Storytelling: Dauntless - Grace O' Malley, Pirate Queen

Today, back with the Crick Crack Club, for Dauntless - Grace O' Malley, Pirate Queen, at the British Museum. AKA Granuaile, she was a real person.. the pirate queen of the West of Ireland, who did one better than Mary, Queen of Scots, and actually did get to meet Elizabeth I! This one wasn't told by Clare Murphy, though - it was Debs Newbold.

Ah, a lie-in - lovely. Now, if only I hadn't had to wake up in the middle of the night to turn on the fan, it was so hot.. In fact, with temperatures predicted to reach 30 in the afternoon, it was a real scorcher - I tried my neck fan for the first time. Bought it last year, just as the heatwave ended, and never used it.. It actually proved its worth today, being very pleasant on the walk down. I did feel like I'd trekked through the desert by the end, though - passed a couple of ice cream vans on the way, and would so have loved one, but didn't have time. There wasn't much of a queue, so I was quickly through security - and oh, the aircon in the room where they do the storytelling was pure bliss!

In due course, Debs bounced onstage - not even Irish, she's a Scouser! but with an absolute passion for Granuaile. Which was apparent throughout - she even evoked her image, with a great shock of curly hair. 80 minutes, straight through, as she told a rapt audience all about this woman - I do wonder how many of them had heard of her before. There were gasps as she told of the English overlord's persecution of Granuaile, laughs at the jokes, spontaneous bouts of applause. And - I have to say - this is the first storytelling event I've ever attended that achieved a standing ovation! Ben Haggarty, MCing, grabbed her wrist as she tried to run off, and wouldn't let her until she'd taken her applause. Well done, that woman..

Dinner afterwards at The Museum Tavern, where I managed to squeeze into a small table, and had the Sunday roast chicken, as usual here. Funny, they don't really do great roast chicken in The Lucas Arms.. Mercifully though, the temperature had dropped enough to be mostly comfortable. And the ice cream van in Russell Square was still there as I passed through! so I had an ice cream with flake. Except.. it was chocolate, but it wasn't a flake! I hear there's a shortage.. the ice cream was delicious, though, which I finished on a bench in the square.

Tomorrow, taking myself off to see The Accidental Death of an Anarchist, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. I've heard only good things..

On Tuesday, giving up on Meetup, I'm with TAC, for Mixed Omens - an improvised horror show, at the Drayton Arms.

On Wednesday, thinking film - and what's coming up is a documentary called The Pearl Button, set in Chile. Scenery looks spectacular.. this is showing in the ICA only. Wow, it's years since I was last there, too! This is part of an In Focus series they're doing on the director, Patricio Guzmán.

On Thursday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, for All of It, at the Royal Court. And then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

Storytelling: Orpheus Dismembered

Today, I was back with the Crick Crack Club, for Orpheus Dismembered, at the British Museum, courtesy of Ben Haggarty. The event there that I'd already heard of. And gee, eatery of choice down there is the Museum Tavern! Hmm..

After a late night, I did manage to drag myself out of bed in time - and, despite the dire weather forecasts of earlier in the week, it was a lovely, sunny day. The queues to get into the museum weren't too bad, and I went in by the "timed entrance" queue - not that anyone checked that. A quick bag check, and off I went - I wonder whether they've implemented measures to speed this process up, because it was horrendous last time I attended storytelling here!

Ah, I love this building - it's so spectacular. And the event was well-signposted, for anyone who didn't know the way - of course, I did. Joshua Whiskey on the door, as ever, and plenty of ushers to direct us - we were informed that this was sold out, so please don't leave any gaps. Having said that, there were some free seats around me..

Dunno why there weren't more stage lights at the beginning - during the interval, Ben produced a big bag of them and proceeded to lay them at the edge of the stage. There must have been some delay in setting up. Anyway, he was accompanied on this occasion by Jonah Brody, and both used a variety of instruments, which you can see to the right of the stage.

Classified as over-16s, and I could see why - Ben began the show by reminding us that (at least on some sites) this show was advertised as "Greek Myths Unleashed". Now, as he explained, anyone familiar with Greek myth would already be aware that that, in itself, constitutes a whole heap of trigger warnings - and, as he pointed out, these were going to be "unleashed", no holds barred, on the audience. Hold onto your hats..

It was as bawdy a rendition of Greek myth as I've heard, or could want. Never vulgar, he nonetheless didn't hold back, going into sometimes graphic detail, treading a fine line with the audience. But then, of course, Zeus did have a habit of sleeping with lots and lots of characters.. and Ben injected the whole performance with his customary humour. Jonah accompanied brilliantly, his gentle sounds providing the backdrop, and creating a kind of aura, woven around the words.

I've heard most of this, at one time or another, in one form or another - although I didn't realise that Thrace covers the greater part of modern-day Bulgaria! but it's always good to hear the master do it. And Ben really surpassed himself today, weaving the story and embellishing it with such rich and powerful language - Truly, when he got to Orpheus, at the end of the show, he described the story so poetically as to make it seem completely new. I, for one, was really moved. You won't hear classical mythology told better - keep an eye out for this man!

