Concert: London Philharmonic - Bruckner and Vaughan Williams & Bethlehem Cultural Festival

Yesterday.. same problem as Wednesday last week, with little on Meetup. Until just recently, when the London Classical Music and Theatre Group advertised a London Philharmonic Orchestra concert at the Royal Festival Hall for that day! I managed a Black Friday discount too! ;-) So I went to that.

I have an awful lot on my to-do list these days. So my trip to the Royal Festival Hall had a few stop-offs - first, recycling, which is on the way. Second, food - Gourmet Burger Kitchen, which is friendly, and has excellent food - but almost never onion rings! I suggested there's a shortage of onions - the man wasn't offering any opinions. But the burger was yummy, as ever.

Third, a new passport photo - with the Photo Me booth not having given me an acceptable photo, I headed to have a human do it for me, and someone had recommended Snappy Snaps. Wouldn't you know it, there's one on the way! No appointment necessary - so I stopped in and did that. The poor man was rushed off his feet, so many customers wanting so many different things. Anyway, I got the photo and have resubmitted it - fingers crossed. Stupidly, mind, I restarted the application, rather than just submitting an alternative photo to the original application, which might have slowed it down somewhat - well, but they can't have got very far with it, the photo being the first thing they look at.

With all of the stop-offs, it was feasible to walk the whole way! Happily, the weather wasn't bad for it.

I was first to arrive, occupied myself with a highly overpriced glass of sauvignon blanc (£12.75) and the paper. The only other person to show up at the meeting point was the organiser, just as we needed to head in - we agreed to meet at the Level 5 bar at the interval, which was convenient to us both, and knowing that we were unlikely to meet the others.

First up were Five Mystical Songs by Vaughan Williams. Now, I've had a very hectic week, and as I remarked to the organiser at the interval, it was just so good to sit back, relax, and not have to think about this. Lovely. Quite short, mind - I looked at my watch in some surprise; I hadn't expected it to be that short. Ah well, out I went and joined my companion - who was kind enough to buy me a drink. I didn't require a sauvignon blanc of him - I got the chenin blanc instead, which was very nice, and we had a good catch-up.

And so, after the break, to Bruckner's Ninth Symphony. Ah now, if the first "half" had relaxed me - this energised me! The music soared.. a spectacular sound, highly expressive. Quite modern in style.. it quite transported me. What a lovely evening, in fact. Delighted I came, and it was good to catch up with the organiser again. And I got the bus home, having no more stops to make!

Today - well, my contract has been extended, I quit tomorrow (officially, although my computer account has already been disabled, I discover), and I start with the new company next week. I had booked an online talk, The Life and Times of Magnus Folk, from the Surrey History Meetup. One of the earliest electrical engineers in England, it seems. Anyway, it's free, and I've since cancelled - I found something more interesting while I was waiting for the play last Thursday night. The Arabic Music, Dance and Party Meetup Group advertised an evening at the Bethlehem Cultural Festival - tickets from Eventbrite - in which there was a talk about 19th century travellers, as well as discussion of a forthcoming book, and a talk from a female artist in Gaza. Not that the group advertised it, but there's also an Arab dance after, and another talk - you could go to some, or all. Happening in The Tabernacle. So, I booked a ticket - stopped short of joining the group though - we shall see.

Well, it ran too late to do the blog last night. I had meant to do it at some point during the day - but Lordy, the busyness continues. I had booked a haircut for lunchtime today while waiting for my food yesterday - so I didn't have time beforehand. Went to Rush, the closest one to me, BTW - and well, I am very pleased with the result! Convenient, good job, and very friendly - I'm sure I'll be back. Anyway, when I got back, it was to the news that UPS had tried to deliver my computer for the new company - but got no answer. (Yeah, that'll probably be the time today that the buzzer went, stopped by the time I got to it and there was no answer when I asked who was there.) So now, they've delivered to the depot - to be fair, only a few minutes' walk away. But how I'm going to carry all that equipment back is beyond me!

Meantime, my new boss contacted me with the heads-up that he wants to meet me, Face-to-Face, in Reading on Tuesday. Only for half the day, happily. Cue me booking a train ticket - with GWR, as he was kind enough to tell me. Just as well he mentioned that the journey was only half an hour - the website didn't tell me that! I had to go digging to find a fast train. I am not joking - it took me a solid hour to book that ticket. The website was faulty, the app doesn't work - and on top of it all, you can't get a mobile ticket except on the app. So I had to choose to collect it at Paddington! Uhh.. and I have to get a train at 8.50am. Bah humbug - I expect to expense this. I also foresee lots of Reading in my future, as it's halfway between me and the other writer..

So, all of that ate up all my time today and I couldn't blog. Indeed, I had to rush out to eat. Tried O' Neill's, which is convenient to where I'd have to leave from - the ground floor was packed, so I headed upstairs, as usual. Which was closed! On a busy Thursday! I can only conclude that they hadn't the staff to open it. Well, I was damned if I was going without - hang the event I'd booked, I schlepped off down to The Lucas Arms, where I hadn't been in a while. And despite the crowd - there seemed to be some group, all of whom just arrived before me - I scored a table down the back, in the unlit section by the gents. And was very well fed.

