Today, well, initially I was thinking of film again. But wouldn't you know it, that damn film, Outside the City, was still showing - today only, this week! It's a documentary about trappist monks, whose numbers are dwindling, and whose members are ageing, so they can no longer run the farm, and have taken to brewing beer instead. Yeah.. I'm sure it's very good, very interesting - but I'm not that enthused. I'm not even a beer drinker. Never mind, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) again came to the rescue - and so I went with them to an operatic treatment of Alice's Adventures Under Ground, at the Opera House! With a lot wanting lunch beforehand, we arranged to meet at Wagamama - they have large, communal tables.
I had no inkling of the effect of Storm Ciara until I went outside, heading to Wagamama - and heard the wind whistling through the skyscrapers. Felt the effect as I was crossing the road - I had to make a real effort to get to the middle, where I had to wait to let traffic pass, and in the meantime cling to the traffic light for stability. Damn cold wind too - it was a relief when the bus finally came; for some reason, Google Maps was recommending a combination of buses, but I knew the #11 would take me straight there. We were slightly delayed, mind, when our driver stopped to help another bus driver - the ad had half blown off his bus! He was asking our driver whether he'd seen the bit that had come loose, on his travels.. and now a section remained half attached, flapping around - and he couldn't drive along like that! Our driver spent some time unsuccessfully trying to pull it off, then gave up when the TFL emergency van arrived.
Alighting at Bedford Street, I was a two-minute walk from the restaurant, with half an hour to spare. Google Maps helpfully informed me that there was a Caffe Nero en route - so I headed in there. Was sorely tempted by the chocolate fudge cake - which I passed on, given that I was shortly to eat. Ordered my usual chocolate Milano, and was lucky enough to get a table by the window. And when I'd finished the chocolate Milano, I headed the short distance to the restaurant - to find that a couple of people had beaten me to it, and we had taken a table near the kitchen. Handy for watching the cooking, if you sat facing it as I did. Most of the people who'd fancied lunch didn't make it - sore throats, travel disruptions.. seven of us ate in the end.
I had chicken katsu curry, which was an improvement on last time - still, the lamb teriyaki that the person opposite me had looked very tempting, and I might try that if I'm back again. More complaints from today's group about the changed menu.. but by and large, we were decently fed. Now, for dessert, our Italian organiser had a couple of places in mind - but we'd have had to eat outside, and in this weather, that wasn't an option. So instead, we headed to the Opera House, and took a seat in the Paul Hamlyn Hall - it's a long time since I arrived here early enough before a show to be able to have a drink! which I did.
The theatre was packed for this final performance - lots of kids present. And I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did! The general consensus after the 55-minute show (without interval) was that we didn't like the discordant music, but yes, it was visually stunning. Completely anarchic, quite surreal (dancing cake, anyone?) - perfect for the subject matter, I thought. Sung in a mixture of languages - some real, some made-up - it belted along at a manic pace. Most of the action took place to the left of the stage, which was handy for me, as my view of the right was cut off. Yes, glad I came.
Afterwards, we headed out in search of dessert - but the lack of options and the awful weather defeated some, and only four of us were left - a convenient number! - to get a table at Paul. We took a table in the restaurant section - where I decided that this was as good a place as any to get an evening meal, so I had a moreish steak, with chips that had been sprinkled with something like cinnamon. Delish! Cake and coffees for the others, and we had a lovely chat before deciding it was time to depart.
Now, last night I was checking with The Embers Collective - and they had only just advertised some more shows. They'd said they were holding another performance of stories of Love, Lust and Betrayal tonight (for the week that's in it) but had only just advertised it. With the earlier show being a matinee - I decided I could make this! Tickets from Design My Night, as usual. It was this evening, in Dona: and I was doubly delighted this was on - I just heard about it at my last storytelling event - because it's showing again later on a date I'm already booked up for, and in Cafe Cairo: which, as mentioned before, is a terrible venue for storytelling. Happy to skip that.
