The most interesting thing to come up for today was a walk called "Fire, Pestilence and Plague" (!), run by Free London Events and Talks. Well, the forecast was good, and I woke today to glorious sunshine - just the day to restart my walking for the year!
The walk was to start from The Monument, built to denote the starting place of the Great Fire of London, and the ever-useful 344 would take me all the way there. As I approached the stop, I mused that the single worst thing about catching buses is seeing the bus leaving the stop just as you approach. And as I rounded the corner, my bus departed the bus stop, just across the road. Typical. Well anyway, I was early, and took a seat to wait.
When the next bus came, I ended up sitting upstairs - my, but it's a while since I've done that! Alighted at Monument, took the subway to cross the road (skirting the homeless man sleeping there) and shortly found myself at The Monument itself. Where I also found Mary, whom I know from the Man with the Hat's groups, and who was on the walk today. Which was nice - it was good to have someone to talk to.
The start time had been set a bit earlier than actual departure time, to make sure people got there. Good idea - it's hard to make it across London for a deadline. The chatty guide appeared, complete with green umbrella, as promised - and we waited. And the sun grew hotter.. I was so glad I'd decided against a coat! Did wonder whether I shouldn't have brought a hat, though.
When we started, we started with a vengeance. I can honestly say that I've never seen a guide more informed, more enthusiastic about his subject. He led us on a brisk, two-hour trek through the City, and apart from the advertised "fire, pestilence and plague", deluged us with titbits about every part of town we were passing through. And as for the route! I've been in many of these parts of town before, but never down many of the back alleys and sidestreets that he used. Fabulous! Nothing like exploring - and London always has more to explore.
Photos here - apologies, a couple need rotating, but Facebook seems to have removed that feature. I've complained - it may get fixed. And keep an eye on the Meetup page, above, for more photos to be uploaded - I was having great fun snapping away until my phone camera just - died! Working again now, at least. Anyway, this was a fantastic way to spend the afternoon. I was delighted to tip him at the end - as were most, I think.
He deposited us at St. Paul's.. with no internet on my phone, in that area, I had only a vague idea how to get home. So, I meandered off that way.. and then caught sight of the Millennium Bridge, and thought to myself - I know how to get from there to The Globe, I know how to get from The Globe to where to catch my bus.. why don't I do that? And so I did, and had a wonderful time - it's probably my favourite part of town, and in the sunshine it was irresistible. As I passed the Globe, I even passed the queue of groundlings, waiting in the sun to get the best spaces by the stage for this evening's performance - goodness, just like a rock concert! My bus pulled away from the stop as I approached - again. And as I waited for the next bus, the bells of Southwark Cathedral chimed to keep me company. And I renewed my love affair with London. Roll on the summer!
I'd have loved to have eaten out, but I had food at home that would've gone off, so I came home instead. Tomorrow, Henning from the London European Club is running a topical talk on UK and the EU - A Troubled Relationship, at the Devereux - deja vu, my very first Meetup with him was a talk at the same place. Should be interesting, what with the referendum coming up next month. Unfortunately, I'm in Guildford, and it's at 7 - we'll see.
On Tuesday, the Man with the Hat is taking Let's Do London - for less! to see Last of the Boys, at Southwark Playhouse - indeed, he's also got a bunch of them going to the other show there, The Toxic Avenger, the same night! I've already seen that one, of course. And I can guarantee attendees a great night..
On Wednesday, I'm back with the Crick Crack Club, at The Forge, for a storytelling evening entitled The Howken Field, by Nick Hennessy.
On Thursday, I'm with Henning again, who's headed to a mixed bill by Nederlands Dans Theater, at Sadler's Wells. I may have to work from home that day - it's another 7 o' clock start. And then it's back to Ireland for the weekend.
Showing posts with label Free London Events and Talks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Free London Events and Talks. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 May 2016
Wednesday, 4 May 2016
Comedy: We Are Funny Putney
Comedy, comedy.. last night was all about comedy on Meetup. After due consideration of all the acts I could find on YouTube, the best event seemed to be We Are Funny Putney, as advertised by Free London Events and Talks. With the caveat that I couldn't actually find most of those acts on YouTube..
