Talk: Why Did WW1 Inspire So Many Utopian Experiments?

Well, first off, let me say that today's interview went great, and I now have an assignment to complete.. it's looking good. Watch this space.

Tonight, back with The Garden Talks - this time, the talk was on Why Did WW1 Inspire So Many Utopian Experiments? As the organiser pointed out, not only wars, but also pandemics seem to inspire that kind of thinking, about what makes a better world - so, quite topical at the moment!

I have a ton of work to do - job-hunting does get in the way. So I decided to follow the talk on my work laptop and keep working. Opened the link early - then wondered why it hadn't started yet, five minutes in. Now, the last one also started late -but not this late! I was unable to refresh the page, or get anything on the site to work on the laptop - eventually settled for streaming it on my phone. Bah humbug. So I missed the first few minutes. Ah well.

The speaker had a very affected accent, which I found quite distracting for a while. But once you got over that - this was a very interesting talk. I never knew about all the experimental ideas that different groups had after the First World War - I suppose it's quite natural that society was shocked into searching for improvement, but the scale was colossal! For example, she includes the development of Esperanto in this series of idealistic plans - now, that's something I never considered. Apparently, it was proposed to the League of Nations that Esperanto be recognised as an official language, so that people could all speak the same language. And so on. Fascinating stuff.

Tomorrow, leaving drinks at my job - for me! Better to have them on a Thursday, when there are free drinks in the office. To start us off. Then we're off to The Pelt Trader - where they also do pizza. My ex-boss booked it (I shudder to think how little effort my current boss would have expended on it) - she had to book in person, she had no luck over the phone or by email, and you can't book online! As my mother is wont to say, you'd think they don't want the business! Then back to Ireland for the weekend - and unfortunately, I can't get to the cinema while I'm there this time - I have to run an errand for my mother.

On Monday (Valentine's Day) - wouldn't you know it, the West End has gone all romantic! with a one-night-only performance of West End Musical Love Songs! Well now, that seems like a good way to spend the evening. Showing in the Lyric, cheapest from the venue. Mind you, considering that the very cheapest are right behind pillars - and remembering the horrendous experience I had in one of those seats before - I went up a price bracket, and am in the rear stalls. With a pillar "in my sightline", but not squeezing into my legroom. Which should be fine.

On Tuesday, I'm at The Glow, in the Royal Court - nice, spooky sounding play about someone with a gift for the supernatural! As usual, not a place you can really get discounted tickets for - but slips tickets tend to be great value, as long as you're not too close to the stage and having to crane your neck.

Next Wednesday, I'm back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for London By Night - an Illuminating Virtual Tour. Online, should be nice.

On the 17th, back with Crick Crack! which should hopefully happen this time. This is a double bill - The Thief's Tale and Future Imperfect, at Rich Mix, Daniel Morden one of the performers. And there are a couple of others from the London European Club coming, which is cool! Unfortunately, the Crick Crack show that was cancelled on Sunday is livestreaming the same night from Oxford! which just can't be helped.

On the 18th, back with Civilised London for a play called The Ballad of Maria Marten, based on a real-life murder mystery, at Wilton's. Now, I'm rather tired of craning my neck here, so I went for a slightly more expensive seat, with a more direct view - albeit still in the balcony.

And on the 19th, I'm headed off with 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners again, for Laurence Summers' Elementary Sherlock Walking Tour.

Film: Flee

Well, had a really lovely chat today with a recruiter who came across my profile, and the company looks really promising - I already have an interview scheduled for tomorrow. Wish me luck! Anyway, I decided to celebrate that much with a meal out - and headed, again, for Cote. On my way in, passed an enticing ad for their beef cheek bourgignon - well, I thought, why not, and had that. With bread and butter to start - £3.50 is a bit much, considering I only ate half the bread, but it was nice, and I was hungry. And the bourgignon - was as delectable as the ad! Melt in the mouth, with a rich sauce - highly recommended - although the mash was a bit bland, but fine when mixed with the rest. And I didn't even need to pour any of the sauce from the little jug that accompanied it - there was already enough on the plate! Service came with a broad smile, as usual. I really do like eating here - and it was pleasantly roasting, after the cold breeze outside.

