Today, which no word from any prospective employers, I signed up to another walk with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners: The Lady-Killer is an inventive renaming of London's most notorious serial killer.. (Ooh, and I'd have to get cash out again.) Failing that, if I had to work (sadly, a necessary evil eventually), I could always head back to the Soho Comedy Factory this evening.. (Be aware, Design My Night sells tickets to this for £5, but you can show up for free..!)
So, with last night's play finishing early, I got to bed early, and slept soundly. Excellent! Set off in reasonable time today - I had a choice of buses, with the #205 going from King's Cross. Not only did that give me a direct option, where otherwise I'd have to change, but I figured I'd easily find a cash machine nearby. So that's the route I chose. And wouldn't you know it, I did find a cash machine, with two people waiting for it. Turned out that one was begging, and the guy at the machine had promised her cash, which he gave her - when I went to the machine, she immediately started to implore me for help as well. Now, sorry, but that was feeling too much like an industry to me - plus, the minimum I could have taken out was £10, which was more than I was inclined to give. So I apologised and said I couldn't, and she took herself off.
Well, the travel gods were with me, for once - not only did that not delay me, but even though I'd seen my bus across the road while I waited at the machine, the next was due in a few minutes, according to the display. And for once, the display told the truth! In fact, I actually arrived early for the walk - it was just me and Laurence for a while, with people dribbling along as the minutes passed. Ah, the perils of advertising a staggered start time..
The weather was being annoying, alternating between hot sunshine and cool shade - so my coat was being put on and taken off for the whole walk. This walk, interestingly, focused on the victims, rather than on the killer - an aspect I really like. I remember a lot of discussion about this in Ireland in recent times, about how naming killers gave them a sort of notoriety - thought something had been done about that, but perhaps not.
So, we strolled the streets around East London, some of which I'd seen before, some not. It's hard to get a sense of place really, so much has been rebuilt. Mitre Square is a case in point - I went on a Jack the Ripper walk when I first came to London, and remember it looking so different! So, even in that space of time, things have changed so much.. And it's hard to be definitive, when we not only don't know who the killer was, but are even unsure which victims to ascribe to him!
But hey. Names, descriptions of them and their backgrounds, details of what happened to them - handled as sensitively as possible by our guide. Theories abound, of course - why was one woman's ring removed? Do the dates have significance? Would the killer have had to have medical experience? Of the two that happened in one night, would it really have been possible for the same man to have committed both? Short of developing time travel, we're unlikely ever to know the truth. But we do love to continue speculating.
There wasn't a lot to photograph, honestly - the areas we walked through were either not terribly photogenic, or were places I'd photographed too many times before. But it's an area of town I don't know very well (although we did come close to my last accommodation), so it was good to explore. Mind you, it was sheer torture, when we passed a food market near one of the sites where a body was found, and the smells were so enticing.. I could have murdered a katsu, as we passed the stall. Ah well.
Lunch, as usual in this part of town, was in the Lord Aberconway - and, like yesterday, I had the steak and ale pie. And whoopee, this was much nicer than the last time I was here! The crust was edible, this time. I guess midweek is probably a better time to visit than Fridays. I also notice they've dropped the practice of taking people's names when they order, and asking for those people when they bring the order.. still didn't stop me initially missing my order this time! Never mind, it wasn't long in coming.
And as usual, it was great to see everyone - roll on the next!
Well now - tomorrow has proved a bit of a problem: hence the delay in advertising it. So, a couple of Meetup groups are headed to Beyond Bollywood, a dance show at the Peacock. And I decided that was what I'd like to do. Their event quotas were full - so I decided to book my own ticket, go on my own. But I have this theatre token from Seatplan, you see, and wanted to use that! Now, this is one of the venues that don't accept them online - so I had to ring the box office to book. Unfortunately, the box office has opening hours - and every time I thought to book, it was outside those hours. So I finally gave up, and booked one of the last two cheap tickets, without use of a token.
On Friday, assuming I STILL don't have a job (well, even if I get an offer tomorrow, they have to send me a contract, and there's no way I'd be up and running by Friday), I'm back with Laurence and the 45+s for a tour of Wild and Wondrous Wapping. Postponed due to one of the endless train strikes, so I'm delighted to be able to make it now. And that evening, I'm back to Ireland again.
On Saturday, I'm getting my second booster - in Ireland; they aren't rolling them out to my age group in the UK until at least Monday, so I said I might as well. No availability in Ennis, which is my closest centre, so I said I'd try Limerick, and had no trouble getting a slot there. And if I get jabbed in a timely fashion (you never know!), I might make it to a film - the appointment is for 2pm, and if I make it, the film in question - a few minutes' drive down the road, in the Omniplex - is Three Thousand Years of Longing, showing at 2.50. It's a fantasy in which Tilda Swinton is an academic, all of whose family have died, and who heads to Istanbul on holiday. Where she buys a curious lamp as a souvenir. Which, of course, has a djinn (Idris Elba) in it, who grants her three wishes.. pretty classic story, I'd be interested to see what they do with it.
And as usual, I'm back to London on Sunday. Leaving my taxi driver, who minds my car while I'm not near it, to take it for its NCT (equivalent of MOT) the following Friday.. Jeez, such a busy life!
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