Film: Barber

Back to Ireland for the weekend. And a much nicer journey than normal, what with (a) the plane going from a gate numbered under 40, so we could get the transit there, rather than spend all evening galloping through the airport, and (b) the plane being a Lauda, rather than Ryanair's own, which meant more comfortable, leather seats and decent aircon! No wonder I slept for half the journey..

Interesting anecdote - the seats beside me were occupied by a young black couple, and when we got off, he was bouncing around the place, taking selfies.. another man asked her what the story was, and she explained that, while she'd been before, with a youth group or something, it was his first time.. in fact, it had taken five weeks to get a visa for him, just to come for the weekend! Blasted red tape - well, I hope he's enjoying it! despite the weather..

Checking films for the weekend - and what I might actually enjoy, and was on as a matinée - I came up with Barber, an Irish PI thriller, starring Aidan Gillen as the PI, with, of all people, Liam Carney as the cop in charge! Jeez, it was going to be hard for me not to think of him as the lothario building developer in Fair City! This is showing in the Omniplex, so I booked, which was handier.

Identified some extremely cheap petrol en route - it really does seem to be coming down in price! which is nice. I got some on the way back. Anyway, I wanted a snack - unfortunately, got behind a family that wanted the works, so it took a little time. And by the time I got to the screen, of course, the lights were down - again! Great - I managed to feel my way to my seat though, which I'd chosen for its proximity to the door.

Well, first off, I had great fun people-spotting! In common with most films made in Ireland, this is jam-packed with people you'd kind of recognise, even if you couldn't remember their actual names. For a start, Liam Carney isn't the only Fair City alumnus in this - Barber's and his ex-wife's daughter is Aisling Kearns, who on Fair City used to play Maria, a mild-mannered accountant from the country, who nonetheless took a blunt instrument to an intruder in one episode. She fled Dublin when she discovered that her boyfriend had lied to her. Took me a while to place her - she's blonde in this. Mind you, I did wonder about her accent, which is indeed from the country - assuming she's supposed to have been raised in Dublin, in this film. Also, the woman who hires Barber to find her missing granddaughter is Deirdre Donnelly, who plays Jacinta in Fair City - what you might call a right wagon, who causes her adoptive son nothing but trouble. She's much nicer in this. Apart from the Fair City crew, I recognised Gary Lydon, who plays Barber's police contact, David Herlihy, who is the missing girl's stepfather - and, of all people, Steve Wall, who plays an ex-colleague of Barber's on the police force, but whom I know better as the lead singer of The Stunning! Huh, I never knew he'd turned to acting! Weird that he gets such high billing though, given that he's only in one scene..

Well, this really made me nostalgic for Dublin, where I spent a few years as a Master's student at UCD. Ah, the buses, the grey skies.. Obviously, Barber does well in his profession to be able to afford a swish apartment overlooking the river! Well, €50 per hour plus expenses isn't bad. So, this is a film noir - and not a bad one at all. Not terribly original, but the characters are well-drawn, and the cast is good. It's handy that he has a Lithuanian assistant, to whom he occasionally has to explain plot points, so we can listen in and keep up. And wow, they did make an effort to be topical - it's set just post-pandemic, when people still often wore masks, and when it was actually filmed. The masks make a handy disguise in a film like this - and I find it ironic that, early in the film, we see Barber taking surveillance photos of someone who has a mask on..! Further to this, we also hear about the Me Too movement, plenty about gay rights, and Barber's daughter keeps him clued-in about social media. The story is engaging, and the whole is enjoyable. Recommended, if you come across it.

Well, from last week with no Meetups to this week with nothing else! On Monday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for The Secret Life of Bees, at the Almeida - no seats left in the stalls, when I booked! Seatplan made me wary of the cheapest seats, so I'm in the next bracket up..

On Tuesday, 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. Five of us going so far..

On Wednesday, I was thinking film again - finally got the film list (partially) done, and couldn't see anything better coming up than what's advertised by The London Movie Club and The Hideout: Horror Sci-Fi Club London! both of which I'm a member of. And both of which, it transpires, are run by the same people! So I've signed up with the Hideout. Specifically, what's happening is Alien Day - a special double bill of the classic, Alien, and its sequel, Aliens, at the BFI Imax! See, the first planet where the aliens land is named LV-426.. So, you know, 26th of the 4th.. Now, I've never even been to the Imax, so this'll be interesting! Also good to meet these folks again - apparently, there'll be a break between films as well, when we can have a chat.

And on Thursday, Helen's in town for a conference - we're meeting for dinner at Colosseo, before I head off to join UITCS again, for The Good Person of Szechwan, by Brecht, at the Lyric Hammersmith! 

Film: The Fabelmans

Well, back to Ireland for the weekend again. Interestingly, no scrum for the airport bus this week - it was very relaxed, in comparison to last time! Very relaxed driver too, considering he made us load our own luggage.. pity his driving wasn't as relaxed. What with the constant acceleration and braking, and a stuffy, over-warm bus, I felt a bit ill by the time we got there.

Anyway, I was in plenty of time to grab a sandwich at Pret. And we were boarded in due course, sat on the plane and waited. And then - it got interesting. A member of cabin crew asked could we please dig out our boarding passes again.. turned out that the computer that records your details as you scan your boarding pass as you board - wasn't working. So our details hadn't been recorded. And, I kid you not, a guy came on with a pen and paper, and wrote down all our details. And then off he went to enter those on the computer. And then we had to wait for them to get that computer working again, so they could board the rest of the plane - I'd thought it looked a bit empty! To top it all off, when we landed, someone was parked in our spot.. so the journey took a bit longer than it should have..

