World Doctors' Orchestra

These few days, I booked with one of my cheap ticket clubs (TAC). Tonight was the World Doctors Orchestra, at the Barbican. In aid of the homeless charity, Pathway. Walking distance, handily. Yes, apparently with actual doctors. They sent me a promo code to use to get my own ticket, as promised. And I was soon to realise the advantage of that - I could choose my own seat! and sure enough, the code worked at all price levels - so I nabbed the last non-restricted view seat in the stalls. Well, why not?!

So, I ate at the office and set off in decent time. Arrived just as everyone was going in - pity the people outside me arrived first! Curiously, each row has seats with different colour upholstery..

Despite the seats showing up as booked when I was booking, several remained empty throughout. The people who occupied the seats inside me on my row conveniently scrambled over the backs to get to their seats - there were about four couples, and the ladies sat in the row in front. They knew one of the violinists, it turned out - she came to say hi as they were coming back after the interval. All in all, it was a happy and lively crowd.

If you zoom in on that picture, you might see vacuum cleaners on stage, with a woman vacuuming between them. They're not her spares - they were actually used in the first piece. We were also warned, as we went in, about gunshots - and sure enough, that happened at the end of that piece, when a guy in a suit and sunglasses strolled on and casually shot the people with vacuum cleaners, one by one. V post-modern.

I'm not entirely sure about the merit of vacuum cleaners as a musical instrument. More successful by far was the second piece, where the named soloist, Dame Evelyn Glennie, played the xylophone - and sundry kitchen appliances. Now, there's a woman who knows about percussion! Her solos on the xylophone were utterly sublime. I strongly recommend seeing her perform, if you get the chance!

All throughout, I didn't recognise any of the music - although it was very pleasant - and I thought it was going to stay that way. Until they played the Enigma Variations, and I realised how much I'd missed classical music - this was the first time since before lockdown that I'd heard any live. Ahh, 'twas lovely. And on the way home - and I found a new, quicker way home - there was no rain. It had lashed while I was in the office, but missed drenching me, today. Which is just as well, considering my coat still isn't dry from Saturday.

Tomorrow, also with them, was supposed to be Fritz & Matlock, at the Pleasance - they caught my eye by advertising it as a reworking of Waiting for Godot. But as it happens, someone at work is having his leaving drinks tomorrow, so I've cancelled my booking - certainly, I wasn't pushed about plays with this club after Saturday's fiasco! We're also going for lunch.. at Zizzi's. Lordy, and I swore I'd never eat there again. Oh well, I'll try to steer clear of what I described last time as "chicken and pasta in tomato sauce"..

On Wednesday, I've signed up for a Free 3 Mile City of London on Screen - Guided Walk & Post Event Social, with Invigorate. It's a tour of film locations, most of which I might know already, but hey. This is a newly minted group, made from one that I used to be a member of, before. And it'll be my first guided walk, post-lockdown! The organiser of this group also organised one of the last events I went to, pre-lockdown..

Thursday, more leaving drinks, it turns out- this guy is just changing office, though. 

Friday, back with TAC for Lately, at the Lion & Unicorn. Then I'm back to Ireland again - on Saturday again, as I was unable to get a Friday flight! Working from home next Monday, and flying back to London that evening.

On the 12th, I found a curious thing on Meetup - it seems that Watkins Bookshop has its own Meetup group, where it advertises events, and that day there's a talk by Stephen Skinner, about Aleister Crowley's Four Books of Magick. Ok, sounds interesting to me - I signed up.

On the 13th, back at last with Civilised London! We're off for what promises to be another excellent meal, this time at the Korean restaurant, The Petite Corée. Meeting beforehand in The Railway pub.

On the 14th, back at last with London European Club (LEC)! Happily, they're going to what I'd be going to anyway.. the Crick Crack Club is performing The Women Who Gave No F*cks, at Rich Mix. Fantastic when the London European Club decide to come..

On the 15th, woo! A couple of weeks ago, Up in the Cheap Seats was off to 2:22 - A Ghost Story, but I was meeting an ex-colleague for drinks that night and couldn't go. Well, I got a ticket for the 15th - second-last night of the run! Unfortunately, cheapest available were £65, and no availability with cheap ticket sellers - ah well, I decided I really wanted to see it (great reviews helped), so I booked. Had great fun trying to decide which of the few remaining seats at that price was the best.. Showing at the Noel Coward Theatre. And with all the cheap shows I'm going to, I can afford it!

On the 16th, my first outing with another new group - Bucket List London is off to Kenwood House, and I said I'd join them. You don't have to book, but it guarantees availability- tickets for free from English Heritage, via See Tickets.

On the 17th, I found something interesting with London Walks, Art & Culture Explorers! Yet another new one for me. This is an "Uncomfortable Statues Walk" - statues commemorating controversial people. I can think of a few, and it'll be interesting to see which come up on this!

On the 18th, I'm with London Classical Music & Theatre Group, for a choral performance (annual, apparently) by The Sixteen in Temple Church. Fantastic, and I've never actually been inside!

On the 19th, I'm with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex (!). They have an online talk entitled Hallowe'en Penny Dreadful Online Show - The Art of Victorian Horror. I have to say, online has become much more of an option since lockdown.

On the 20th, I booked another walk with Invigorate - this one is a tour of (the outside of) Christopher Wren's churches.

On the 21st, an online storytelling double-bill - I'll have to see how that pans out. First, I'd booked Universe, a Crick Crack show happening in Oxford and live-streamed. Clare Murphy - and I've seen it before, and it was the best show ever! And then I saw that Martin Shaw, another member of Crick Crack, was doing an online show, earlier in the evening.. this one, in association with Watkins again, is called The Smoke Hole, and it's free. So I said, hey, why not?

On the 22nd, back with the LEC for a concert - Balkan Music, courtesy of Raka & Balamuc, in The Post Bar, Tottenham. Sounds like fun. Then I'm back to Ireland - another Saturday flight - and with a few days off, I'm not flying back until the 28th.

But on the 29th, back with that group again, for Carmen - contemporary flamenco at The Place. Funnily enough, someone in the group said there were no individual seats left, and asked whether anyone wanted to double up with her. I offered, if there were no other takers - but she never got back to me. So, since I was now up to that date in my schedule, I decided to check for myself - and got an individual seat! So I've booked it.

And on the 30th, I'm doing something nice and Halloweeny - a ghost story event entitled Scared to Death in the Woods! 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!