Restaurant: Caravel & Southwark Walk

Last night, back with Civilised London (CL) for dinner at Caravel. Terrific reviews.. Meeting at The Narrowboat. Now, this is closer to my flat than to the office - but really, for the sake of having to take a bus, I didn't want to have to drag the laptop with me on Thursday evening and home that night: not to mention back in on Monday. No, I'd just bus it to the dinner yesterday evening.

It's very hard to enthuse myself to work, with this sentence hanging over me (last day at work on Monday). So I managed some work - and left in good time, got to the pub in good time. Where I discovered one of our group at a table - which an employee told us wasn't actually booked until 7.30, despite the note on the table that said 6.30. So, fine, and we stayed there - they had a choice of New Zealand or Chile for Sauvignon Blanc (joy!), so I was happy. The others arrived, we had a nice chat..

And so off to the barge restaurant, in due course. Not a long trek - and when we got there, we had to navigate an entry system! Code required, or authorisation to be on this pontoon - we got through the gate eventually, and the lady at the security desk checked who we were. So, we were duly allowed to progress to the barge. (FYI, toilets are off the barge, head back along the pontoon to the black awning with the signs for toilets. Ye shall not be deprived,)

I wasn't in the mood for a starter, although all the others had them - instead, I just had some bread and (very melty) butter. For mains, three of us had duck - although for some reason, the message to the kitchen got misinterpreted, and they thought one of us wanted the fish! Fair play, they turned it around pretty quickly, and we all got the duck we wanted - and one had ordered some very moreish potatoes as a side. For wine, our organiser suggested that the house wines were probably pretty good here - and he was right! We had a very nice Sauvignon Blanc between two of us - and an extra glass each afterwards, for good measure. I couldn't manage a dessert. But yes, a lovely meal - and the only time we noticed the sway was if we looked at the canal-side windows, where you could see the roofs of the buildings across the water bobbing gently up and down.. It's also a lovely, cosy room, and we remarked how good it'd be at Christmastime!

And so back to The Narrowboat for a nightcap - and to the same table we had before, by the door, and our organiser bought drinks (many thanks!). Now, they have a sign on the door that says that they close at 11. So it was rather surprising to me to have the barman coming around to warn us about last orders - at 10.25?! and coming around with plastic containers at 10.50! As someone pointed out - probably accurately - this was probably so as not to inconvenience the neighbours. And I'm not advocating rowdiness. But really, this is over the top! So, not recommended for late drinking! Anyway, I walked home, and was too tired to blog.

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

Well fancy, an afternoon walk! Such a luxury, not to have to race to get up, for once (although I checked several times, it's so unusual in my experience). And I took the bus in, in good time. Needed food, so headed for The Old Thameside Inn - and was lucky enough to get a table! Ordered from my table with the app, as usual, and the wine came nice and quickly. Was waiting a while for my starter.. I should have realised. It came with the main! Their calamari is weird here, coming in bitesize chunks - the garlic mayo is lovely though, and the schnitzel is de-loverly. Some confusion with the dessert - I wanted two scoops of ice cream, but wasn't sure how many came with a serving, and the waiter, whose first language was not English, didn't quite understand me. So I ended up ordering two desserts - each of which came with two scoops! Oy ve.. Well, they were v nice.

And so to the walk, which started at the post office on Borough High Street. And meandered around the streets of Southwark for the next 90 minutes or so. Seriously, I've been around here so many times that there was much that was familiar to me. Like Crossbones Graveyard. But hey, he almost immediately found something that was new to me - did you know that the names of the now-vanished coaching inns are carved into the pavements? Me either.

Plenty of meanderings through housing estates, and some stories I'd heard before, but that it was good to hear again. And I love the way that this guide keeps interjecting anecdotes, from books he's read, for example. He's so obviously passionate about his subject. And so on to theatreland, Southwark style, and the site of the original Globe theatre:

He made a very interesting point about London Bridge. This is a detail of the relief of London in Shakespeare's time, which shows how crowded the bridge was, with houses all along its length. And for over 1000 years, this was the only bridge in central London! Why..? The answer came later, when he was talking about the ferrymen who took people across, in lieu of other bridges - and, apparently, were strong lobbyists. It needed an act of Parliament to build a bridge - so, for over 1000 years, Parliament was stymied from building a much-needed transportation link. Because of lobbyists. Jeez, puts current arguments in context, huh?! It never has been easy to get Parliament to do anything!