It was also the closest - and being close makes such a nice change! They didn't bother, on the Meetup page, even to give the address, but I Googled it, found the We Are Funny site, and learned from there that it was in the Star & Garter, on Lower Richmond Road - lovely, I've been along there a couple of times (once unintentionally!) and figured I'd be able to get parking as well. A quick check of Streetview (once I could get it working on my internet connection) showed me that I'd probably be better off looking for parking around the other side, on the less busy road by the river. Which I believe floods occasionally.
A quick revision of the driving route, and I got there without incident - sure enough, parking was much easier by the river, and I easily found a space. Not so easily the pub itself, though - Google Maps, asked for the Star & Garter, displays another pub - the Duke's Head. I'd thought perhaps the pub had changed its name since the Streetview photo had been taken, but no - there was the Duke's Head, just where I'd parked. I decided to have a look around Lower Richmond Road - when I discovered which direction I should be going in for #4 (left), I came across a very scruffy building. This was the Star & Garter (had I zoomed right in on Google Maps, I might have seen it - they have listed it, they just point to the wrong place, at time of writing).
Reassuringly, it's much nicer inside, and I believe they cater for weddings. (They might want to spend some money on the exterior.) Again from the We Are Funny site, I knew to head for the Cellar Bar - I was surprised at how empty it was, mind! The mc actually apologised to me at the end of the night for the poor turnout, blaming it on the bank holiday. As it happened, almost the entire audience consisted of people waiting to perform. The mc guessed I was with Meetup, and introduced me to the (three) other Meetup members there, who sat with me for the first half. They weren't my Meetup group, though - the older couple kept asking me whether I'd actually signed up, and it turned out they were with Putney Social..! No sign of a single person from Free London Events and Talks - but that's exactly the experience I had with them before, they're really only any good for advertising events. I've now signed up to Putney Social - the Meetup page search is rubbish, I had to Google them - and a couple of other Putney-based groups as well; really, I'm just down the road. 10-20 minutes to drive to the Star and Garter, traffic-dependent.
The Italian mc was a laugh-riot - and with so few non-performers in the audience, we all got a ribbing! Still, it was good-natured, and the acts (certainly in the first half) were obviously either completely, or relatively, new to the stage, and were treated gently. And you know, each and every one was quite watchable - of course, it helped that they were limited to five minutes per person. Just before the interval, we had a longer act, who was absolutely hilarious..
Of the three members of Putney social, one was performing, another was her partner, and the group organiser - and the third person made a run for it at the interval! I don't think she really liked it. As usual with these things, the bar we were sitting beside wasn't serving drinks, and we had to go back upstairs to order, which is where I got chatting with the organiser. And.. that was it! He and his partner also left before the second half, making their apologies - she had to be up early. And that left me as almost the only non-performing audience member for the second half. Which, I have to say, was - sadly - dire. At the end, as the mc apologised to me, he also apologised for the poor quality. Really, they were dreadful - but that won't stop me going back, potentially - great atmosphere, great host! And the advertised headliner would probably have been good - unfortunately, her car broke down.
They aim to be out by 10:30, and so we were, and I had a fairly quick run home. In Guildford today though, so there wasn't time to blog last night. For tonight, I've arranged to go to another free comedy gig - Nikolaugh Teslaugh is advertised by London Live Comedy, and sounds decent. Mind you, it's all the way up in Kentish Town, so we'll see how I feel. I have printed the map..
Looking forward to tomorrow - back with the Man with the Hat, for the first outing of the year to The Globe! A Midsummer Night's Dream, to be precise. As usual, being too decrepit to stand for the duration, I'm being a wuss and going for a seat - so, Let's Do London - for less! it is. Atmosphere's still great. I'll be in Guildford again, so somewhat anxious about making it on time - bless, the Man with the Hat says he'll wait outside for latecomers! Now, there's a service.. Hopefully, I shan't need it. And then he's mixing it up by heading to the Anchor afterwards.. New one for me. What the hey, variety is the spice of life, as they say.
Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend, and my mother and I are off on Saturday to a violin concert called One Night in Vienna, in Glór. And back in London, on Monday I'm back with the Crick Crack Club, for Kali - in Soho Theatre again.
It was also the closest - and being close makes such a nice change! They didn't bother, on the Meetup page, even to give the address, but I Googled it, found the We Are Funny site, and learned from there that it was in the Star & Garter, on Lower Richmond Road - lovely, I've been along there a couple of times (once unintentionally!) and figured I'd be able to get parking as well. A quick check of Streetview (once I could get it working on my internet connection) showed me that I'd probably be better off looking for parking around the other side, on the less busy road by the river. Which I believe floods occasionally.