This evening - film beckoned. And that blasted film list still isn't coming through properly until the Sunday of any given week, two days AFTER the films change - anyway, when it finally did, I was able to confirm that (apart from a couple of Indian films that I just couldn't spark an interest in) top of the list were two documentaries. The one I was more interested in was Flee, the animated story of an Afghan refugee, reminiscing on his story years later, on the verge of getting married. Looked really good - the closest showing to me was in Hackney Picturehouse.

Turned out I had enough Tesco vouchers for a £6 Picturehouse voucher (for this offer, they multiply the value of your Tesco voucher by 3), so I bought that before I left! Headed off in good time, and had the usual confusion with the doors - you enter via the one marked "kitchen". Presented my voucher at the till - just because you have a voucher doesn't mean you have to prebook, and not booking saves the reservation fee. And the confusion over how to use the voucher online - I'm still not sure it worked, last time. Also bought a glass of wine - which I took the precaution of having served in plastic, so I could take it in. Handily, they have cafe-style tables where you can sit. Even handier, they have a lift - considering this screen is on the third floor, that was much appreciated!

Lovely, comfy cinema seats too - that recline. And I had space on either side, for my stuff. A handful of people in the audience. Not too many ads, and off we went. The film is mostly animated - there is live-action news footage, where relevant to the events of the story: because this is the true story of a little boy who had to flee Afghanistan with his family, who ended up scattered all over Europe. And it's really poignant - you do lose a little of the human element with the animation, but it's very sensitively done. And the stories of the different family members are horrendous - some of which I remember from the news, and all of which are so representative of refugees to this day. Refugees packed into containers for days on end, refugees crammed onto leaky, dangerous boats.. trudging for miles through the snow, dealing with violent thugs.. this family went through hell. It's no wonder the poor man was left traumatised. Sadly, a story of our time.

Note.. in this cinema, you can only leave by the end door. V complicated door policy, if you ask me!

Tomorrow, back with The Garden Talks - this time, the talk is on Why Did WW1 Inspire So Many Utopian Experiments? As the organiser points out, not only wars, but also pandemics seem to inspire that kind of thinking, about what makes a better world - so, quite topical at the moment!

On Thursday, leaving drinks at my job - for me! I only wish I had another sorted - fingers crossed. Better to have them on a Thursday, when there are free drinks in the office. To start us off. Then back to Ireland for the weekend - and unfortunately, I can't get to the cinema while I'm there this time - I have to run an errand for my mother.

On Monday (Valentine's Day) - wouldn't you know it, the West End has gone all romantic! with a one-night-only performance of West End Musical Love Songs! Well now, that seems like a good way to spend the evening. Showing in the Lyric, cheapest from the venue. Mind you, considering that the very cheapest are right behind pillars - and remembering the horrendous experience I had in one of those seats before - I went up a price bracket, and am in the rear stalls. With a pillar "in my sightline", but not squeezing into my legroom. Which should be fine.

Next Tuesday, I'm at The Glow, in the Royal Court - nice, spooky sounding play about someone with a gift for the supernatural! As usual, not a place you can really get discounted tickets for - but slips tickets tend to be great value, as long as you're not too close to the stage and having to crane your neck.

On the 16th, I'm back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for London By Night - an Illuminating Virtual Tour. Online, should be nice.

On the 17th, back with Crick Crack! which should hopefully happen this time. This is a double bill - The Thief's Tale and Future Imperfect, at Rich Mix, Daniel Morden one of the performers. And there are a couple of others from the London European Club coming, which is cool! Unfortunately, the Crick Crack show that was cancelled on Sunday is livestreaming the same night from Oxford! which just can't be helped.

On the 18th, back with Civilised London for a play called The Ballad of Maria Marten, based on a real-life murder mystery, at Wilton's. Now, I'm rather tired of craning my neck here, so I went for a slightly more expensive seat, with a more direct view - albeit still in the balcony.

And on the 19th, I'm headed off with 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners again, for Laurence Summers' Elementary Sherlock Walking Tour.

Talk: What Conditions Create Witch Hunts?

Tonight - another interesting talk in a series by The Garden Talks (TGT). This one was What Conditions Create Witch Hunts?

So, in the picture, the inset video is from TGT's host, based in Scotland - the larger video is of the guest speaker, an American academic who specialises in Scottish history, and has a particular interest in witch hunts and the like.