We kept running into other tour groups all day.. Horrible Histories was just the last of many such meetings!

And so to a finish at the reconstructed Globe. I still love this part of town - any excuse to get down here, frankly! And another excellent tour by Stephen.

Now, my ex-boss had directed a friend of hers on this tour, and afterwards we were looking for a place for a quiet drink. Tricky, on a sunny summer Saturday - but I had the idea to head down the alleyway to The Old King's Head, where he bought us some wine and we sat outside in the alley, gazing at the blue sky overhead and talking about this and that. So yes, a most pleasant afternoon. And getting the bus home, as when I was coming, there was a diversion - which worked out marvellously convenient for me.

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

On Monday, I'm headed to A Doll's House Part 2, at Donmar Warehouse - sequel to the famous original, where the wife leaves an unhappy marriage; this sequel examines what happens when she returns. And it turns out that this is my last day at work - so it's handy I'll still have the office, because it's very handy for here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

And on the 29th, 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.

Walk - Bawdy Borough: Poverty, Prostitutes and Playhouses

Today, I was with Discover London - History Walks and Events for a walk entitled Bawdy Borough: Poverty, Prostitutes and Playhouses. Cash on the day, annoyingly - I just about had it, and even discovered an extra pound coin, so I didn't have to dig for change! And yes, I didn't get enough sleep again. Anyway, it's close enough that I walked there - if quite cold.

It was handy that the guide posted the Google Maps link - I could click on that and get directions to there, so was reasonably confident I'd got the right place. And just as I was in situ, I spotted her over the other side of the archway, a crowd beginning to gather. In the end, a couple of people I knew from other Meetup groups were there, which was nice! And our first excitement came in the form of a religious procession, across the road: Epiphany? Anyway, they seemed to be heading up towards Southwark Cathedral:

Sure enough, we headed off to the sound of bells - I guess the procession made it safely. For our part, we had a nice stroll through Borough Market:

Now, despite the title, this is one of the less lurid tours I've been on in Southwark - which is no bad thing! I can't remember whether I ever heard the tale of the Austrian general, on holiday in Southwark, mind you, who was so unpopular that he was set upon by the locals, causing a diplomatic incident!

Meandering around the streets behind Shakespeare's Globe, it was fascinating to see how close the original site was to the Rose - and when she explained how a large bear-baiting pit came almost down to the Rose as well, it was an eye-opener! Imagine picking your way through those streets - trying not to have your pocket picked! She also described how the theatres would display coloured flags, indicating the type of play showing that evening - red for historical, black for tragedy, white for comedy. I never have heard the area described quite like that before. But it was nice to come out to the river, and the front of Shakespeare's Globe:

Ooh, and did you know, that house with the plaque that says that Sir Christopher Wren lived there? No he didn't - the plaque was just put there to save the house from being demolished!

We finished back at Southwark Cathedral, where we saw an example of a "withered effigy", to depict the effects of death:

I'd never before noticed the stained glass over Shakespeare's tomb, depicting his plays!

And there's a new statue of him, out the back.

Really, a most interesting and grown-up tour! Very impressed - I highly recommend it. Afterwards - well, I hadn't eaten, and we'd passed so many eateries - so I headed back to the Old Thameside Inn, where I haven't been in years, for a late brunch. I'd never actually eaten there - happily, the lunchtime rush was over, and my, but isn't the app, where you can order and pay at the table, handy?! Especially when you're on your own, and trying to hold a table. I had the pale ale pie - sadly not up to the standard of the pie at the Duke of Sussex, with rather doughy pastry and a taste I wasn't mad about. But the rest was lovely, especially the garlic bread I ordered as a side. Oh, and they have Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc - one of my favourite wines! So, after my main, I had another glass of that - and a bowl of vanilla pod ice cream, so as not to fill myself up. The wine came quickly - I could have expired waiting for the dessert, but never mind, it was delicious! Truly, it's been a terrific weekend.