Was actually in two minds about whether to head out all that way at all - but decided to give it a try. It was going to have to be Tube. Of course, to top off a stressful day - I took the wrong entrance, for the wrong lines, not paying attention, and had to retrace my steps. So, naturally I missed the train I was supposed to get. Had to wait nearly 10 minutes for another - at least I got a seat after a little while. And when I got out at Royal Oak, spent a full five minutes just trying to figure out which road to take.. for future reference, just turn left. So I was a bit late.

This turns out to be a converted church - downstairs is where they sell books, crafts, and whatever else is associated with the people appearing.

The lecture theatre upstairs is where the action happens. I felt a tad embarrassed about arriving late - but actually, people were in and out all evening. And as it happens, the first talk was the least interesting to me. You see, there was this 19th Century Swiss explorer called Tobler who wrote a book about his travels in Palestine (in German) - and the new book that's come out is a translation.

The MC identified himself as the publisher - and remarked that it isn't often that a publisher seeks to publish a boring book by a boring man. They identified several problems with the writing - he was no storyteller, neglected to give basic details about his trip (such as how he got there), and ignored the locals, giving just sparse details about them, while describing in detail every European he met! On top of that, he wrote in the complicated, Gothic old German script, which several translators refused to touch, wrote in a longwinded style to which they stayed faithful as much as possible, and wrote so many footnotes that they had to employ a second translator just for those! Yeah - none of this made me want to buy a copy of the translation, and I didn't. Very niche market for this, I think.

I was stunned that the MC had to have pointed out to him that the original author was related to someone who worked in chocolate..! Duh..

Well, this was followed by a talk with two artists - one from Gaza, one English, who had worked with Yazidi women in northern Iraq who'd been kidnapped by Isis, and also with women kidnapped by Boko Haram, who had escaped: and used art as a medium to get both groups to express their feelings and deal with their trauma.

The English girl, extremely softly spoken, was particularly compelling, telling us how many of these women had never drawn anything before - and this was a very interesting talk.

A large group of people left after this - was that the Meetup group? If so, I'm glad I wasn't with them - I'd have missed the most interesting events of the night! Next up was a Palestinian dance troupe, who entertained us royally with evocative, Middle Eastern music:

Last of the night was a fascinating talk with the author of a book about growing up in Bethlehem. He turned out to be a Syriac Christian - a group I'd never heard of, but they're so called because, in religion at least, they speak Syriac - apparently the language of Jesus! He showed us a fascinating map of his family's odyssey after fleeing their native home in Turkey - as the result of a massacre I've barely heard of. And Lordy if there wasn't another Syriac there - a musician, performing in the same venue tomorrow night, who agreed to perform a traditional Syriac chant for us. Yes, quite a special evening - again, delighted I came! More events here tomorrow night, and various events around the UK until the 10th. Tickets from Eventbrite- free, donate what you can. £20 contribution suggested. 

Buses home, on what is a very cold night.

Tomorrow, back to Ireland for the weekend again - flying Aer Lingus for a change! My passport is up for renewal, as I say - I don't technically need one to travel between Ireland and the UK, but Ryanair demands it. Aer Lingus doesn't.. Anyway, film for the weekend is looking like - Spirited, in which Will Ferrell plays the Ghost of Christmas Present to Ryan Reynolds' Scrooge, in a musical update to A Christmas Carol. Octavia Spencer plays Ryan's hapless assistant. Well, it looks like fun - Ryan Reynolds is always very watchable - and frankly, it's the best thing on in the afternoon that I haven't seen. Ennis will do - let us pray there isn't a match!

On Monday - yep, the London Chess Community again looked like the best option. Hmm. But just lately - hallelujah! I was saved by London Social & Cultural Meetups, who have scheduled a talk on The 70th Anniversary of the Great London Smog. (Although oddly, we're meeting outside - perhaps the venue is hard to find?) Anyway, I'm delighted - this is that friendly group I joined a while ago for Evensong at St. Bartholomew the Great, and I'm glad to be seeing them again.

On Tuesday, well, Free Stuff and Free Events are holding another online singalong. Again, I cancelled my attendance at the last of these I booked for, so was reluctant to rush off and book again.. Or the Garden Talks have one on How Did Language Begin? Unfortunately, my free trial has long since expired, and they won't let me take out another. Well, I might have paid - but I'd be paying for a month's worth, so I figured I might as well wait until closer to the date, and get the value.. And yay, then Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) jumped to the rescue again, with a comedy called Dinner with Groucho, at the Arcola. The setting is a dinner, somewhere in heaven, with Groucho Marks and T. S. Eliot the guests.. best available seats for £15 with the code FRANK15, until tomorrow.

On Wednesday, I'm back with UITCS for Baghdaddy at the Royal Court. About a little girl, realising she's half Iraqi, just as the Gulf War is raging. I see CT now has tickets for this.. unusually for this venue!

Next Thursday, I've signed up for another Watkin's Bookshop talk! This is Colin Stanley on Colin Wilson's Introducing the Occult. Well, the last talk I was at here was interesting, so..

On the 9th, I'm heading to Lightopia, at Crystal Palace Park. As suggested by Over 40 Living the Life, who are not actually hosting a trip themselves, but just wanted to advertise it. 15% discount if you subscribe to Lightopia's mailing list, 20% discount for purchases of 10 or more tickets. And durnit if Groupon hasn't just advertised cheap tickets..