He'd warned us that there'd probably be an announcement that the museum was closing - there always is, by the time these shows are over. Wouldn't you know it, it came just as, in the story, Apollo was making an announcement..! And so ended another successful outing with the Crick Crack Club - and as we got ready to leave, I overheard someone remark to her companion how "powerful" this was.. Well, yes!

And so to the Museum Tavern, where there were two small, free tables by the door. So I grabbed one, and ordered at the bar, which seemed quicker - it's a curious mixture here, I've always had table service before, but today, everyone seemed to be ordering from the bar. Also curious is how I tend to have chicken here, unlike in The Lucas Arms, also a Greene King pub, where it's pie or bust! Well, I think the first time I was here, I had never had the pie, so didn't know how great it is - and now it's just become a tradition. I tend to come here on Sundays, and have the Sunday roast - but today, seeing chicken kiyev on the menu, I thought, it's a long time since I had that, I'll have it for a change! Service came with a smile, but took some time - they were busy. And the chicken was very moreish - although not very garlicky. Still, I was fed. Pity they don't clean up a bit more thoroughly, though.. the busyness meant tables were left a little messy..

Tomorrow is film, so I was waiting for the film listings - and I was delighted with what came up. Top of the list was Tetris, would you believe! Now, this is a game I used to love - and it seems it also has an interesting backstory! The chameleon-like Taron Egerton plays the American businessman who wants the rights, but it seems the inventor is actually a programmer in Soviet Russia. Cue lots of Cold War-style intrigue - right when the USSR was collapsing, in 1989. So, also looking forward to sights and sounds I remember from then! Also stars Toby Jones. Seems the real story wasn't quite as exciting as depicted - but you know what they say about not letting the truth get in the way of a good story! Anyway, the trailer looks fantastic. Streaming on Apple TV+, if you have it.. In cinemas, it seems to be exclusively in the Everyman - not all of them though, and the closest showing to me is in the Screen on the Green. I'm too damn interested not to see this.

And then its rating fell. :-( Now, top of the list is Mrs. Chatterjee Vs. Norway - based on the true story of an Indian woman, living in Norway, whose children were taken into care. Differences in perceptions of how children should be raised, apparently. Only showing in Cineworld Wood Green at a time I can manage - but do you know, I'd much rather watch Tetris. Anyway, its rating is rising again. Watch this space..

Tuesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for The Unfriend, in The Criterion Theatre. A comedy about a British family that befriend an American lady while on holiday over there, and agree to keep in touch. Now she's on a plane over to see them - and they've discovered a terrible secret about her! How to they get rid of her - politely..? Sounds excellent. My though, I had terrible trouble trying to find a decent seat - everything left that was cheap seemed to be behind a pillar! and they aren't small pillars, as I discovered thanks to Seatplan. I finally plumped for something in the back row of the Dress Circle, where the pillars are thinner. Hey, you never know, I might be upgraded..

On Wednesday, back with the Horror Book Club, at the Prince of Wales in Drury Lane, as usual. And wow, this month's book is a doozy - House of Leaves is a massive tome, which I started reading years ago and never did get finished. I couldn't find that copy, so ended up buying it again - but am I finding the time to read it? Well, I'm doing my best, and it is a cracking read. Here's hoping I get it finished in time, as it's quite dense.. I'm still only under 200 pages through a nearly 700-page story..

On Thursday, with a bank holiday next day, flying back to Ireland. Aer Lingus, because I left it too late to book with Ryanair, and the evening flights were gone. Now, I have an old friend, Vicki, in Cork, whom I usually go down to see once a year, staying the night - usually at Christmas, but she was too busy for me last Christmas. So we've arranged for me to go and stay on the 11th this year, coming back the next day. Now, that realistically means I can't fly to London before the 13th - but with nothing unmissable on the 14th, I'm flying back that day instead. I finally got my holiday request in - no word yet.. Well, if I am denied the holiday, I'll just have to take the laptop with me. Which could get interesting, as I'd have to have it on in the car on the road to Cork..

I definitely have to be back for the 15th though, when I'm booked on another walk with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners! This one is A City built by a Genius - Wren's London. And as of now, he's scheduling walks I haven't done for days I can make them! Very cool.. because I do love his walks. And lunches.

Now, my boss suggested - quite a while ago - that we might have a jaunt to the head office in Tel Aviv on the 16th! I hadn't heard anything since, though - so I asked him yesterday. He did happen to be online, and confirmed that it won't be until at least next month now - wants to get the latest release out. So I'll be in London that week. However, there isn't honestly much coming up on Meetup - so, for the 19th, I've booked For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide.. at the Apollo. I have a front-row seat in the Dress Circle - now, I seem to remember ridiculously tight legroom, here - so I'm at the end of a row, and Seatplan says it'll be OK if I lean forward..

On the 20th, I'm with TAC for a talk on Arab & Islamic Roots of Europe's Architecture, at St. Mary Magdalene Church.

Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend. On the 24th, back with UITCS for The Secret Life of Bees, at the Almeida - no seats left in the stalls! Seatplan made me wary of the cheapest seats, so I'm in the next bracket up..

And on the 25th, back with Over 40 Living the Life, for dinner at the Greenwich Yacht Club again. Well, it was good last time - good food, cheap prices, good company. Three of us going so far - I'm sure there'll be more!