Film for the weekend was The Fabelmans (Oscar-nominated for Best Picture), in Ennis - an autobiographical tale from Stephen Spielberg, about how he got into filmmaking. Stars Michelle Williams (Oscar-nominated for Best Actress) as his mother, Paul Dano as his father, Judd Hirsch as his great-uncle, who spent his lifetime in the circus and drops by, following his grandmother's death, for a single, Oscar-nominated (Best Supporting Actor) scene,.and Seth Rogen as a friend of the family. Oh, and real-life director, David Lynch, as the legendary director, John Ford, whom Spielberg meets briefly, in one of the most spellbinding scenes of the film. Directed (with another Oscar nomination), co-produced, and co-written, by Steven Spielberg. Naturally.

An Evening Standard review said it best - this is pure.. magic. No more than expected, from the master magician of movies. All the characters are lovable, and despite the long running time, I didn't find it dragged at all. It's fascinating to watch as he learns his craft - and just near the end, as he's about to start making history, a couple of great scenes top it off.

First up is the scene after he plays the film he shot of the school's day at the beach, which he shows at the prom. He's been bullied a lot at school for being Jewish, but he makes one of the bullies the star, depicting him as a hero, winning the footrace. Afterwards, this guy seeks him out for an explanation. While they're talking, another bully appears - he didn't come across so well, and wants his revenge. Well, the first guy sees him off - then warns Fabelman (Spielberg) never to tell anyone about this. "Oh, I won't!" he reassures him. "Well, unless I put it in a film." Seeing the other guy's wary look, he hastily adds, "Which I never will!" Yeah, well, he did wait a while, huh..? ;-)

The other scene that stuck out to me was his chance meeting with legendary director, John Ford, who gruffly gives him a few minutes and a nugget of advice. Right at the end of the film, just as he's starting his career. And having watched years and years of his movies.. all I can say in response is, "Wow." This is like being there at the start. Just "Wow".

Back to London tonight, and tomorrow, I'm heading with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) to Noises Off, starring Felicity Kendal, at the Phoenix. Again, cheapest tickets from Official London Theatre (OLT).

On Tuesday, 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 (in song) of Sylvia Pankhurst, and stars the excellent Beverley Knight. Completely sold out - this was my only way to get a ticket!

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

On Friday, 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! Meeting my sometime dinner companion beforehand, down the road at Olivelli.

On Saturday, 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! Indeed, that evening might be the time to meet Ivan - and our coworker, if he's recovered, by then, from the jetlag he'll suffer from the trip to India he's currently on!

Next Sunday, nothing on Meetup appealed massively - I thought 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'd 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.. which I finally have, now that Free Stuff and Free Events has advertised a blues concert at the Earl of Chatham, Woolwich. It's a way out, is all - but then, it's free, if I want to cancel.

On the 6th, my first actual event with the Over 40s. 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.

Restaurant: An Teach China

Well, I flew back to Ireland today. Amazingly, considering the appalling treatment we got - and I don't know whether to blame Stansted or Ryanair. At the airport, several announcements were made to the effect that the Ryanair app shouldn't be trusted! Later, these were amended to be more specific - apparently, it had incorrectly said that some were cancelled. However, the gate number given was correct - and hallelujah, for once it was accessible by the transit! as opposed to the slog through the airport I normally have.

Yep, and then there was a massive queue at the gate. And then, we had a situation at the bottom of the escalator that was actually dangerous, where people kept being sent down, but the door we were supposed to access was closed, and there was nowhere to go. Which was dangerous. No recognition of that by staff, though, no control. When I made my way through, I ended up in the Tunnel of Doom - where we were stuck in stifling conditions for 40 minutes, all crammed in together. No bus to take us to the plane - because, not that there were any announcements to tell us, but on the plane afterwards, made on a virtually incomprehensible tannoy, we were told (I think) that the plane coming over had something wrong with it and had to be changed, which was the cause of the delay. So there had been no plane to put us on. Yeah, back to cattle class with Ryanair at Stansted.

Oh, and for almost the whole flight, I had a kid kicking my seat. Arriving at last (an hour late), I headed for a takeaway at An Teach China. Decided to have something different - sorry I did. "Crispy General Chicken" is reminiscent of my favourite dish, but they just don't do it very well, and I don't think I'll have it again. Not very tasty. Also seems to be less food in it than in my regular fillet beef szechuan. Well, nothing ventured..

Now, the cinema listings are finally out for Ireland for the next week. Four films I might be interested in, and only one showing in the Omniplex in the afternoon. So I've booked that one for Sunday - it's The Lost City, and stars Channing Tatum, Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Radcliffe in another of those lost-city-in-the-jungle capers.

The other three only have afternoon showings in Ennis - so, it's there I'm bound. They charge for booking, so I haven't. I have six days in which to see them - watch this space as to when that'll be. In descending order of rating, they are:

The Northman, a Viking caper about a young prince whose father, the King, is murdered, so it falls to the lad to avenge him. Nicole Kidman is the Queen, and it also stars Alexander Skarsgård, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Björk.

Operation Mincemeat stars the ever-dependable Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, and Penelope Wilton in a comedy based on the true story of how, during WWII, they put the Nazis off the scent by handcuffing a case of fake "secret" papers to a corpse, and letting it be found. They've made a play about this too, you know!

Finally, Morbius is another of those superhero things - an antihero, rather. Jared Leto is the hapless biochemist who accidentally turns himself into a vampire - with all the powers that entails. Also stars Michael Keaton.