On the 10th - well hallelujah, Bucket List London has finally scheduled something I want to go to, at a time I can make! He's off to see the Wallace Collection that morning - and so am I. 

That evening - I've bravely scheduled another meeting of Those who Do Not Come. It's my last weekend in London before Christmas, you see. Well, so far Ivan and my first boss in London are actually coming! while the one person who came the last two times probably not, for once. We shall see - I've booked The Lucas Arms - O' Neill's isn't taking bookings for that day. Deposit payable, refundable with cancellation up to 72 hours beforehand.

And on the 11th, I was vaguely thinking of heading to see Carnaby Street's Christmas lights.. and then CT advertised tickets for Love Factually - a kind of rewriting of one of the relationships in that classic Christmas romcom, Love Actually. Sadly, all their tickets were gone - but I got a full-price ticket from the venue. It sounds good. Showing at 2Northdown.

Concert: London Philharmonia

Yesterday, back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group - this time, we were at the Royal Festival Hall, where the Philharmonia was playing Mozart and Bruckner. Which made this my best week for Meetup since lockdown, the only non-Meetup day being Tuesday! The last time I saw this organiser was even longer ago than I saw Didi, the organiser on Sunday! (She's a classical guitarist - I just found her page..)

So. Here, the best choice for food has to be The Archduke, and off I went. I didn't need a reservation before, and chanced my arm again, walking in and asking whether they had a table for one. "We do," he said, "but I need it back by 7/7.10." No problem, I had to meet the group by 7.15 anyway! So he showed me to a table right at the end of the conservatory, round the back.

Lovely, friendly servers.. and this time I decided that, being that it's a steakhouse, I should finally have a steak! Now, they ain't cheap here, but I don't make a habit of it. Went for the fillet - which isn't quite the most expensive, they also have some massive concoction that they suggest be shared! They have quite a range of sauces - I fancied some kind of butter, of which they have three; I chose the garlic and herb. And a carafe of New Zealand wine - which it turned out they didn't have, but she suggested an alternative.

Yeeah. Guess what? I was underimpressed with the steak! It was ok, but honestly, back in the day when I cooked steak, I did it better. And I am no cook, although I could cook a mean fillet. And the mushrooms I ordered as a side were not worth the £4 charged. I'll say this though - the garlic and herb butter was spectacular! I mentioned it to the waiter, and she got me a second pot (it comes in a separate pot, and I also got a couple of extra pots, one with ketchup, one mustard, for the fries - which are supposed to be bottomless, with steak). Gee, I'd nearly have another steak, just to have that garlic and herb butter! Cheapest is the steak frites.. might consider it next time. I could order dessert straight away - I know the ice cream sundae is gorgeous, and I had plenty of time for it.

Headed up to the hall early - and it was great to see people! Not everyone gathers for a chat, of course - interestingly, Didi passes this group's events on to the Classical Music for Those in their 20s and 30s group, and someone from that group happened along. And was suitably confused - but hey, I think we're just as interesting! And we chatted away until it was time to head upstairs.

I had so many free seats in front of me, I should definitely have moved down - but I didn't. The royal box was occupied, I noticed - couldn't recognise any of them, though. And so to the music. First up was Mozart - and I always love Mozart, thought it was gorgeous.

After a blissful half hour or so, down to meet the others again at the interval, then back up for some Bruckner - a surprisingly modern-sounding piece. Happily, the house never was fully darkened, and I had enough light to read the free programme I'd picked up on the way in (when I wasn't busy imbibing the lovely paper smell, so unfamiliar to me these days)! So, in summary, a lovely programme, and an excellent way to spend an evening.

Afterwards, most of us who met stayed on in the bar for a drink, and much of the chat related to the advanced age of both the conductor and the piano soloist! Truly, 90 seems to be the new 60.. Anyway, we had a lovely time, and I was delighted to meet the group again at last. Sometimes it just happens that I don't see people for a while..

Speaking of what happened to our group member on Wednesday, I saw an interesting WhatsOnStage article about it today! OMG, he's become famous..

Today, back to Ireland for the weekend - finally, with a delayed flight. And an English couple in front of me in the queue to board wondered why we had been sent to a locked door - as I explained to them, this was the door into the corridor where the disembarking passengers would pass, and we had to wait for them to do that before we went out the same way. And that's why they block off the escalator - it's too dangerous to have people coming down that, facing a locked door. Ah, I've become such an expert.. On board at last, it was lovely to see the first flight where we weren't obliged to wear masks! I saw all of one passenger that did. And in Shannon, I know the customs guys are unusually friendly - but really, the guard I got this evening outdid himself in chatting to everyone!

The film for the weekend - is looking like Top Gun: Maverick! in which Tom Cruise reprises his fighter-pilot role of so many years ago. Also stars Jennifer Connelly as his love interest, Val Kilmer back as Iceman, now an admiral - a significant decision, given that throat cancer has left him unable to speak, and his lines are apparently read by an AI program. Ed Harris is the rear admiral. Theme song by Lady Gaga. Now, I can't really miss this. And indeed, a flattering review in today's paper was written by someone who hadn't expected much from it at all.. as she says, "The bastards. They got me."