Walk: Clubland - Secrets of the Gentleman's Clubs & Book Launch: Stone Blind

Today - awesome! Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners had a walk I hadn't done, and which was scheduled for a day I could make it. May this be the start of many.. This was Clubland: Secrets of the Gentleman's Clubs. Unfortunately, it turned out that this is one of the many days affected by rail strikes.. and the poor chap also had terrible trouble getting people to confirm whether they were coming for lunch after. I know that feeling..

I had a late night - when don't I?! So it was a bit of a trial dragging myself out of bed this morning. But I did wake in decent time, and got buses - as usual. Plenty of protests around, as well as people preaching the Good News..

Of course, this walk was to meet at Bond Street Tube Station - which has multiple exits. And it's not much help when you're on a bus.. I arrived slightly before 11, the appointed meeting time. But could I figure out where the Marylebone Lane exit was? Heh. So I had to message him. Now, the last time this happened was a nightmare, because we were on Parliament Square, it was packed, it was noisy.. at least this time, when he rang back, I could hear him! Took a minute to orient myself correctly, but we did find each other in the end. I ask you though, this exit is way up Oxford Street from where I was, and from where you'd assume the exits to be, roughly. Not obvious at all..

Well, I had doubled the number of attendees, as he said - there were only two of us to accompany him! Now, I know there was a train strike - and to be fair, it was raining in the morning, although it had pretty much cleared up by then, and only spat on us slightly throughout. By lunchtime, we even had a blast of sunshine! But really, could people not let him know? By the start time, we still had eight attendees on the list.. Anyway, we waited an unnecessary 15 minutes for anybody else that might show, and off we went.

What I liked best about this tour was finding out about some of the many central buildings you pass, which seem to have a purpose that they don't advertise. You know, the great blocks of buildings, many with chandeliers visible through the windows, or large paintings.. so, not offices then, or banks. But obviously something significant. Well, gee, some of them are clubs! We were right beside the Oriental Club (known to cabbies, apparently, as the 'Orizontal Club), originally for East India Company employees:

Nothing to do with the walk, per se, but we just had to stop when we saw this display:

The Lansdowne Club was apparently the most egalitarian of those we came across, with a more relaxed dress code, and more relaxed rules about who could come in, apparently! Dress code smart casual:

White's - apparently the oldest gentleman's club in London - used to be a haunt of the King's! Might still be, as I hear he's still a member - and the Prince of Wales was, apparently, entered as a member just after his birth. No women allowed, though..

Our walk was to take us past a most exclusive club - St. James' Palace!

The Oxford and Cambridge Club occupies a lovely building; this was originally strictly for graduates of those two universities, although apparently now admits graduates from others. The friezes at the top depict sundry scientific and literary figures:

The Royal Automobile Club. Well now, I didn't know they actually had a clubhouse! And one of the few I've checked (purely out of curiosity) that doesn't require new members to be proposed by existing members. Edward VII was apparently a member:

The Reform Club, next door to the RAC. Again, they don't seem to require existing members to propose new applicants:

The Athenauem, next door to the Reform Club. Took women right from the start, unusually - also, unusually considering its traditional clientele of writers and actors, apparently stultifyingly boring! God forbid they should talk to each other:

And finally, the Garrick. As the name implies, this club welcomes men with an interest in the theatre. Doesn't take women, though:

And so to lunch! at last.. at the Lamb and Flag again. Jeez, I must remember this place when I'm in the area, and hungry - it really is excellent! The downstairs was packed with people watching the rugby, but happily, they have an upstairs dining area. Where an entire section was blocked off for our (non-existent) group. We took a table by the window instead. And, I have to say, were most excellently fed - seeing steak on the specials, I said it's a long time since I had it; I'll have it now. And it was a spectacularly good steak - so good, I didn't need the accompanying sauce. With spectacularly good, triple-cooked chips. Ooh yes. And I made sure the wine kept coming - it was a most convivial lunch, and terrific to be with the group again. Well, a select subgroup!

Home then, for a while - and I grabbed an hour's sleep. Then I was out again - because this evening was a Crick Crack Club (CCC) production, about Medusa, again at King's Place! An unusual take on it, from the evidence of last week's storytelling.. This, however, was not storytelling. Rather, it was to promote the book Stone Blind, by Natalie Haynes. In Hall One, for the first time I remember for the CCC! And wouldn't you know it, I was sat beside someone who knew me. What are the odds.. she had seen me at last night's storytelling, and is also one of Laurence's attendees! Well, well. And it was from her I learned that Natalie Haynes is in the habit of making radio appearances.

She's a classical academic, with a brief to put women at the centre of Greek myth. Honestly, if you're a history buff, it's fascinating - and she is a very entertaining speaker. Really, she enthralled us with her take on Hollywood's versions of Medusa, also speaking compellingky of how she has been demonised. I'm not sure I'm interested enough to buy the book, but I'm delighted someone is addressing sexism in mythology!

