Royal Coronation Walk

All weekend, I was back with the man with the famous name - Dr. Stephen King (not the writer) guided a couple of walks for London Guided Walks (courtesy of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts). Both topics / areas I've covered many times before, but gee, he's such a great guide! Today, it was Stephen's Royal Coronation Walk - not, like the others, advertised on TAC - discount of £3 on the official site, with the code MEETUP3. I betted he'd come up with something I didn't already know..

And another afternoon walk! Joy. So, I wandered off to get the bus - had to wait a while, but as usual, not as long as the Buses Due app predicted! It's generally quite accurate, but if it's showing a long wait time, you can be optimistic - I find. And so I alighted in Whitehall, with about half an hour to spare. Passed a protest, as ever - this one was against the killing of Muslims in India. Seems to be part of an unfortunate tit-for-tat between the Muslim and Hindu communities - honestly, it's sounding like Northern Ireland, but on a larger scale.. worrying.

Anyway, I didn't have enough time to get a full meal - but you know, there's a Tesco just down from Parliament Square, and I thought I'd run in there for a snack. Well now, I'd never been in there before - and wow, what a place! There's an entry door, and an exit door - obey them! It's literally just a corridor, with shelves either side - you walk past the shelves to get to the tills, there is no turning back. I grabbed a few bars of chocolate (there was an offer) - and my blasted card wouldn't work! The till wouldn't process a contactless payment, and when I tried inserting my card, it just asked me to remove it. I had to pay with my Irish card in the end..

More protests in the square itself - this very photogenic one was well-organised, with a speaker at the front, explaining that it was about live animal testing, and organising a two-minute silence. I believe it was also being filmed:

Our walk was to start at the Churchill statue:

With a Spanish tour group in front, I plonked myself on a ledge at the back to wait - and that's where the guide joined me, about 15 minutes early. And.. that was that! I was the only person who'd booked! Lordy me. Now, as he said, last time he did this walk, he had lots more people - the vagaries of the public, huh?! How bad - I got a bespoke tour! Now, we quickly established that I know a lot about the royal family - so he skipped a lot of the obvious stuff. But I had a fascinating tour..

How did I miss this statue of George V before?

I've never before paid much attention to the West door of Westminster Abbey - but those statues represent real people! namely, modern martyrs, who have been persecuted for their beliefs. Note Martin Luther King, in the middle with the child at his feet - and to his right, Grand Duchess Elizabeth, a great-aunt of Prince Philip's, who was murdered in the Russian Revolution!

A rather unprepossessing statue of Louis Mountbatten, and then a pair of statues, one of each of the Queen's parents! Wow, can't believe I never saw these before. Most impressive:

(even if George VI has fallen foul of pigeon-bombing). And around the base of the momument, below his statue and kind of behind his wife's, but to either side, are a pair of reliefs, depicting them, but particularly her and her interests! Fantastic level of detail:

Not the last royals of the day - I'd never seen this statue of Queen Alexandra either!

The figures surrounding her represent Faith, Hope, and Love.

Man, I really enjoyed this tour. Delighted I came! Anyway, on to a late lunch - and back to Henry's (thanks to Laurence for introducing me to it!). Where, if you want a drink, you just head to the bar and grab a free table on the ground level - but if you want food, you wait to be seated up the steps. I had calamari to start - interesting, strips rather than rings - and the roast chicken for main course, part of their Sunday Roast selection, which all come with "bottomless" roasties, Yorkshire puddings, and gravy. Just as well, considering the miniscule chicken I was served! But with all the sides, I was well fed. Dessert was a scrumptious chocolate orange torte - advertised with dairy-free ice cream, but as I explained to her, I can't stand the dairy-free stuff; could I have regular? So I did. And a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, not advertised on the menu as served by the glass! Yum..

Tomorrow, I'm headed to A Doll's House Part 2, at Donmar Warehouse - sequel to the famous original, where the wife leaves an unhappy marriage; this sequel examines what happens when she returns. And it turns out that this is my last day at work - so it's handy I'll still have the office, because it's very handy for here.