Started a few minutes late - which was just as well, as I was using my Chromebook, not always the speediest. Well, you'd know she was an academic - this was a very scholarly talk. Full of facts, but not always delivered in the most entertaining way - despite potentially incendiary subject matter! (Play on words intentional.)

Frankly, given the present tense of the title, I was expecting more reference to the present day! but no, this was all historical. And nothing wrong with that, except, as I say, I did find it a bit dry. I have to say, the talks are very well run though - lovely site design, the facility to react at any point, and a Q+A box to the side, where you could type questions to be dealt with at the end, and see - and vote for - others'. Those with the most votes were dealt with first - unless they happened to have been dealt with in the talk itself, as happened with one. And this was significant, as there were far too many to deal with in the 15 minutes or so allocated for questions! But hey, great idea, well staged - and free, although you do have to register.

Tomorrow - film beckons. And that blasted film list still isn't coming through properly until the Sunday of any given week, two days AFTER the films change - anyway, when it finally did, I was able to confirm that (apart from a couple of Indian films that I just couldn't spark an interest in) top of the list are two documentaries. The one I'm more interested in is Flee, the animated story of an Afghan refugee, reminiscing on his story years later, on the verge of getting married. Looks really good - the closest showing to me is in Hackney Picturehouse.

On Wednesday, back with TGT - this time, the talk is on Why Did WW1 Inspire So Many Utopian Experiments? As the organiser points out, not only wars, but also pandemics seem to inspire that kind of thinking, about what makes a better world - so, quite topical at the moment!

On Thursday, leaving drinks at my job - for me! I only wish I had another sorted. Better to have them on a Thursday, when there are free drinks in the office. To start us off. Then back to Ireland for the weekend - and unfortunately, I can't get to the cinema while I'm there this time - I have to run an errand for my mother.

Next Monday (Valentine's Day) - wouldn't you know it, the West End has gone all romantic! with a one-night-only performance of West End Musical Love Songs! Well now, that seems like a good way to spend the evening. Showing in the Lyric, cheapest from the venue. Mind you, considering that the very cheapest are right behind pillars - and remembering the horrendous experience I had in one of those seats before - I went up a price bracket, and am in the rear stalls. With a pillar "in my sightline", but not squeezing into my legroom. Which should be fine.

On the 15th, I'm at The Glow, in the Royal Court - nice, spooky sounding play about someone with a gift for the supernatural! As usual, not a place you can really get discounted tickets for - but slips tickets tend to be great value, as long as you're not too close to the stage and having to crane your neck.

On the 16th, I'm back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for London By Night - an Illuminating Virtual Tour. Online, should be nice.

On the 17th, back with Crick Crack! which should hopefully happen this time. This is a double bill - The Thief's Tale and Future Imperfect, at Rich Mix, Daniel Morden one of the performers. And there are a couple of others from the London European Club coming, which is cool! Unfortunately, the Crick Crack show that was cancelled yesterday is livestreaming the same night from Oxford! which just can't be helped.

On the 18th, back with Civilised London for a play called The Ballad of Maria Marten, based on a real-life murder mystery, at Wilton's. Now, I'm rather tired of craning my neck here, so I went for a slightly more expensive seat, with a more direct view - albeit still in the balcony.

And on the 19th, I'm headed off with 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners again, for Laurence Summers' Elementary Sherlock Walking Tour.

Platinum Jubilee Royal Walk

Today, Crick Crack scheduled an interesting event - Japanese ghost stories, the event was called The Game of Candles, with each story represented by a lit candle, blown out when the story is completed. Was taking place at the British Museum, Tim Ralphs and Sarah-Liisa Wilkinson performing. Sold out quickly - they were only doing half capacity.

Except - on Friday morning, the museum sent word that it was cancelled, and to contact them for a refund! Nuts, I was really looking forward to that (as was someone I'd told, from the London European Club). They are running it again, but not in London - although they are livestreaming it, but wouldn't you know it, it's the same night as another show! Rats.

