Well, flew back last night. An early flight meant I might have had to rush my departure, but was in nice and early. But the revelation of the evening was the newly revamped security section at Shannon Airport! So yes, they've done away with the detours and the hoardings, and you now go through the normal Duty Free entrance - but wow, the new scanners mean you don't have to remove anything from your bag. Not liquids, not tech. Stupendous. As I said to her, ah, if only all airports had this! Ah, she said, it's only certain ones.. Oh, and they now also have trays big enough for my trolley bag. Welcome to the Big Time.
Crazy day today - I hardly got away from my computer in time to eat. (I worked from home, as I shall be next week as well, what with our office move in progress. I could have gone in today, but then would have had to bring my laptop with me tonight, as we no longer have access to our desks.) When I did finally scuttle out the door, I had one thing in mind - last night, coming through Liverpool Street Station, I passed someone eating what looked like a Wasabi katsu chicken curry. Which I was addicted to, when we were based across the road from a branch (now sadly closed). I know there's a branch in the station - takeaway only, but I figured I could eat on one of the many benches installed since lockdown. And, ladies and gentlemen, that is precisely what I did! Yum.. my first Wasabi in at least a year and a half..
This evening, I was back with the London European Club again, for Carmen - contemporary flamenco at The Place. And my bus arrived just as I did - strangely, Google Maps wanted to send me around the corner, which would have been both further to walk, and a longer bus journey. Anyway, amid the hard braking of our driver - which made me glad I hadn't eaten more - I got an email about new Darkfield Radio material! Sadly, had to wait until I got home before I could check it out - I literally didn't have time, for hours today, to charge my phone, and am having trouble getting it to fast charge now: so the battery was pretty low, and I needed to show my ticket on it.
Arrived at the venue - easily spottable as you approach, with the name printed on the approach side in large letters. Now, it is (6.5 - I checked) years since I was last here, and I remembered nothing about it. We were supposed to meet in the cafe - but that was closed, as we'd been told in a mail from the venue - so the bar seemed a better bet. Lo, I wasn't quite the first one of our group there - although it's been years since I saw the person who was, and when I last did, her hair was a different colour! What with the masks as well, it's hard to recognise people. But I did, and anyway, she'd secured a sofa, and although the bar wasn't actually open yet, we sat and chatted, and gradually everyone else found their way to us. And I worried about my phone battery - and thought about planning my route home, in case of emergency. Needn't have worried, all I had to do was reverse the outbound journey - again, you wouldn't think that from Google Maps, who had me taking another bus in the other direction, so I could get to a more convenient stop from which to catch the bus to take me home! Honestly, sometimes you'd wonder..
The battery was merrily down to 7% by the time we went in - but that was fine, and I commenced the climb to my seat. I was rearmost among our group, I think, up in the second-last row - well, that's all they had when I got around to booking it! The view was fine though - better than what I usually get in Sadler's Wells - not that there was much to see, with the stage in darkness, and besides, my phone was on its last legs - so you'll have to take my word for it.
This only lasts an hour - but what an hour! Raw, passionate and intense, the story of Carmen is stripped to its basics. (In the Q+A afterwards, the choreographer started talking about a representative bullfight - I missed that reference at the time, TBH.) Flamenco - in bare feet! - merges with other dance moves, so seamlessly that you couldn't imagine anything else. The music is perfect - brooding, or passionate.. and as the action builds to a climax, the imagery is striking, dancers with their backs to the audience, silhouetted against the smoke that covers the stage, hands outstretched like supplicants - or as if carrying something. Someone remarked, afterwards, that this is a different language to the spoken word - well yes, and this is an eloquent example. Powerful stuff, highly recommended - and they're playing again tomorrow. Go see.
The Q+A, which most of us attended, was interesting - most of the dancers showed up, and the choreographer, and his flamenco teacher, who was the chair, it seems. The questions they got from the floor threw them somewhat, by the looks of it. But it was great to hear their perspective and motivations. Mind you, the appearance of the bare feet of some was testament to how tough this work is on the body..
The bus home was a while coming - and I couldn't check when it was due, as my phone died while trying to get a decent signal. When it did come, our driver was hard on the brakes again - perhaps the same driver as earlier? We were tied up for ages at roadworks in Shoreditch, but when I did get home, I hastened to check out that Darkfield Radio stuff. Turns out they've partnered with the BBC to produce a three-part story podcast called Deadhouse! Free, this time, and as usual, lie in the dark with headphones on and your eyes closed. Twenty minutes each. So - as soon as my call to my mother got sorted - you know what I was doing..
This is much better than their last offering. Each piece has an evocative placename - Salem, Xanadu, Bethlehem. Each is introduced with a trigger warning for the particular things that will freak you out in that episode. Personally, I liked Xanadu the best - but see what you think. If you dare.
Tomorrow, I'm doing something nice and Halloweeny - a ghost story event entitled Night Owl - changed from Scared to Death in the Woods, which they're now doing on Hallowe'en itself, and which has sold out. Tickets from Design My Night. So, an organisation called London Dreamtime is leading us off into a undisclosed location, somewhere around Hampstead Heath.. we're to dress warmly, and bring a blanket to sit on, and a "candle in a jar" - I actually went out and bought an LED flickering candle in a lantern-style holder. Well, thought it was the most practical! And I brought batteries back with me. And thank goodness for a lie-in! Oh, and Wasabi is open at weekends..
On Sunday.. Halloween itself.. I finally have something to do! One of my cheap ticket groups (CT) finally sent me an email with good suggestions - one of which was the Cloak & Dagger Immersive History Tour (yes, with actors). Starting and ending at The George, and yes, running on Halloween. Sadly, all their ticket allocation had gone - I just booked one direct with the company.
On the same email, they advertised the Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival, at the Hen & Chickens Theatre! I found tickets even cheaper with my other cheap ticket group, TAC, however.. They have three sessions that day, the last of which finishes an hour before my walk, giving me time to get there. So I booked the first - but when I tried to book the others, the system wouldn't let me, saying they were too close together! I had to contact the box office direct to book them for me - which they promptly did. So, three 1.5-hour short horror film sessions, lasting all that afternoon, should set me up nicely for the walk!
On Monday, back with the Crick Crack Club - at King's Place, this time - for their annual Day of the Dead celebration! Keeping the spooky tradition nicely alive, there.
On Tuesday - weyhey, back with Ivan! Don't know where yet - watch this space.
Therefore, I'm taking the next day - Wednesday - off work. As I said to my boss, it'd be that or a sick day! That evening, however, I'll be dragging myself to the National for The Normal Heart, of which I've heard good reviews.
On Thursday, finally getting to see Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, which I'd booked pre-lockdown and got a refund for! Cheapest tickets, I found, were direct from the Aldwych Theatre. Peculiar website though - I couldn't see my basket without going back into the booking section. And then I'm flying back to Ireland again - a Friday flight, for once! Just for the weekend, this time.
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