On Tuesday - well, I finally saw Up In The Cheap Seats (UITCS)' ad for Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, at the Underbelly Festival! A parody musical, right up my street - I hate how Meetup so often doesn't show me the events I really would enjoy! Just as well I saw this in time, before I booked anything else. So it'll be a hectic evening, with an interview scheduled for 5.30! Just as well I'll have finished work already. Meantime, the festival just sent me an info email today, including my ticket code and instructions.

On Wednesday, back with CT for a concert by the Royal College of Music Brass Ensemble, at the college on Shelton Street.

On Thursday, back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for The London Necropolis Virtual Tour. I pointed out to him that the registration link had the wrong date, and he said it was outdated, and he'd replace it and send me the new link - well, he's removed it, but no new link yet. And then - you guessed it, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again!

On the 11th, I'm going to Favour, at the Bush Theatre - after much effort, as their website wasn't working for days! In fact, it seems to go down sporadically. I chose an unreserved seat, will be allocated one on the day. Anyway, I see TAC has now started selling tickets for this - gee, might be not only the cheapest, but the easiest way to book! Only up to Wednesday, however. Wow, was only there once before, 3.5 years ago..

On the 12th, I'm going to The Southbury Child, at the Bridge Theatre. I noticed that UITCS is going, later in the week - ah well.

On the 13th, back with Civilised London for dinner - this time at The Crown itself, where we usually meet for drinks before heading somewhere else for dinner. Excellent choice. Which marks the beginning of a whole spate of Meetups in a row! When's the last time that happened..?

On the 14th, back with The Garden Talks - this online talk is How Do Languages Evolve?

On the 15th, back with the London Classical Music and Theatre Group for the opera Otello, at the Royal Opera House.

On the 16th, which is a Saturday, I had booked with Discover London for a trip to see a cart making ceremony - and then Eleanor, organiser of TunedIn London, advertised a concert through the World Music Meetup, for that evening, at City Hope Church. So now I'm going to both.

On Sunday the 17th, back with Bucket List London - this time, it's a trip to Sandown Antiques Market. Well, I've never been to Sandown, so this could be interesting.

On the 18th, back with North London Friends! for the first time since before lockdown. This is for an Edinburgh Comedy Festival preview, at the King's Head in Crouch End, featuring Lucy Porter and Rachel Fairburn.

On the 19th.. I'm taking a punt that I won't actually be employed that day, and have signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I can't actually make it - although, even if I have started work by then (which would be surprising), perhaps I could take a day off.

On the 20th, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with UITCS to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show.

On the 21st, I'm thinking of heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 25th, I'm headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out has an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%!

On the 26th - tan-ta-ra! I finally managed to get a decently priced ticket to Jerusalem, at the Apollo. I have heard so much about this, and it's always at the top of the Time Out listings - nearly as hard as Hamilton to get a reasonably priced ticket for, so I'm delighted to get one, if only not to have to look any more.

On the 27th, back to Summer by the River again.. for Bumper Blyton: Improvised Adventures for Grown-Ups! Improvised comedy in the style of Enid Blyton books.. sounds jolly good!

On the 28th - another UITCS event that Meetup finally decided to flag to me. So I've booked to go with them to see Briefs Factory's show, Bite Club! at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Drag, burlesque.. should be fun!

And on the 29th, thinking about the National Theatre's River Stage 2022. This will be the first night of the Hackney Empire's Young Producers Weekend, and there'll be some dance and some music.

Restaurant: Caravel & Southwark Walk

Last night, back with Civilised London (CL) for dinner at Caravel. Terrific reviews.. Meeting at The Narrowboat. Now, this is closer to my flat than to the office - but really, for the sake of having to take a bus, I didn't want to have to drag the laptop with me on Thursday evening and home that night: not to mention back in on Monday. No, I'd just bus it to the dinner yesterday evening.

It's very hard to enthuse myself to work, with this sentence hanging over me (last day at work on Monday). So I managed some work - and left in good time, got to the pub in good time. Where I discovered one of our group at a table - which an employee told us wasn't actually booked until 7.30, despite the note on the table that said 6.30. So, fine, and we stayed there - they had a choice of New Zealand or Chile for Sauvignon Blanc (joy!), so I was happy. The others arrived, we had a nice chat..

