Today, back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners again for the Heavenly Heights of Hampstead Walking Tour. I could have got buses - except that I spent last night browsing flats. Planning on moving, but it's not easy to get something decent at a decent price, in the area I want - so I was some time, and up a bit late. So it ended up being Tube again.
Which just got me there before the appointed time - Hampstead is a fair distance. First thing you notice are all the dogs - this is dog heaven, and the first was on the Tube with me, and whimpering to get out of the lift that brought us to the exit. As I waited for our guide, any number of dogs passed, all delighted with themselves, doubtless knowing that the Heath wasn't far. For the humans' part, we all kept an eye on the sky - the forecast initially promised rain all afternoon, then just briefly, but it was very overcast - and indeed, the sky did drip a bit as we went around. But it was mostly the bitter cold as we climbed higher that became the issue - I was in gloves by the time we reached the summit of the walk, where we could have been in any windswept piece of desolate countryside, except for the constant noise and exhaust fumes of the passing traffic.
Mercifully, we avoided the steepest climbs on the ascent - and first off, we were back to a church! Where perhaps the first thing we noticed - apart from the extensive graveyard with the eccentrically angled headstones - was the subsidence in the corner of the church..
Looked more secure inside:
And we got a good sense of community from the building:
They had prayers for the besieged people of Ukraine.. and mouseproof food bank boxes. A busy church, it seems!
And after that respite, up we climbed - ah, I knew hills would be a feature. I consoled myself with the thought that what didn't kill me would make me stronger. Feeling much stronger now. Meantime, famous people continue to like to live in high places - of course, they haven't generally had to schlep up home by foot! We stopped briefly outside where Robert Louis Stevenson used to live - and wondered about the beads on all the doors:
We stopped outside the house where someone used to let off a cannon from the roof (well, high houses have to be good for something!):
We finally couldn't go any higher, and (phew) started to come down. And ooh, you could almost see my house, far in the distance..
It was amazing, how much milder it was when we came down a bit from the heights. And then we wondered what to do for lunch - there was plenty of space in The Flask, but it all had "Reserved" signs on it (Laurence had looked into it, but hadn't been able to find anywhere that could definitely take us). But hey, it turned out that we had nearly two hours to use a table by the window, so that's what we did - most of us having sandwiches. I had what turned out to be a delicious - if potentially messy - breaded cod sandwich, complete with tartare sauce and lettuce. The house white was rather insipid, mind - and there was no sign of the pub ghost, whom I heard about on my last visit here, courtesy of Spooky London Pubs! Sadly, this group now only seems to exist on Facebook - and has no more in-person meetings. Pity, they were great fun.
So, another A1 event with Laurence and the group! Looking forward to the next. They left me waiting for the bus - the indicator, however, couldn't seem to decide when it was really due, telling me for ages that it was imminent, then giving up just before the bus did finally appear. Down the road a bit, we stopped and the driver had a chat with a TFL worker with a clipboard - probably a supervisor, he asked him whether he was due to end his shift, and the driver said no and drove on. He should have taken the chance to go off-duty, considering what happened next - a bit further on, a wheelchair user boarded. Now, the buses have ramps for chairs - thing is, ours didn't seem to go back in properly, so he couldn't drive off, and we had to wait for the next bus. Which had the supervisor on it. :-) So we then all decamped to bus #2 - one passenger helping to carry off the wheelchair and passenger, now that the ramp wasn't working - while the supervisor stayed to try and fix bus #1. Ah, the perils of bus driving! Anyway, I was glad to get home - eventually - and in from the cold.
Tomorrow, it's back with the Crick Crack Club (CCC) for Atalanta, as recounted by Ben Haggarty, at the British Museum. Assuming their pipes are fixed. Well, he is the man for Greek mythology.. And mercifully, I get a bit more of a lie-in, as it's not on till afternoon.
On Monday, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for a new version of Wuthering Heights, at the National. Well, this was my favourite book for a long time - let's see what they've done to it!
On Tuesday, I'm at Anarchy at the Opera, at Hoxton Hall. Courtesy of TAC. Where we're going to hear some lesser known works..
On Wednesday and Thursday, back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group (LCMTG). Wednesday, it's a concert at the Southbank Centre, where Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays Shostakovich. Apart from numerous other accolades, he achieved worldwide renown after playing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. (And nuts if CT didn't just advertise tickets for this..!)
On Thursday, we're back to the Barbican for a concert of Haydn music by the Academy of Ancient Music.
