Today, Helen was in town again for training - and we decided to go on the Hidden Horrors Haunted History London Ghost Walk. Which I was on before, but was happy to go on again - it's good (as I could see from the review I left), and I could always do with reminding. I was curious to see how much I'd forgotten.. It's also Funzing, and I got a 15% discount with the code Fun15, which can only be used once. Advertised by Best Authentic Walking Tours in London - so Funzing does still have a Meetup group for walks.. Don't believe what they say about "no refunds" though, the Funzing rule of a full refund up to 48 hours beforehand still applies. And handily, it's only a hop, skip, and jump from my new office!
For speed, we went for Nando's again - it's close, and quick. Although mine took a lot longer than hers to arrive - interestingly, everything I had came out slightly overcooked. The chicken, again, was too tough to finish, the garlic bread hard. The mash was slightly charred, but ok. I've definitely had better Nando's than in One New Change. And we didn't really have time for dessert, this time - the walk was starting quite early.
Happily, as I say, it was close by - and what a day for it to pick to start raining! This was the wettest day I've seen in an age - it fairly pelted down as we were waiting to start, all clustered close to the wall for shelter as our intrepid leader stood out in the middle of it, rain pouring from his wide-brimmed hat. Anyway, as each person checked in and was checked off, they got a leaflet - for his other website about haunted Britain and Ireland! This is a busy guy. And successful - I counted 32 people on tonight's walk! It's a good job his voice projects.
I did remember a lot of the walk, but was grateful for the reminders. For instance, I knew there is supposed to be a ghost in the Viaduct Tavern, but had forgotten what they called him (Fred), until a medium contacted him and ascertained that he was actually called something else (he's Scottish, and named Robert). And I'll always enjoy the story of Scratching Fanny of Cock Lane.. ;-)
As we passed Smithfield, I mused how sad it is that the market is to be moved, and flats erected on the old site. Possibly the main thing I'd forgotten from my first outing was that the wonderful, Tudor gatehouse of St. Bartholomew the Great used to be clad in brick, and it was only when it was hit by shrapnel from a WWI zeppelin that they discovered the older structure underneath! Every cloud, you might say..
I noted that he changed the final location, to a different section of the Roman wall - probably because the ground would be too muddy, where we had been before. All in all, it was every bit as entertaining as I remember, with a theatrical guide who loves to put on a show, as well as giving us a bit of history. And I love how he encourages questions, and is never short of answers. One of the most entertaining ghost walks in London - highly recommended. And great to see Helen, BTW!
Tomorrow, I was thinking of a film. However, I wasn't mad about what was coming out on top - and since Meetup had an alternative, I'm doing that instead. Headed with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) (again) to the matinée of Sweat, at the Gielgud Theatre. It's the very last day - and lots of sites have half price offers on decent seats. I chose the one suggested on Meetup - lastminute - and since they've widened their half price offer, I scored myself an excellent price for a seat in the rear stalls.
On Sunday, I really was going to go to a film - until my cheap ticket club advertised their weekend offerings, just today. Thinking I saw some interesting options, I looked closer - and was immediately captured by a classical Spanish guitar concert in King's Place! Part of the IGF Guitar Summit. So yeah, I booked that without hesitation! Terrific price, too.
On Monday, more music - I'm back with Civilised London for more jazz - Dai and the Ramblers - at Wilton's. A great atmosphere is guaranteed!
On Tuesday.. well, my cheap ticket club came to the rescue again! I'm off to St. Martin in the Fields - for the first time in a while - for a performance of the Goldberg Variations. (Cheap!) Three - very different - musical evenings in a row.
On Wednesday, back with London Literary Walks for The Richmond Walk. Third West London walk in a row with him - but I'm not complaining, they're lovely settings.
On Thursday, back with the London European Club - it'll be my first time in St. Mary's Church Rotherhithe, where the Little Symphonic Duet is performing. They aim to reproduce famous classical pieces, with only a guitar and an instrument called a charango, a kind of miniature ukulele. It'll also be my first time in an age with Tuned In London - delighted to be with them again! Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
On the 29th, back with UITCS - we're off to see Present Laughter, by Noel Coward, with the wonderful Andrew Scott, at the Old Vic. It'll be interesting for us all to see how he is in a comedy.
And on the 30th, I'm back with Anthony's Cultural Events and Walking Activities Group, who are off to a free Motown concert in Canary Wharf. First come, first served for spots on the grass. Unless it's promised to rain, in which case I'll probably cry off..
Tonight, I had nothing booked - until Funzing sent a promotional email yesterday, and I booked a talk that sounded interesting. The Psychology of the Extreme was also on decently close. I'd used such codes as I had, so didn't get a discount - but I've booked enough upcoming to have earned one on the next booking. They don't seem to have a Meetup group dedicated to Funzing talks anymore, so it's a while since I've been to one.
