Gee, it's Christmas again! Seems like it happens every year.. and, weather permitting, so does my trip down to see my friend in the wilds of Cork. We usually go out for a meal, but this year, what with them getting back late from the shopping centre, she and her husband - a good cook, I might add - decided he'd cook for us at home. I only stayed the night, and came back early today, in anticipation of my mother wanting to go out. Well gee, I rang her when I got as far as Limerick - where I was to pick up some things, and wanted to check whether there was anything else she needed - and she said she didn't feel like it after all, and I should go ahead and eat there.
Pity she didn't decide this before I left my friend! Hey-ho.. the last decent eatery I know of on my road home is China-Ki, right beside where I was to get petrol, and also beside the last decent shop en route - handy in case I didn't get what I was looking for elsewhere. I'd eaten there once before, and remembered it as being okay.. one of several good Chinese restaurants in Limerick. (Sorry, technically in Clare! but within Limerick city limits.)
Well, you can't miss it - its glittering facade is clearly visible from the road. So I parked, checked the shop - nope, they didn't have what I wanted either - grabbed the paper I'd bought earlier, and headed up the shimmering staircase, with the brass railings, the golden carpet, the mirrored walls, and the enormous chandelier. Upstairs, there's only one entrance, and I approached the waiter, who showed me to a small table in the as yet nearly-empty restaurant:
Now, I've gotta say, this was one of the best Chinese meals I've had in a while. Service was terrific - mind you, they didn't have an awful lot to do, with hardly anyone there. Wine, unusually for a Chinese, is served in quarter bottles, and as well as a Christmas set menu, they have an extensive a la carte. I had a look at the set menu, but had it in mind to have beef szechuan, which I haven't had in a while, and which isn't on the set menu. A la carte it was.
Chicken fillet rolls to start - mind you, I had to be careful with my waiter, who thought I wanted the chicken and cheese rolls. I didn't detect much chicken in them, to be honest - but they did come in a very spicy sauce, which pretty much distracted me! Also made me sniffle - I had a hanky, but the waiter kindly popped his head around the partition to ask whether I'd like a tissue. The egg fried rice was indifferent, but served in a nice, wooden container - but the beef szechuan was really good. I did just about manage to finish it, but only got through about half of the free basket of prawn crackers that was provided. They have a dessert menu, but sadly, nothing terribly chocolatey on it - I chose mint chocolate ice cream. You get two scoops, and my confused waiter was back again, asking whether I wanted mint chocolate, or mint and chocolate. "Mint chocolate", said I. I ended up with a scoop of mint chocolate and one of chocolate. (Was that why he deducted it from the bill?) Anyway, it turned out to be a good choice, because the scoop of mint chocolate was that much larger, and I was already stuffed..
All in all, a really good meal, with attentive service (almost too attentive, with multiple people asking whether I needed anything, and always someone poking their head around the partition to see how I was doing). Would happily go back.
Right then! What's next? Well, I fly back to London on Monday.. of course, the flights were booked before I even thought of changing jobs, so I thought I'd be going back to work on Tuesday. Nope - after a relaxed day, I was supposed to be going to free comedy in Hammersmith, but got word it was cancelled! Along with most others for the next two weeks. Gee, it's been a while now since I actually went to one of those! I booked with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, London Art Comedy & Culture Lovers, London Live Comedy, Random London, and London for a Tenner or Less and Funzing UK (both Funzing groups, and both advertising the thing twice) - I only got a cancellation notice from the first of the above, though. What the hey, I've signed up - for the first time - with TNT Comedy, with Dave's Stand-Up Comedy. Same deal, only further away, in Kentish Town.
On Wednesday, yay, I'm back with the Man with the Hat (no, not Santa Claus) - Let's Do London - for less! is off on their annual festive trip to The Nutcracker (ahh!) at the Opera House. Sold out performance, I see. It'll be great to see the folks again. And by then, I might have secured a new flat - I have a viewing that day for a flat very close to my new office. Wish me luck - looks like a good one.
Not much happening with Meetup at the end of the week - but when has that stopped me going out?! On Thursday, I'm headed to another festive tradition of mine - I love La Soirée, and the fact that I've already seen it twice - and it's much the same each time - makes no difference. I see I last saw it last January.. but for the first time, the Udderbelly Festival - which is hosting it - has now decamped to Leicester Square! I also discovered that the official tickets for that night were completely sold out - however, I could get tickets from no fewer than five different sources: ShowFilmFirst, OnlineTheatreTickets, TheatrePeople, LondonBoxOffice, and BestOfTheatre. All for a markup of over £10, at least on the cheapest tickets - whatever, I love the show, and this is near the end of the run. I was delighted to get a ticket at all. Booked with the first on the list - ShowFilmFirst; they were all the same price, anyway.