Tomorrow, back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group, for a Gabrieli Consort & Players concert at Wigmore Hall. Programmes available to ticket-holders to download. And wouldn't you know it, the organiser gave his seat number - so, when I saw the seat beside him was free, I booked it! Well, I know him now.. let's see whether we can find the other person who's signed up!

Plays: Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. & Concert: Concertante

Today, I booked for the matinee of Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp. at the Royal Court. Excellent review in Thursday's paper. And then Civilised London (CL) organised an outing to see London Concertante perform the Four Seasons at Southwark Cathedral. What the hey, I figured I could make both! It's ages since I last heard it, in fact.. and it'd 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.

Dragged myself out of bed - after a late blogging session - to catch the bus to Sloane Square. Good job I got out early though, what with the dreadful traffic on Strand, and the diversion (not advertised by TFL) - I had quite a job explaining to elderly, hearing-challenged passengers around me where we were and what was going on. In the end, I got there with 10 minutes to spare - just as well I hadn't cut it fine to leave! Handily enough, I was in the Circle - the middle level of the main theatre here, it's on ground level. So while I did have to climb down some steps, there weren't many. I was in the slips:

Comfy leather seats, decent legroom, and an ok view - you do miss the action in the near corner (I was fourth seat in). But that was mostly fine, and I just leaned for the bits I needed to.

Four short plays in rapid succession, they have no titles (as has happened here before) to tell you the names as you switch. The themes are quite obvious, though. In contrast to the aforementioned reviewer, my particular favourite was the first - Glass has four people playing on a lit, elevated ledge; they represent glass ornaments on a mantelpiece, having a series of conversations. I love the idea.

While they set up for Kill, you get a juggler to distract you while they hammer away behind the curtain. Fair play to her, the smile never faltered - despite her dropping the clubs three times, once into the front row, where a nice man handed it back to her. When she heads off, the curtain opens to reveal a chap sat on a wispy cloud. This turns out to be a Greco-Roman god, musing on the shenanigans of the mortals down below, and constantly reminding us that the humans invented the gods, and "we don't exist". Quite matter-of-fact about it, he is. Lights a cigarette whose smoke merges with the cloud wisps. And has quite an hilarious speech to make about a convoluted proverbial Greek tragedy, and which bits of it the gods approve of, and which they don't.

More circus performance between plays - nothing was dropped the second time, though. The final piece before the interval is Bluebeard, where a number of Bluebeard's friends gather in shock after all his nefarious actions are revealed, to discuss what happened, and the fallout, and to reiterate how they had no idea! Mind you, there's opportunity in misfortune..

After the interval, we get Imp, where an elderly couple - cousins - get visits from a young relative, and another young chap who comes into their lives. Brightens the day for them y'know? But one of the cousins has this thing about this empty wine bottle she keeps to the side - seems it has an imp in it, which she can turn to for wishes when all else fails. Just as well..

Very interesting, recommended. Runs till the 12th - sold out for the run though, apart from those cheap Monday tickets, which are released on the day.

I was fainting with hunger by the time it finished - I hadn't had time to eat before I came out, and I'd checked at the interval, but all they had in the bar were odd nuts, and odder flavoured crisps. I didn't think I'd have time to order from the kitchen during the interval. And I didn't even have enough cash on me for an ice cream! so I went hungry till the end. I had seen a Cote across the square, though - I hadn't known there was a Cote here! It doesn't look big from the front, but they have a huge space at the rear - and boy, was I served fast. Well, you can expect that from the plats rapides. And despite the waiter's dessert suggestions, I knew exactly what I wanted - the coupe noire as they do it here is how it should be done: ice cream, with a separate jug of steaming chocolate sauce, with which you can douse it as you wish. I used absolutely as much as I could get out of the jug.. heaven.

Two buses to get me to Southwark Cathedral - and had I realised, upon coming down the steps from the main street, I could have just turned right under the bridge for the entrance! instead of walking all the way around. Ah well. I still got there first of the group. I'd booked with Time Out, who had an offer (oops, sorry, forgot to mention that!) - anyway, it included a free programme and cd! V nice. The others weren't far behind me, and we all schlepped in together for a quick look around the cathedral. Oh, and I blithely ignored the £2 photography permit. ;-)

 

I had a side seat - pretty close to where I was before, actually! Couldn't see much - but if I wanted a close-up of the performers, they did come to and from the dressing rooms very close to me.