I actually left in time to walk to it, for once! and it's nice how Shoreditch is still walking distance from the office. I actually passed close to where I live, on the way - arrived at BBB with a few minutes to spare, and followed the helpful signs upstairs. I remember being late, the last time I was here - not this time, and I dutifully took my seat and waited. Well, trust Funzing to pick awful venues - just like before (and like most Funzing talks I've attended), the talk was accompanied throughout - and sometimes nearly muffled - by the thumping music from downstairs. Oh, and whereas it was winter when I was here before - this evening was particularly clammy, and the "loft" where we were was boiling. Even after they found a window to open, it was uncomfortably hot, Typical lack of organisation - a fan would've worked wonders. I guess they didn't have the budget.
A lack of organisation was also in evidence from the two presenters - for one thing, there was only one mic! I'm guessing they forgot to mention to Funzing that they'd like a second. The softer spoken man was given it, but hated using it, and kept trying to drop it and just speak a bit louder, to yells of protest from the back! so he was forced to keep using it. The younger chap was a bit more successful in raising his voice, and indeed did most of the talking.
They did warn us that this was their first outing - and it showed, with a narrative that meandered aimlessly. As someone remarked in the Q+A afterwards, it was hard to tell what the talk was going to be about, from the description - yes, it was hard to figure out where it was going while it was in progress, too! And for goodness' sake - the slides mainly showed artwork from a pal of the younger presenter: a sort of artist's interpretation of the subject matter. Oh dear.
As for the content, I don't believe I heard much I hadn't known. We were given a lengthy description of "extreme" experiences - defined by a number of characteristics, such as unpredictability, lack of control, a feeling of being in danger of death or of the loss of self, and so on. He made an interesting point about how stories - especially the traditional ones, with their gruesome endings - prepare us for these awful outcomes.
And then he asked for examples, and waffled for a while before succumbing to what he said the audience was obviously interested in, and starting to talk about drugs. And while a lot of talking was done about them, surprisingly little was actually said about them, apart from meaningful references to the fact that the older presenter had some more practical experience of this than the younger guy. Anyone who wanted practical information had to wait for snippets that came up in the Q+A, where ayahuasca and DMT were mentioned, but not elaborated on much. Reassuringly, the talk finished on a happy mention of a natural high that we (probably) get at the moment of death. Sounds lovely.
They need to go away and think this talk up again. They asked for reviews on Funzing so they could keep doing this, 'coz it's such fun! I think the kindest thing I could do is not to review it at all.. I left during the Q+A, where they kept forgetting to repeat the questions that we at the back couldn't hear, and the younger guy forgot to speak loudly, and I was hot.. and oh, what a relief to get out in the cool!
Tomorrow, I'm back with London Literary Walks, for a walk to - and around - Hogarth's grave.
On Thursday, back with North London Friends for Europe, at the Donmar Warehouse. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
The first three days of next week, back with Up in the Cheap Seats. On Monday and Wednesday, we're at LAMDA - Monday for The Ofsted Massacre.
Next Tuesday, we're at Trafalgar Studios - I'm finally going to see Equus, with its nudity and blinding of horses. Have to see what all the controversy is about!
On Wednesday of next week, the play is My Children! My Africa!
On Thursday of next week, our overdue social from the company I was last with - this month, we're off to the Queen's Head and Artichoke, for dinner and drinks.
And on Friday of next week, Helen is in town again for training - and we're off on the Hidden Horrors Haunted History London Ghost Walk. Which I was on before, but wouldn't mind going on again - it's good (as I can see from the review I left), and I could do with reminding, after all. Let's see how much I've forgotten.. It's also Funzing, and I got a 15% discount with the code Fun15, which can only be used once. Advertised by Best Authentic Walking Tours in London - so Funzing does still have a Meetup group for walks.. Don't believe what they say about "no refunds" though, the Funzing rule of a full refund up to 48 hours beforehand still applies.
Tonight, a break from film - I found a new walk! Courtesy of Walking in London, as usual. The Blood and Tears Walk (I guess there isn't supposed to be any sweat) has been running for 20 years, it seems. And the guide seemed to have a good sense of humour, which promised to be interesting as he trailed us around, looking for serial killers. I just hoped it'd have warmed up a bit by then.