A quick revision of the driving route, and I got there without incident - sure enough, parking was much easier by the river, and I easily found a space. Not so easily the pub itself, though - Google Maps, asked for the Star & Garter, displays another pub - the Duke's Head. I'd thought perhaps the pub had changed its name since the Streetview photo had been taken, but no - there was the Duke's Head, just where I'd parked. I decided to have a look around Lower Richmond Road - when I discovered which direction I should be going in for #4 (left), I came across a very scruffy building. This was the Star & Garter (had I zoomed right in on Google Maps, I might have seen it - they have listed it, they just point to the wrong place, at time of writing).
Reassuringly, it's much nicer inside, and I believe they cater for weddings. (They might want to spend some money on the exterior.) Again from the We Are Funny site, I knew to head for the Cellar Bar - I was surprised at how empty it was, mind! The mc actually apologised to me at the end of the night for the poor turnout, blaming it on the bank holiday. As it happened, almost the entire audience consisted of people waiting to perform. The mc guessed I was with Meetup, and introduced me to the (three) other Meetup members there, who sat with me for the first half. They weren't my Meetup group, though - the older couple kept asking me whether I'd actually signed up, and it turned out they were with Putney Social..! No sign of a single person from Free London Events and Talks - but that's exactly the experience I had with them before, they're really only any good for advertising events. I've now signed up to Putney Social - the Meetup page search is rubbish, I had to Google them - and a couple of other Putney-based groups as well; really, I'm just down the road. 10-20 minutes to drive to the Star and Garter, traffic-dependent.
The Italian mc was a laugh-riot - and with so few non-performers in the audience, we all got a ribbing! Still, it was good-natured, and the acts (certainly in the first half) were obviously either completely, or relatively, new to the stage, and were treated gently. And you know, each and every one was quite watchable - of course, it helped that they were limited to five minutes per person. Just before the interval, we had a longer act, who was absolutely hilarious..
Of the three members of Putney social, one was performing, another was her partner, and the group organiser - and the third person made a run for it at the interval! I don't think she really liked it. As usual with these things, the bar we were sitting beside wasn't serving drinks, and we had to go back upstairs to order, which is where I got chatting with the organiser. And.. that was it! He and his partner also left before the second half, making their apologies - she had to be up early. And that left me as almost the only non-performing audience member for the second half. Which, I have to say, was - sadly - dire. At the end, as the mc apologised to me, he also apologised for the poor quality. Really, they were dreadful - but that won't stop me going back, potentially - great atmosphere, great host! And the advertised headliner would probably have been good - unfortunately, her car broke down.
They aim to be out by 10:30, and so we were, and I had a fairly quick run home. In Guildford today though, so there wasn't time to blog last night. For tonight, I've arranged to go to another free comedy gig - Nikolaugh Teslaugh is advertised by London Live Comedy, and sounds decent. Mind you, it's all the way up in Kentish Town, so we'll see how I feel. I have printed the map..
Looking forward to tomorrow - back with the Man with the Hat, for the first outing of the year to The Globe! A Midsummer Night's Dream, to be precise. As usual, being too decrepit to stand for the duration, I'm being a wuss and going for a seat - so, Let's Do London - for less! it is. Atmosphere's still great. I'll be in Guildford again, so somewhat anxious about making it on time - bless, the Man with the Hat says he'll wait outside for latecomers! Now, there's a service.. Hopefully, I shan't need it. And then he's mixing it up by heading to the Anchor afterwards.. New one for me. What the hey, variety is the spice of life, as they say.
Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend, and my mother and I are off on Saturday to a violin concert called One Night in Vienna, in Glór. And back in London, on Monday I'm back with the Crick Crack Club, for Kali - in Soho Theatre again.
Saturday, 19 September 2015
Film: Selma
Finally, Thursday was a day without drama at work, and stayed fine as well - the one day in the week that did! So I headed off to the Scoop, going straight from the office because it's all the way over the other side of town, and the Meetup group, Free London Events and Talks, who advertised it said it was advisable to get there early for a good seat.
Good job I was early - the District Line was dawdling as much as ever. And the Jubilee Line, when I changed to it, was boiling! I was glad it was only three stops. Made my way to the Scoop, stopping en-route at M&S, where I picked up a sandwich, and one of those individual servings of wine, in a plastic container. (You're not supposed to take glass to events in the Scoop.) And while queueing for the till, I saw a box with two chocolate eclairs in it. So those came too!