Well, how reassuring to see that the jokes haven't changed! The first half was different musically from the usual, though, with a Mendelssohn piece that wasn't listed in the programme, and a Dvořák. But for me, the Four Seasons of the second half was the star of the show - it's weeks since I was at a classical concert, and years since I heard anything of the Four Seasons. As for the full thing..? No idea.. And you do forget how powerful it is. In such a beautiful venue too, it was a memorable evening.

And lo, we repaired afterwards to The Thameside Inn, where the Man in the Hat also took us on that first night. Where we had a lovely chat.. and some moreish chilli puffs. Ooh yeah, a new addition to my list of favourites.. So, glad I came. Walked home afterwards - the rain wasn't that bad.

Tomorrow is film. What came up top was - appropriately for the weather - something for the last day of the Raindance Festival, at the Vue Piccadilly. Booking seems to be on the Raindance website, rather than the Vue's - tickets with Eventbrite. And I'm going to Babysplitters - a comedy about two couples who can't decide whether they want a baby, so decide to have one they can split amongst them all! Since tickets were only available until today, I'd have had to book anyway - so I just went ahead and booked straight away.

On Monday, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Ballet Preljocaj - La Fresque at Sadler's Wells.

On Tuesday, we have a slightly delayed September social for ex-employees (and current, if they want) of the company I last worked for - Ivan is away till tomorrow, and of course I'm busy on Monday. So, on Tuesday we're headed to Imperial China - the new Chinese restaurant I discovered via CL. Booked for six people, it probably won't exceed that. Getting an answer out of people is predictably difficult.

On Wednesday, I'm headed to The Merry Wives of Windsor, at the Globe.

On Thursday, I'm back with CL - this should be interesting. Red Palace is an immersive cabaret experience - lots of fairytale characters, I believe - at the Vaults. And I really hope the weather is ok, because I sourced the most fantastic outfit for it..! Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend - the start of another brief hiatus from Meetup.

On the 7th, I'm off to Shushkin's Stories, at the Barbican. Performed in Russian, with English surtitles, it's a dramatisation of the short stories of Vasily Shushkin.

On the 8th, off to Wilton's, for Lady of Jazz.

On the 9th, heading to the Turbine Theatre, for Torch Song. This is the inaugural show at the new theatre in the revamped Battersea Power Station!

On the 10th, back with Meetup - North London Friends is off to A History of Water in the Middle East, at the Royal Court. Another where I got my ticket from the organiser.

On the 11th, back with UITCS - to Southwark Playhouse this time, for Preludes. D' you know, I bought their passport a while ago, which entitles you to cheap tickets to five shows - and of the last three I booked, something else came up for every single one! Hope I make this one..

On the 12th, seeing the matinee of Solaris at the Lyric Hammersmith. Turns out that both UITCS and Love London Theatre, Arts, Music & Stuff (LLTAMS) are going - so I booked with both! Why not? Each requires you to buy your own ticket. And since only the organiser and I are going from LLTAMS, I hope we can merge..

On the 13th, joining the London Improvisation Community Group for the first time - they have a show called Happily Never After at the Pleasance - part of the London Horror Festival.

On the 14th, I'm seeing Mother of Him, at the Park.

On the 15th, UITCS is off to the Albert Hall for Symphonic Queen - the Royal Philharmonic is performing Queen.

Then begins a long period of non-Meetup stuff. On the 16th, I'm heading to the ballet Manon, at the Opera House.

On the 17th, the Crick Crack Club (CCC) is back at Rich Mix, with Melusine. TUUP is the headliner on this occasion, which should be terrific!

On the 18th, Helen's in town, heading to a Midge Ure concert at the Palladium - we're meeting for dinner beforehand. 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 of next month, 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 are now, and will likely sell out.

On the 29th of next month, I'm trying to persuade the aforementioned 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..

On the 30th of next month, 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.

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

Concert: London Concertante

I don't know how I missed the Meetup group London for Less! before - but there are so many groups. Anyway, with none of my Meetup groups having anything today that appealed, I had a look at what else was going on - and this group was running a trip to a candlelit classical concert in Southwark Cathedral. Well now, that sounded like the business - I joined and booked.