Well, it hadn't, I noted as I traipsed down to Barbican Station, where we were to meet. I arrived around the time he suggested, and sure enough, there he was stood outside, as he'd said he'd be, complete with red and black backpack. Well gee, you'll never guess.. I was his only customer. (Oh, for goodness' sake..!) Now, this time, he didn't give me the option of cancelling, but he did give me the option of switching to tomorrow night, when a few people have booked. Nope, I said, I'll take tonight if you don't mind. Well, so we stood there till 7, the official start time - just in case someone else materialised. Which they didn't. And I noted that, for a fellow who was most gregarious through most of the tour, he was quite silent beforehand - ah well, perhaps he isn't used to only having one. Who then refuses to cancel.
And off we set. Now, sorry, but this is the first guided walk I've ever been on where I actually didn't take any pictures! No, none at all. Well, we spent the first part of the tour going through areas I was well familiar with - St. Bartholomew's and Smithfield, anyone? He offered me the chance to yell "photo!" (after he'd finished speaking) if I wanted to take a photo - but I didn't. And once we moved away from there, we spent most of our time down atmospheric - but non-photogenic - alleyways. So there wasn't any point really.
Overall, I'll say this - this was one of the most entertaining walks I've ever been on! Tons of detail - not gory, mind, in general, even though his topic was serial killers. Indeed, he's written a book - of which he carries signed copies in his backpack. (I passed - I didn't have any cash on me anyway, and a book about serial killers doesn't really interest me.) Anyway, as we dealt with serial killer after serial killer, the walk was enlivened with several pop quizzes! Now, I'm not the most informed about serial killers, and my record of getting questions right was fairly abysmal, but it was most entertaining.
As we trotted around, it also emerged that he's quite the film buff - and with me having gone to so many lately, that made for some great conversation. In particular about horror films. I say "trotted".. we went at a fair lick, and it still took us just under two hours! He finishes off with a very interesting story about the person he thinks was the real Jack the Ripper. I tell you what, though - I wasn't too impressed with him trying to pass off Sweeney Todd as a historical figure! Despite that, this is a walk I really recommend. Maybe go for a weekend outing - the atmosphere would have been better with a larger group.
Desperate cold seeped into my bones over the course of the walk.. so I was delighted to see my bus appear just as I needed it! And equally delighted to discover that we have hot chocolate back in the office - just what I needed. Tomorrow, back on my first proper Meetup for two weeks, as I meet Up in the Cheap Seats again, for Cougar, at the Orange Tree. Got one of the last four seats on the lower level.
Tonight, I was back with London Speaks Sessions for "True Crime: Survivor Stories and Straties (sic.)". Yes, that should have read "Strategies". This is a talk about survivors of extreme situations - and delivered by the excellent Jennifer Rees, whom I've seen a couple of times before. Not only that, but I got to use my loyalty Funzing discount for it, having cancelled a previous event for which I'd used that!
Nice, late start and a nice, close venue - even if that was Cafe 1001. At least I could walk. I headed off in good time - and on the way, just up from the venue, passed a number of quite confused people who, it transpired, were looking for the same place! Unfortunately, they'd paid too much attention to the address - 91 Brick Lane it officially is, but as you go along Brick Lane, you pass a courtyard with a sign outside that reads "91". This is not it. What you want is the alleyway beside it, past the fast food stall (closed at this hour), and into the cafe beside. Yes, I remember having terrible trouble finding it the first time.
Anyway, didn't look like they were doing much business when I arrived this evening, so they must have been glad of the talk upstairs - indeed, there wasn't even anyone to guide us to it, although I daresay they'd have done so if asked. When I'd had my name checked off the list, I could see it was pretty full - I ended up on the sofa at the back. But I did have a straight-on view! No pillars in my way, which is an issue here.
She admitted at the start that this is a new talk for her - and that she's always nervous when that happens. You might say that she works her way up to the exciting stuff - she starts with rape, then stalking, abduction - it isn't until the second half, after a brief interval, that she gets on to cults, terrorist attacks, and serial killers.
An interesting opening, with some fake news that's apparently been doing the rounds for years - oh, and spread by someone who teaches self-defence. No, FYI, most attacks do NOT happen in car parks - they're too busy and well-lit, with good CCTV coverage. Most violent attacks - apart from sexual ones - are, of course, perpetrated on men. Quite a high percentage of attackers are armed - and no, it's not a good idea to fight back on the assumption that they'll get tired of it after a couple of minutes.
There is also a very interesting piece on cross-racial profiling, where people have to identify a perpetrator of a different race from their own. She uses an extract from The Good Wife, and also tells us how even children raised in a family of different ethnic origin to their own exhibit the same difficulties in distinguishing the faces of people whose race is different from theirs.