So I headed off again - in lashing rain, now - and caught a bus up to Stoke Newington. Nearly fell asleep on the way. It dropped me across the road. Dona is easy to miss.. I'd walked past it, and turned to realise that it was just a doorway, decorated in red streamers. However, the doorman wouldn't let me in - said they were still rehearsing, and wouldn't be open till 7; I was 20 minutes too early. He directed me to the chipper next door.. hmm. Instead, I headed a few doors down, to Cafe Babel - where I ordered a hot chocolate and took the last free table. 10 minutes went by before I got it - by going back up and reminding the server, who'd completely forgotten me! Anyway, it was decent.
By the time I'd finished, it was about time to head back to Dona - and the doorman decided to let me in. A bag check was followed by a climb down a steep flight of stairs, and Lonan Jenkins scanned my ticket.
Ah now, this was an improvement on Cafe Cairo! More space, decent seating.. a very funky vibe, of course, as typical for The Embers Collective. I ordered a glass of wine at the bar - and the other server, who'd been dealing with another customer, jumped in with suggestions of what I could have. Laconically - I hardly guessed she was addressing me. Especially since I didn't recognise a word of what she was saying! The only one I had a hope of remembering was her last suggestion of pinot blanc - and since she said they were all the same price (before drifting off again, without making eye contact), that's what I had. And it was watery.
Well, I was one of the first there, so had a good choice of seats - mind you, most were hard wood, which was a little uncomfortable by the end of the night. Dotted around the walls were little round tables, each with two stools - which turned out to be bolted to the tables! So when someone tried to move a stool - the whole contraption came too. There were a couple of armchairs, some loose stools - reminding me of Sands Films, with its eclectic seating. Or you could sit on the floor - there were a few cushions. And the place was pretty full by the time the performance started, some time after 7.30..
This was also to be an improvement on the last show. Well, for a start, we didn't have nearly as much noise creeping in from outside. And there was guitar accompaniment throughout, which greatly added to the atmosphere. Lonan started us off, with a story of a lonely fisherman who snagged a strange catch, then ended up falling in love with it.. we had a storyteller I hadn't seen before, and whose name I hadn't a hope of catching amid the applause at the end - she told us a tale of a Welsh princess with a sad experience of love. And Sarah Liisa Wilkinson took us through to the interval, and finished her story after it - it was a long one, of the youngest son's quest for love and adventure. The guy who rounded off the night - with a Greek myth, followed by a tuneless rendition of a folk song - is someone I've seen before, but again, have no idea of the name. And try getting it during the applause!
An excellent show, and a soothing way to end the day. Highly recommended - this show is running again on the 20th - but as I say, it's in Cafe Cairo; you have been warned! Freezing cold wind when I went back outside - and on the way to catch my bus, I came across a free WiFi terminal! Now there's something I haven't seen before. That bus couldn't have come soon enough either - and I was glad to be home at last. The wind is still whistling outside, as I write.. Not looking forward to the walk to work tomorrow.
Yet again, I was to be glad I hadn't anything booked for tomorrow - Civilised London left it late enough, but I'm now going with them to another of those Monday jazz nights at Wilton's! This time, it's the Jim Hammond Duo.
On Tuesday, I tried to get the first meeting of the year going with that group from my last company. Had the idea while I was eating at the Amarcord Museum - I love to advertise good places to people, and this is one! But apart from a couple of people who made their excuses because they're on holiday abroad - and despite the invite having gone out before Christmas - the only taker is Ivan, with no-one else even bothering to respond. Dead in the water, that group, it seems. Well, their loss. We'll have a lovely meal, and then he's booked that recording studio again for later that night. And as they do a special deal for 10 hours.. it'll be an all-nighter! So I'm taking the next day off work.
On Wednesday evening, I signed up for my first ever event with The Roads Less Travelled: Ekzotic Adventures Travel Club. Not actually travelling, mind - this is a talk about Myanmar. Specifically about the rubies you can get there, but with plenty of other information about the country as well. Takes place in a room above The Iron Duke pub. Ah, but then.. (and I should have remembered this event, because I knew about it) London European Club (and the World Music Meetup) advertised a concert by a Kurdish artist (from the Turkish side) at the Finnish Church. So I'm going to that instead. Tickets from Tuned In London, as usual.