London Philharmonic Orchestra

These next two days, back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group (LCMTG). Tonight, it was a concert at the Southbank Centre, where Sheku Kanneh-Mason played Shostakovich. Apart from numerous other accolades, he achieved worldwide renown after playing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. (And nuts if CT didn't advertise tickets for this after I'd booked it..!)

I thought about eating nearby. I know there's a Cote very close, but they are always booked up - indeed, for an evening slot, you seem to have to book days in advance! Looking up other local restaurants, hit on Caprini. Now, Google Maps didn't offer online booking for it - so I thought I'd just risk it. I was heading in early, anyway. And my bus arrived at the stop just as I did!

It's just at the top of Waterloo Road, as you approach from the bridge. When I went in, it looked practically deserted - one woman at a table at the side, and it turned out, some people at the upper level at the back as well. When I asked for a table for one, he indicated the small table right in front of him. Sure! I took the side that afforded me a view of the busy road outside:

I've had a thing for calamari for a while now, so started with that - it comes with a slice of lemon and a gloop of tartare sauce. And when he served it, he asked whether I wanted black pepper - thankfully, I said yes, because it works so well! It was absolutely delicious. Chose spaghetti carbonara for my main - and a daunting amount was served to me. I have no complaints - apart from the enormous portion, and the slightly too-salty bacon - and did it justice, finishing about 90% and considering it an accomplishment. They don't have a huge selection of wines by the glass - you can have the house, or the other one. I had the other one. Which was a little sharp, but perfectly drinkable!

The place really started to fill up from after 5.30, with a couple of group bookings for birthdays - so I was glad I came early. The table next to me had a lengthy discussion about the invasion of the Ukraine.. really, you can't escape it! Anyway, service is friendly, food is good, I didn't get the impression I'd be forgotten about (unlike my last Italian meal) - I'd be delighted to come back here again!

It's a short walk from there to the concert hall. En route, I passed Azzuro, which used to be my go-to Italian in the area. I see on the website that, like Cote, they are unavailable to book in the evenings for days in advance. Anyway, I now made my way straight to the hall - seemed to be the first of the group there, and took a seat by the window. When the organiser messaged that she'd arrived, I went to join her, and soon we had a small crowd. Not everyone managed to find us, sadly - but this is a complicated building!

I've never seen this hall so packed - even most of the boxes were occupied. Both halves began with a modern piece - I can't say that either did much for me. They rarely do. You couldn't miss the main performer though - he came on to whooping and hollering! Mind you, he only played one piece - Shostakovich's Cello Concerto #2 - which was, as always with him, beautifully expressed. Shostakovich seems to be his specialty, and he brings great feeling to what can otherwise be quite sombre music. The programme ended on a lighter note, with Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra. And behold, someone in the group who was in the same row as I was remembered where I was sitting, and managed to grab me at the end! so we found another person. Not always easy. And we all had a lovely chat before parting. Some very sociable people in this group, always a pleasure!

Tomorrow, we're back to the Barbican for a concert of Haydn music by the Academy of Ancient Music. There's a talk beforehand about his time in London, so I'll have to get moving early! 

Now, my new job - after some chasing - did finally send me the paperwork to complete. But as I still don't have it back to them, I figure they surely won't have me up and running by Friday! so I've booked on another of Laurence Summers' walks with the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners - Pubs, Poets & Prostitutes: a Tour of Southwark. Honestly, I think this is my favourite part of London - can't resist. And again, we'll finish fairly close to home for me - because that evening I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again. I've booked a much-needed haircut, so I won't get to see a film this weekend, either.

On Monday, more classical music at the Barbican - this time it's with London Baroque Music Lovers, and this is Handel with Les Arts Florissants.

On Tuesday, headed with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) to The Woods, at Southwark Playhouse. Aw man, it's over a year since I last saw a performance from there, and over two years since I was last there in person! And would you believe it, I bought a PAYG subscription from them years ago, and it still entitles me to free tickets. So I used it for this! With the group having snapped up most of the front row, I'm in the row behind..

Next Wednesday, I'm back with LCMTG - for a play this time! We're seeing Straight Line Crazy, with Ralph Fiennes, at the Bridge. Just as well we booked early - availability is low for that night.

The 17th is, of course, St. Patrick's Day. In Ireland, it's a bank holiday - here, Kíla is playing the London Irish Centre again. A standing gig, this time. Should be mad.

On the 18th, I'm back with London European Club, for 24 Italian Songs & Arias, at Battersea Arts Centre. They're operating a "Pay What You Can" scheme, where you pay what you want, between £5 and £35 - recommended price, £16. They even sent me a survey afterwards to see what I thought!

On the 19th, back with Laurence and the 45+s - this time, it's Highgate: A Very English Village. More hills..

On the 20th.. someone I swore I'd never do a walk with again. Well, we'll see whether she's back on form - Walks, Talks & Treasure Hunts (WTTH) is off on a walk called Secrets of Belgravia. (Courtesy of her company, London Guided Walks.) The code MEETUP3 gets you a £3 discount on all her walks - which does cover the booking fee of £1, not advertised before you come to the point of purchasing the ticket. Well, it'll be a start if she shows up!