A lot of common sense advice about things like how to tell if someone is following you, and what to do about it. Stop frequently, would you believe - it's hard to tail someone who keeps stopping! I was particularly struck by the story of a woman who saw a man trying to get into her building, who spun her a story about needing to get in to see his grandmother. So she let him in. And then he offered to help her with her shopping - and accused her of being a militant feminist when she hesitated. Assured her that he wouldn't come in, he'd leave the bags at the door. Which is how he came to barge into her flat and assault her - indeed, she was lucky to escape with her life. Goes to show, if something feels off.. forget the social niceties.
Advice about what to do if the worst happens, and you're abducted - pay as much attention as possible, it might help. Mind you, when she got on to the advice from the ex-Navy Seal, I got a bit dubious - I mean, how many of us are really going to pick the lock on our handcuffs with a hairpin? and I don't think it's quite that easy to escape a zip tie. Still, common sense is a valuable commodity in any situation.
Afterwards, most people left - but it was worth staying for the Q+A, where she told us that a good pathway into working in psychology like she does, particularly of extremely troubled individuals, is to volunteer for a suicide hotline for 18 months or so - that'll test whether you're up to it. And yes, as someone asked her - she DOES think everyone's out to get her! So, an enjoyable evening, despite the subject matter - and despite the constant sound of trickling water from the adjacent bathroom. It was cold in there too - all in all, a terrible venue for a talk.
Froze my hands off on the walk back - when it also drizzled on me! That's supposed to warm up the weather.. Tomorrow, I had arranged to go with the London Jazz Meetup - but gee, it's all the way out in Ealing! So I said sod it, I'd go to the pictures again. Now, three films are currently tying at the top of my list, all at an IMDB rating of 8.1. Njan Prakashan, however, is showing no closer than the Odeon Lee Valley - forget it. The other two are - much more attractively - on in Curzon Bloomsbury. And the winner is - Roma. Partly because it's on later, and I have an evening meeting - and partly because it's directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Seems it's a year in the life of a Mexican maid in the 70s, and is based on his childhood memories.
These few days, I booked Funzing, and the weekend was entirely with Look up London - excellent! She's so friendly, and always finds the most interesting tidbits for us. Both starting at midday. Today, I did The Greenwich Walk: Heroes and Villains. And yesterday evening, she helpfully messaged to clarify that we'd be meeting at Greenwich rail station, not the DLR station.
After yesterday's exertions, I slept soundly - and long, waking about an hour later than intended. It really took more out of me than I anticipated. Oops! So I scrabbled to get out - didn't have time to eat beforehand, but I did make the Tube with a minute to spare. Arrived at London Bridge at 11.20, with the train due at 11.33 - and wouldn't you know, I literally just made it! It takes so long to wend your way from Tube to train station - and of course, my platform was nowhere near me. Thank goodness that Google Maps had told me which one to go for! The train was waiting patiently for me at the platform as I trotted up the stairs - I barely had time to get on.
After all that, I alighted at Greenwich five minutes earlier than expected - and she wasn't there.
More photos here. Mooched around for a while. Saw on the maps that the DLR station was nearby, so I went looking for that, and by the time I'd returned, there she was. I was still the first.. a much smaller group today, and mostly foreigners, with a German couple and a Dutch guy. Anyway, the station itself was the first point of interest - as she pointed out, it doesn't really look like a train station! but then, being one of the first built, in 1836, the builders had no idea what a train station should look like.
So we meandered off down the backstreets of Greenwich, under very grey skies, but the rain thankfully holding off. Plenty of interesting snippets - like the monument to a milkman!
Finally, we hit the tourist spots, with a few art stops around the Naval College, and a peek at the Cutty Sark. And of course, that iconic Greenwich view:
You can just see the observatory in the background, on the hill, whose ball drops at 1pm. And yes, we were there for it! A bit anticlimactic, as she remarked..
Much of the talk for the day was about Nelson:
(Rather short, on the basis of this statue, as she pointed out.) Well now, I'm afraid that my opinion of Nelson will forever after be tainted by the play I went to a while ago, based on a book by an Antiguan writer, who had cause to mention him several times. And every time she did, she suffixed "war criminal" to his name. As Katie pointed out today, he was vehemently anti-abolitionist, and a keen slave owner - which I guess makes him today's villain - but he did boost the power of the British navy, which had positive effects. As well as negative ones. Anyway, as she said, not all black and white.
She recommended the Cutty Sark pub as somewhere to eat - it's certainly well advertised, with signs along the roadside far in advance of getting there. However, the Midpoint is a Turkish restaurant right next door, and after some pondering, I chose that. Had the lamb special, which was ok - I think I could have chosen better. For one thing, there was far too much cheese dip with it, which swamped the plate! (Good idea to present on two plates, one under the other, so you don't get burnt carrying it!) But the house white was excellent, and the brownie really good, so I'd be willing to try it again. Service was quick, and prices reasonable. They also have free WiFi - password @midpoint1 - but gee, it took forever for me to connect to it!