On Thursday, I'm back at Soho Theatre for Jen Brister's show, Under Privilege. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend - where I have to sneak a look at my mother's Eir contract. She just changed to a new package, I just got her first bill for it (we've gone paperless, so it gets emailed to me as she doesn't use her email account), and I swear they've overcharged her on the monthly package price. They messed up the email address when I was ordering over the phone, so I never got the confirmation email - will have to check the paper version she got to ensure that what she got was what I agreed on in the first place. No point in asking her to check - she won't know what to look for, and she'll only get hysterical.
And assuming I survive all of that (they are AWFUL to deal with, and I thought her previous internet provider, 3, was bad!), on the 17th I'm back with UITCS for The Haystack at Hampstead Theatre. Another group of them went on Friday night, and I'm hearing excellent reports..
Tonight, I was back with the London European Club (how appropriate that I should have them both before and after Brexit! completely coincidental on my part) for an organ concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Interestingly, late this afternoon our head of security informed us of an unexploded WWII bomb in Soho, of all places! Cheek of them, bombing Soho. Anyway, it was handy that I wasn't headed that way tonight - I often am. And tonight, of the several buses I could have chosen, all diverted before getting that far west.
Coming off Waterloo Bridge, I availed of the handy walkways to take me over to the Southbank Centre - these meant that I didn't have to go all the way to ground level and climb back up. I was the first there, apart from the organiser - had a glass of wine, and as we gathered, the conversation turned very musical - and was very entertaining. As our organiser remarked, an unusually good crowd for an organ concert on a Monday night!
How unusual for me to be in the front stalls, here - but then, I think there was uniform pricing for this:
And let me tell you, I was a tad intimidated by the size of this organ, up close! But never fear, I came away with my hearing intact. (That lonely-looking chap you can see, sat all the way up there on his own, is the page-turner, BTW.)
The performer duly appeared, and made his way all the way up the steps to swing himself over the bench in front of the business end of the organ. It was fascinating to see how his whole body seemed engaged, both arms and legs moving constantly, as he sat with his back to us. His feet seemed to be controlling the stops - pardon my ignorance.
I wasn't familiar with a single piece in the repertoire, but am delighted to say that I loved it all! with the exception of the very first piece. Composed in 1891, Variations on America is a series, as the name implies, of variations on a piece called America - which was America's de facto national anthem at the time. Same melody as the British national anthem - which would have caused some confusion..
Well, once that was over, I could enjoy myself. The organ remained bathed in blue light throughout, and it was intriguing to see the massive valves open and close. And all that organ music reminded me of church.. we'd agreed beforehand that it'd be a treat to see this organ finally played, because, for all the times we'd been here, we'd never before seen it in action. Tonight, it got an airing - and the music was sublime, the sound of the organ magnificent. And towards the end, all the stops were, literally, pulled out, and we got a sense of the instrument's true power.
Afterwards, some of us agreed to go for food - and we ended up close by, in Wagamama's. Handily, it being late-ish on a Monday night and there being exactly four of us, we got a booth, rather than a long table. Years since I last ate in one of this chain, and the menu has changed - I also wasn't as hungry as I might have been, and didn't do my portion justice. And I ended up drinking most of a bottle of red that I shared with someone! Well, let it never be said that I failed in my duty.. and I did manage to finish it, and made it safely home. And a most excellent night was had - particularly by me, considering that they indulged my wittering on about U2!
Tomorrow, I'm finally doing something with the folks from work - every now and then they have pop-up social events, and this time it's a pub quiz. So I can see whether all those tv quiz shows have helped! Taking place at The Castle pub, not far from the office.
On Wednesday, I've had it in mind for the longest time to accompany Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) to see The Welkin at the National. But you see, I had a Seatplan theatre token that I wanted to use - and the bind is that they still haven't introduced web bookings for those, and so I had to ring. During office hours. And whenever I thought of doing it was outside of office hours. Until last week.. and in the meantime, of the £47 tickets that had sold out, three more became available - in the back row of the stalls. So I booked one of those. And despite the dire warning from the automated voice, that I'd be charged an extra £3 for booking this way.. well, she obviously completely forgot about that, because I wasn't.