It's ages since I've been - and never to a film - and I got a bit confused at the entrance - it transpired that you have to enter via a crash barrier, where they stamp your wrist, in case you want to leave and come back. I rented a cushion - you could also rent blankets, and he mistakenly charged me £3 (blanket price) instead of £2 for a cushion. What the hey, half goes to charity and it wasn't a big deal. There's also a £5 deposit, returned when you bring back what you've hired.
They weren't joking about the crowd - I arrived just after 7, for a 7.30 start, and it was packed! I managed to get a spot on the far side - an oblique view, but fine. A fellow behind me remarked to some people beside him that it had started to fill up around 6.. and as I enjoyed my picnic (the sandwich and wine were so-so, but the wine was pleasantly warming, and the eclairs were superb), I noticed that they'd set up some kind of food stall at the Scoop as well. But from what I gathered, the only food there was popcorn anyway. As for the group, well, no-one expected to meet anyone there - with over 100 people attending from that group alone, the guy who posted the Meetup informed us there'd be no organiser, and we should just go with our friends. So in effect, not a Meetup really - but it's good that they advertise events like this to people.
They showed a short film beforehand - something about people that work on the river, and this one was about a chap that manages Tower Bridge, and the raising and lowering of it. The sound quality was pretty terrible, mind - not to mention the helicopters flying overhead, drowning everything out! But it did improve for the main feature, and the helicopters became less frequent - despite one helicopter that hovered overhead for a minute or so.. wonder whether they were watching the film.
Selma deals with the march from Selma to Montgomery, capital of Alabama, that was led by Dr. Martin Luther King in 1965, to protest against the local black population being denied the vote. David Oyelowo plays the man himself - nominated for several awards for his performance, he won some of them, and indeed it's a magnificent portrayal. Tim Roth plays the slimy Governor of Alabama, Tom Wilkinson an only slightly less slippery LBJ. Oprah Winfrey pops up as a civil rights marcher. And despite reviews I read that said that Oyelowo's performance was the only good thing about it, I found it stirring stuff. Earned a round of applause from the audience on Thursday. Widely available online and on dvd, if you're interested.
Well, what with it being so far away, I got home too late to blog. And yesterday was a hectic day at work.. I fell asleep over the computer last night, and have got distracted so much today.. but better late than never with the blog, eh?!
I'm back in Ireland for the weekend. On Monday, I'm, delighted to be going to The Fate We Bring Ourselves, a retelling of Greek legends, by the Crick Crack Storytelling Club, in Soho Theatre. It's ages since I've been with them, and they're always good! And on Tuesday, I'm supposed to be (nominally) with Free London Events and Talks at the Scoop again. This time, it's Still Alice.. but I dunno, the weather forecast doesn't look good. Watch this space.
Good job I was early - the District Line was dawdling as much as ever. And the Jubilee Line, when I changed to it, was boiling! I was glad it was only three stops. Made my way to the Scoop, stopping en-route at M&S, where I picked up a sandwich, and one of those individual servings of wine, in a plastic container. (You're not supposed to take glass to events in the Scoop.) And while queueing for the till, I saw a box with two chocolate eclairs in it. So those came too!
It's ages since I've been - and never to a film - and I got a bit confused at the entrance - it transpired that you have to enter via a crash barrier, where they stamp your wrist, in case you want to leave and come back. I rented a cushion - you could also rent blankets, and he mistakenly charged me £3 (blanket price) instead of £2 for a cushion. What the hey, half goes to charity and it wasn't a big deal. There's also a £5 deposit, returned when you bring back what you've hired.
They weren't joking about the crowd - I arrived just after 7, for a 7.30 start, and it was packed! I managed to get a spot on the far side - an oblique view, but fine. A fellow behind me remarked to some people beside him that it had started to fill up around 6.. and as I enjoyed my picnic (the sandwich and wine were so-so, but the wine was pleasantly warming, and the eclairs were superb), I noticed that they'd set up some kind of food stall at the Scoop as well. But from what I gathered, the only food there was popcorn anyway. As for the group, well, no-one expected to meet anyone there - with over 100 people attending from that group alone, the guy who posted the Meetup informed us there'd be no organiser, and we should just go with our friends. So in effect, not a Meetup really - but it's good that they advertise events like this to people.