Now, my new job - after some chasing - did finally send me the paperwork to complete. But as I still don't have it back to them, I figure they surely won't have me up and running by Friday! so I've booked on another of Laurence's walks with the 45+s - Pubs, Poets & Prostitutes: a Tour of Southwark. Honestly, I think this is my favourite part of London - can't resist. And again, we'll finish fairly close to home for me - because that evening I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again. As I really need a haircut, I bet I won't get to see a film that weekend, either.
On the 14th, more classical music at the Barbican - this time it's with London Baroque Music Lovers, and this is Handel with Les Arts Florissants.
On the 15th, headed with UITCS to The Woods, at Southwark Playhouse. Aw man, it's over a year since I last saw a performance from there, and over two years since I was last there in person! And would you believe it, I bought a PAYG subscription from them years ago, and it still entitles me to free tickets. So I used it for this! With the group having snapped up most of the front row, I'm in the row behind..
On the 16th, I'm back with LCMTG - for a play this time! We're seeing Straight Line Crazy, with Ralph Fiennes, at the Bridge. Just as well we booked early - availability is low for that night.
The 17th is, of course, St. Patrick's Day. In Ireland, it's a bank holiday - here, Kíla is playing the London Irish Centre again. A standing gig, this time. Should be mad.
On the 18th, I'm back with London European Club, for 24 Italian Songs & Arias, at Battersea Arts Centre. They're operating a "Pay What You Can" scheme, where you pay what you want, between £5 and £35 - recommended price, £16. They even sent me a survey afterwards to see what I thought!
On the 19th, back with Laurence and the 45+s - this time, it's Highgate: A Very English Village. More hills..
On the 20th.. someone I swore I'd never do a walk with again. Well, we'll see whether she's back on form - Walks, Talks & Treasure Hunts (WTTH) is off on a walk called Secrets of Belgravia. (Courtesy of her company, London Guided Walks.) The code MEETUP3 gets you a £3 discount on all her walks - which does cover the booking fee of £1, not advertised before you come to the point of purchasing the ticket. Well, it'll be a start if she shows up!
On the 21st, I'm at another Zoom talk - Quakers at War is the story of the Quakers and their pacifism. Courtesy of Surrey History Meetup.
On the 22nd.. I'm booked for Dear Evan Hansen, at the Noel Coward Theatre! Finally - I'd booked for this before lockdown, and of course it got cancelled. Cheapest tickets from the official site.
On the 23rd, back with Civilised London (CL) - back at Le Sacré Coeur, meeting beforehand at The Crown, as usual.
On the 24th, back with TAC for Avocado Presents - Improv, at Etcetera Theatre. Eh, I think it's a jazz concert? Anyway, then back to Ireland for the weekend again.
On the 28th, going to see Daddy at the Almeida. Having never seen a bad production here, I have high hopes.
On the 29th, finally going to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella! I hear good things.. it's playing at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, which is new to me - Seatplan was invaluable in choosing the best seating option. What's On Stage provided the cheapest price for that seat, though!
On the 30th, back with CL - for a play this time. This is The Fever Syndrome, at Hampstead Theatre.
On the 31st, back with TAC for One Night With Robbie Williams. This is at The Courtyard.
On the 1st, back with the CCC for - The Grand Annual Lying Contest! at Rich Mix.
On the 2nd, back with WTTH for a Regent's Canal Walk. Different guide.
On the 3rd, the CCC again! Emily Hennessey and Sheema Mukherjee are at the British Museum, with Holy Cow! Tales from the River of Life.
On the 4th, I'm back at the Park Theatre for the first time in nearly three years! This is for Clybourne Park, a comedy about a white family moving into a predominantly black neighbourhood.
On the 5th of next month, I'm headed to But I'm a Cheerleader, a musical comedy at the Turbine Theatre.
On the 6th of next month, back with UITCS at Southwark Playhouse, and another free ticket for me! This time, it's for Anyone Can Whistle, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
On the 7th of next month, Tommy Tiernan is playing at the Eventim Apollo! Now, I failed to get a ticket for this the first time around. Then it was rescheduled because of Covid.. and I got a ticket for the rescheduled event! Then that was rescheduled.. third time lucky?! Love Tommy Tiernan. The show is called Tomfoolery. And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again.
On the 11th of next month, I've booked for The 47th, at The Old Vic. Written by Mike Bartlett, this imagines the American presidential elections of 2024. I am really looking forward to this play..
On the 12th of next month, I'm finally going to Six, the Musical! Based around the story of the six wives of Henry VIII (very loosely, I'd say), it's playing at the Vaudeville and I hear good things. Cheapest tickets from Leicester Square Box Office.
And on the 13th of next month, back with CL, who are off to the opera at the Southbank Centre. The show in question is The Paradis Files.
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