Well, my friend got back to me - they're away in the middle of next week, back on the 21st, so the most sensible thing to do seemed to be to visit on the 22nd, which I've now arranged with her. Happily, my boss was also fine with me taking that week as holiday. Anyway, I'll fly back to London on the 24th. And on the 25th, I'm off to The Corn is Green, at the National.

Film: A Brighter Summer Day

Back to London now - unfortunately, the Stansted Express was out of action coming back (same thing is happening next time I fly, I think they're doing repairs). Happily, these outages are well-advertised, and I knew I'd be coming with the National Express, as I've done many times before. Unhappily, they seem to have removed the ticket machines from Arrivals! (I should have bought my ticket in Baggage Reclaim.) Anyway, I ended up buying it in the queue - sadly, I'd just missed a bus, but was well up in the queue for the next, which arrived 10 minutes later and departed promptly on schedule, 10 minutes after that!

They are very comfy - and I was glad of the USB charge point, conveniently located in the back of the seat in front of me; my phone needed a boost. And it's important not to let it down these days - the on/off button has come off, so if it dies, I can't restart it! (I've ordered a new one.) Anyway, albeit the journey took slightly longer than the Stansted Express would have, I can't otherwise fault the trip - the driver deserves a special mention for his conscientiousness in making sure that nobody missed their stop. Unfailingly polite, and a credit to the service.

Film again last night - this one was A Brighter Summer Day, a Taiwanese film set in the early 60s, a coming-of-age drama mixed with gang warfare. Something of a marathon, but was supposed to be good - showing at the Prince Charles. Two and a half years since I was there last.. and for once, it was mostly sold out, so I booked!

I headed off in good time, after a packed day of an intensive job interview and two work meetings (both of which required my contribution), and arrived early - to find a couple of guys waiting outside. I then spied a little sign indicating that this was where you should queue for the downstairs cinema - the one I was going to. So I checked with one, and yes, this was the queue. So - I queued. While we were waiting, a Big Issue seller came to ply his wares - he got chatting with the guy at the head of the queue, who told him yes, we were queueing. For a four-hour film. Well, that intrigued him..

About 15 minutes before start time, someone checked our Covid status, and we were let in shortly after. As we discovered in a pre-film announcement, the air is filtered at least eight times per hour, through medical-grade filters that remove the pathogens. Someone went to the lobby bar, but happily there's one downstairs as well. A long film demands a picnic - I got chocolates, and then thought I'd ask about wine, since the interview had gone well. Yes, he said, we have red wine, indicating various bottles - you don't have white, I asked? Oh yes, we have that as well. So I got a small bottle. Which was damn hard to open, mind.. but I managed, and was well fed.

Which was just as well, because, as I say, this is a marathon. It's based on the true story of a teenage lad, with a promising future, who finds it destroyed by gang warfare and its effect on him. The characters are engaging, and the film as a whole presents itself as a kind of passage through childhood, the lazy, hazy days of summer, having to navigate school and parental pressure, as well as the excitement of first love.. oh, and the odd bit of violence, or pretence at violence, when the gangs run into each other. The title, BTW, comes from the song Lonesome Tonight, which one character is convinced contains that phrase. Elvis is popular in this, and is often to be heard playing.

The characters are engaging, and we all remember those endless childhood days, when you're planning for a future, but have no idea what form it'll take. And sure enough, we cannot predict how this film is going to go. So, it's entertaining - if not exactly emotionally engaging. But Lordy, it's so, so long.. they really do tell the whole story, and maybe you need it for context, but this would have been better as a miniseries! Three quarters of the way through, I remembered I hadn't updated my mother's Tesco order, which I needed to go before I got home - so I nipped out into the hall, where, thankfully, there was great reception. Don't think I missed much - there are a few scenes that you shouldn't miss, but over the whole runtime, the chance of running into them is slim! I wouldn't recommend seeing this in the cinema.. but it is a good film.

On the bus back, the lady in front of me bopped away continuously to music I couldn't hear (she had headphones in). Unusual.. I can usually hear through other people's headphones! Anyway, it was entertaining. With all the booking ahead I did afterwards, and given the late finish time, there just wasn't time to blog.

Tonight, film again - all Meetups seem to happen on the same day! (and not today). (Joint) top of the list - and the most interesting of the three there - is Boiling Point, if I exclude all the films that are starting a bit too early. This sounds interesting (and, thankfully, quite a bit shorter than last night) - it's the story of the busiest night of the year (around Christmas, of course) in a restaurant. Shot in a single take - apparently the third of four they tried. They would have had a few more goes, but decided it was safer not, because of Covid. Seems they've made something quite intense! Showing in the Curzon Bloomsbury.

Tomorrow.. hmm. Well, I was supposed to go on another Invigorate pub crawl. Until I got the shock yesterday of being notified that I had been removed from the group! and when I tried to ask the organiser what was going on, I discovered he'd blocked me. Well now, and I've known that guy for years. Goes to show, you never do know with people.. whatever his reason for removing me (probably because I don't tend to go on hikes), it seems terribly cowardly to block me on the message system as well! Never mind, Wednesdays are the most popular weekday for Meetups, and I can always find something else - indeed, instead, I'm delighted to be headed with London Classical Music and Theatre Group (LCMTG) to a London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) concert at the Royal Festival Hall! Nice, cheap tickets available - as usual - with TAC, who send you a promo code to book on the LPO website. So, bye-bye Invigorate - I'll miss this group, it was one of my friendliest, but if the organiser is going to behave like that..!

On Thursday, back with the LCMTG for a concert by the 23 String Orchestra at Cadogan Hall. This had cheap ticket offers too, but I booked too late - hey, it's been hectic!