On the 21st, I'm at another Zoom talk - Quakers at War is the story of the Quakers and their pacifism. Courtesy of Surrey History Meetup.

On the 22nd.. I'm booked for Dear Evan Hansen, at the Noel Coward Theatre! Finally - I'd booked for this before lockdown, and of course it got cancelled. Cheapest tickets from the official site.

On the 23rd, back with Civilised London (CL) - back at Le Sacré Coeur, meeting beforehand at The Crown, as usual.

On the 24th, back with TAC for Avocado Presents - Improv, at Etcetera Theatre. Eh, I think it's a jazz concert? Anyway, then back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 28th, going to see Daddy at the Almeida. Having never seen a bad production here, I have high hopes.

On the 29th, finally going to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella! I hear good things.. it's playing at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, which is new to me - Seatplan was invaluable in choosing the best seating option. What's On Stage provided the cheapest price for that seat, though!

On the 30th, back with CL - for a play this time. This is The Fever Syndrome, at Hampstead Theatre.

On the 31st, back with TAC for One Night With Robbie Williams. This is at The Courtyard.

On the 1st, back with the Crick Crack Club (CCC) for - The Grand Annual Lying Contest! at Rich Mix.

On the 2nd, back with WTTH for a Regent's Canal Walk. Different guide.

On the 3rd, the CCC again! Emily Hennessey and Sheema Mukherjee are at the British Museum, with Holy Cow! Tales from the River of Life.

On the 4th, I'm back at the Park Theatre for the first time in nearly three years! This is for Clybourne Park, a comedy about a white family moving into a predominantly black neighbourhood.

On the 5th, I'm headed to But I'm a Cheerleader, a musical comedy at the Turbine Theatre.

On the 6th, back with UITCS at Southwark Playhouse, and another free ticket for me! This time, it's for Anyone Can Whistle, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

On the 7th, Tommy Tiernan is playing at the Eventim Apollo! Now, I failed to get a ticket for this the first time around. Then it was rescheduled because of Covid.. and I got a ticket for the rescheduled event! Then that was rescheduled.. third time lucky?! Love Tommy Tiernan. The show is called Tomfoolery. And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 11th of next month, I've booked for The 47th, at The Old Vic. Written by Mike Bartlett, this imagines the American presidential elections of 2024. I am really looking forward to this play..

On the 12th of next month, I'm finally going to Six, the Musical! Based around the story of the six wives of Henry VIII (very loosely, I'd say), it's playing at the Vaudeville and I hear good things. Cheapest tickets from Leicester Square Box Office.

And on the 13th of next month, back with CL, who are off to the opera at the Southbank Centre. The show in question is The Paradis Files. Next day, I'm back to Ireland for Easter - but left it so late to book, I could only get an afternoon flight, and will have to start my new job by asking for that day off work!

Concert: London Philharmonic Orchestra

Tonight .. hmm. Well, I was supposed to go on another Invigorate pub crawl. Until I got the shock on Monday of being notified that I had been removed from the group! and when I tried to ask the organiser what was going on, I discovered he'd blocked me. Not to mention, when I thought to check yesterday, he'd unfriended me on Facebook! Well now, and I've known that guy for years. Goes to show, you never do know with people.. whatever his reason for removing me (probably because I don't tend to go on hikes), it seems terribly cowardly to block me on the message system as well! Never mind, Wednesdays are the most popular weekday for Meetups, and I can always find something else - indeed, instead, I was delighted to be headed with London Classical Music and Theatre Group to a London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) concert at the Royal Festival Hall! Nice, cheap tickets available - as usual - with TAC, who send you a promo code to book on the LPO website. So, bye-bye Invigorate - I'll miss this group, it was one of my friendliest, but if the organiser is going to behave like that..!

After what turned out to be a less-than-satisfactory job interview, what I fancied was a KFC - so I took myself down there, for a change. Haven't been in so long. And it has changed - they now have termini where you can place and pay for an order. So I did - my usual boneless banquet, except they now have sweet chili chicken bites as an option, so I chose them as well. I mightn't have if I'd known how long they'd take! On the plus side, I got so many different people fiddling with my bag in the meantime that I got several rounds of cutlery (sporks), straws, napkins..

In the upstairs seating area, I have to say, it looked cleaner than the last time I was there. And so I proceeded to stuff myself. The beans I always have as a side were lovely, the chili bites were lovely, and worth the wait - except, with all the other food, I couldn't finish them. But I have to say, the major event - the chicken fillets - were a major disappointment. Seriously, I remember when KFC really was finger-lickin' good! I remember the special recipe being delicious. This, however, was just chicken in overcooked breadcrumbs - tasteless and stodgy. That recipe was their USP, and if they're no longer using it, I won't be back.

After that, it wasn't long before it was time to head to the concert. Covid checks on the way in. I seemed to be first there, although it ain't easy to spot people - unless they did what our organiser did, and obligingly carry something obvious. Well, we did all meet up eventually, and a lovely, friendly bunch it was. A good chat was had until it was time to take our seats.

I'm not usually this close, here! And it was lovely to be so close to such a large sound. Meantime, the tall guy a couple of seats over was remarking to his companion that this is a really comfortable venue for him, he never feels cramped. So, you have been told..