So, instead, I booked another guided walk - this was the Platinum Jubilee Royal Walk, with London Walks, Art & Culture Explorers! Wasn't expecting this one to be as sociable, but it promised to be fairly interesting - all about the Queen, on what is her actual Platinum Jubilee! So, taking place pretty near where we were yesterday. It was supposed to rain all night and in the morning, but that was supposed to have stopped by the time of the walk, which started a bit later than yesterday's. Tickets through Eventbrite.

Arrived in plenty of time again - the directions given to us were excellent, and needed to be, as Google Maps gets rather confused when you start talking about Diana fountains! (which is where we were to meet). There are plenty, you see - and this one isn't even related to the Diana that first springs to mind! No, this Diana is the mythological goddess of hunting. And the statue is just at the Green Park exit from Green Park Station - you can't miss it, it's at the top of the ramp.

I, of course, got a combination of buses there - using the station as my destination, for the purposes of Google Maps. Arrived early, and occupied myself in the meantime with a packet of crisps from the kiosk - had to trot up the path a bit for a bin, though. And when the guide arrived - yes, it was the guy I had for the Uncomfortable Statues walk: and he remembered me, too! which was nice.

After a bit of preamble, we set off across the park towards Buckingham Palace. Now, the rain did indeed hold off - but there was an absolutely punishing wind! Down at the palace, we had to stand around the opposite side from where he normally goes - the other side was full of camera crews, presumably doing pieces about the jubilee!

As usual, I caught him in a few inaccuracies - after all, this is kind of my specialist subject - but what the hey, he had plenty of interesting facts for us too. For instance, I never knew much about St. James' Palace - but it turns out that this became the court after (most of) Whitehall Palace burnt down, and is where the new monarch is officially proclaimed! and, of course, some royal relatives have apartments here:

Across the road is Marlborough House, where Queen Mary stayed after she was widowed:

All in all, I found it a fascinating walk, with some lovely personal reminiscences from him of his royal memories over the years - and there was great interest among the few others on the walk, and a lot of questions in particular from the German lady. Quite a scenic part of London too.. if only we hadn't had that awful wind!

And at least this time there was no pretence of going to the pub afterwards - because we didn't. We finished on Whitehall - passing a very interesting demonstration outside No. 10! (They were serving an eviction notice..) And we got to see the Cenotaph, and where the members of the Royal Family stand who are not actively participating in the ceremony. Cool, always wondered about that! But the coolest news of the day for me was hearing that the Queen yesterday publicly expressed her wish that, when Charles becomes King, his wife, Camilla, become Queen. Quite right, too.

We finished just up from the Horse Guards.. and the four-legged parts of that team were being showered with attention!

Well, my intention was to have a late lunch - so, off I went again to Prezzo. Where I had little trouble getting a table, service came - as usual - with a smile, and I was quickly served. My God, it was good to get in out of the wind! I did wonder why my face got so hot so quickly - until I noticed I was right across from the wood fire, which was blazing up nicely. Anyway, the sit down, in the warm, and a feed were exactly what I needed. Last time I was here, I had the chicken with mushroom, and found the chicken tough - so I avoided it this time, and had the carbonara, with chicken and topped with parmesan. Ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous! The sauvignon blanc was divine, and not having had a starter, I had plenty of room for dessert - I can now fully recommend the delectable chocolate fudge cake. I was fully rested by the time I headed home.

Tomorrow - another interesting talk by The Garden Talks. This one is What Conditions Create Witch Hunts? Have to say, Meetup seems to have awoken from the doldrums..!

Play: The Red Balloon & Walk: Passage Through Pimlico

Yesterday, I headed with the London European Club (LEC) to the Puppet Theatre Barge, for a performance of The Red Balloon! Sadly, our organiser tested positive for Covid that morning, and couldn't make it. Left in decent time - this far away, it had to be Tube. Now, of the three lines that share the platform I was waiting on, two would have done. Unfortunately, the one that came had no sign indicating what line it was - just a destination: Amersham. I don't take the Tube often enough to have known automatically what line goes there. With no Underground maps anywhere in sight, I took a chance and hopped on - and of course, this turned out to be the one line that wouldn't do - the Metropolitan. Never mind, it'd do for a few stops.. I could have ridden it as far as Baker Street, but bearing in mind what a complicated station that is, I decided to get off at the stop before.