So I headed over there today - I had to run to Westfield first, and coming from that side, the engineering works on the Tube didn't affect me. I was looking up on Google Maps how to get from London Bridge station to the cathedral, and it's interesting to note that they completely ignore the fact that there's a flight of steps leading down from the street. I complained - again - and again, we'll see whether they do anything about it.

Our organiser had given really detailed instructions, so it was hard to get lost. Well done there! I rarely come across that level of attention to detail, to be honest. Anyway, for once I was early, and slightly beat him to his setting up. He gave us our tickets, and complementary programmes - what a luxury! I hardly ever buy a programme. And he instructed us to take our seats in the near side aisle, near the front for the best view.

I found myself sitting with some friendly folks from the group, and we chatted for a bit before the concert - we were in good time. The girl beside me didn't join in the conversation, but when there was a pause, she asked me whether we were a Meetup group. "Yes." She asked me which one, and I told her - she thought for a moment, and decided that wasn't one of hers. As she remarked, there are so many it's hard to keep track.. I think she'd come on another offer scheme; I saw a large table of envelopes near the entrance as I came in, and I think I caught sight of a Groupon logo. (Which reminds me, I really must check those more often.) Everyone around me who wasn't with my Meetup group had one of these envelopes. Jeez, was everyone there on one offer or other?!

They started in due course. First, though, they had to light the candles - because, of course, it was candlelit. Now, candles are very pretty - especially against stone, and indeed the cathedral was beautiful. But these candlelit concerts are a bit of a faff. It'd all be more authentic if they turned off the spotlights.. at least in the main part of the nave, for atmosphere.

The ensemble duly filed on. It was the London Concertante, and their designated speaker was a born comic, entertaining us before each piece as he explained to us the significance of what was to come. We started with a lovely bit of Mozart - and the audience applauded merrily after each movement. I know you technically shouldn't, but I've never agreed, really. There is a real break between movements, and it feels more natural to applaud. Anyway, this was followed by some Elgar (more applause between movements - my favourite was the Larghetto), and then the sublime Adagio for Strings, by Barber. The constant applauding became a nuisance here, where it became obvious that many of the crowd had never heard this piece before, and didn't realise that there's a silent bit before the end..

And then a cat passed by. Just as the guy was talking about the next piece. "A cat!" he exclaimed. Later reports had it that the cat started coming down the steps of the altar, where they were playing, and froze when it saw all the people. (I couldn't see - my view was partially obstructed by pillars.) And then it carried on.

A Holst piece took us up to the interval, where I went in search of a bottle of water - I was parched - only to discover that the café was closed. Bah humbug. I had a look around outside, but there was nothing. Getting a bit chilly now, though.

After the interval, they had Spring and Summer from the Four Seasons. The soloist, while no Nigel Kennedy, was very enthusiastic, with a fair bit of jumping around. You might consider these pieces overplayed - but when you listen to the sublime piece that is Summer, you realise why they're played so often. Unfortunately, these pieces were interspersed with pieces by Piazzolla, which were inspired by them. I don't think they won many fans - I saw a couple leaving after the first Piazzolla piece. In other news, the cathedral cat returned - round our side this time, to say hi.

Afterwards, some of us went to the nearby Old Thameside Inn. Predictably, it was crammed - but we managed to find a corner, and seats. It was very noisy though. Still, a good time was had, and the wine tasted much better after a few sips - as with most wines. Mind you, we were a bit shocked when last orders were not called, but the bell simply rung to denote the end of serving, with no prior warning. Beware.. the bell rings at 11, and that is that.

Great night, I'd love to join the group again - though I see their next few meetups are full up. Well, we'll see. Meantime, for tomorrow, nothing is enthusing me much. It's now too late to go to anything in the morning, if I'm to have a full night's sleep. There's an afternoon tour about "Fire, Pestilence and Plague" with the Free London Events and Talks group, but it turns out membership has to be approved - so I'm waiting on that. I doubt I'll get approval in time to go on this tour. Film-wise, top of the list is a film in the SciFi festival that's on at the moment - Terminus. However, it's only on at the Stratford East Picturehouse! An hour to get to, and it's only on at 2:30. Hmm.. watch this space!