On Thursday, I had film in mind at first. But top of the film list - when I had time to look at it - was Outside the City, a documentary about trappist monks, whose numbers are dwindling, and whose members are ageing, so they can no longer run the farm, and have taken to brewing beer instead. Yeah.. I'm sure it's very good, very interesting - but I'm not that enthused. I'm not even a beer drinker.
Instead, I noted that UITCS are off to see Leopoldstadt, which I found much more interesting. 'Tis the season for Holocaust memorials, indeed.. well, it's the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the majority of the camps. Anyway, it seems to be popular - when I checked the official website for Wyndham's, only three premium tickets remained in the whole theatre! However, checking the event page, I noted that someone was trying to sell a ticket, as he could no longer go, and didn't seem to be having any luck. Well, I got in touch - and it worked out well for both of us, as I'm now going in his place! for a much lower price. The ticket arrived this morning. Oh, and they've extricated that unexploded bomb, so it should be ok to head to the area.
On Friday, Helen is coming to town and we're having lunch - in Byron Burger again. And that evening, I'm off to see Faustus: That Damned Woman, at the Lyric Hammersmith.
And on Saturday - why, I finally get to a UITCS social! They have them every now and again, but they're generally sometime I can't make. I go to so much with them, I'm delighted finally to be able to go to a social as well. This is on in the Phoenix Arts Club - ah, memories of happier days, when I worked in the next building over..
Well, I was all set for lunch from Tesco's today, but got waylaid by someone in the office, who fancied Wagamama's, and fancied us coming too. So off we set, in glorious sunshine. Certainly, there's a good range of restaurants on Earl's Court Road.
I'd never actually been in Wagamama's before, but just followed the others there. Décor is quite basic - long wooden tables with long wooden benches to sit at. The music that played throughout is best described as eclectic. Menus are handily laid out for ease of reading, and I soon isolated the teriyaki dishes and picked the chicken one - I love teriyaki! and it'd been ages since I'd had any. A "tropical" (apple, orange, and mango) juice drink completed my order, and all was delicious. I'd happily go again. Mind you, when it came to paying, the server was falling over himself advertising the restaurant's app to us, which you can use both to order (just show the number to your server when they arrive) and pay at the end. Of course, we preferred to be awkward and pay with a mixture of cash and (mostly) cards.
Not that I still felt fed by evening, when the time came to head for my walk! I'd booked a London at Night walk with Meetup - Westminster Bridge to London Bridge. Free - one of these where you pay what you want at the end. I left on time tonight, and arrived at Westminster with 15 minutes to spare. Just as well, because I had to study the exits carefully. I got lost the last time I was here, after all! The directions said to take the exit for Westminster Bridge, but more precisely you should look for the exit for Westminster Pier (Exit 1). And Westminster Bridge is where you come out, without too many steps to climb - thankfully.
Ah, it's a beautiful area - and despite leaving my camera in Ireland, I did get some decent snaps on my phone (photos here). The sun was beautifully framed over the Houses of Parliament, and I was early enough that I could spare some time to frame a few shots. Then I threaded my way through the crowds, across the bridge, to the lion statue, where our guide was already waiting. It turns out he runs the walks himself - has fliers and everything! We hung around for a while, for latecomers, then started off down by the river.
Ah, I love meandering along the riverbank. You're at a lower level than most of the city, passing under arches with road and rail thundering overhead, and can look straight down into the murky depths of the Thames. I didn't know quite what to expect from this tour - the last walk I'd gone on that had meandered along the river had been very historical. Well, the walk tonight wasn't short on facts either, but took plenty of time for us to look around us at the iconic landmarks we passed.
We started in the tourist area, wading through the crowds in front of Sea Life Aquarium and the London Dungeon, which mixed with those queueing for the London Eye, just across the walkway. We stopped in the park beside it for a little factual talk about it - then it was onwards, past the Royal Festival Hall, the BFI, the National - all places I know so well.