On Friday, I've pencilled in to meet my ex-coworkers again - Ivan isn't sure whether he can make it, he's to let us know.

On Saturday, back with Cultureseekers - for the first time in person! They're off to the Cinema Museum - apparently only group visits are allowed, these days, and it only reopens the day before. They also have a talk organised. With a choice of two times, I have - of course - chosen the later one! Cash on the day - I'll have to get some.

On Sunday, ooh - London European Club is at a storytelling event in King's Place! Not Crick Crack this time - this appears to be an independent event, a telling of The Little Prince, with piano accompaniment. Sounds lovely!

On Monday, Surrey History Meetup has another Zoom meeting - this one is on Canal History and Heritage.

Next Tuesday, my first in-person Meetup with 45+ not Grumpy Old Londoners - a guided walk with Laurence Summers! This is the Feisty Fitzrovia pub tour - and since I used to live there, I can hardly refuse! Another pay-on-the-day, damnit.

And on the 26th - would you believe, my first Meetup of the year with Up in the Cheap Seats! Well, they're going to see Magic Goes Wrong, which I've been dying to see - again, I could hardly refuse! Yet again, I missed out on cheap tickets - ended up in the Gods, but at the end of a row, and the view should be OK. The Apollo Theatre, tickets now cheapest on the official website. The ticket was a nightmare to book, mind - when I tried to add my payment details, it gave me an error! Failing to get a response from the box office, I tried the workaround of adding the payment details to my account and checking out again, which worked.

Concert: Talent Unlimited

Thursday was the birthday of someone I used to know from Kensington Classical Music Society. Well, she also works for Talent Unlimited, who promote young classical musicians, and there was a concert that day, at St. James' Church Sussex Gardens (tickets through Eventbrite). She got in touch to see whether I'd be interested, so I said I'd go.

That far over meant I had to get the Tube - and despite getting an earlier one than Google Maps said I needed, I was still confused when I came out (never having been there before), and only just made the concert in time! Phew, so many roads to cross. Anyway, they took my name rather than needing to see the ticket, and there she was, just at the desk! where she kindly gifted me a pen with built-in sanitiser. We could sit wherever we liked, so I did. I figured, with the front seats mostly occupied, my best bet was to go to the side:

Excellence was expected - and delivered. And as well as Mozart & Haydn, we got a couple of modern pieces - whose composers were also present, as young beneficiaries of Talent Unlimited. We had got free programmes on the way in - unfortunately, I don't currently have mine to hand, and apologies but I can't remember the details! I will say this, though - I don't normally like modern "classical" compositions, but these were excellent - in particular the first, for piano. Apart from the unfortunately thin upholstery on my seat, I have to say, the concert was most enjoyable.

Afterwards, we headed to the Royal Lancaster Hotel, where she had organised a small reception:

Never been here before. Lots of marble, was my first impression. Now, I hear tell it's expensive - but I wouldn't know from experience, as we never had to put our hands in our pockets! She had pre-arranged everything - bottles of red and white wine, five different kinds of canapés - and as the culmination of the evening's activities, a chocolate birthday cake topped with a sparkler! and little bags of goodies for us all. Really, she's far too good - and it's amazing that we figured out it's been eight years since we met! It was a lovely evening, in good company - just a pity I had to duck out early to ring my mother, and of course my reception is always rubbish in West London, so just inside the front door was the best I could manage..

Sorry, it was too late to blog that night - and yesterday was seriously busy! My penny-pinching company consistently refuses to hire another writer, which means I'm severely overworked (don't worry, I do intend to find another job), and - by dint of refusing point blank to do what they considered urgent - I made the train with seconds to spare! Which was just as well, considering the hell I entered in Stansted. Truly the worst European airport I've ever been in. At least I managed to bypass the horrendous queue at the escalator - if you head towards the front of the train (on the right as you head in that direction), you come across the lift. Where not only was there no queue, but neither was there a ticket check - and the guy who beat me to it was kind enough to hold the lift for me. Saved myself at least 15 minutes there.

At the security gates, the congestion was so bad that the lady directed us all to the side - which might have done some good, but it's hard to be sure. Again, only seven of the 22 gates were open - why do they even have 22 gates, most of which are never used?!  I set off no alarms, neither did my bags, and it still took me 40 minutes to get through security. At least the gate change was to a closer gate.. Mind you, it was fun when we got there, what with the contradictory signs telling us which side to be on!

Anyway, I see the Christmas spirit has taken hold, back in Ireland..

By 'eck, I slept deeply last night. Now back in Ireland for the weekend.A quiet one - theatres are still closed here, and the only things worth making the trip to the cinema for are on in the evening! when I have to watch telly with my mother.

On Monday, my last Meetup of the year.. same group as my last before the major lockdown, which I hope isn't an omen! Mind you, they were called "This and That", then. And practically my first group when I eventually came back! Anyway, Invigorate are off to Dennis Severs' House Museum, which should be lovely, all bedecked for Christmas. I got the last ticket for that time slot! Complete with post-event social, of course - now organised for The Grocer. All walking distance from me. Only problem is, with all the panic about Covid, every time he posts a message, I panic, thinking it's cancelled!

Now, we had a great old time on the 10th - so we're doing it again on Tuesday! Well, some of it.. I'm meeting up with an old colleague at The Spice of Life, which used to be an office haunt when we were with that company. Ivan would have come - but unfortunately, like many of his team, he's now tested positive. So that is that, I'm afraid - and he misses going back to his family for Christmas.