And so off to the barge restaurant, in due course. Not a long trek - and when we got there, we had to navigate an entry system! Code required, or authorisation to be on this pontoon - we got through the gate eventually, and the lady at the security desk checked who we were. So, we were duly allowed to progress to the barge. (FYI, toilets are off the barge, head back along the pontoon to the black awning with the signs for toilets. Ye shall not be deprived,)

I wasn't in the mood for a starter, although all the others had them - instead, I just had some bread and (very melty) butter. For mains, three of us had duck - although for some reason, the message to the kitchen got misinterpreted, and they thought one of us wanted the fish! Fair play, they turned it around pretty quickly, and we all got the duck we wanted - and one had ordered some very moreish potatoes as a side. For wine, our organiser suggested that the house wines were probably pretty good here - and he was right! We had a very nice Sauvignon Blanc between two of us - and an extra glass each afterwards, for good measure. I couldn't manage a dessert. But yes, a lovely meal - and the only time we noticed the sway was if we looked at the canal-side windows, where you could see the roofs of the buildings across the water bobbing gently up and down.. It's also a lovely, cosy room, and we remarked how good it'd be at Christmastime!

And so back to The Narrowboat for a nightcap - and to the same table we had before, by the door, and our organiser bought drinks (many thanks!). Now, they have a sign on the door that says that they close at 11. So it was rather surprising to me to have the barman coming around to warn us about last orders - at 10.25?! and coming around with plastic containers at 10.50! As someone pointed out - probably accurately - this was probably so as not to inconvenience the neighbours. And I'm not advocating rowdiness. But really, this is over the top! So, not recommended for late drinking! Anyway, I walked home, and was too tired to blog.

All weekend, I'm back with the man with the famous name - Dr. Stephen King (not the writer) is guiding a couple of walks for London Guided Walks (courtesy of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts). Both topics / areas I've covered many times before, but gee, he's such a great guide! Today, it was his Southwark Walk. Sadly, although it was later advertised on TAC, I booked it through the official site (discount of £3 with the code MEETUP3, as usual).

Well fancy, an afternoon walk! Such a luxury, not to have to race to get up, for once (although I checked several times, it's so unusual in my experience). And I took the bus in, in good time. Needed food, so headed for The Old Thameside Inn - and was lucky enough to get a table! Ordered from my table with the app, as usual, and the wine came nice and quickly. Was waiting a while for my starter.. I should have realised. It came with the main! Their calamari is weird here, coming in bitesize chunks - the garlic mayo is lovely though, and the schnitzel is de-loverly. Some confusion with the dessert - I wanted two scoops of ice cream, but wasn't sure how many came with a serving, and the waiter, whose first language was not English, didn't quite understand me. So I ended up ordering two desserts - each of which came with two scoops! Oy ve.. Well, they were v nice.

And so to the walk, which started at the post office on Borough High Street. And meandered around the streets of Southwark for the next 90 minutes or so. Seriously, I've been around here so many times that there was much that was familiar to me. Like Crossbones Graveyard. But hey, he almost immediately found something that was new to me - did you know that the names of the now-vanished coaching inns are carved into the pavements? Me either.

Plenty of meanderings through housing estates, and some stories I'd heard before, but that it was good to hear again. And I love the way that this guide keeps interjecting anecdotes, from books he's read, for example. He's so obviously passionate about his subject. And so on to theatreland, Southwark style, and the site of the original Globe theatre:

He made a very interesting point about London Bridge. This is a detail of the relief of London in Shakespeare's time, which shows how crowded the bridge was, with houses all along its length. And for over 1000 years, this was the only bridge in central London! Why..? The answer came later, when he was talking about the ferrymen who took people across, in lieu of other bridges - and, apparently, were strong lobbyists. It needed an act of Parliament to build a bridge - so, for over 1000 years, Parliament was stymied from building a much-needed transportation link. Because of lobbyists. Jeez, puts current arguments in context, huh?! It never has been easy to get Parliament to do anything!

We kept running into other tour groups all day.. Horrible Histories was just the last of many such meetings!

And so to a finish at the reconstructed Globe. I still love this part of town - any excuse to get down here, frankly! And another excellent tour by Stephen.