Ben Haggarty was MC, and at the end muttered something about upcoming events in the British Museum. Huh? I didn't remember more than one - I checked later, and sure enough, although they're not listed on the CCC website, they are on the BM website! So I've booked another - of which more anon. Tsk, someone in the CCC is not keeping up with advertising.. I walked back to the Tube with the lady I'd run into - sure is a small city, sometimes..

Tomorrow, London Walks, Art & Culture Explorers are going on a Quirky London walk. And so am I. Mercifully, it's not on till afternoon, so I kind of have time to catch up with myself!

On Monday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for a play called Women, Beware the Devil, set in the year 1640 - showing in the Almeida.

On Tuesday, I booked with The London Palestinian Rights Meetup Group for Taking Sides – A Conversation about Love, War, and Changing the World. Happening at Amnesty International UK. But you know, I thought I might just go to a film instead.. When the listings came out, top of the list was Rye Lane, a romcom set in South London. The trailer looks hilarious - this looks like much more fun than that talk, and since it is free, I have no problem in cancelling my attendance. Nearest place to me showing the film that day is the Vue Islington - which now has theatre-style pricing, with different seats at different prices. So I booked, to get a decent seat at the cheapest price possible..

Back with UITCS for the next two days - on Wednesday, it's for comedian Rosie Holt at the Leicester Square Theatre.

On Thursday, I'm at Further Than the Furthest Thing, at the Young Vic. Then back to Ireland for the weekend again. Might get to see Scream VI at last..?

On the 27th, I booked with the Happy Positive Group! For their weekly Monday trivia night! They seem to be completely online. But wow, looking at it lately, they seemed to have switched that week to the next day! Although, having cancelled my attendance, I then noticed that all Meetups were displaying in the wrong time zone, so were shown as starting five hours later than they actually were.. I complained, and they did fix it. Well, I probably wouldn't have gone anyway. The best Meetup left for that day is with the Shanty Singers Colliers Wood. This is another of those things I once booked and ended up cancelling, so I'll hold off on booking that till nearer the time. As is becoming usual.

On the 28th, I've booked for Phaedra, at the National.

On the 29th, I'm going with UITCS to Sadler's Wells - first time in an age - for Creature, by Akram Khan! I absolutely love his work. Handily enough, I used my latest Theatre Token for this - would have used it for Phaedra, but while neither theatre takes them online (you have to phone if you want to use a token), the National charges extra for phone bookings. So I used it for this instead.

On the 30th, back with the London European Club, at somewhere called the Ugly Duck, for Synchrony, a female 12-piece string ensemble. Tickets from Eventbrite. As hosted by Eleanor Salter Thorn again! So glad to see her hosting events in more central locations..

I was keeping the 31st free because Ivan is feeling thirsty again. :-) And for once, he seems to be sticking to the date, having booked us a table at The Lucas Arms (which, as he pointed out, has a smoker's area). We're hoping to have Martin - my other friendly ex-boss - join us, but he has more family commitments, which he's trying to juggle - we've told him to join us whenever. And this looks like turning into the first zapoi in a while - Ivan is talking about booking a studio, where we can drink overnight. Oy ve, watch this space.. So, not pushed about doing anything extra on the 1st.

And on the 2nd, I'm back with the CCC, for Orpheus Dismembered, at the British Museum, courtesy of Ben Haggarty. The event there that I'd already heard of..

Storytelling: Beowulf

Now, today is Paddy's Day. But for once, I didn't do anything related - I was back with the Crick Crack Club (CCC) for a performance of Beowulf, at King's Place. Mind you, when I mentioned it to my boss today, he did point out that Seamus Heaney wrote a well-received translation of the same work - there's my connection! Two Danish storytellers for this.

I don't like eating at King's Place - the service is dreadful. I might have gone to O' Neill's - but, given the day that's in it, and the number of times I haven't been able to get a table, I thought it'd be a waste of time. Then I thought of Nando's, which is on the way - so I went there. Now, I had to queue - but it wasn't for too long, and I got seated down the back, away from the door, which kept being left open. And wow, they've finally graduated to taking orders online - so much handier, not to queue at the till! And aww, they remembered I had a reward coming to me, despite it being so long since I was last at a Nando's - a red reward, yet! which basically meant I got my food for free, and just paid for the wine.

Service was quick - and wow, the food was delicious. I caught myself wondering why I hadn't been to a Nando's in so long - oh yes, they kept burning the chicken! Well, you know what? Not here.. I had no complaints whatsoever. I do believe this is the very first Nando's I've ever been in where the chicken wasn't burnt. Oh my goodness, I wolfed it down. Didn't really have time for their delectable chocolate dessert, but I treated myself to another wine, since it'd be cheaper than at King's Place..

Made it up there just in time, and was directed to a row - this was in the round. Ben Haggarty was MCing, as usual, and took a seat in the front row for the show. And in due course, our performers took the stage. Now, this turned out a lot funnier than I expected. Nay, hilarious is the word. A very physical performance, a very interactive performance. The two storytellers were lovely - one making very inventive use of a watering can. And it was a riotous evening, probably the most entertaining version of Beowulf I'm likely to hear. I do hope we have more of these international collaborations..