Once I finally did, I could confirm that I'd now walked far enough to travel back from Maze Hill station, which I did, on one of the half-hourly trains. Wow, it was good to get in to the warm! And now that's it for guided walks for the foreseeable future.
Tomorrow, I booked with London Speaks Sessions, for a talk on Interviews With a Serial Killer. Funzing now have an Unlimited Talks option, where you can get unlimited talks for a month for £11.99 - however, not seeing anything else I fancy coming up this month, I left it. As it was, I got a spectacular loyalty discount for this one! ..and then I got a better offer. St. Martin-in-the-Fields (which I haven't been to in over a year!) sent an advertising email - and I rather fancied tomorrow's offering, an Arab Christmas. Of course, you can cancel Funzing up to 48 hours beforehand - so I did, and am now going to that instead.
On Tuesday, it's cinema - first in a while. Top of the List came King of Boys, a gangster Nollywood film, of all things. Closest showing is in the Odeon Greenwich - so I booked, which works out cheaper. It'll be my very first Nollywood film - and it's on really late. I'll have to ring my mother beforehand and pretend I've already been..
On Wednesday - back for the New Year with the Crick Crack Club! They're doing a new series on archetypes - Wednesday's is on Wise Ones Wild Ones, in Rich Mix. We're spoiled with the lineup - the night's storytellers are Ben Haggerty, Jan Blake, Daniel Morden - and Laura Sampson, who used (nominally) to run their now-defunct Meetup group. Never mind, for once the London European Club is going, under the stewardship of Henning! It'll be good to see some friendly faces there - and it's been ages since I saw these people! About time. And it'll be my first proper Meetup of the year.
On Thursday, in contrast, I'm with a completely new group - London Sci-Fi Horror Hide-Out, for their first ever Meetup! Hem - this is Miskatonic LDN - Remakesploitation: The Horror Meme. Fairly trips off the tongue, the whole thing! So it seems that Miskatonic LDN is actually an institute of horror studies, and based at the Horse Hospital. Well now. This specific event is about the many international horror film remakes through the years. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
And on the 14th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Pinter at the Pinter again! This is Programme 5 - The Room / Victoria Station / Family Voices. And this evening includes a free Q+A with the cast.
These few days, I booked Funzing, and the weekend is entirely with Look up London - excellent! She's so friendly, and always finds the most interesting tidbits for us. Both starting at midday. Today, I did Unlock the Secrets of Fleet Street.
Ah hell, it was so cold! I was glad, at least, that my bus came straight away - and glad when we waited along the way, to "even the gaps in the service". I was to be early, you see, and this would just use up time. Bus turned out to be the quickest route to Temple, where we were to meet, actually - and as it happened, I was the first to arrive. Tip: she arrived 15 minutes early. Aim for that - especially so you don't have to wait in the vicious cold we had by the river!
Well, she was full of welcomes - and she had a busy time, as we were a large group, and mostly return customers. Each of whom she knew by name, of course. The couple of us that were there when she arrived also got to meet her husband! Anyway, we hung around for a few minutes after start time, for the sake of latecomers, but I was glad when we moved away from the gusts from the water.
And so off we went, eyes peeled. The essential difference between Look Up London and Chronicles, whose Shakespearian walk I went on on Thursday, is that he focuses very much on the history, while Katie simply points out things you can see, but might have missed, and the stories behind them. For example, did you ever notice the stunning architectural features on Surrey Street?
More photos here. Not to mention the "Roman baths" that really aren't, and the "ghost" station now used as a film set. You can do tours of it with the Transport Museum, it seems - subscribe to the TFL newsletter to get priority booking.
And so, up to Strand..
..which leads on to Fleet Street.
Sad that the printing industry, which became synonymous with this street, has now completely left it - probably the rents. Still, there's a fascinating history of the printing industry on the tiles of Magpie Alley - which, at its end, leads to a section of the ruins of a Carmelite monastery.
We spent about 90 minutes wending our way through the side streets off Fleet Street - and it was nostalgic for one of the group, who used to work there. We finished up by St. Paul's - a scenic walk as well as an informative one. I can see why it was her first ever, and why she still loves to do it. What a cross-section of the life of London! Well worth doing - though, as she remarked, with people doing so many of her walks, she'd better come up with some new ones.. Excellent as ever. And as we tended to walk back in the general direction I was headed in, I was now close enough to walk back - and did so. Honestly, I was feeling terribly stiff, after this unaccustomed New Year's exertion, and was glad to loosen up my joints - my back had been killing me for a lot of the day.