Now, my ex-boss had directed a friend of hers on this tour, and afterwards we were looking for a place for a quiet drink. Tricky, on a sunny summer Saturday - but I had the idea to head down the alleyway to The Old King's Head, where he bought us some wine and we sat outside in the alley, gazing at the blue sky overhead and talking about this and that. So yes, a most pleasant afternoon. And getting the bus home, as when I was coming, there was a diversion - which worked out marvellously convenient for me.

Tomorrow, it's Stephen's Royal Coronation Walk - not advertised on TAC yet. I just bet he comes up with something I didn't already know..

On Monday, I'm headed to A Doll's House Part 2, at Donmar Warehouse - sequel to the famous original, where the wife leaves an unhappy marriage; this sequel examines what happens when she returns. And it turns out that this is my last day at work - so it's handy I'll still have the office, because it's very handy for here.

On Tuesday - well, I finally saw Up In The Cheap Seats (UITCS)' ad for Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, at the Underbelly Festival! A parody musical, right up my street - I hate how Meetup so often doesn't show me the events I really would enjoy! Just as well I saw this in time, before I booked anything else. So it'll be a hectic evening, with an interview scheduled for 5.30! Just as well I'll have finished work already.

On Wednesday, back with CT for a concert by the Royal College of Music Brass Ensemble, at the college on Shelton Street.

On Thursday, back with Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex, for The London Necropolis Virtual Tour. I pointed out to him that the registration link had the wrong date, and he said it was outdated, and he'd replace it and send me the new link - well, he's removed it, but no new link yet. And then - you guessed it, I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again!

On the 11th, I'm going to Favour, at the Bush Theatre - after much effort, as their website wasn't working for days! In fact, it seems to go down sporadically. I chose an unreserved seat, will be allocated one on the day. Anyway, I see TAC has now started selling tickets for this - gee, might be not only the cheapest, but the easiest way to book! Only up to Wednesday, however. Wow, was only there once before, 3.5 years ago..

On the 12th, I'm going to The Southbury Child, at the Bridge Theatre. I noticed that UITCS is going, later in the week - ah well.

On the 13th, back with CL for dinner - this time at The Crown itself, where we usually meet for drinks before heading somewhere else for dinner. Excellent choice. Which marks the beginning of a whole spate of Meetups in a row! When's the last time that happened..?

On the 14th, back with The Garden Talks - this online talk is How Do Languages Evolve?

On the 15th, back with the London Classical Music and Theatre Group for the opera Otello, at the Royal Opera House.

On the 16th, which is a Saturday, I had booked with Discover London for a trip to see a cart making ceremony - and then Eleanor, organiser of TunedIn London, advertised a concert through the World Music Meetup, for that evening, at City Hope Church. So now I'm going to both.

On Sunday the 17th, back with Bucket List London - this time, it's a trip to Sandown Antiques Market. Well, I've never been to Sandown, so this could be interesting.

On the 18th, back with North London Friends! for the first time since before lockdown. This is for an Edinburgh Comedy Festival preview, at the King's Head in Crouch End, featuring Lucy Porter and Rachel Fairburn.

On the 19th.. I'm taking a punt that I won't actually be employed that day, and have signed up again - at last - for a walk with Laurence and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners. This is The Magic of Midtown - and as I said to him, it finishes very near my new home! I also promised to let him know if I can't actually make it - although, even if I have started work by then (which would be surprising), perhaps I could take a day off.

On the 20th, I finish my Meetup run with a trip with UITCS to Leicester Square Theatre to see Frankie Boyle, who has a work in progress show.

On the 21st, I'm thinking of heading - at last - to Summer by the River at More London. This is for a free evening of music, curated by Soho Radio. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.

On the 25th, I'm headed to see The Throne, a comedy about to open at Charing Cross Theatre, in which the Queen gets locked in a portaloo with a staunch republican. Time Out has an offer of £10 tickets for the cheapest seats for this - a saving of more than 50%!

On the 26th - tan-ta-ra! I finally managed to get a decently priced ticket to Jerusalem, at the Apollo. I have heard so much about this, and it's always at the top of the Time Out listings - nearly as hard as Hamilton to get a reasonably priced ticket for, so I'm delighted to get one, if only not to have to look any more.

On the 27th, back to Summer by the River again.. for Bumper Blyton: Improvised Adventures for Grown-Ups! Improvised comedy in the style of Enid Blyton books.. sounds jolly good!