It wasn't long before the next train arrived - and lo, it was another with no line name, and a destination of Amersham! Well, I know what that is now. The one after was headed to Paddington, which was where I was headed. Conveniently finished my paper just as I arrived, and left it there. And followed the handy sign for Little Venice. I had 25 minutes to do what Google Maps said was an 8-minute walk.

Heh. It felt more like Shackleton's expedition to the Antarctic.

Google Maps does have a disclaimer that their directions might be incorrect, or that walking routes might be unwalkable (!). Gee, no kidding. So, I started off walking along the canal - fine. My woes began when I took their advice to cross the footbridge. I then found myself on the other side - which was darker. Nearly twisted my ankle on some particularly knobbly cobblestones. Anyway, creeping along past the barges, using the torch on my phone, I finally made my way to Rembrandt Gardens, where I was apparently supposed to pass on to the main road.

They were locked. I subsequently discovered they close at 6pm - this was, of course after that.

You've guessed it - of all the pathways and steps that lead from the canals of Little Venice up onto the roads, this bit doesn't have any. Yes, I had to retrace my steps all the way to the footbridge, and come up the other side. Where it was a long way to the next bridge..

My next mistake was not taking the little footbridge that runs alongside it - I could see that let you down by the barges, and frankly, given the experience I'd just had, I wasn't keen! So I schlepped along the main road, checking out the barges through the railings as I passed, and sure enough, near the end, there was the Puppet Theatre barge! Blast, and now I couldn't see a way down to it. Mercifully, there was a man standing on it. It was now showtime - and ascertaining that I was headed there, he reassured me that they hadn't started yet. "But how do I get down to you?" So he informed me that I had to cross at the lights, and there was a way down to the right, on the other side. Thankfully, the lights were in my favour - but I still couldn't see the way down, until I spotted a couple of blokes climbing up. So, would you believe it, I made it in time! To find the room dotted with members of the group, who hailed me, one remarking that they had been wondering..

It's a snug space, although larger than you might expect from the outside. Nearly full, but not quite. With marionettes hanging all over the walls, I'd have loved to take a photo - but it was about start time, and I was a bit frazzled, and just hurried to turn my phone off. Never mind - the show, which lasted just over an hour, was lovely! Three puppeteers, as we discovered when they took their bows at the end (including the nice man who gave me directions). And a simple story, without words, of a little boy, and his friendship with a (rather feisty) lovely, round, shiny red balloon. Highly amusing, based on the short film of the same name - runs until the 20th of next month, and comes highly recommended!

Afterwards, consensus was on The Bridge House bar, just up the road, and much easier to get to - when we got there, I posted a message so any stragglers could find us. And it was a relief to get in from what was a bitterly cold night, again! Unfortunately, we couldn't all sit together - but we did all get seating. And had one or two drinks.. confirming once again that this is one of the friendliest of groups! (And once again, I got a drink bought for me.) Lovely night, great company - hope to do it again soon. The bus back was quicker than it would have been earlier, making it the prime option for heading home. Sadly, this was one of those occasions when I just missed my bus, and nearly froze to death waiting for the next.. I ended up getting three buses in the end, always choosing the combination that meant the least time spent standing in the cold!

Ran too late to blog last night, because today, I was back with the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners, and Laurence Summers - got the last spot on his Passage through Pimlico walk! which, as he was telling me Tuesday last week, is through a not very well-known part of town! Well, this one promised at least to be warmer, being in daytime.

Dragged myself, grumbling, out of bed as usual on these occasions, got some cash out, and made an early bus. Was there in plenty of time, and had enough time to get a hot chocolate in Pret - on what was another frigid morning! Just as I finished, he materialised across the road, a crowd around him - handily, there was also a bin over there, not something there are a lot of in central London. For obvious reasons. Anyway, after more excruciating waiting around in the cold, we began with a chat about what we could see around us.

And then, off we traipsed. Now, this part of town - close to the centre of things - has housed a lot of interesting people. So naturally, most of the walk focused on those, and we went through a lot of what still look like residential areas. Not, honestly, a lot to photograph - but as the sun came out, we did appreciate the warmth, and our guide tried to steer us towards sunnier areas. And despite the woman on the side of the road, painting the Battersea Power Station, no, I didn't feel like photographing that either. Towards the end, we did come across the imposing statue of the MP whose claim to fame was that he was the first person killed in a rail accident:

(Well, it's nice to be famous for something.) Have to say, I was glad to have a walk around Pimlico - not a part of town I was familiar with at all; indeed, I'd have had trouble telling you where it was! Pity there was such a cold wind, is all.