All Russian composers tonight. The concert started with a piece I hadn't heard before, but was completely blown away by. The Kingdom of Silence, by Victoria Borisova-Ollas, is so evocative that I was transfixed. Starting with something sounding like bells, it moves through a dreamlike state - and swept me along with it. Equally evocative - if rather more depressing - was Shostakovich's Second Violin Concerto, which followed. If I had to describe it in one word, that would be "angst".. The soloist treated us to an extra piece that I'm not familiar with - and while he left the stage in one piece, the same can't be said for his violin, which had a bit fall off..

The second act was all Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony - composed, as the program notes told us, when he was convinced that Fate itself was out to destroy him. The notes also mention that he threw himself completely into it - and it certainly shows. One to blow off the cobwebs, this, and one for those who love the dramatic. Me, I loved it - so did everyone around me. Busy clapping between all movements - seems to be a thing now, and what harm - was followed by enthusiastic applause when they really were finished. I was surprised they didn't get a standing ovation, actually! But an excellent concert.

Afterwards, we all spent ages chatting - the poor security guard was most patient with us, as he waited to close up. One had to leave early, but the rest of us headed in search of a pub - and I think we found a good one in Topolski, one of those businesses under the railway arches at Waterloo. Friendly staff, and with a classic playlist to die for.. Oh yes, very much what I needed!

Tomorrow, back with the same group for a concert by the 23 String Orchestra at Cadogan Hall. This had cheap ticket offers too, but I booked too late - hey, it's been hectic!

On Friday, Ivan can't make it, but I'm meeting another ex-coworker for a meal at Cote.

On Saturday, back with Cultureseekers - for the first time in person! They're off to the Cinema Museum - apparently only group visits are allowed, these days, and it only reopens the day before. They also have a talk organised. With a choice of two times, I have - of course - chosen the later one! Cash on the day - I'll have to get some.

On Sunday, ooh - London European Club is at a storytelling event in King's Place! Not Crick Crack this time - this appears to be an independent event, a telling of The Little Prince, with piano accompaniment. Sounds lovely!

On Monday, Surrey History Meetup has another Zoom meeting - this one is on Canal History and Heritage.

On Tuesday, my first in-person Meetup with 45+ not Grumpy Old Londoners - a guided walk with Laurence Summers! This is the Feisty Fitzrovia pub tour - and since I used to live there, I can hardly refuse! Another pay-on-the-day, damnit.

Next Wednesday - would you believe, my first Meetup of the year with Up in the Cheap Seats! Well, they're going to see Magic Goes Wrong, which I've been dying to see - again, I could hardly refuse! Yet again, I missed out on cheap tickets - ended up in the Gods, but at the end of a row, and the view should be OK. The Apollo Theatre, tickets now cheapest on the official website. And with all the seats that are still free, you never know, I might get an upgrade.. The ticket was a nightmare to book, mind - when I tried to add my payment details, it gave me an error! Failing to get a response from the box office, I tried the workaround of adding the payment details to my account and checking out again, which worked.

On the 27th, I wasn't really seeing anything - but CT just advertised two shows at 2Northdown that night. So I'm going to both! As you do. And then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend - and finally get to pick up my new phone! But the Stansted Express isn't running again that Sunday, damnit..

Concert: Landscapes and Love Songs

Tonight, back with London Classical Music & Theatre Group, for a concert by the London Philharmonic in the Royal Festival Hall. Decided I really must make an effort to meet the group this time - but it can be tricky, if they don't bring a sign or indicate how they can be recognised!

Work was frying my brain - happily, at just the right time the internet seized up, and I took that as my cue to leave. The bus schedule was all over the place - didn't even look realistic online, and certainly bore no relation to reality. That worked in my favour though, and I got there quite early - just before another member, as it happens! We kind of gravitated towards each other, as I checked my messages - forget the free WiFi at the Southbank Centre, it was awful! So, that was tricky.

Still, she spotted me, and we had a nice chat - and even drew a third member to us! Not the Man of Mystery that is our organiser, though - we hadn't a clue where he was, or really what he looked like, so in due course we headed upstairs. And she and I were on the same level - indeed, the same row! which, as I passed several people en route to my seat, someone remarked was almost the only row booked in the rear stalls, with a blatantly empty row in front! Indeed, the fellow to my left moved to the row in front for the second half.. and why wouldn't you?

Anyway. You know, one of the emails I got before the event had a link to the programme - and promptly sent me to the wrong one! Anyway, THIS concert started with - well, it actually started with the guy to my right (actually two seats to my right, the one beside me was empty) giving what sounded like a lecture on classical music to his friend, who was sitting behind him. Maybe he was supposed to be in the seat beside me, and if so, I'm grateful he moved - it's always nice to have the extra space. Seriously, you'd have to wonder - "So, these are the violins, and that's the first violinist - they do all the violin solos - and no, they're not starting just yet, they're tuning up. No, the piano isn't on stage yet, they'll bring it on later - oh look, there it is.."