On the 28th - another UITCS event that Meetup finally decided to flag to me. So I've booked to go with them to see Briefs Factory's show, Bite Club! at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Drag, burlesque.. should be fun!

And on the 29th, thinking about the National Theatre's River Stage 2022. This will be the first night of the Hackney Empire's Young Producers Weekend, and there'll be some dance and some music.

Walk: A Nosey Around Soho

Today, I booked with Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts again for A Nosey Around Soho. In association with London Guided Walks as usual, a £3 discount for using the code MEETUP3, which at least covers the booking fee. Thought Hazel herself was running this one - when I read closer, I discovered it was someone with the famous name of Stephen King! Not that one.. I suspect she doesn't do any more personal guiding. Assuming I wasn't a couple of minutes late, and missed it. Well, I hope she doesn't spam me, like did for so long after the last one, with constant ads for her podcast and requests for reviews! Of course, if you go on her site, there seems to be no way to leave a review.. AND I see she advertises these on TAC now, with a £3 cash charge on the day to the guide - still, this would be the cheaper option. (and ACLUB also gets you a £3 discount on the full price..)

I discovered I could walk from my new place, how lovely! (And note the innovative cafe I passed en route, pictured above..) Arrived in good time: was one of the first to arrive, in fact. A couple of people were giving him a £3 payment, but said they'd actually been told the walk had been cancelled, then had been rung back and told that was a mistake! Lordy. Anyway, with one person outstanding, off we went. Would you believe it though, our stray sheep joined us about 10 minutes later! Kudos to her for finding us.

Well, we'd been promised some rain - I think I felt one drop. It was actually lovely for most of the day, really sunny from early afternoon, and hot with it. Hard to know what to dress for.. Anyway, in short, as I discussed with another attendee - for all the walks I've been on in and around Soho (and there've been a few!), I don't think I've ever been on a more informative one! Yes, there were some things I already knew.. but plenty I didn't, as he focused a lot on Soho's industrial past. For example, the following photo shows the symbol of the Mercers Guild..

Ooh, and the following picture shows the door through which the Cambridge Theatre loads its large sets!

Did you know that the house on each corner of Seven Dials used to be a pub? Only one left now, but their cellars are all still connected!

With political upheaval in France in 1870-1, a lot of French people settled here:

and despite the title of the walk, we only passed one nose!

And so finally to the Soho mural:

Gee, for all the times I've seen it, I never did notice this fellow at the bottom - the name Soho comes from a hunting call. However, it's a pity that this guide's walk finishes at half past the hour, so he never gets to see the animation come to life.. But this is a seriously good walk, kudos to him and highly recommended! Just remember, there are cheaper options (see top) than just simply buying a ticket..!

Hungry, I decided to head for Irving Street - just off Leicester Square, and generally a good bet. Sadly, that branch of Garfunkel's has closed.. but there are plenty of Italians, which I was just in the mood for. So, when I saw there was space, I just went for the first - Ristorante Roma, where I was immediately seated outside, but under the shade of the awning. Well, quite differently from my experiences of the past two days, service here was friendly, if brisk, and really efficient! I never had trouble finding a waiter, never had trouble placing an order - including an order for an extra glass of wine.

So, I had ciabatta with garlic butter (AKA garlic bread) to start, followed by penne capri, which comes with chicken, mushroom, and onion in a creamy sauce. Sounded so nice I just had to! Well now, I see a huge number of bad reviews of this place - but I have to say, my meal was spectacular! The garlic bread was lovely - the pasta was divine! You know you're loving it when you're stuffed, but still feel compelled to eat every morsel on the plate. I didn't see a dessert I fancied, and the wine isn't the greatest - but oh, that pasta.. In fact, I'm still full.

Well, I have the movers coming tomorrow. God, I hate this bit, it's always chaos. Anyway, they're coming between midday and 1pm, so I should be free by evening - and I'm thinking film. Top of the list is Revolution of our Times, a documentary about the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, showing in the Curzon Bloomsbury. Something I've always been interested in. And since I suspect I'll be headed there a lot, I've now taken out membership - the "classic" level, valid for a year, entitles me to five free films (in cinema, with a guest, or on Curzon Home Cinema), a 20% discount on the others, for me and a guest, and a 10% discount on food purchased at the cinema. Also no booking fee, and priority access. Let's see whether I make use of it! That cinema is certainly very close to me now - in fact, I passed it today, on my way to the walk.