Tomorrow - awesome! Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners have a walk I haven't done, and which is scheduled for a day I can make it. How unusual.. This is Clubland: Secrets of the Gentleman's Clubs. Unfortunately, it turns out that this is one of the many days affected by rail strikes.. and the poor chap also seems to be having terrible trouble getting people to confirm whether they're coming for lunch after. I know that feeling..

And what a very good job it's in the afternoon - because that evening is a performance, in conjunction with the CCC, of Medusa, again at King's Place! An unusual take on it, from the evidence of last week's storytelling..

On Sunday, London Walks, Art & Culture Explorers are going on a Quirky London walk. And so am I.

On Monday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for a play called Women, Beware the Devil, set in the year 1640 - showing in the Almeida.

On Tuesday, I booked with The London Palestinian Rights Meetup Group for Taking Sides – A Conversation about Love, War, and Changing the World. Happening at Amnesty International UK. But you know, I thought I might just go to a film instead.. When the listings came out, top of the list was Rye Lane, a romcom set in South London. The trailer looks hilarious - this looks like much more fun than that talk, and since it is free, I have no problem in cancelling my attendance. Nearest place to me showing the film that day is the Vue Islington - which now has theatre-style pricing, with different seats at different prices. So I booked, to get a decent seat at the cheapest price possible..

Back with UITCS for the next two days - on Wednesday, it's for comedian Rosie Holt at the Leicester Square Theatre.

On Thursday, I'm at Further Than the Furthest Thing, at the Young Vic. Then back to Ireland for the weekend again. Might get to see Scream VI at last..?

On the 27th, I booked with the Happy Positive Group! For their weekly Monday trivia night! They seem to be completely online. But wow, looking at it lately, they seemed to have switched that week to the next day! Although, having cancelled my attendance, I then noticed that all Meetups were displaying in the wrong time zone, so were shown as starting five hours later than they actually were.. I complained, and they did fix it. Well, I probably wouldn't have gone anyway. The best Meetup left for that day is with the Shanty Singers Colliers Wood. This is another of those things I once booked and ended up cancelling, so I'll hold off on booking that till nearer the time. As is becoming usual.

On the 28th, I've booked for Phaedra, at the National.

On the 29th, I'm going with UITCS to Sadler's Wells - first time in an age - for Creature, by Akram Khan! I absolutely love his work. Handily enough, I used my latest Theatre Token for this - would have used it for Phaedra, but while neither theatre takes them online (you have to phone if you want to use a token), the National charges extra for phone bookings. So I used it for this instead.

On the 30th, back with the London European Club, at somewhere called the Ugly Duck, for Synchrony, a female 12-piece string ensemble. Tickets from Eventbrite. As hosted by Eleanor Salter Thorn again! So glad to see her hosting events in more central locations..

I was keeping the 31st free because Ivan is feeling thirsty again. :-) And for once, he seems to be sticking to the date, having booked us a table at The Lucas Arms (which, as he pointed out, has a smoker's area). We're hoping to have Martin - my other friendly ex-boss - join us, but he has more family commitments, which he's trying to juggle - we've told him to join us whenever. And this looks like turning into the first zapoi in a while - Ivan is talking about booking a studio, where we can drink overnight. Oy ve, watch this space.. So, not pushed about doing anything extra on the 1st.

And on the 2nd, I'm back with the CCC, for Orpheus Dismembered, at the British Museum, courtesy of Ben Haggarty.

Storytelling: Goddesses in the Garden

Tonight - back with the Crick Crack Club (CCC), woohoo! for Goddesses in the Garden, at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Just the thing for International Women's Day. Advertised performers were my favourite, Clare Murphy, along with Sarah Liisa Wilkinson, Laura Sampson, and Xanthe Gresham. Now, it's been so cold this week that I was worried - especially when I checked today's weather forecast, which was for unremitting snow! But upon closer inspection, I saw it was indoors, phew! They have a gallery, it seems. Gee, I had visions of us all turning into ice sculptures.. Anyway, I also discovered it was sold out.

Buses would have taken a bit long, so I took the Tube, eating beforehand in O' Neill's. Downstairs was packed, so I headed upstairs - which was deserted. Right behind me was a group of, it transpired, six young women. Well, the guys on "service" upstairs were obviously not used to it..

Firstly, while I got a table, the group of six was turned away. The place was nearly empty - he could have shoved a couple of tables together for them.

Secondly - I'm used to table service upstairs; it's slower, but it's the norm. After a few minutes of waiting, however, as he passed my table without enquiring whether I was ready to order, it occurred to me that - perhaps - he expected me to use the app! So I did, and was quickly served. (And it was delicious, BTW - except that, had I had table service, I'd have asked for regular fries, rather than the twisty ones that have become the norm.)

Thirdly, he looked so wary when he asked whether my food was ok - well, that's putting it more eloquently than he did. He grunted, "OK?" at me with, as mentioned, a wary expression.

Fourthly - an adjacent table had one person sitting at it for ages, alone for half an hour before a second person arrived. As I was leaving, they got up to find a larger table - the waiter was troubled at the fact that they were moving, and questioned them, to be told they wanted space for three. He had known this, and as he pointed out, had set their table for three. Seriously, it was one of the small tables! Really, he can't ever have waited at table before..