On Friday, in contrast, I got a cheap ticket (phew! that evens out a bit) - to Antigone, at Theatro Technis, in Camden. Hey, if I take that flat, I can move in on Friday - that'd be handier to travel there! Of course, I don't start work till the following week.
Saturday 7th has turned out unusually busy. See, a while ago, I saw that the guide on the excellent Christmas lights walk I did was doing a walk of Victorian Covent Garden that day, and I booked. Then the London European Club advertised an "Arab Christmas" - a concert of early Arab Christian chants! Ah well now.. unfortunately, it's on the same day as my walk. Fortunately, the walk is at lunchtime and the concert in the evening! I booked for that as well. Funnily enough, that's in Rich Mix, which is closer to my current flat - I may spend that night there, even if I have the other one by then.
On Sunday 8th, I'm on another walk - again, with Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts - same guide, different group from the Christmas Lights walk. This walk is charmingly entitled Heretics and Horrors - Exploring London's Bloody Past. And although I've heard much about them already, I don't doubt that this guide will shed new light on 'em..
Monday 9th, I'm with Kensington Classical Music, at Pushkin House, for a piano recital. Oh gosh, I do hope I get that flat - it's so close to this venue you wouldn't believe!!
Tuesday 10th, London European Club has a very interesting evening planned - "Beat the January Blues and Discover the Curse of the Green Fairy". Basically, a lecture about absinthe, with tasting afterwards. Tragically, all tickets were sold out by the time I heard about it.. What the hey, I probably wouldn't like the taste anyway. With the free comedy in Hammersmith cancelled again, I'm with TNT Comedy that night.
Wednesday 11th, the Man with the Hat is taking London for Less Than a Tenner to Top Secret - inaugural visit of the year. And walkable from my new office! I'm liking it..
Thursday 12th, again nothing on Meetup - instead, I'm going to the opening night of Amaluna, Cirque du Soleil's latest show, at the Albert Hall! Cheapest tickets from the venue website, as long as you don't mind a slightly restricted view - for my money, a handrail in my sightline shouldn't prove too much of an obstacle. Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend.
Monday 16th, I've booked for Festival of the Spoken Nerd, at Soho Theatre. Yes, it's a comedy.
Tuesday 17th, I had signed up for free comedy in Hammersmith (!) with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, and London Live Comedy. But.. then I saw that Funzing UK had advertised Rising Stars: East England Burlesque Festival 2017. So I booked that instead - hey, I can get straight there on the Central Line! And I love burlesque.
Wednesday 18th, I've signed up with London Speaks Sessions, London for a Tenner or Less (as usual, NOT to be confused with the Man with the Hat), and LDN Talks @Night (or more particularly with Funzing) for a talk on The Science of Psychedelics.
Thursday 19th, free comedy in Hammersmith.. same two groups.
Friday 20th, I'm finally headed to The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, at the Criterion Theatre. Same team that did The Play That Goes Wrong - which is excellent - so I'm looking forward to this. Best value tickets from the venue.
Saturday 21st, I'm out with the Man with the Hat again - this time, it's Woolf Works, a Wayne McGregor triptych, inspired by the works of Virginia Woolf and showing at the Royal Opera House. Both his groups are going - as usual, I have a cheap seat.
Sunday 22nd? Not booked(!). Reason? Well now, the ever-busy Man with the Hat is headed (with Let's Do London - for less!) to a dance production - at Sadler's Wells, unusually for him. The Red Shoes, choreographed by Matthew Bourne, is completely sold out for its whole run. Our Man with the Hat has tickets, though.. but he's holding them back, with sales starting at 11am on New Year's Day. Of course, he knows they'll go like wildfire. Jeez, the suspense.. nearly as bad as waiting for U2 tickets to go on sale! All he needs are a stetson and some glasses.. (speaking of which, good news from the U2 camp - I only heard today. Watch this space..)
Yes, I'm now back in Ireland for Christmas - after what's been a helluva year. No, I haven't been avoiding you.. I really have been that busy! Read on.