Tomorrow, I'm doing The Greenwich Walk: Heroes and Villains. I'll be well exercised at the end of all that. And this evening, she helpfully messaged to clarify that we'd be meeting at Greenwich rail station, not the DLR station. Hey, I believe they're a short walk from each other anyway. And this far away, I doubt I'll be walking back!
On Monday, I booked with London Speaks Sessions, for a talk on Interviews With a Serial Killer. Funzing now have an Unlimited Talks option, where you can get unlimited talks for a month for £11.99 - however, not seeing anything else I fancy coming up this month, I left it. As it was, I got a spectacular loyalty discount for this one! ..and then I got a better offer. St. Martin-in-the-Fields (which I haven't been to in over a year!) sent an advertising email - and I rather fancied Monday's offering, an Arab Christmas. Of course, you can cancel Funzing up to 48 hours beforehand - so I did, and am now going to that instead.
On Tuesday, it's cinema - first in a while. Top of the List came King of Boys, a gangster Nollywood film, of all things. Closest showing is in the Odeon Greenwich - so I booked, which works out cheaper. It'll be my very first Nollywood film - and it's on really late. I'll have to ring my mother beforehand and pretend I've already been..
On Wednesday - back for the New Year with the Crick Crack Club! They're doing a new series on archetypes - Wednesday's is on Wise Ones Wild Ones, in Rich Mix. We're spoiled with the lineup - the night's storytellers are Ben Haggerty, Jan Blake, Daniel Morden - and Laura Sampson, who used (nominally) to run their now-defunct Meetup group. Never mind, for once the London European Club is going, under the stewardship of Henning! It'll be good to see some friendly faces there - and it's been ages since I saw these people! About time. And it'll be my first proper Meetup of the year.
On Thursday, in contrast, I'm with a completely new group - London Sci-Fi Horror Hide-Out, for their first ever Meetup! Hem - this is Miskatonic LDN - Remakesploitation: The Horror Meme. Fairly trips off the tongue, the whole thing! So it seems that Miskatonic LDN is actually an institute of horror studies, and based at the Horse Hospital. Well now. This specific event is about the many international horror film remakes through the years. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
And on the 14th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Pinter at the Pinter again! This is Programme 5 - The Room / Victoria Station / Family Voices. And this evening includes a free Q+A with the cast.
Happy New Year.. back to London, and it's damn cold. Not only the cold snap, but of course London tends to be colder than Ireland in winter. Tonight - wouldn't you know it - I was back with Walking in London for the Southwark Tour - Chronicles: Shakespeare's London. It's Funzing, of course, and I think this was the last I used my Funzing_Fb20 code for, getting a 20% discount. They've now apparently decided it's been used too often, and I'm down to a 10% personal discount. Hey-ho. Life is hard.
Well, January is the season for walks.. mind you, when the guide messaged me earlier today to offer a refund if I wanted (since I was the only person who'd signed up), I did consider taking him up on his kind offer. But you know, I do love this bit of town, and haven't been on as many walks here as north of the river. And to be honest, interesting things to do are a bit thinner on the ground at the moment. So I said no, I'd brave the cold - it's not that fiercely bad anyway.
Of course, I did my usual thing of cutting it tight - had I had an evening meeting, I'd probably have been earlier. Since my last meeting finished before 3pm, I was almost late - well, technically I was slightly late. Not too bad though - the bus was a bit delayed, and the bells of the nearby church of St. George the Martyr tolled the hour just as I was crossing the road. Sure enough, there he was as promised, perched at the entrance to the Tube station I'd blithely avoided using, and obligingly sporting a sign. (Now, why can't everyone do that?) I did feel a bit bad though when he mentioned he'd arrived early..
Anyway. Off we set, the two of us, and set quite a quick pace, as you can imagine. 90 minutes in all, I think, which is faster than advertised - but I can see it taking two hours with a large group, and all that that entails. We started in a curiously named alleyway:
More photos here. Yes, the area is famous for Dickens too - but it was Shakespeare that concerned us today. A vaguely Shakespearian connection with the church, too, which was actually where Henry V was welcomed back to London by its aldermen after Agincourt. (Wouldn't you know, I'm currently reading a book set during his father's reign..)
Down past The George, to learn that plays tended to be staged in coaching inns before playhouses were the thing.. and to Southwark Cathedral, where it seems that Shakespeare's lesser known brother Edmund is buried. The funeral was in the morning, unusually - possibly to allow attending actors to get back to their performances in the afternoon.