Well, off I went, and the Victoria Line was as packed as any Tube I've ever been on - I believe some trains had been cancelled on that line. I was just glad, when I had to change, that I was on the side where the doors opened! And the District Line was much less crowded. Unfortunately, I then had about a 15-minute walk - and it was, frankly, way too cold to be outdoors. Raining all day, too. I was so relieved when I got there. Had my name checked off, and she directed me through and to the right. Where there was a marquee, outside the building. The people ahead of me asked whether this was where the event was happening - Oh no, the lady said, this is an "amuse-bouche". There were cardboard cutouts where you could have your picture taken:

and a shrine, which I discovered was dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Turned out you could leave petitions at the shrine in little bottles, which they should have told us at the interval, but forgot. Ah well.

Inside the building proper, stairs lead up to the gallery - but were blocked off by a sign, explaining that the show didn't actually start until 7.20, and directing us to the adjacent cafe. 7.20?! and me rushing to get there by 7! Just glad I didn't try to get there for 6.30, when the doors were said to be opening.. Anyway, I took myself into the cafe, where I was glad to see they had wine - although it wasn't fantastic. All the seating in there was occupied, though, so I took myself back to the marquee, which was OK as long as you kept your coat on. And were careful of the rickety tables. And when it was time, the usher moved through both cafe and marquee, shifting us all along.

For once, I didn't feel like sitting in the front row - dunno why. Anyway, we did indeed have four storytellers, all regaling us with stories of goddesses - Xanthe seemed to be directing proceedings:

(Kept forgetting to introduce herself, mind!) And then we had - not Sara-Liisa Wilkinson at all, but Lucy Lill! Not that we minded at all - she might well have been the most entertaining of the lot, tonight, with her stories from Mexican folklore:

She was followed by Laura, who is an excellent storyteller, if perhaps a bit more clinical than the others:

And ending the first half - and starting the second - Clare, with the bawdiest story of the night, involving the war between the Formorians and the Tuatha Dé Danann:

Note that, by and large, they dressed up - and Lord help them in such flimsy garments, on such a night! In fact, there was a prize for best-dressed audience member - honestly, I only spotted one person in the entire audience who made an effort, with dramatic black eye makeup, occult-type silver jewellery, and something long, black and floaty. It was a given that she'd get a prize! Other prizes went to folks who answered riddles correctly at the end - heavens, I'm hopeless at riddles..

They did all collaborate at the end:

But wow, they played a blinder - Clare's second tale a vivid tale from Egyptian mythology, Lucy with an hilarious story about a party goddess, Xanthe with a really unusual take on the take of Medusa. One of the prizes tonight was a book written by her - another was a book about Medusa, whose author is apparently doing a CCC session that the prize recipient is attending! as am I - read on for more.

So, another fascinating and entertaining trek through time with the CCC - which was being filmed by no fewer than two cameras. Wonder whether we'll see that footage? Just a shame the night is so cold - and, given the cold walk I had there from the Tube, I was delighted to see that the buses home would be faster than outbound, making them feasible. And involved a lot less walking. Mind you, I did have to stand and wait for quite a while..

Tomorrow, my final booking - for the week - with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS), for Brilliant Jerks at Southwark Playhouse. And wouldn't you know it, I still had credit on my Pay as you Go subscription, so got it for free! Looks like it's just me and the organiser, but how bad..

And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again. Now that the film listings are finally out for there, at the top of the list was one I hadn't heard of. My Sailor, My Love is an Irish, geriatric love story - a crusty old ex-sailor is looked after by his daughter, who gets in a housekeeper (Brid Brennan, looking a lot older than when I last saw her, in Brooklyn). The last thing she's expecting is for them to fall in love.. This is showing in the Odeon Limerick.

Ah, but today they finally released a rating for the newly released Scream VI! And it's a lot higher-rated - although it has dropped a lot today. Still, let's hope it stays at least as high as the other choice - I'd much rather see this, frankly! It moves the action to New York, where the survivors of the original killers have moved to start a new life - still has Courteney Cox, of course, and the classic Scream masks.. and this one is in Ennis, which is quicker to get to. And with a choice of showings.. Contains strobe lighting, by the look of one of the trailers.

On Monday, I'm also planning film. And with the London listings finally out (partially), I plumped for A Guilty Conscience, a Hong Kong film about a lawyer whose negligence gets an innocent woman convicted - so he sets out to put things right. Showing in the Odeon Haymarket - cheaper to book online, so I have.

On Tuesday, I was to go with The Hideout: Horror Sci-Fi Club London to a talk at the Horse Hospital, entitled Raising Hell, about horror and the British film industry in the 1980s. Bought a ticket - and then the organiser said he can't make it. I already have a ticket, of course - so I'll be going anyway. And the annoying thing is, he's deleted the event completely! It might have been nice to meet others who could still make it, you know..! This isn't the first time he's done this, apparently. Well, at least it seems to be close to me.

Next Wednesday, back with UITCS for Medea, with Sophie Okonedo, at Soho Place.

On the 16th, it's back to the Vault Festival - for Happy Factory, who have an airealist show. Not suitable for young children, apparently..

Now, the 17th is Paddy's Day. But for once, I'm not doing anything related - I'm back with the CCC for a performance of Beowulf, at King's Place. Two Danish storytellers, it seems.