So, last Man with the Hat Meetup of the year was on Tuesday, when he took Let's Do London - for less! to the West End. Dead Funny, the show was. Well, West End comedies and I don't always agree, but I said I'd give it a shot - so did lots of other people, it seems; I believe he sold all his tickets in half an hour. I did mention to him that he might sit me in the second row, just in case I made some involuntary and unfortunate facial expressions, and put the cast off..
Well, Tuesday turned out to be quite a busy day for me, what with my contract finally coming through to be signed. Excuse me - printed out, signed, scanned, and emailed back. Lucky my flatmate was in, because it turned out I also needed a witness. Also because, when I was trying to scan the thing back in and getting a separate file for each page, she was the one to tell me about the free pdf merge software.. but it took time to download and install that, and then combine all these files, and upload the thing. And, by the way, wrap a couple of presents. So I was a bit frazzled when the time came to head out.
A couple of buses got me to just past the Vaudeville Theatre - well, I could just have got the 87, but Google Maps suggested I could speed things up a bit by taking the 344 to Vauxhall and catching up with the 87 there. Which all went fine, but I was still a bit distracted by the time I got to the theatre, and plain forgot where the Man with the Hat had said he'd be. To be fair, I'm generally so familiar with the venues that I don't need to check! So as I wandered into the lobby, I thought I heard this voice calling my name.. oops, there he was, outside (where he'd said he'd be). Mea culpa, completely forgot!
Wandered back in again, ticket in hand - it was nearly time - and got a drink from the teeny cloakroom/bar in the corner of the lobby. At £9 for a large wine, it wasn't exactly cheap, but hey, I was in the mood. We had the front two rows of the stalls - well now! And whee, I was in the second row..
Now, it helps - for this show - if you like old-fashioned English comedy. This is quickly impressed upon the audience by the clips from old tv shows, displayed on the stage curtain:
(Spot the stars..) Specifically, as we soon see, a liking for Benny Hill is a real help. Handy, then, that I always liked him.. Anyway, the title refers to a local comedy appreciation club, of whom we meet five members: a doctor (hence the skeletons and other anatomical doo-dahs scattered about), played by Rufus Jones: his neglected and broody wife - who doesn't really feel the comedy as the others do (the excellent Katherine Parkinson): their married friends (Ralf Little and Emily Berrington): and the comedy nerd of the group (Steve Pemberton), who bursts in near the start to announce (sadly) the death of Benny Hill.
So I hunkered in to try and find it funny. You know what, I needn't have worried. I have often found West End comedy.. perplexing, i.e. what are they all laughing at? But this has a good, clever script, quite a dark story, and the cast is fantastic. It follows the lead of many good plays before it in completely changing our view of the characters as the plot progresses. The first half sees sparks fly during the rows between the doctor and his wife, as he plans an evening of remembrance for Benny, and they babysit for their friends (and wow, is she annoying). But just you wait for the second half, when the story flips, the characters are turned on their heads, and things go so bonkers that the best thing they can do is recreate old comedy sketches. Oh, and we get some (pretty much full-frontal) male nudity. Eh, yeah, whoopee. I'm not going to score him - but I did feel for his wife when she had to, em, touch him..
I'm not one for slapstick, so didn't really appreciate the food fight near the end as much as some others. And do beware if you're in the front two rows - that food really goes flying. I ended up with a sausage roll under my feet, Mary got sprayed with soda water, I believe. Ach, all in an evening's entertainment. Recommended - booking until 4 February. Afterwards, our Hero with the Hat had booked us tables in The Port House, just down the road - and for all of us that stayed, there was room. And as it says on the website, it is cellar-like, and candlit:
Very atmospheric. They do tapas, and so did most of us. Not the Man with the Hat though, who escaped rather early. Have to start tying him to a chair. Well, anyway, I had croquetas and brochetas (both of chicken) - wouldn't really recommend the brochetas, but the croquetas were ok. Pity they were out of the ham ones, though. And you know, it's becoming a habit for Mary and me to share a bottle of wine - so we did. And that was rather tasty, so we had another. What the hey, I was celebrating the signing of my contract! And so it came to pass that we were the last two to leave - and I rather gave the game away to my mother, whom I called on the bus home. Gee, she thought I was already at home until I said I'd have to have a chocolate when I got there.. And the bus trip ended with an entertaining and inquisitive puppy, whose long-suffering human let him play with a small boy, who was absolutely thrilled!