And so to lunch. Now, our guide apologised for the venue, which was a bit far away - he hadn't thought to factor in the Six Nations, you see, and most of the pubs were packed with people wanting to watch it! But he found us space in the Brass Monkey. (Cue saying..) Except our arrival was kind of a surprise to the guy behind the bar - there was some kind of miscommunication, with our guide thinking it was confirmed, apart from slightly fuzzy numbers, and the guy in the pub under the impression that it wasn't confirmed at all! Hey-ho, he was prevailed upon to evict an unsuspecting family, and we did all get to sit together. Within sight of two televisions - neither of which was (yet) showing the rugby.

When we hit the loos, there was no toilet paper - although I went again before we left, and it had been replenished. And the poor guy behind the bar was not having the best of days - apart from us descending on him (sort of) unannounced, and lots of other people who had no place to go and ended up there, when he was clearing a table near us, he let a whole load of chips go crashing to the floor! and while he tried to pick those up, there went the sauce as well. Oh dear. Some days you just shouldn't get up. But I have to say, he remained cheery throughout.

Food has to be ordered at the bar, and while I was waiting to do so, some came out, so I got a preview - not liking the look of the burger I'd planned on ordering (and most of the menu is composed of burgers), I just had some "waffle chips" and some onion rings. Which, to be fair, were excellent - and I heard no complaints from the others. Possibly, the burger would have been OK too. Never mind, the chat was mighty (as they say) - another excellent outing with this group. I have been lucky with my groups! And - you guessed it - someone bought me a drink. So yes, hoping to go on another of these outings again soon, too! Happily, Laurence has a good portfolio of walks - they just need to fall when I can make them. Watch this space - always happy to go on his walks, they're always entertaining. (Oh, and the rugby did come on before we left - and Ireland's blistering trouncing of Wales did guarantee them the win, in the end.)

Tomorrow, Crick Crack scheduled an interesting one - Japanese ghost stories, the event was called The Game of Candles, with each story represented by a lit candle, blown out when the story is completed. Was taking place at the British Museum, Tim Ralphs and Sarah-Liisa Wilkinson performing. Sold out quickly - they were only doing half capacity.

Except - yesterday morning, the museum sent word that it was cancelled, and to contact them for a refund! Nuts, I was really looking forward to that (as was another member of the LEC). They are running it again, but not in London - although they are livestreaming it, but wouldn't you know it, it's the same night as another show! Rats.

So, instead, I'm booked on another guided walk - this is the Platinum Jubilee Royal Walk, with London Walks, Art & Culture Explorers! Not expecting this one to be as sociable, but should be fairly interesting - all about the Queen, on what is her actual Platinum Jubilee! So, taking place pretty near where we were today. It's supposed to rain all night and in the morning, but that will hopefully have stopped by the time of the walk, which starts a bit later than today's. Tickets through Eventbrite.

And on Monday - another interesting talk by The Garden Talks. This one is What Conditions Create Witch Hunts? Have to say, Meetup seems to have awoken from the doldrums..!

Restaurant: Little Georgia & Concert: London Symphony Orchestra

Last night, my first Meetup of the year with Civilised London! And as usual, it was dinner! (My third day in a row to eat out!) We were off again to Little Georgia, meeting beforehand at The Crown.

Great to see them.. only three of us went to The Crown, where we had a fine chat before dinner. We could have eaten there, actually - and the organiser said that one day, he probably would organise a Meetup there. For now, though, we just squeezed in a second drink - which he was kind enough to buy for me! Really, one of these days I'll have to start repaying the favour. Anyway, it's a good sign when the bar staff remember what your last drink was.. and they were unfailingly cheerful and friendly here. Lovely place to come, for food as well as for drinks, I'm sure.

And so, to the restaurant - which, like The Crown, was hidden in scaffolding. I was happy I was following someone else's lead - wouldn't have recognised it myself. One of the others had already arrived, and picked us a table at the back - there were five of us in the end.