And on Wednesday, my last social event before Christmas - meeting my ex-boss from my first company in London for our annual hot chocolate and booze. Starting in Caffe Nero, we might well end up in The Hippodrome, as we did before. And why not - we're both on holiday next day, and (test permitting) I'm back to Ireland for Christmas that afternoon.. (highly expensive) Aer Lingus again, for the sake of the later flight. But thank goodness it's not Stansted. Flying back to London on the 3rd. Unless.. I'm not. So I'm taking my laptop to Ireland for Christmas. Just in case.

Talk: Dissolution of the Monasteries - Superstition, Scandal & Dodgy Dealing

So, I flew back to London last night. The weather's really turned cold, so I brought my warm coat, which has been in Ireland since March of last year (which did give me the chance to get it cleaned, as it sorely needed). And boy, was I glad I had, when we landed in Stansted and there was (ahem) ONLY ONE BUS to take us all from the nearly full plane to the terminal, as we had landed miles away, as usual, and at that time of night, that was our only option. Ah, the minutes we spent standing in the freezing cold breeze for another, which I thought must be like the initial experience of people exiled to Siberia. Particularly for the poor Ryanair employee who chaperoned us, and pointed out that he himself was only wearing a light suit, while pleading with us not to blame him, it wasn't his fault! Well no, it's the perpetual fault of the indifferent management of Stansted, who really do treat customers worse than cattle. As usual, a strong contender for Worst Airport in Europe.

Anyway, today, as mentioned previously, I was thinking of film again. What was coming up tops was Khel Khel Mein, a film about students learning the truth about Bangadesh's turbulent past. The ratings are crazy for this - starting at 8.1, within a day it had jumped to 8.3, and then stabilised at 9.1.. Closest showing is in the Vue Westfield Stratford City. Now, at Vue, it's cheaper to book online - but when I tried, their website was broken.

But then, yesterday, I got a last-minute reminder email from the Surrey History Meetup (SHM), for a Zoom talk this evening on Dissolution of the Monasteries - Superstition, Scandal & Dodgy Dealing. I hadn't seen it earlier, as it wasn't among the suggestions for "things to do near London". And I thought, you know what, that sounds more interesting to me. Not to mention that it was free, and I wouldn't have to travel for it - indeed, I'd be able to watch it in the office, and give a good impression by staying longer at my desk! And so I signed up for it - so it's a good thing that cinema website wasn't working.

Mind you, it wasn't the least complicated conference call I've ever done - turns out that the link provided was for registration, as I discovered when the organiser messaged me this morning to point out that I hadn't yet registered! which I promptly did. Then I had to forward the email I got following registration to my work email address - we can't access third-party email sites from our work computers any more - and when I clicked the link in that, in time for the talk.. I was asked for a passcode! Spent some anxious minutes thinking I hadn't got one, until I looked more closely at the email, and discovered a passcode in the subject line. I got in slightly late, but they didn't start for 10 minutes anyway. And I wasn't the only one with that problem - one woman spent 25 minutes looking for it, before posting a message on the event page. Just as well I was able to help her.

The talk was hosted by the Dorking Local History Group. Well apparently, this lady has given a few talks before, so they weren't so surprised that this one was well-attended, with over 50 participants. The event was advertised as running for two hours - but the talk itself was over in about 50 minutes, and there were about 15 minutes of questions before I logged off.

Not the best history talk I've ever attended, but it was interesting - and she made it fairly entertaining. She's from Yorkshire, but tried to make the talk as relevant as possible to Surrey - and I think she succeeded. Naturally - and despite sundry salubrious tales of debauchery on the part of clerics - the title relates more to the people responsible for the dissolutions, rather than the inhabitants of the religious houses that fell victim to them. With the devious Thomas Cromwell in charge, and assigned the task of dissolving as many as possible, charges were going to be invented, to enable institutions to be dissolved - their riches devolving to the spendthrift Henry VIII, their physical assets being snatched by rapacious local gentry. The clergy had to sign the Act of Supremacy, naming him supreme head of the Church of England, in order to secure a pension - the monks of London's Charterhouse, who refused, were starved to death en masse.

Lead was taken from the roofs, bells were melted down. Interesting anecdotes were included, such as how a local pond was dredged, and a pulpit recovered from the bottom - the clergy hid what they could, to avoid having to give it to Cromwell's agents. Or the stone from the building to be dissolved was used to repair the local church, this at least preserving the masonry for religious use. A few accounts of breweries whose origins lay with dissolved religious houses that had been used to brewing.. and yes, the dissolutions did help with the economy, as businesses that had been ringfenced by the clergy now went public. As well as breweries, think quarries - she used a Yorkshire example for that.

Questions were entered in the chat, and answered at the end. And we were given a Zoom survey, to which 81% responded with a "very good" or "excellent" rating. Great to have such a resource! And they saved me a journey tonight, to a film I was rather indifferent to.

Well, film tomorrow as well. So I checked that film's rating again - and would you credit it, it's now down to 8! meaning that we have a new contender. The Jump, only showing in the Curzon Bloomsbury, is a documentary about a Lithuanian sailor, back in the days of the Soviet Union, who chose to defect to the United States by jumping from his ship onto an American one. Didn't do him much good - they sent him back! but apparently the whole thing blew into a political storm. Sounds interesting - and saves me having to go to Stratford.. Not half sold out yet, so I'm keeping an eye on it.

Wednesday and Thursday, for the first time in a while, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats. On Wednesday, we're off to see The Drifters Girl, a musical about the female manager of The Drifters, played by Beverley Knight. Playing in the Garrick, and wouldn't you know, when I was checking it out, I saw a message from a member who couldn't go, and was willing to give away her ticket for free to the first person to get in touch. Well, it just goes to show, you can't even give tickets away - this was three days later, and I said I'd take the chance - sure enough, I was the first! It's a physical ticket, which she posted to me - now I just have to remember to take it with me! Not often, these days, I get a physical ticket. Oh, and yippee, Rear Stalls!