When I did eventually get home, it was straight to bed - Helen was coming up next day, and had suggested a couple of trains she could get at different times; I bravely suggested she surprise me. Happily, when I woke next morning, it was to a text that she was getting the later one. Good - I could get ready very slowly, which I needed to, feeling a bit fragile. I always meet her at Waterloo, and was going to get the bus - but when it was taking forever to arrive, I caught a train instead, reasoning that if I got there early I could get a drink to rehydrate. Which turned out to be a Very Good Idea, especially as I hadn't had breakfast - I woke so late, and we were going to have lunch first.
I fancied Chinese, so we were back to New Loon Fung - as I explained, they're consistently good. Another shared bottle of wine, I had my usual, and she had duck - and special fried rice, which, as she later remarked, could have been a meal on its own. The standard practice of waiters automatically refilling our glasses when they were empty ensured that we were well supplied with wine, and we toddled downstairs afterwards and outside, ready to shop till we dropped. Only a pity we had to carry it afterwards..
An afternoon's trailing around markets left us in need of a sit-down, and heading randomly through town, we spotted a Caffe Nero that didn't look too busy. And my, what a good choice.. the hot chocolate was good enough that I didn't have to add sugar (!) and they had a little basket of gianduja by the till. :-) 35p each. Ooh yeah. And we both had the rather excellent chocolate fudge cake, with the chocolatey bits through the middle, and the golden crispy pieces on top. Now, that could be construed a most satisfying chocolate fix..
Somerset House, next door (open late on Wednesdays through Saturdays), provided some distraction while we waited for it to be late enough to head to Farringdon Station for our guided walk. Skirting the ice rink..
(more photos here) ..we headed indoors to the Fortnum & Mason's Christmas Arcade:
Highly decadent, very pretty - and some things were even affordable. We purchased.
One of the fun things about bus travel - in London, anyway - is that as you move around town, the best route to your destination can change, with Google Maps suggesting different stops, or even different buses. So, another quick check of the app, and off we went to Aldwych for a bus to Holborn.
Farringdon Station was soon located.. much too early, so we wandered up the road to find somewhere to sit. Most places were really busy, and we ended up having mango & passion fruit drinks in Starbucks. And a welcome sit-down. And in due course, we moseyed over to the station, and there they were, brandishing signs - not many, which is a shame, especially as this was in aid of Shelter, but as our organiser said, so many people were away for Christmas already. Hey, I would've been away too, except that I booked my flights in September, when I didn't yet plan to quit my job! But I was glad to have the extra time in London.
This was my first time with London Social Detours - meant to come with them before, but - as I recall - set out without my Oyster card, and by the time I discovered it, it was too late to go back for it and still make the walk. We chatted for a bit, then set off - two guides, taking turns at the stops. The theme was Christmas in Clerkenwell, and our organiser carried a little bag, with Christmassy factoids on strips of paper, reaching in like a Lucky Dip to read one every time we stopped.
Well I have to say, it was fascinating! Definitely one of the better walks I've been on. We went around all sorts of dark alleys and side roads that I'm not familiar with, and the factoids were varied and informative. Did you know that, back when turkeys fist became popular, they were raised out of town and walked in for slaughter? And because of the distances involved, they wore little booties!
Another stop had us outside where Marx used to live - where we heard that Lenin spoke English with an Irish accent, because he learned it from an Irishman in London. And may have drunk in the pub on the corner - sadly, I didn't get around to getting a photo of it, although it was singularly the most glittery, sparkly pub I've ever seen.
One of the roads we were supposed to go down had police tape across it - an intrepid member of our group nipped across to ask them what was going down, and it turned out they were filming an episode of Fearless. And on we went, hearing about the Knights Hospitaller, whose priory today only exists in the form of the atmospheric St. John's Gate:
And so on through Clerkenwell, for stories of Christmases past, and the obligatory nod to Dickens. An hour and a half, roughly, and time well spent - sadly, we couldn't stay for a drink with the others, as Helen had hurt her foot and was still recovering - I was impressed she made it through the walk at all! Anyway, I'll definitely keep an eye out for these walks in future.