On the 18th - awesome! Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners have a walk I haven't done, and which is scheduled for a day I can make it. How unusual.. This is Clubland: Secrets of the Gentleman's Clubs. I hear there was supposed to be yet another rail strike that day, but not now..

And what a very good job it's in the afternoon - because that evening is the aforementioned performance, in conjunction with the CCC, of Medusa!

On the 19th, London Walks, Art & Culture Explorers are going on a Quirky London walk. And so am I.

On the 20th, back with UITCS for a play called Women, Beware the Devil, set in the year 1640 - showing in the Almeida.

On the 21st, I've booked with The London Palestinian Rights Meetup Group for Taking Sides – A Conversation about Love, War, and Changing the World. Happening at Amnesty International UK.

Back with UITCS for the next two days - on the 22nd, it's for comedian Rosie Holt at the Leicester Square Theatre.

On the 23rd, I'm at Further Than the Furthest Thing, at the Young Vic. Then back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 27th, I've booked with the Happy Positive Group! For their weekly Monday trivia night! They seem to be completely online, and frankly, the chances of me attending this are slim. But we'll see.

On the 28th, I've booked for Phaedra, at the National.

On the 29th, I'm going with UITCS to Sadler's Wells - first time in an age - for Creature, by Akram Khan! I absolutely love his work. Handily enough, I used my latest Theatre Token for this - would have used it for Phaedra, but while neither theatre takes them online (you have to phone if you want to use a token), the National charges extra for phone bookings. So I used it for this instead.

And on the 30th, back with the London European Club, at somewhere called the Ugly Duck, for Synchrony, a female 12-piece string ensemble. Tickets from Eventbrite. As hosted by Eleanor Salter Thorn again! So glad to see her hosting events in more central locations..

Stories in the Dark

This afternoon, I finally caught up with an online video - I'd booked an online ticket for Nick Hennessy's performance of the Kalevala in the Story Museum, in Oxford. Courtesy of the Crick Crack Club. And the link expires on Monday. It's an hour and a half long, and apparently they had sound issues - which they seem to have fixed. Mostly, it's a little dark..

But oh my, it's special. He's all about the music, this one - and as well as the harp and bodhrán he has on stage, he has a synthesiser, which he uses to record, and then layer, his voice, to powerful effect. As he says in the beginning, the human voice was made to sing - all speech is really singing - and this epic is sung poetry. The tale itself? Mad as anything you'll hear. But add the musical undertones, and it becomes timeless, something you might have heard in the womb. Soul music. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Tonight, back at King's Place - this time it was also the Crick Crack Club, with Stories in the Dark. Told in darkness - sounded divine! Got a warning email a couple of days ago - they'd give each of us an LED candle on the way in, which we should turn on if we needed to leave for any reason (no readmittance, of course). An usher would show us in, and out if we needed to leave early. And yes, as they say - turn off your phone before you go in.. quite right, too.

No earthly point in trying O' Neill's for dinner - I hit The Lucas Arms, which was less busy than yesterday - good to know. Same dinner, but slightly different - they'd obviously banged the metal sauce pot under the heat, which was unfortunate, as the handle is metal too.. made it hard to hold. The sauce was a little lumpy, but fine. But my, the chips were divine! much crispier than usual. And whereas yesterday I got to listen to Spanish, this evening it was French..

I arrived early at King's Place, and went straight downstairs - where Ben Haggarty (looking incongruous in a beanie) and his wife, Kate Norgate, as well as Martin Shaw and I don't know who else, were directing proceedings. Now, I knew we couldn't take drinks in with us - probably for safety reasons - but when I saw the downstairs bar was closed, I headed straight back upstairs again, to brave the main bar. After all, I had time! I hate this bar though - it's such a palaver. I asked the doorman whether I could just get a drink at the bar, he replied, "Of course!" and insisted on showing me to a seat. Ridiculous - the place was mostly empty. And then the barman wouldn't just give me a drink - he took my order, then asked me to take a seat and it'd be brought to me. Which took five minutes. (I chose the chenin blanc, BTW - prices are a bit steep here. And it is lovely.) When I finished it, I lost no time in waving my card prominently and asking whether I could pay - they do take an absurdly long time to serve customers. Mercifully, I got back downstairs before the doors opened.

There were lots and lots of (black) signs around, reminding us of the rules, and what to do if we felt nervous. Well, in due course, the doors finally opened, and we were shown in - they were more concerned with making sure each of us had an LED light than that we had a ticket! Inside, the lights were already off - which was atmospheric, if impractical. I was actually first in - the ushers all had LED tealights, and one asked me whether I'd like him to show me to my seat. Which was ironic, considering none of us had any choice in where to sit.. as the lady who sat beside me, to whom I got chatting, opined, it was probably a good idea to know how many people were seated, and where, because - well, the ushers couldn't see anything! She also informed me that it had sold out - I hadn't realised. She was actually on a waiting list, got a last-minute ticket. Apparently, capacity for this show was only 90.