They showed a short film beforehand - something about people that work on the river, and this one was about a chap that manages Tower Bridge, and the raising and lowering of it. The sound quality was pretty terrible, mind - not to mention the helicopters flying overhead, drowning everything out! But it did improve for the main feature, and the helicopters became less frequent - despite one helicopter that hovered overhead for a minute or so.. wonder whether they were watching the film.
Selma deals with the march from Selma to Montgomery, capital of Alabama, that was led by Dr. Martin Luther King in 1965, to protest against the local black population being denied the vote. David Oyelowo plays the man himself - nominated for several awards for his performance, he won some of them, and indeed it's a magnificent portrayal. Tim Roth plays the slimy Governor of Alabama, Tom Wilkinson an only slightly less slippery LBJ. Oprah Winfrey pops up as a civil rights marcher. And despite reviews I read that said that Oyelowo's performance was the only good thing about it, I found it stirring stuff. Earned a round of applause from the audience on Thursday. Widely available online and on dvd, if you're interested.
Well, what with it being so far away, I got home too late to blog. And yesterday was a hectic day at work.. I fell asleep over the computer last night, and have got distracted so much today.. but better late than never with the blog, eh?!
I'm back in Ireland for the weekend. On Monday, I'm, delighted to be going to The Fate We Bring Ourselves, a retelling of Greek legends, by the Crick Crack Storytelling Club, in Soho Theatre. It's ages since I've been with them, and they're always good! And on Tuesday, I'm supposed to be (nominally) with Free London Events and Talks at the Scoop again. This time, it's Still Alice.. but I dunno, the weather forecast doesn't look good. Watch this space.
Tuesday, 30 June 2015
Dance: Of Memory and What Remains
Looking through Meetup for tonight, I booked for my first event with Free London Events and Talks - Of Memory and What Remains, a contemporary dance performance. On in Bolivar Hall, part of the Venezuelan Cultural Complex. I was there ages ago, for a film.
Well, this turned out to be a busy day at work, and I stayed very late - so it simply wasn't an option to go to this event! Just as well it was free.. and I'll just have to wait a bit longer to meet this group.
Tomorrow night is looking like a film: top of the list is The Look of Silence, a documentary about the Indonesian massacre. I'm sure it's very good: problem is, the most convenient showing is all the way over in Hackney Picturehouse. And it's supposed to be even hotter tomorrow than today - and the last thing I fancy is a long trip by packed Overground in the heat. No, I might just skip it, especially as I'm in the Guildford office again the following day - unusually often for me, this month! So I'm not going out that night, either! Friday, again, it's looking like a film - watch this space for details; that's the day the film listings change.
On Saturday, I'm heading to the Bermondsey Carnival for the first time - never even heard of it before, but it sounds like just the thing for a hot and sunny day. Must try and get a hat & sunscreen in the meantime. The CLOGgies are headed there too, but it sounds a bit complicated to meet them - I've only met this group once, and probably wouldn't recognise them anyway.
On Sunday, however, I'm delighted to be joining the London for Less group again - and officially, for the first time in about a month! For once, I got in on time and booked one of their discounted tickets to the Pop-Up Opera's production of L' Italiana in Algeri, by Rossini.
Well, this turned out to be a busy day at work, and I stayed very late - so it simply wasn't an option to go to this event! Just as well it was free.. and I'll just have to wait a bit longer to meet this group.
Tomorrow night is looking like a film: top of the list is The Look of Silence, a documentary about the Indonesian massacre. I'm sure it's very good: problem is, the most convenient showing is all the way over in Hackney Picturehouse. And it's supposed to be even hotter tomorrow than today - and the last thing I fancy is a long trip by packed Overground in the heat. No, I might just skip it, especially as I'm in the Guildford office again the following day - unusually often for me, this month! So I'm not going out that night, either! Friday, again, it's looking like a film - watch this space for details; that's the day the film listings change.
On Saturday, I'm heading to the Bermondsey Carnival for the first time - never even heard of it before, but it sounds like just the thing for a hot and sunny day. Must try and get a hat & sunscreen in the meantime. The CLOGgies are headed there too, but it sounds a bit complicated to meet them - I've only met this group once, and probably wouldn't recognise them anyway.
On Sunday, however, I'm delighted to be joining the London for Less group again - and officially, for the first time in about a month! For once, I got in on time and booked one of their discounted tickets to the Pop-Up Opera's production of L' Italiana in Algeri, by Rossini.
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