We shared starters - cheesebread and (I think) aubergine salad.. for mains, a couple of us wanted lamb stew but they were out of it. (Tends to happen, here - well, if they need supplies from Georgia, they have a long way to come!) So we settled on beef. Sadly, I didn't make much of a hand of mine - it was spicier than I was in the mood for, and though it was tasty, I couldn't finish it. Wine was interesting; they're Georgian as well, and my companion in beef, when she heard I preferred white, steered me towards the amber wine - made using red wine techniques, which leave the juice to ferment on the skins, and result in a wine that is darker in colour than white, and has additional tannins. It's an unusual taste, quite unlike what I'm used to from white. Which made for an interesting dinner! ;-)

More excellent conversation, and we headed for the last venue of the night - The Angelic. Where, wouldn't you know it, I had another glass of wine bought for me. Jeez - I swear, one of these days I will return the favour.. honest.. Conversation, again, was good - and great to see people again! Roll on the next. Handily enough, my bus left from right around the corner. By the time I got home, I was far too tired too blog, of course.

Tonight, headed with London Classical Music and Theatre Group - and I was lucky to see it, what with Meetup not even suggesting the event when I was looking for something that day! If it hadn't been for some mention over the last couple of events with them, of some event happening this week.. Anyway, we were off to see the LSO at the Barbican - wildcard tickets sadly sold out by the time I booked.

Damnit, work got in the way as usual, and I set out later than intended. So I was too late to meet them beforehand - especially as I was at the top level - the lift proved handy, and up I went. No bad seats here, of course:

The first half was Shostakovich's 14th Symphony - excellent, but a bit of a downer, which I wasn't honestly in the mood for. Not with this seemingly interminable job hunt still in progress. Well, I connected with the group at the interval, which was lovely - and when we went back up, it was to something much more enjoyable. I'm a huge Beethoven fan - and it was a real treat to hear his 7th Symphony, whose second movement is one of my all-time favourite pieces of classical music. Pieces like this make life worth living.

Afterwards, it wasn't late - but the Barbican bars close after the show interval, so we headed down the road to the The Jugged Hare. It being crowded and noisy, we didn't stay long.. instead, our organiser had the inspired idea to pop into the nearby Cote - which wasn't busy - and ask whether we could just stay for drinks. No problem at all! and more excellent chat was had. And wow, you'll never guess.. as she was leaving, one of our group - whose very first Meetup ever it was - reassured us that we didn't need to pay, she'd taken care of it! Lordy me. This is turning into a cheaper week for me than I deserve..! Looking forward to meeting this group again as well - unfortunately, I already have something scheduled for the night of their next advertised outing. Ah well, some other time..

Tomorrow, headed with the London European Club to the Puppet Theatre Barge, for a performance of The Red Balloon!

On Saturday, back with the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners, and Laurence Summers - got the last spot on his Passage through Pimlico walk! which, as he was telling me Tuesday last week, is through a not very well-known part of town! Well, this one should at least be warmer, being in daytime.. and we're getting lunch after.

On Sunday - Crick Crack is back! Now, this is an interesting one - Japanese ghost stories, the event is called The Game of Candles, with each story represented by a lit candle, which is blown out when the story is completed. Taking place at the British Museum, Tim Ralphs and Sarah-Liisa Wilkinson performing. Sold out now - they're only doing half capacity.

And on Monday - another interesting talk by The Garden Talks! This one is What Conditions Create Witch Hunts? Have to say, Meetup seems to have awoken from the doldrums..!

Free Tuesday Sing-a-long for Health and Pleasure

Well, today being Chinese New Year, I decided it'd be nice to eat Chinese. But I wanted to stay local - I didn't know of any Chinese restaurants around this part of town, so consulted Google Maps. Got a couple of suggestions from them, and off I went. Into a biting gale! Bah. The first I went to - also the furthest away - was shuttered! When I went closer, I could see a sign - "Temporarily closed for Covid". Well now, with restrictions lifted, I suspect that means it's closed for good. The second I went to.. eh, the entire block had been demolished! Google Maps was most surprised to hear this. That's London for you, always changing. Anyway, with the wind buffeting me this way and that, I gave up on Chinese - but still wanted a restaurant. I did go into All Bar One as I passed - but for heavens' sake, you had to order from the app, which I had to download.. they didn't have WiFi, so I was depending on Irish mobile data.. and the app isn't available in Ireland! So I had to leave again.

