum late. But hey, it's free - so I had no problem cancelling when Let's Do This advertised a meal the same evening. Turkish, I believe, with a drink at the George Inn beforehand.

And I start February with two from Up in the Cheap Seats. On the 1st, I'm at John in the National. And on the 2nd, my now-nearby venue, finally - I'm at Sadler's Wells Sampled.