Looking forward to Thursday, when we're headed to Sadler's Wells for an Akram Khan production, the UK Premiere of Outwitting the Devil. Part of their Carnival of Shadows tour. And ooh, the first time I'll have been there since lockdown!

On Friday, back with one of my cheap ticket groups - TAC - for another concert at the Wimbledon Music Festival. This time, it's Yantra, an a cappella group, in the Trinity URC Church.

On Saturday, back with the SHM group - nominally - for yet another Zoom call. This time, it focuses on SHERF 2021 - a day-long conference based on the work of the Surrey Historic Environment Research Framework, and specifically on church archaeology. As promoted by the Surrey Archaeological Society.

And on Sunday, back with London European Club - we're off to Immigrant Comedy (standup comedy in English) at the Camden Comedy Club. Tickets from Eventbrite.. two shows, we're going to the later one.

Film: The French Dispatch

Yesterday, I flew back to Ireland for the weekend - it's easier to get Friday flights at the moment! But ay, what a journey. As usual, the bulk of the day's work hit in the evening, so I was rushing to get everything I wanted done before I left - then scurried back home, threw my things together, and made it to the station in time for the Stansted Express at 5.10 - they're every half-hour, and I figured the 5.40 wouldn't get me there in time. I'd checked earlier in the afternoon, and those were the minutes past the hour that they were going at - indeed, that they had gone at before. Imagine, then, my frustration when I got there, and discovered that the next train wasn't until 5.24..

Well, at least it had just arrived, so I could make my way straight on - squeezing past the horde of people that had just got off. And I got a seat and settled in for quite a pleasant journey - despite the iffy WiFi. The next problem was when we got to the airport, and were faced with a sea of people queueing for the escalators to the terminal. Moving very, very slowly - because their tickets were being checked, and there were only two staff members checking. We could see how slowly they were going from the slow trickle of people actually making it onto the escalators! I know it's a bottleneck there, but surely they can come up with a better system. As someone standing near me remarked, "outrageous!".

10 minutes then to get out of the train station, and I made it to the security check by 6.30. Which has to be the location of the most scathing indictment of the complete mismanagement of Stansted Airport. 22 security gates - 7 of which were open. Yes, you read that right - 15 were closed. On a Friday evening, five weeks before Christmas, with the airport choc-a-bloc with passengers. The queues were as bad as I've seen them, staff screaming at passengers who were going the wrong way, thinking to save time. And when we finally did get through and went through screening - yes, of course I was picked for the modern style of check, which I always set off. So, despite having nothing about my person that should set off the machinery, set it off I did, and had to take off my shoes and have them scanned separately, then get my (empty) pockets scanned and patted down. I never have this trouble in other airports, you know - so Stansted has both a staffing and an equipment failure.

20 minutes, then, to get through security - it was now 6.50, and my flight was at 7.25. I already had my gate number, thanks to the very efficient Ryanair Travel Assistant. Pity they couldn't move the flight to a closer gate though - this one was right near the back! Well, off I plodded, already weary from security - along the snaking path that leads through what must be one of the longest duty-free areas in the world, through the overcrowded departure lounge, and straight onto the long trudge to the gate. At least I was nearly at the end of this journey when the final call was announced. And I was glad that a couple arrived at the gate just in front of me - made me feel less isolated.

As it was, I was literally the last person onto the plane - I was worried about having to push past others to take my seat (I had a window seat), but would you believe it, the two people booked outside of me never arrived at all. In fact, an announcement was made on the plane, looking for them! Once I stopped panting, from my frantic dash through the airport, I noticed that - as usual - I was getting practically no air from the vent. At least I could also use the one from the seat beside me, which improved things a bit! And maybe it was that one of the attendants noticed me fanning myself with my phone, but once the doors were closed, the air supply increased enormously.

Made it back safely. Phew. Well, I spent a very great amount of time last night checking the London film list for Monday, which only renews on Fridays now. Then I had to get up in time for Tulla post office, which closes at 1pm on Saturdays, and where I pick up my mother's pension. So of course, I missed out on sleep. It's easier to choose for Ireland though, there's far less of a choice. I've gotten into the habit of going to films when I'm in Ireland, so looked for one for today - and if it's Limerick Omniplex, they do like you to book, and they don't have a booking fee. Now, I was thinking of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. But you know something, I was dubious that it just wouldn't live up to the original, which I loved - and having watched a review, I think I'm right. (I recommend starting watching the review at about 54 seconds, to avoid the annoying product ad.) Anyway, the gist of this review is that the director of the new movie is the son of the director of the original, and the new film keeps referencing the old film, rather than standing alone. From my perspective, although it has Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver in it from the original, this new film is a coming-of-age, teen adventure, and I'd miss the wisecracks that so defined the original. So I'm skipping it.

Instead - and before it leaves the local cinemas for good - I booked for The French Dispatch. Also starring Bill Murray, this is an ensemble piece, with Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Owen Wilson, Henry Winkler, Lois Smith, Christoph Waltz, Liev Schreiber, Mathieu Amalric, Willem Dafoe, and Edward Norton.. it's set around a newspaper, with Bill Murray as editor, and looked fabulous. Written and directed by Wes Anderson, and I was looking forward to it..