After that, as it got darker and we went further along, the City loomed into view, and the crowds thinned. We stopped for a while outside the Tate Modern, where we were buzzed by skateboarders - doubtless finished for the night with skateboarding in the area just under the Southbank Centre - who zoomed past on their way onto the Millennium Bridge, then zoomed along that. In a bit, we followed, for the best view possible of St. Paul's. They ain't kidding.. I am SO going back with a proper camera!
I was gutted that I hadn't known how good the view was, given the proximity of the bridge to the Globe, where I've been so many nights. Anyway, as we neared the Globe, I was able to show off my superior knowledge of it! ;-) (The guide hadn't been there yet.) After that, we wound our way under an archway where a young lady was performing a lovely song in a high, sweet voice - right opposite the "No Busking" sign. (Good for her!) I'm sure I've heard her before. Some very good buskers around - in the last post, I forgot to mention the excellent, one-armed guitar player at Piccadilly Circus last night. Truly, there he was, strumming away on his electric guitar - with his stump. Impressive.
We stopped at the Clink museum - site of one of the first prisons in England - and at the ruins of Winchester Palace, then at the Golden Hind. Finally, we climbed onto London Bridge for a spectacular view of Tower Bridge, lit in the distance. A spectacular tour, led by a genial and knowledgeable guide - I'd recommend this to anyone with an interest in this city and its history, check out this link. And free, at that! I was happy to donate.
On my way back, I found myself babysitting a Japanese couple who arrived today on honeymoon, straight from Tokyo. For the weekend. Lordy.. so they fell upon this tour (good plan) and were now headed back to the hotel, to sleep (better plan). They'd loved the tour, but were really looking forward to their beds! First though, I figured they needed some help on their first trip through the Tube system (they'd walked from their hotel, near Westminster) - and I think I was right, especially with their jetlag.. and since we were all headed for Westminster, I guided them en route. Well, up to Westminster station, where they probably got lost looking for the right exit..!
Well now, tomorrow could be interesting. I was looking for something, and my Meetup groups didn't have anything that appealed - long hikes featured prominently - so I figured I'd have a look-see what all the other groups were doing. And who happened to be doing the most interesting thing, but Fill My Weekend! You might remember that this is the group that expelled me for daring to point out that they'd charged over the official price for a meetup event.
Well, tomorrow they're touring the Houses of Parliament. Ooh, I thought - I'd be interested! Last time I was in the area, I saw a sign for tours of the Houses of Parliament, and it occurred to me that I haven't been. Well, I checked their Meetup page - out of curiosity: I can't go with them anyway - to discover they charge £52 for this! When I investigated more closely, I saw that this includes the most expensive options - a guided tour, and afternoon tea on the Terrace.
So then I checked the official prices, and discovered that to purchase this deal for myself would cost £52.50 - so for once, Fill My Weekend is providing value! Mind you, I also discovered that a group booking, for 10 or more - the group has 38 people going - gets a discount. And given that, the group organiser's profit per person is working out at about £10. That's £380 clear profit - less "Paypal charges" and the price of printing name badges. Nice work if you can get it! Mind you, I see he does have "(including Paypal charges)" after the price on the Meetup page now. I flatter myself that I effected that change..
Well anyway, it's all moot as I can't go with them any more. Which doesn't tax me in the slightest, because I haven't the faintest interest in afternoon tea on the Terrace (£27 extra and I don't even drink tea!) and I can quite well make do with an audio guide. At a total price of £18. I'll see about booking it tomorrow (to avoid the queues) when I see what time I can drag myself out of bed for.
On Sunday, I have my rescheduled Meetup walk with Ken's Events, around Wimbledon and Putney. Assuming I'm not feeling too decrepit - good shoes also a good idea. On Monday, I'm headed to a classical concert in the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre, for the centenary of the Armenian genocide. And it's set to be quite a classical week, because I'm flying back to Ireland the next day, for a performance of La Traviata in the University Concert Hall, Limerick on Wednesday - and on Thursday, we've booked for a classical performance by a string quartet in the Limetree Theatre. That'll be interesting, as it's a new venue and I haven't been before. Then staying in Ireland for the weekend.