Now, I had all intentions of starting this blog that night - but got tired. And then got an unexpected email from Ebay, thanking me for my purchase. (?) Logged in, discovered a (hidden) record of a purchase for £250. Checked my bank account - unfortunately, yes, my balance had gone down by about that much. So what with cancelling my bank card.. and the Ebay purchase.. and trying to contact PayPal, through whom the payment had been made, from a fake account with my bank details.. the blog got put on the long finger. As it stands, as I say, the purchase has been cancelled and the money refunded - unfortunately, to a Paypal account to which I have no access. PayPal aren't being very helpful, and the bank say there's nothing they can do until the transaction is explicitly shown. I can't even check my account online now that my card is cancelled, and the new one is being delivered to my London address - whereas I'm back in Ireland for Christmas. They did estimate that, what with the holidays n all, it won't be shown online now until maybe Wednesday. Watch this space.. I swear, after this, I'm dealing with neither Ebay nor PayPal, ever again!
Well, met my erstwhile boss yesterday just before I flew back, in the local Caffe Nero - whose hot chocolate and gianduja, I'm delighted to report, are every bit as good as the branch beside Somerset House. And after one of those hectic journeys, back I find myself. Watching telly, which will be my occupation for a while now.
I fly back to London on Monday 2 January. On Tuesday 3rd, I had my trusty placeholder of Free Comedy in Hammersmith - gee, it's been a while now since I actually went to one of those! Anyway, I booked with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, London Art Comedy & Culture Lovers, London Live Comedy, Random London, and London for a Tenner or Less and Funzing UK (both Funzing groups, and both advertising the thing twice). And then what happened? Pretty much all the Free Comedy in Hammersmith Meetups were cancelled for the first two weeks of the New Year, whyever that was. Friday's as well. So, forced to find something else for the 3rd, I've signed up - for the first time - with TNT Comedy, with Dave's Stand-Up Comedy. Same deal, only further away, in Kentish Town.
And on Wednesday 4 January, yay, I'm back with the Man with the Hat (no, not Santa Claus) - Let's Do London - for less! is off on their annual festive trip to The Nutcracker (ahh!) at the Opera House. Sold out performance, I see. It'll be great to see the folks again - I'll miss them over Christmas.
And Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! Not sure whether I'll be blogging again before the 3rd.. but you never know. Keep reading!
The last Crick Crack meeting of the year - I was delighted I could go. As they said, this would have something of a different flavour - they were to tell the story of Robert Desnos, an inmate at Buchenwald. However, even had that put me off (which it wouldn't have), one of the storytellers was the sublime Clare Murphy, who has a style that has made her my favourite of all the excellent storytellers I've heard with the club. So I booked - always advisable with these events.
I became very, very tired this afternoon - I think it's something like post-traumatic stress, after everything I've been through in the last few months. I actually had a short nap before setting out, which made me feel much better - and left in plenty of time, as I intended to take the bus. Set out nice and early - 44 to Victoria, and around the corner to catch the 38. Had just missed one, but just as I was checking to see which other I could get, along comes another 38. Nice and swiftly into town then, no major traffic snags, and plenty of beautiful Christmas lights - as well as being the cheapest form of public transport, this is another reason why I love the bus: you get to see so much more. Sadly, we sped past them too quickly for me to get any photos.
Past the crowds blocking the pavement, and arrived at Soho Theatre 20 minutes early - after getting my ticket, I joined the growing crowd in the lobby, waiting for the upstairs venue to open. With people arriving apace, the poor guy with the headset started to look quite anxious, and I think he was rather relieved when he finally got the nod, and could let us up. On the top level, Ben Haggerty was reclining on the side table, beaming at us as we streamed in. I managed to get front row centre - and, of course, as usual, they were urging us not to leave any empty spaces in the middle, as it would fill up..
Pictured are not audience seats, of course - these were on stage. And with one on either side for the storytellers, as you might guess, the centre chair seats a photograph of Robert Desnos, its back to the audience to the show, only turned around at the end. The other storyteller, by the way, was one I'd never heard of - it turns out that Daniel Morden is Welsh, and also a writer of children's stories. And you can tell there's something wrong with his mouth.. as it transpires, he had cancer in his jaw, for which he received chemotherapy. Gosh, of all things to happen to a storyteller..! Anyway, it hasn't affected what turned out to be a wicked sense of humour.. first time I've ever heard anyone answer back to Ben Haggerty as he was introducing them!