We were treated to Grieg, for starters - then the piano was wheeled on, and a young pianist took pride of place, for Schumann's Piano Concerto. Absolutely beautiful music, stunningly played - what more can I say? What a lovely antidote to work. The applause afterwards, of course, was tumultuous - and he came back onstage for a lovely little party piece: as someone near me gasped, "Ah, Liebestraum!"

At the interval, we convened at the bar - where she kindly bought me a drink. (I must reciprocate, some other time.) We agreed, with a bar on every level, there wasn't much point in trying to find the others - the one we'd been speaking to was certainly on a different level, and we had no idea where the people we'd never met were sitting. And we chatted about how well the place is looking now, and how we hope it doesn't revert to lockdown. One quibble - why do they not let you take drinks in, even in plastic?! They're the only ones that don't..

The second half was actually what I was most interested in - I love Sibelius. And neither he nor the orchestra disappointed, with a magnificent performance - there's a certain majesty to Sibelius, I think, and it was nice to end the evening with him.

So, we met again after, and were down together - no sign of any of the others, of course. Well, as she said, "third time's the charm!". And it was a lovely evening, regardless. Heading home, I managed to find the steps that lead directly up onto the bridge, and I knew I had a choice of two buses. Happily, I just missed the one that involved a bit of walking, and managed to get the one that would bring me all the way home. Nice new departure screen at the stop, BTW - pity it never seems to be working..

Tomorrow, the Crick Crack Club is back - online - with Trickster, live-streamed from Oxford again. Well, assuming it works, this time.. and today, I got an email, assuring me - again - that it would be recorded, and that it would be available for a week after. Well in that case.. So now, I've booked with Up in the Cheap Seats for Rare Earth Mettle, at the Royal Court. And if that recording gets stuffed up again - well, I'll just get another refund..

Organ Concert

Tonight, I was back with the London European Club (how appropriate that I should have them both before and after Brexit! completely coincidental on my part) for an organ concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Interestingly, late this afternoon our head of security informed us of an unexploded WWII bomb in Soho, of all places! Cheek of them, bombing Soho. Anyway, it was handy that I wasn't headed that way tonight - I often am. And tonight, of the several buses I could have chosen, all diverted before getting that far west.

Coming off Waterloo Bridge, I availed of the handy walkways to take me over to the Southbank Centre - these meant that I didn't have to go all the way to ground level and climb back up. I was the first there, apart from the organiser - had a glass of wine, and as we gathered, the conversation turned very musical - and was very entertaining. As our organiser remarked, an unusually good crowd for an organ concert on a Monday night!

How unusual for me to be in the front stalls, here - but then, I think there was uniform pricing for this:

And let me tell you, I was a tad intimidated by the size of this organ, up close! But never fear, I came away with my hearing intact. (That lonely-looking chap you can see, sat all the way up there on his own, is the page-turner, BTW.)

The performer duly appeared, and made his way all the way up the steps to swing himself over the bench in front of the business end of the organ. It was fascinating to see how his whole body seemed engaged, both arms and legs moving constantly, as he sat with his back to us. His feet seemed to be controlling the stops - pardon my ignorance.

I wasn't familiar with a single piece in the repertoire, but am delighted to say that I loved it all! with the exception of the very first piece. Composed in 1891, Variations on America is a series, as the name implies, of variations on a piece called America - which was America's de facto national anthem at the time. Same melody as the British national anthem - which would have caused some confusion..

Well, once that was over, I could enjoy myself. The organ remained bathed in blue light throughout, and it was intriguing to see the massive valves open and close. And all that organ music reminded me of church.. we'd agreed beforehand that it'd be a treat to see this organ finally played, because, for all the times we'd been here, we'd never before seen it in action. Tonight, it got an airing - and the music was sublime, the sound of the organ magnificent. And towards the end, all the stops were, literally, pulled out, and we got a sense of the instrument's true power.

Afterwards, some of us agreed to go for food - and we ended up close by, in Wagamama's. Handily, it being late-ish on a Monday night and there being exactly four of us, we got a booth, rather than a long table. Years since I last ate in one of this chain, and the menu has changed - I also wasn't as hungry as I might have been, and didn't do my portion justice. And I ended up drinking most of a bottle of red that I shared with someone! Well, let it never be said that I failed in my duty.. and I did manage to finish it, and made it safely home. And a most excellent night was had - particularly by me, considering that they indulged my wittering on about U2!

Tomorrow, I'm finally doing something with the folks from work - every now and then they have pop-up social events, and this time it's a pub quiz. So I can see whether all those tv quiz shows have helped! Taking place at The Castle pub, not far from the office.

On Wednesday, I've had it in mind for the longest time to accompany Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) to see The Welkin at the National. But you see, I had a Seatplan theatre token that I wanted to use - and the bind is that they still haven't introduced web bookings for those, and so I had to ring. During office hours. And whenever I thought of doing it was outside of office hours. Until last week.. and in the meantime, of the £47 tickets that had sold out, three more became available - in the back row of the stalls. So I booked one of those. And despite the dire warning from the automated voice, that I'd be charged an extra £3 for booking this way.. well, she obviously completely forgot about that, because I wasn't.

On Thursday, I had film in mind at first. But top of the film list - when I had time to look at it - was Outside the City, a documentary about trappist monks, whose numbers are dwindling, and whose members are ageing, so they can no longer run the farm, and have taken to brewing beer instead. Yeah.. I'm sure it's very good, very interesting - but I'm not that enthused. I'm not even a beer drinker.