Left a little early, remembering the traffic from the last time! Well gee, but it was worse this time.. too many roadworks on the main street, and it took me ages to get through the centre. I was 15 minutes late by the time I arrived at the cinema - where, at least, there was parking. And wouldn't you know it, what with the Covid scare, security has been increased here, and - to my intense annoyance, especially after yesterday's delays - I was asked, at the door, for ID, and for my vaccination cert. Found them, and got my ticket scanned at the desk - just as well I photographed the QR code from the website after I'd booked, because the image never did display on the email they sent!

So, there I was, rushing again - and yes, it had started by the time I went in; they seem to show far fewer ads these days. I'd have booked an earlier showing, and avoided the traffic, but they didn't have one. Well, this film kind of takes the form of the retelling of different stories, featuring different selections of characters. Unfortunately, I just about missed Bill Murray's - but as I say, at least I knew he was the editor. I gathered that this "French Dispatch" is a kind of supplement to a newspaper based in Kansas, and that the staff inhabit a town by the name of Ennui (boredom), lying on the banks of the river Blasé. (In real life, this was apparently shot in Angouleme, and it looks lovely.)

Ah, I'm sorry I missed the start - I was dead right about this, I absolutely loved it, and found it hilarious! It was nice, too, to hear the giggles of an audience member in the row behind me - I wasn't the only one who appreciated it. I got to see four individual stories, based around journalists on the newspaper. The first is a story written by the "cycling journalist", Owen Wilson - a fun observation of the town, with little vignettes that are gems, but flash by so quickly you might miss them. Like his observation that the town has many cats - we see him having climbed a ladder to roof level, where he is met by dozens of cats, all scattered around the surrounding rooftops..

The other stories are longer and more involved. Story #2 is written by Tilda Swinton, the Arts correspondent, who has written a piece about the violent, convicted killer - and notable artist - Benicio del Toro. He found as his muse a prison guard - Léa Seydoux - and started painting again, as he had in his youth. His talent was noted by a fellow inmate - and art critic - Adrien Brody, who negotiated to promote his work. Henry Winkler is unrecognisable as one of his uncles, who run the family art business with him. Lois Smith plays an elderly and wealthy art investor. And woah, this story is an absolute triumph - possibly my favourite of them all, with Benicio del Toro as the intense and silent, tortured genius. Watch for the scene where he and Adrien Brody have an argument.. Benicio del Toro is in a wheelchair as a result of frustratedly stabbing himself with a palette knife, and ends up chasing Adrien Brody around in it. Pure gold.

Story #3 belongs to Frances McDormand (the only main female character in the film - apart from Lois Smith - who doesn't appear topless - at least - at some point), and is the story of student riots, which take place in the form of chess matches. Christoph Waltz is set up on a blind date with Frances McDormand by mutual friends - but she's much more interested in their son, Timothée Chalamet. Who also turns out to be a leader of the student protests.

And finally, we have a story, related to talk show host Liev Schreiber by the Cookery correspondent, who deviates from the food to mention the plot to capture the Police Commissioner's (Mathieu Amalric) son, as masterminded by master criminal Willem Dafoe, and executed by Edward Norton - the guitar-playing chauffeur.

Eclectic enough for you yet? It's a mad collection of tales, told with completely deadpan, quirky humour. Much of it was apparently inspired by real-life characters, and it's a real love letter to the writers. It's telling when so many big name actors are happy to take cameo roles in a film, as they do here. I adored it, highly recommend it - if you like the trailer, you will love it, no question.

Right, well, I'm back to London tomorrow, and as I mentioned, I'm thinking of film again. What's coming up tops is Khel Khel Mein, a film about students learning the truth about Bangadesh's turbulent past. The ratings are going crazy for this - starting at 8.1, within a day it had jumped to 8.3, and is now stable at 9.1.. Closest showing is in the Vue Westfield Stratford City. Now, at Vue, it's cheaper to book online - but their website seems to be broken.

Concert: The Lucky Dog Jazz Trio

I was back to Ireland for the weekend again. Let's start there, and with my first major flight delay of the year - categorised as one where I'm too late to catch the Stansted Express. Caused by the weather this time, apparently. So, bus it was - I bought my National Express ticket from a machine, as usual (£3 cheaper than buying it from a person!), but did pass the Airport Express desk on the way out. They also go to Liverpool Street, and are cheaper.. but I've never seen where they go from, and didn't know the timetable, so I passed, in favour of what I was familiar with. As usual, I wasn't in time to squeeze on the next bus out, and ended up on the 2am. Arrived home just after 3am - and blast it, after I'd slogged down from where my bus parked and rounded the corner, there was an Airport Express parked right outside my house! Jeez, next time I need a bus, I'll look at them more closely..

Anyway, I was pretty out of it today - but not so much that I had to change my plans. For tonight, I originally booked for This is Black, Double Bill 1. But gee, Civilised London (CL) then advertised another night at Wilton's - featuring, on this occasion, the Lucky Dog Jazz Trio. Now, that'd be a blast! So I booked for that, instead. And given Tuesday night's offering from This is Black, I was so glad about that..! Not only that, but the organisers later got in touch to explain that one of the plays for that program.. isn't actually audience-ready yet! (Amateur hour, I knew it.) Instead, they're organising a series of public readings, to gauge audience reactions. They invited people to get in touch if they wanted to change their bookings. Well now.. so I got in touch, and am getting a refund! Nice..

I'd have been a bit earlier, but grabbed a bite to eat before I left - and then got chatting to my boss about something, just as I was on the point of leaving. Still, I wasn't too late - and gee, when I went in, the bar was as empty as last time! And my group had the same table, near the music, as before - lovely. A nice chat ensued before the show. It wasn't until the show had started, however, that Mary became the first of us to notice that the atmospheric "Wilton's" sign to the rear had gone! Never fear - we asked; and people apparently like to use it for wedding photos, so with a wedding booked on the premises, they've moved it to that room. Temporarily.