You might think that a story from a concentration camp isn't the most suitable for this environment - but actually, their take on it is that Robert Desnos was, himself, a storyteller, and inspired others to do the same. And most of the evening was spent relating stories that the prisoners are supposed to have told to each other, liberating their minds and spirits from the horror that was unfolding around them. Each storyteller took turns, and my, they do work well together. They have a similar style, quite physical, with parts of the stories that are demonstrated by body language, rather than spoken. Daniel might have unusual speech, owing to problems with his jaw, but he's used to making himself understood, I think - and he was absolutely hilarious tonight!
There was spontaneous applause after a couple of stories in the second half - me, I felt like doing so after most of them. You know, it's not what you tell, it's the way that you tell it - and this pair are just so entertaining. Nary a joke was missed in what was a much more lighthearted evening than we might have expected. And it was lovely to discover that the last story - the one where Desnos, unloaded from a cart with other prisoners, facing death in the gas chambers, starts reading their palms and predicting long and happy futures - is reproduced in the Wikipedia article about him. Spoiler: he altered the whole mood of the gathering so much that the guards were unable to go through with the executions, and took them back to the camp.
Man, this was fantastic! What a way to end the year - look forward to the next meeting with them, which is over a month away. Tomorrow, my last event of the year with the Man with the Hat (sniff!) will be on a trip to the West End. He's scored tickets in the front two rows of the stalls for Dead Funny, at the Vaudeville Theatre, for Let's Do London - for less! Ooh now.. today, mindful of the problems sourcing a pub at this time of year (especially for a group), he told us he wouldn't meet us at the pub beforehand, but had booked space in a local pub for "some of us" after.. gee, could this be a repeat of the night when Mary and I wandered the streets of Soho, after a show, in search of a pub? :-) Perhaps we should have a 100-yard dash to win seats..
And on Wednesday, my very last thing before I fly back to Ireland for Christmas was supposed to be a presentation on data collection apps, courtesy of Org London. Anyway, Helen is coming to town, and when I saw Christmas in Clerkenwell - a Guided Walk for Shelter, with London Social Detours, I ran it by her, and we're going on that instead.. got cash for it today. And then I fly back to Ireland on Thursday, for Christmas..
Then things shall get very quiet for Christmas.
I fly back to London on Monday 2 January.
On Tuesday 3rd, I have my trusty placeholder of Free Comedy in Hammersmith - gee, it's been a while now since I actually went to one of those! Anyway, assuming I show up, I'm booked with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, London Art Comedy & Culture Lovers, London Live Comedy, Random London, and London for a Tenner or Less and Funzing UK (both Funzing groups, and both advertising the thing twice). My, that's a lot to cancel, if I do.. On the other hand, if I don't, it'll be the time in months that my car will have been driven!
On Thursday 4 January, yes, I'm back with the Man with the Hat (no, not Santa Claus) - Let's Do London - for less! is off on their annual festive trip to The Nutcracker (ahh!) at the Opera House. Sold out performance, I see. It'll be great to see the folks again - I'll miss them over Christmas.
And on Friday 5 January, I'm (nominally)
back in Hammersmith - this time, only with London Live Comedy, Free
Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, Funzing UK. and
London for a Tenner or Less. Once only with each!
Well, back in Ireland for the weekend, and my mother had to be taken to Mass this evening. Now, as it happens, with attendances at confession in freefall, the Church has been pragmatic, at this prime sacrament-going time of the year, and Tuamgraney Church had an absolution session at this evening's Mass. (To be fair, that's my reasoning for why they had it.) Basically, during the Mass, three priests positioned themselves at convenient locations in the small church, and people filed up to be forgiven - no actual confession involved, just a willingness to have hands laid on and words of absolution spoken.
Now, my mother reasonably considered this an extremely handy way of getting the thing done for Christmas - so we took ourselves off to Tuamgraney. And so we decided to eat in Nuala's beforehand - nice and early, in case they were busy, as they so often are. They have it very nicely decorated for Christmas, holly around the windows and pretty window decorations:
Well, we got a parking space outside (my car is the scruffy one in the photo - well, it does get left for about two weeks at a time, all year!), and my mother nipped in quickly enough to grab a table in front of a family that was bearing down on the place. We were soon given a menu, and saw that the individual menus now only include starters, lite bites, and kids' options. Aside from that, there's just the specials board, which is fixed to the wall, and smaller replicas of which are available to look at, at the tables.