Now, the coming week is a bit problematic - my boss is mooting a team dinner, but is supposed to have a poll to decide the day. Which hasn't happened yet. And of course, I really want to meet these folks in person for the first time! So, all plans are up in the air. But, assuming it's not on Monday, I'm headed to see House of Shades, in the Almeida. I hear mixed reviews, but what I see here tends to be marvellous! Nothing yet booked for Tuesday, and I don't dare until I know more..

Play: Marys Seacole & Roman London Walk

Yesterday, headed to Marys Seacole, at Donmar Warehouse. Based on a true story. I'd heard mixed reviews. They were good enough to email me a link to my account, where I could access my ticket.

Where to eat beforehand..? Friday night in the West End isn't easy. I had a look at nearby restaurants, and figured I'd have a go with Mon Plaisir - French, naturellement (apparently the oldest French restaurant in London), and right around the corner from the theatre. I booked, for safety, although I think I'd have been OK - careful though, they charge a £20 cancellation fee for no-shows or cancellations within 24 hours of the reservation, or a £10 charge per person for a last-minute change of numbers! They have a 20-minute grace period in which you can arrive after your allotted time, which I think is quite generous. Anyway, duly warned, I made sure to leave in time, and arrived early, Found the restaurant without much difficulty - I'd specified I wanted to eat inside, although there were people at the outdoor tables.

And.. then I couldn't open the door! So, it turns out there are two doors, but only the one on the right can be used for entry! This isn't indicated. The other is (usually) locked. Made my way to the entrance, where a couple were enquiring whether there was a free table.. a little consultation, and there was no problem. When I gave my name and explained I had a reservation, the lady asked whether I was going to a show, and what time I needed to leave. V pragmatic. And then I was led down the back.. through the kitchen (mind the step, and your head on the low doorway!), past the bar, and back into the section of the restaurant with the locked door! Well I never.. anyway, seating is on chairs and comfortable banquettes, plenty of cushions.

I was sat at a table with two settings, and the lady in charge - who sounded French - thought I was waiting for someone. I had to alert her that I was ready to order - whereupon the extra setting was removed, and I did. I enjoyed browsing the menu, with dishes listed in French with English translations - I didn't fancy a starter, just asked for a bread basket. For main, I had seen coq au vin on the menu online when choosing this place, but when I saw duck with honey sauce on the specials, I just couldn't resist. It comes with sauteed potatoes. And of course, a glass of wine - they're all French.

It was fun, listening to the banter of the girls working at the bar - they're definitely English. The bread basket is nothing special, just a sliced white baguette with a little pot of butter: but I was hungry, and it filled a spot. Food arrives in a dumb waiter, and I was halfway though the basket when my duck came. Mesdames et Messieurs, that is definitely a honey sauce! And plenty of it - I was in heaven, scoffing the lot in no time. Dessert after, and they had what in some places is called a Coupe Colonel, and here Le Colonel - lemon sorbet in vodka. So that is what I had too. It comes in two sizes.. and being well early for my play, I had the larger. Which was lovely - but I might go smaller in future, vodka in large quantities doesn't agree with me..

When I was ready to leave, I asked the waiter which way I should go, and he said it didn't matter: in which case, I said, I'll take that door! which he unlocked for me. Well, it was closer.

My phone had no reception in the restaurant, so I was glad to have it restored outside. And so to the theatre, where I was in the Circle - and they advertise a bar on each level, but the Circle bar was closed. Mind you, for once I passed - I was feeling a little the worse for wear after the vodka. Nice, central seat - I did have to lean forward from time to time, to see the action at the front of the stage:

The show starts to tribal drumming, and we are introduced to Mary Seacole herself, in Victorian garb, telling us how she grew up in Jamaica and learned to be a healer. And then - she steps out of the dress, to reveal a modern nurse's uniform, and we are treated to a modern hospital scene, an old lady with dementia being visited by her daughter and granddaughter, until she soils herself, they exit stage left, and the nurses are left to clean it up!