Instead of the stage (which I guess they might have been afraid of falling off of), the performance stage tonight was a mat on the floor. And yes, it was pretty damn dark, when they closed the door - a couple of spots of light was all. No introductions - but we recognised the first voice as that of Daniel Morden. Now, I'd told the lady beside me that I hoped for something scary - well, his was decently so, the tale of a young woman, left alone to tend the family business, and set upon by a group of ruffians. Told in his inimitable style, I think this was the best of the night.

Mind you, Ben's was suitably weird - although I'd heard it before, the tale of the prince who, when he becomes king, discovers he's supposed to marry the woman that a particular ring fits. Unfortunately, that's his sister.. who makes her escape right into the arms of Baba Yaga, for goodness' sake. Honestly, what an unlucky princess.. Final of the night was Sarah Liisa Wilkinson, who just doesn't do scary. So, she had a story of Merlin having a crush on a beautiful young huntress.. who, mind you, had a novel way of dealing with him!

Storytelling in the dark has two aims, as I see it - either you want to scare people, or make them concentrate. If your aim is to scare them, darkness can work very well - it's easy to imagine things creeping around where you can't see them. Try hard enough, you can probably conjure up a vision of them! But as for focusing the attention - honestly, I find I do just fine with the lights on, and the performers to look at - they are very engaging, very good at what they do. I don't think the darkness helped at all in that respect. Still, it's great to see them innovating - roll on the next Crick Crack event!

Tomorrow, back with Cultureseekers for the Hieroglyphs: Unlocking Ancient Egypt exhibition at the British Museum. Assuming it's not curtailed due to transport strikes - there is a warning on the museum website that galleries might have to close early!

On Monday, I've finally booked for Best of Enemies at the Noel Coward Theatre. This play concerns a series of debates on US television between liberal writer Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley in 1968 - the interesting twist here, given the time and place we're talking about, is to cast William Buckley as black! Had my own seat review on Seatplan to guide me in picking a seat - this is one of those restricted view/legroom theatres. And despite all the theatre offers flooding my inbox, I found the cheapest tickets for this on the official website! Mind you, what with See Tickets doing the selling, I found myself with a second, unexplained, booking fee..

For the next week or so, it's all Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS)! On Tuesday, for some reason, I hadn't seen their advertised event to see Orlando, based on the book by Virginia Woolf, and showing at the Garrick. For this, however, I found the cheapest tickets from Official London Theatre (OLT).

On Wednesday, we're off to see John Bishop at the Leicester Square Theatre. Love him, so I booked as soon as I saw this advertised - one of the few things for this month that I booked last month! Not that it seems to be selling out..

On Thursday, we're off to The Vaults Festival - specifically, The Welsh Lxdies, a bilingual show about the women of Wales. Then back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 30th, we're heading to Noises Off, starring Felicity Kendal, at the Phoenix. Again, cheapest tickets from OLT.

On the 31st, with a group I haven't joined in a Very Long Time - I'm back with London Dramatic Art, from whom I've got a front-row ticket for Sylvia, at The Old Vic; this is the story of Sylvia Pankhurst, and stars the excellent Beverley Knight. Completely sold out - this was my only way to get a ticket!

On the 1st, back with the Horror Book Club. This time, it's The Ballad of Black Tom, based on the Lovecraft story, The Horror at Red Hook, but told from the perspective of a black man. Last night, I managed to get through the club's book, and read the entirety of the story it's based on, which is much shorter - and less coherent. Again, the meeting is in the Prince of Wales, Covent Garden. Question is, will the kitchen be open..?

On the 2nd, I'm on my own for My Son's a Queer (but what can you do?), a musical at the Ambassadors Theatre.

On the 3rd, my first meeting of the year with London Classical Music and Theatre Group! We're off to Wigmore Hall, to listen to the Hagen Quartet play Mozart. They're Austrian, so that's appropriate.. I just need to remember not to drink the ultra-expensive sauvignon blanc!

On the 4th, well, Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners are back to Greenwich again. Now, I have been there with him before.. not sure how "new" this one will be, but hey, it was a great day last time!

On the 5th, nothing on Meetup appeals massively at the moment - I might go for a walk along the Ken's Events route, if I feel like it! (on my own). Or Over 40 Living the Life has advertised a walk along the New River.. I'll have to see, as I have to pay to sign up (refunds given to those who then come). And I might well change my mind..

On the 6th, my first actual event with that group. We're off to How Not to Drown at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East - the first event of theirs for which I couldn't get a cheaper ticket! So I decided, if I couldn't beat them, I might as well join them. True story of an unaccompanied, 11-year-old asylum seeker.

On the 7th, excited to be headed to see Derren Brown in Showman, at the Apollo Shaftesbury Avenue. Cheapest tickets with OLT again.

On the 8th, off to The Lehman Trilogy, at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Based on the true story of the bank that collapsed. Got the last £39.50 ticket!

On the 9th, back with UITCS for Winner's Curse, at the Park Theatre - an interactive show about a peace negotiation. Turns out North London Friends are headed to it the same night - what, are they now copying this group, as another group did some time ago? (since closed down). And then I'm back to Ireland again.

And on the 13th, I'm headed to Allegiance, starring George Takei in a musical based on the true story of his time in an American internment camp during the Second World War. Showing at the Charing Cross Theatre.