I got a lovely whiff of curry as I came in, so that was a given, and we know the garlic mushrooms are very good here. Unfortunately, my mother's salmon wasn't available - she had the plaice fillets instead. And we had wine. And it all came pretty quickly - as usual, the mushrooms were great, and the curry delicious - although the chips were nothing special, and I left most (missing those UK pub chips!). My mother didn't comment on the plaice, but ate as much as she could - as she remarked afterwards, she should've asked for a half portion.. three fillets is quite unreasonable for one person, I think! She took the leftovers for the menagerie at home.
I'd asked for another glass of wine as my main course arrived, but it hadn't come by the time I finished it - I had to go to the bar and get it myself. I guess management wasn't around. For dessert, I had a rather lovely chocolate fudge cake - also rather filling - and my mother had a trifle, which she didn't like at all, and didn't finish - I believe it was too chewy. So, overall, another good meal - you just need to be careful what you order. And the fewer things you need the waiters to do, the better..
Back in London on Monday for my last week before Christmas - feels weird, actually, because it already feels like I'm on Christmas holidays! It won't even be a full week.. on Monday, Crick Crack is doing something a bit different. They're at Soho Theatre, with The Remarkable Tale of Robert Desnos. This, apparently, was a surrealist poet incarcerated in Auschwitz - unusual fare for Crick Crack. One of the speakers is Clare Muireann Murphy - my favourite storyteller, and I'll be fascinated to see what she does with it.
On Tuesday, my last event of the year with the Man with the Hat (sniff!.. unless he surprises us) will be on a trip to the West End. He's scored tickets in the front two rows of the stalls for Dead Funny, at the Vaudeville Theatre, for Let's Do London - for less! Ooh now..
And on Wednesday, my very last thing before I fly back to Ireland for Christmas was supposed to be a presentation on data collection apps, courtesy of Org London. Anyway, Helen is coming to town, and when I saw Christmas in Clerkenwell - a Guided Walk for Shelter, with London Social Detours, I ran it by her, and we're going on that instead.. And then I fly back to Ireland on Thursday of next week, for Christmas..
Then things shall get very quiet for Christmas. I fly back to London on Monday 2 January. And that's perfectly ok, because since my last post, I got a job offer. :-) Seriously, it feels as though I've got a reprieve from a death sentence.. I can go on living in London, and that is a hell of a relief, because there's nowhere on earth I'd rather be.
On Tuesday 3rd, I have my trusty placeholder of Free Comedy in Hammersmith - gee, it's been a while now since I actually went to one of those! Anyway, assuming I show up, I'm booked with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, London Art Comedy & Culture Lovers, London Live Comedy, Random London, and London for a Tenner or Less and Funzing UK (both Funzing groups, and both advertising the thing twice). My, that's a lot to cancel, if I do..
On Thursday 4 January, yes, I'm back with the Man with the Hat (no, not Santa Claus) - Let's Do London - for less! is off on their annual festive trip to The Nutcracker (ahh!) at the Opera House. Sold out performance, I see. It'll be great to see the folks again - I'll miss them over Christmas.
And on Friday 5 January, I'm (nominally) back in Hammersmith - this time, only with London Live Comedy, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, Funzing UK. and London for a Tenner or Less. Once only with each!
Have to say, the Man with the Hat played a blinder tonight. Before he made his announcement, it was looking like film for me - and top of the list (apart from The Mountain II, only showing in the Odeon Lee Valley) is I, Daniel Blake. Which I'm sure is good, but sounds awfully depressing..
Well, he - and his Hat - rode in and saved the day, just a couple of days ago, when he advertised top-price tickets to a Christmas concert for Children & the Arts, at Cadogan Hall, tonight, for Let's Do London - for less!.. and for a spectacular discount. Well, I booked as soon as I heard about it. Funnily enough, he advertised cheaper tickets for it through London for Less Than a Tenner, but got no take-up at all.. well hey, their loss.
Had another interview with California this evening, for goodness' sake - but this was close enough to me that it wouldn't take long to get there, and I didn't have an issue. The 319 bus goes straight to Sloane Square in about half an hour, and I'm familiar enough with Cadogan Hall not to need directions from there.
There was no-one on the door, and I just waltzed straight into the bar of Cadogan Hall, where - after a brief look-round - I located the Hat, the Man, and the group.
Of course, much of the conversation was about my interview - which is awkward when I'm not sure how it went! (Quite well, but you never can tell.) When I was done with that, I made a move for drinkies.. a moment's panic at first, then I realised they'd moved the bar from where it was last time I was here! Perhaps for the Children & the Arts stand. Got drinkie, and it wasn't long till we were ushered upstairs.