They might not have dressed in period style (as per their promotional photo), but the music was of the 1920s - well, one from the 30s slipped in. Catchy throughout, with a couple of slow numbers - they might have suffered some confusion over what to play next (and where the sheet music and lyrics were), but the playing itself was top notch, and they have a terrific couple of singers. Apologies, I can't include videos, which don't embed properly.

Afterwards, a brief chat with the lead singer, and home - blissfully earlier than last night!

Tomorrow, back with Anthony's Cultural Events and Walking Activities Group - they're at a free outdoor concert in Canada Square Park, called the Magic of the Movies. Again, I'll be watching the weather - promised rain is no longer promised, but it could be cold.

Now, Up in the Cheap Seats is at Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet the same night, at Sadler's Wells - and I was gutted not to get a ticket. But guess what - I got one for the next night! Last seat in the house, in fact.. love Matthew Bourne. This is now sold out completely for the run, apparently.

On Thursday, back with The Embers Collective, who are performing Full Moon Stories at Cafe Cairo.

On Friday, I'm back with the Best Authentic Walking Tours in London (aka Funzing) - for the Sex, Drugs, Sausage Rolls Tour. Unusual for me to find a new walk!

On Saturday, going to see The Doctor, with Juliet Stevenson, at the Almeida. Now, I'd originally booked for this for Thursday, forgetting that The Embers Collective were meeting that day. Can happen when I'm booking lots of stuff. When I realised my mistake, I thought I just wouldn't bother with this - then saw that London Dramatic Arts are going on Saturday! So I switched my ticket to that night, and let them know I was coming too. Now, the organiser is selling tickets for this, and doesn't appreciate competition - or anyone advertising another way to get tickets. Which might be why she deleted the comment I left to explain that I'd be there that night too! I haven't had a message from her either - so I suppose she'll be ignoring me, then. Wouldn't be the first time.

On Sunday, going with CL to the Cartoon Museum - with optional dim sum afterwards. Yes please!

Next Monday, I'm finally going to see Evita, at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Never have seen it.

On the 20th, with the London European Club at the Globe - we're going to risk The Comedy of Errors.

And on the 21st, I'm seeing Showtune - an evening of Jerry Herman music - at the Union Theatre.

Restaurant: Coast to Coast

Currently back in Ireland for the Bank Holiday weekend. Of course, it did eventually occur to me on Friday, as I was due to fly, that given that I had no food in the fridge - why not head to the airport early and get something to eat there?! So that's what I did.

Turns out that Stansted is not very well served for eateries. If you want more than fast food or snacks, there are two choices - a bar that does burgers, or Coast to Coast, which does have a bar but also something approaching a proper restaurant. So I joined the queue there.

Service is as friendly as you'd expect from a place marketing itself as American - indeed, my server did sound American. It took hardly any time to seat me, and they promise your order will be taken in 15 minutes - I didn't time it, but it could have been. Appropriately for a restaurant that expects many of the clientele to be in a hurry, they don't do starters - I ordered the BBQ chicken melt, which is a favourite of mine, topped with bacon and cheese. Here, you can also have a slice of beef on top! I passed. They give some sides with it - garlic bread isn't one, so I ordered that separately. And a glass of sauvignon.

The garlic bread costs £6 - well worth it, given the size! An enormous slice of garlic pizza bread is served on a trencher. The chicken is a bit small, a couple of small slivers of bacon on top, smothered in sauce - you can choose BBQ, as I did, or a "special sauce". Comes with fries, slaw, and a couple of small onion rings - which turned out to be cold! As for the BBQ chicken melt - there was chicken and bacon, the sauce was delicious - but it wasn't until the very last bite that I detected any cheese, when the bacon sliver fell off and I could see a little smear of yellow. Not enough to taste it though.

So, tasty overall - but beware the onion rings, and I have had better BBQ chicken melt. The garlic bread was lovely. No dessert I fancied, so I treated myself to another wine. I also have to give another shout out to the waiting staff - the poor lady at the entrance had to deal with an (American-sounding) idiot, who breezed past her holding a pint: which he had obviously bought somewhere else! When challenged, he actually pulled out an id and asked whether she knew whom she was dealing with! First time I've seen something that stupid pulled in real life. It was handy that the guy at the head of the queue volunteered to explain to the idiot with the id the nature of the licensing laws, that don't allow you to take the drink off the premises..

On Tuesday, I'm treating myself to a trip back to the Globe! It's been so long. My mother - given my continuing garden leave - tried to get me to stay a few extra days, on no notice at all! but this was one of my main arguments against. Henry IV, Part I is the occasion. Hope the weather's warmed up a bit, or I might be renting one of their cosy blankets.. Funnily enough, the Globe thinks I've already been, and is offering me a special offer on Part II! I contacted them late last night to confirm that I can show the ticket on my phone - this morning, they got right back to me to reassure me that yes, I can, or get the ticket printed on the spot. Very helpful.

The next three days are all with Up in the Cheap Seats. On Wednesday, we're at the Royal Opera House for a mixed programme by the Royal Ballet.

On Thursday, we're back to Sadler's Wells for the opening night of Yang Liping's Rite of Spring.

And on Friday - for something completely different - we're off to the Park Theatre for The Last Temptation of Boris Johnson! Brexit, of course, should feature strongly..

On Saturday, mention was made on Monday of Ivan playing piano, at some bar or other. But as a venue wasn't specified, I doubt it'll happen..