It was a merry walk, with many a tale of actorly folk being - eh - involved in brawls. Well, you know, this was the red light district of its day - see my previous walks in the area! I tell you something though - although I've been on walks here before, I never before did come to the real site of the Globe..
Around then by the reconstructed Globe, and past St. Paul's..
The evening finished in Blackfriars. And what an enjoyable evening it was! A very entertaining tour guide, who - heavens - finished with a bit of acting, for his audience of one. Highly recommended - this walk is scheduled for a number of other dates this month and next, details on his own website, Chronicles. (Oh, and it's even cheaper there than I managed..) And he has other things.. see the website for details, worth checking out.
As it happened, I was really close enough to walk back - but after my first exertion of the year, I was rather glad not to. Plus, it's cold. So - having trouble finding my old Bus Countdown app since I got the new phone (which had the cheek to tell me to clean my lens as I was taking one photo!), I tried out a couple more apps while I waited for my bus.
Tomorrow, I'm back at Soho Theatre for a comedy show - Jen Brister, with Meaningless.
The next few days, I booked Funzing, and the weekend is entirely with Look up London - excellent! She's so friendly, and always finds the most interesting tidbits for us. On Saturday, I'm doing Unlock the Secrets of Fleet Street.
On Sunday, I'm doing The Greenwich Walk: Heroes and Villains. I'll be well exercised at the end of all that.
On Monday, I booked with London Speaks Sessions, for a talk on Interviews With a Serial Killer. Funzing now have an Unlimited Talks option, where you can get unlimited talks for a month for £11.99 - however, not seeing anything else I fancy coming up this month, I left it. As it was, I got a spectacular loyalty discount for this one! ..and then I got a better offer. St. Martin-in-the-Fields (which I haven't been to in over a year!) sent an advertising email - and I rather fancied Monday's offering, an Arab Christmas. Of course, you can cancel Funzing up to 48 hours beforehand - so I did, and am now going to that instead.
On Tuesday, it's cinema - first in a while. Top of the List came King of Boys, a gangster Nollywood film, of all things. Closest showing is in the Odeon Greenwich - so I booked, which works out cheaper. It'll be my very first Nollywood film - and it's on really late. I'll have to ring my mother beforehand and pretend I've already been..
On Wednesday - back for the New Year with the Crick Crack Club! They're doing a new series on archetypes - Wednesday's is on Wise Ones Wild Ones, in Rich Mix. We're spoiled with the lineup - the night's storytellers are Ben Haggerty, Jan Blake, Daniel Morden - and Laura Sampson, who used (nominally) to run their now-defunct Meetup group. Never mind, for once the London European Club is going, under the stewardship of Henning! It'll be good to see some friendly faces there - and it's been ages since I saw these people! About time. And it'll be my first proper Meetup of the year.
Next Thursday, in contrast, I'm with a completely new group - London Sci-Fi Horror Hide-Out, for their first ever Meetup! Hem - this is Miskatonic LDN - Remakesploitation: The Horror Meme. Fairly trips off the tongue, the whole thing! So it seems that Miskatonic LDN is actually an institute of horror studies, and based at the Horse Hospital. Well now. This specific event is about the many international horror film remakes through the years. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
And on the 14th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Pinter at the Pinter again! This is Programme 5 - The Room / Victoria Station / Family Voices. And this evening includes a free Q+A with the cast.
Tonight, I was on a Paranormal Activity Tour - ooh! Now, for this one, we got ghost-hunting equipment, which made it interesting. Walking in London, again. Therefore Funzing, so discounted by 20%, again, with the code Funzing_Fb20. And this was after my loyalty discount - so I got it at better than half price! which is good, considering the price. Another separate group advertising through Funzing - these are Lantern Ghost Tours (LGT), who it turns out also organised last week's Seven Deadly Sins Pub Tour, and the London Bridge Ghost Tour I did back in the summer. New kids on the block, I guess.
Late enough that I had no problem getting there in time - especially on a Friday, with everyone wanting to get away early. Mercifully, today was a lot milder than it has been recently. Again, I walked to the walk, which, again, was outside Farringdon Station. When our guide arrived, she turned out to be Australian - just like last week's. Mind you, that tour company turns out to be Australian too, so I guess that might have something to do with it. Anyway, she had with her a large kitbag of paranormal equipment, which she promised we'd get to use.
I have to admit, I did not expect to be impressed as I duly was by this walk. Sure enough, we didn't really cover much new ground for me - apart from the first alley we went down, where we found some street art with a difference!
We swiftly made our way to Smithfield, where she unzipped her bag of wonders. Standing near the trees where the executions happened, her first piece of equipment was something I'd never heard of. She opened a box and unwrapped a protective cloth, to remove a most evocative, ornate black picture frame - with a black panel in the centre. This was a "black mirror", and the idea is to gaze into it - without staring - and see your face morph into something else. Or disappear entirely. So, the same as scrying, basically. I didn't try this - some others did, and all reported seing some kind of effect on their faces.