Instead, I noted that UITCS are off to see Leopoldstadt, which I found much more interesting. 'Tis the season for Holocaust memorials, indeed.. well, it's the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the majority of the camps. Anyway, it seems to be popular - when I checked the official website for Wyndham's, only three premium tickets remained in the whole theatre! However, checking the event page, I noted that someone was trying to sell a ticket, as he could no longer go, and didn't seem to be having any luck. Well, I got in touch - and it worked out well for both of us, as I'm now going in his place! for a much lower price. The ticket arrived this morning. Oh, and they've extricated that unexploded bomb, so it should be ok to head to the area.

On Friday, Helen is coming to town and we're having lunch - in Byron Burger again. And that evening, I'm off to see Faustus: That Damned Woman, at the Lyric Hammersmith.

And on Saturday - why, I finally get to a UITCS social! They have them every now and again, but they're generally sometime I can't make. I go to so much with them, I'm delighted finally to be able to go to a social as well. This is on in the Phoenix Arts Club - ah, memories of happier days, when I worked in the next building over..

Johann Strauss Gala

Ivan wanted to meet today - but in the end he wasn't sure he could make it, what with drinks planned with the company he's soon to be leaving, in Oxford. So I did my own thing, and thought of film again. Now, once I'd excised all the films at the top of the list that I just wouldn't be interested in - war films, for instance, and Le Mans '66 - the top film was something called Cep Herkülü: Naim Süleymanoglu. Based on the true story of an ethnic Turkish weightlifter born in Bulgaria, who defected to Turkey during the Communist Party's rule in Bulgaria, it does look interesting. However, it's only showing in the Odeon Lee Valley, at 10pm. Which sounds like too much hassle.

The London European Club was heading to a tarantella concert, which I'd be interested in, but that PERSON was attending (regular readers might remember her). So I wasn't. Then I saw that London International Meetup was headed to a "surprise" classical concert at the Royal Festival Hall this afternoon. Heh, it didn't take too much detective work to figure out that they were off to the Johann Strauss Gala! Popular favourites, with dancers in period costume - yes, that sounded nice. Unfortunately, their cheap tickets were already sold out, of course - and sure enough, my cheap ticket company, CT, was selling them too, which is probably where the organiser got his. Which he then sold on at a profit - well, it's a great business model. CT was also sold out of tickets for it, when I looked. Never mind, I booked myself a full-price ticket - it took forever to find the cheapest though, since they don't give any indication of price until you select a seat! I booked in the balcony, but I've been upgraded here before, and there were tons of empty seats.. so I might have got lucky.

Was up late, but got just about enough sleep, and after a bitterly cold wait for the bus, made it in good time. I was on the opposite side from the singing lift, but made a special trip to the other side of the building, specifically to ride in it. So it was a great disappointment to hear it not sing! I wasn't the only one, either. Aww..! Neither did I get an upgrade - no, it turned out the balcony was quite heavily booked after all, and I had to schlep all the way up to the second row from the back - which led to problems coming down, later, with my fear of steps. Hey-ho, the view was decent:

The guy beside me had a terrible habit of chewing his nails. Constantly, and noisily. Mercifully, he and his companion moved into the nearly-empty row in front of us for the second half, this saving me from strangling him. And otherwise, it was excellent - although I have to admit to having trouble staying awake. It's been a tiring week, and the seats there are so comfy, and I was in the back, in the dark, and the music was so soothing and familiar..

Very much reminiscent of the New Year's Day concert from Vienna, as shown on the telly, this covered all the highlights - and after the first piece, the dancers were brought on. Appropriately - after all, this music begs to be danced to. They even had a soprano, for the odd aria. And of course, every time the ladies went off stage, they came back on wearing a different outfit. Very pretty, very classic. They saved the Blue Danube to the end, and with only three gentlemen dancers, three lady dancers, and the soprano wanting a turn on the dance floor as well - why, the orchestra conductor did the honours! A most pleasant way to spend the afternoon. I didn't try to meet with the others - I only met the organiser once, years ago, and never met any of the other attendees.

Afterwards, I was hungry - Google Maps directed me to Cote, but after a long queue in the cold wind, I discovered that they were so heavily booked that I'd be waiting for hours! Nuts to that. Continuing in my search, I discovered there was a Ping Pong down the way - so I went there, and was seated in minutes. Service was delightfully efficient, despite the crowds. And what I had was uniformly delicious! Prawn crackers with a spicy sauce, duck spring rolls with a delicious hoisin sauce, char siu buns, chicken and cashew nut dumplings.. I thought they were the highlight until I had the seasonal praline ice cream dessert! Yum. Very good choice. And with the freezing wind blowing up outside, I was glad my bus didn't take long!

And tomorrow, I'm back with CT - this one booked before yesterday's, to make the three-month rule. Before they changed the rule, so you now only have to book once per year. Would've been nice to have been told that. Anyway, I'm going to the Clapham Comedy Club at the Bread & Roses. Crumbs, it's ages since I've been there! And this is the first of a lot of comedy gigs I've booked over the next few months..