We were in the gallery.. a lot of steps (there's even a sign warning you about them). Made it to the top without collapsing, and discovered that I had rather an excellent view:
And on our seats were these enormous free programmes, with the most gorgeous smell of paper.. I was sniffing it all night. This show really had something for everyone.. starting with a rendition of Deck the Halls, we were then treated to an entertaining introduction by Aled Jones, who even gave a brief, high-pitched, rendition of Walking Through the Air!
Miranda Raison read Alternative Santa, and Lisa Frend played the flute for a couple of numbers. And then the Parkgate House School Choir filed on for Silent Night.. and they were so tiny!! Much ahh-ing ensued. After they'd filed off again, Danielle de Niese came on - in quite the floatiest red dress I've ever seen - for a few numbers. And nearly tripped on that dress on the way out. Dame Penelope Wilton read Christmas Thank Yous.. but the highlight of the first half, for many of us, were the kids that came on for "A Caribbean Christmas", all festooned in colourful costumes. I was dying for them to break into song and dance, and they finally did, with The Little Drummer Boy (with a Caribbean slant). And we jigged along..
At the interval, some headed for the toilets, we of stronger bladders headed for the (busy) bar. Where we discussed previous Man with the Hat events - there've been quite a few to choose from, lately. Fortified, we headed upstairs again..
I was delighted with the opening number of the second half - Troika has always been one of my favourite pieces. We had another choral number, and Zoe Wanamaker read the final chapter of A Christmas Carol. Finally, the excellent Joe Stilgoe band performed some numbers, then led us in an extended version of Let It Snow. And after some speechifying, we got to sing Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.. and all trooped out feeling Christmassy!
Downstairs, the Man with the Hat directed us to the Royal Court - specifically to the downstairs bar - where we managed to grab a couple of tables at the sofa, right at the back. Drinks were cheaper than in Cadogan Hall, and we had a good time till leaving time. Some of the group I won't see again before Christmas, some I will.. anyway, always good to see 'em.
I see this Christmas lights thing is contagious - that one lit-up flat I snapped previously has evidently spread!
I'm back to Ireland tomorrow for the weekend.. Back in London on Monday for my last week before Christmas, and it won't
even be a full week.. on Monday, Crick Crack is doing something a bit different. They're at Soho Theatre, with The Remarkable Tale of Robert Desnos. This, apparently, was a surrealist poet incarcerated in Auschwitz - unusual fare for Crick Crack. One of the speakers is Clare Muireann Murphy - my favourite storyteller, and I'll be fascinated to see what she does with it.
On Tuesday, my last event of the year with the Man with the Hat (sniff!.. unless he surprises us) will be on a trip to the West End. He's scored tickets in the front two rows of the stalls for Dead Funny, at the Vaudeville Theatre, for Let's Do London - for less! Ooh now..
And on Wednesday, my very last thing before I fly back to Ireland for Christmas was supposed to be a presentation on data collection apps, courtesy of Org London. Anyway, Helen is coming to town, and when I saw Christmas in Clerkenwell - a Guided Walk for Shelter, with London Social Detours, I ran it by her, and we're going on that instead.. And then I fly back to Ireland on Thursday of next week, for Christmas..
Then things shall get very quiet for Christmas.
I fly back to London on Monday 2 January - still no word on what I'll
be doing after that. But hey, I have one more defnite paycheck to come in, which will cover my rent for January, and I have quite a few things booked. On Tuesday 3rd, I have my trusty placeholder of Free Comedy in Hammersmith - gee, it's been a while now since I actually went to one of those! Anyway, assuming I show up, I'm booked with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, London Art Comedy & Culture Lovers, London Live Comedy, Random London, and London for a Tenner or Less and Funzing UK (both Funzing groups, and both advertising the thing twice). My, that's a lot to cancel, if I do..
On Thursday 4 January, yes, I'm back with the Man with the Hat (no, not Santa Claus) - Let's Do London - for less! is off on their annual festive trip to The Nutcracker (ahh!) at the Opera House. Sold out performance, I see. See now, even if I'm jobless, that's worth flying in for.
And on Friday 5 January, I'm (nominally)
back in Hammersmith - this time, only with London Live Comedy, Free
Comedy Nights in Hammersmith Wimbledon and Farringdon, Funzing UK. and
London for a Tenner or Less. Once only with each!