And so on to the eternally evocative St. Bart's, where we stood outside before entering the cemetery, as she said, to "practice". Dowsing rods, this time. And this was where it got interesting, with immediate activity as soon as people took the rods in their hands. Not one person tried it but got a strong response. Our guide sounded surprised by the amount of activity, apparently directed at the church rather than anywhere else.
The rods were still active in the cemetery, although people found it hard to get a coherent response. I ended up with an EMF meter, but they weren't picking up much here. When you think about it, as she later pointed out, we have much more energy than any supernatural beings - and if moving a light metal rod is that unusual, it's not hard to imagine that they lack energy.
We stopped at Pie Corner, and heard the tale of Scratching Fanny of Cock Lane - which the guide couldn't help giggling at. She stopped at the side of the road to tell us the "true" story of Sweeney Todd - I'm not convinced. And so, finally, back to The Viaduct - strangely, much quieter than on Thursday of last week! Where she left us to get a drink while she set up a Ouija board in the cellar.. by the time she got back, two ladies had only just finally decided on which gin they were having from the extensive menu, so we ended up waiting a while for them to finish them.
So I got into the famous cellar of The Viaduct at last! I've heard so much about it. The entrance is through a door marked "Staff Only", and down a perilous flight of stairs to a freezing room full of kegs, connected to the taps upstairs. Boards on the walls have ghostly quotes, and there are testimonials from ghost hunting groups. Unfortunately, the dark side rooms where the ghost tour go are teeny - thank goodness there weren't many people on the walk!
The Ouija board was set up on a shelf in one of these, two EMF readers and a white light source beside it. Otherwise, it was pitch dark. She began by passing the white light around all of us, creating, as she said, a "white circle of protection". Ouija, they say, is dangerous, as it invites the spirit world to communicate with ours in the most direct way possible; as she moved the light, she invoked the spirits there to respect us, as we would respect them, and appealed to them not to follow any of us from that place.
I had a go, but we got nothing - despite huge spikes from the EMF readers. When she tried herself, with one other, she finally asked whether the spirit wanted us to go. At which point the planchette moved to "GOODBYE". In other words, the cellar ghost - who has a reputation for grumpiness - was telling us politely to sod off. So we did, after another protective light circle.
I seriously loved this tour, and would highly recommend it. (Hey, and no coughing fit!) Tomorrow, I'm off on my own to see A Small Place, at the Gate.
On Sunday, back at last to Winter Wonderland! That evening, I'm off to Cirque Berserk - an annual tradition for me. The latest show is the cheapest, so that's the one I booked.
On Wednesday, I was with Walking in London again for the Haunted London Pub Tour (also LGT). But we've now arranged our team night out for that night.
ON Thursday, I'm back with UITCS at the National for Hadestown. Then back to Ireland again for the weekend.
On the 4th, I'm off to the Bush, for Drip.
On the 6th, Hazel of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts, London Guided Walks (and, indeed, Walking in London) has a Christmas Carol Tour. Now, the last two events I booked with her turned out to be no-shows.. the first might not have been her fault, as she was advertising someone else's event, but the second, she just missed the ball on and left three of us standing on a street corner. Whether this event happens is anyone's guess! Now, it's technically more expensive if you book on Funzing - but if you have my discount ;-) it comes down to the same price she charges on her own site, without the booking fee! So I did it that way. But then Henning, with the London European Club, advertised a Happy Xmaths evening at Imperial College, the same night! Festive fun for maths geeks. Plus it's free - you just have to register with Eventbrite. I thought it'd be great to get back with this group. And since I booked the walk with Funzing, I've cancelled and will get a full refund. And I feel no sadness at missing an evening with Hazel, after what's been happening. But gee, this evening is proving to be one of the more popular- now a colleague has booked it for his leaving do. So I'm now going to that instead. Nibbles arranged at The Enterprise.
The 12th is our office Christmas party, but Let's Do This has now advertised a Christmas dinner- which sounds a more attractive prospect. So I'm doing that instead. Places filled up quickly with regulars.
On the 13th, I'm thrilled to be going to Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, at Sadler's Wells, with UITCS. He's a fantastic choreographer, but I've never before gotten around to seeing this all-male version. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
And on the 17th, the Crick Crack Club is performing Gilgamesh, at Soho Theatre. With Ben Haggerty in the spotlight, this will be a treat! Sold out, of course - you have to book these things early. Meeting Helen for a meal beforehand.