I eventually came across The Ivy City Garden, which I can actually see from my building - it's just around the back. Ooh-er, haunt of the rich and famous - and still known for cheap food. Feck it - I checked the website. Reservations required, so I booked for 10 minutes from then, and tried to figure out which back alley to go down. Turns out - not that I figured this out until I was on the way home - the fastest way from Bishopsgate is to go through the churchyard - it's just a bit further along!

As you'd expect, service was unfailingly friendly. Apart, perhaps, from one rather snooty lady who, unfortunately, did most of the service on my table, and always seemed to be looking down her nose at me. All the others were lovely. Now, the food might be reasonably priced, but beware, they make up their prices on other things - like wine. Mind you, that sauvignon blanc was excellent - best I've had in ages. Worth the wait to get it.

She popped up to take my food order, and startled me so much that I forgot I'd intended to order the soup. Never mind, I ordered one of the specials - osso bucco shepherd's pie; unfortunately, they were out of it, so I had the "classic". Which was lovely, if just a tad too salty - smallish portion though, if you were hungry I'd recommend a side. And I ordered another wine - from two separate people, and ended up with two glasses (eventually). When they realised their mistake, by 'eck, they let me have the extra glass for free! Well, that was more like it..

Meantime, I was having terrific fun listening in on the conversation at the next table. Obviously a first date, they had all sorts of "getting-to-know-you" type questions for each other, and he had a very carrying voice. So I learned a lot about South Africa, where he's from.. It was kind of like an episode from a soap opera, him telling her how he had to travel a lot for business, but he was going to cut down on that, and how he dumped his last girlfriend when she admitted she'd been cheating on him during his trips abroad.. oh, fascinating stuff. I do wonder how it progressed - did he invite her back to his place in Mayfair? Or on his next business trip, to Dubai? The mind boggles..

Meantime. the highlight of my meal had to be the dessert - I am so glad I had the chocolate bombe, it's a revelation! She served it with a little boat of salted caramel sauce, which she insisted on pouring the entire contents of (from a great height) onto the dessert. Let her - it's fabulous! The hot sauce melts the chocolate shell in the middle, and coats the ice cream on the outside - and it is absolutely delectable. One of the best desserts I've ever had - I'll be back, just for that! So glad to have gone here at last! Oh, and there's a curious little building outside - the Victorian Bath House is available for hire.. 

Tonight, I plumped for something I've seen advertised a lot, but never before attended - again on Zoom, this time it was a Free Tuesday Sing-a-long for Health and Pleasure, courtesy of Global Music Fusion & Arts.  As advertised by Free Stuff and Free Events - which was the first thing I'd done with them. Happens weekly, lasts an hour - the words are on-screen. And what's more, after the initial introductions - everyone is muted! because of the Zoom lag. So you can yell along tunelessly to your heart's content. Most enjoyable.

Tomorrow, my first Meetup of the year with Civilised London! And as usual, it's dinner - yum! (My third day in a row to eat out!) We're off again to Little Georgia, meeting beforehand at The Crown.

On Thursday, heading with London Classical Music and Theatre Group - and I was lucky to see it, what with Meetup not even suggesting the event when I was looking for something that day! If it hadn't been for some mention over the last couple of events with them, of some event happening this week.. Anyway, we're off to see the LSO at the Barbican - wildcard tickets sadly sold out by the time I booked.

On Friday, headed with the London European Club to the Puppet Theatre Barge, for a performance of The Red Balloon!

On Saturday, back with the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners, and Laurence Summers - got the last spot on his Passage through Pimlico walk! which, as he was telling me last Tuesday, is through a not very well-known part of town! Well, this one should at least be warmer, being in daytime.. and we're getting lunch after.

On Sunday - Crick Crack is back! Now, this is an interesting one - Japanese ghost stories, the event is called The Game of Candles, with each story represented by a lit candle, which is blown out when the story is completed. Taking place at the British Museum, Tim Ralphs and Sarah-Liisa Wilkinson performing. Sold out now - they're only doing half capacity.

And on Monday - another interesting talk by The Garden Talks! This one is What Conditions Create Witch Hunts? Have to say, Meetup seems to have awoken from the doldrums..!