?

So, I guess this is meant to hammer home to us the caring nature of the nurse's profession. And before we know it, we're catapulted back into Mary Seacole's life, and then back into modern times, everyone wondering what is going on. This next bit seems to be to emphasise how annoying Americans can be (she lived in Central America for a while). And then back to Mary, now helping out in the Crimean war, and at loggerheads with Florence Nightingale. And lo, we're back to the present day, for a bewildering segment about people acting injured, so trainee nurses can learn triage. And then it all sort of gets mashed together..

Now, the modern segments are quite funny. But what you could not call this play is coherent, and by the end, when they're all gathered on stage, yelling apparently random bits of dialogue from different parts of the play, it's just chaos. Might suit some, didn't suit me - and I have a high tolerance for weirdness. Had I been at the end of the row, I'd have walked out. Anyway, should you be curious, it's on until the 4th.

Didn't have time to blog last night, because - well Lordy, I booked for the Roman London Walk, with Walk About London (also advertised on Walks, Talks & Treasure Hunts - both linked to London Guided Walks). Which was on early. Now, I missed the last two I was booked on with this company - third time lucky? Got reminders a few days beforehand.

Under 15 minutes to walk there from where I currently live. Handy.. but when I got to the exit of Tower Hill Station, there were a couple of groups in the plaza outside. I couldn't see any obvious signs of where I was to go - I checked, and yes, I was in the right place. I was looking for a guide wearing an orange lanyard, and a sign - nope, couldn't see them. I did see a large orange umbrella - turned out to belong to a Spanish tour group. Finally narrowing it down to that group and another, I peered at the various members of the group, and finally spotted the most discreet guide I've ever seen, lanyard mostly hidden by his jacket, sign securely tucked under his elbow. I joined the circle, and when a couple of Americans asked me whether this was the group, I said, "I think so!" whereupon we all queued to check in.

He had a mic - just as well, given our proximity to the others, at least at this point. And over the next 90 minutes+, he was like a walking history textbook. We knew we were in the presence of someone with an in-depth knowledge of the subject, and there were some serious history buffs in the group who were delighted. We started, of course, with that large section of Roman wall just near the station:

Can you see the horizontal lines of red running through the wall, on the lower half? That's brick, and it was used by the Romans to strengthen walls. The reason the bit above it doesn't have this feature is because it dates from mediaeval times! Also, ignore that statue - although, as he says, tour guides always cheat and use it in their promotional photos.. this is Trajan, and he had absolutely nothing to do with Londinium.

The clock was made to stick out like this so that it could be seen from Fish Street Hill! This was originally a Roman road, leading north from the original London Bridge.

Round by other Roman sites, such as the bathhouse, and the Temple of Mithras. As we wound our way through the City, we came ever closer to my home - and so into Leadenhall Market, which I've hardly ever been into. Used to be the Roman forum - and housed the largest basilica north of the Alps, which stretched from the centre of Leadenhall Market.. to Moorgate! Crikey, that's nearly 3/4 of a mile!

And so, eventually, with the poor guide losing his voice (apparently he's allergic to plane trees), to the Guildhall, where the tour finished, looking at the outline of the Roman amphitheatre. And a round of applause was well-earned. Definitely the tour to go on if you really want to learn about Roman London. As ever, £3 off with the code MEETUP3 - which covers the booking fee.

Me, I wanted food - and the nearest place (open at weekends) turned out to be The Globe: which turned out to be a pub I have passed so often! but never gone into. I headed in and asked for a white wine - gave the poor guy a headache by asking whether they had anything from New Zealand. He thought they didn't - then pulled out a bottle of Oyster Bay! which I love. And had to go to the cellar for another bottle to top it up, since I wanted a large. For food, I had the garlic chicken schnitzel - which was gorgeous, with a scrumptious garlic mayo dip. Oh man, another heavenly meal, and with friendly service too.. I sure am eating well these days! And a lovely, summery day it's been..

And so home. For a while, because I had an appointment with City Rooms, later in the afternoon. Now, he didn't have anything that enthused me - but that doesn't really bother me right now. Because he did assure me that, should I choose something that's not quite right, they have a relocation service whereby I can change to another room in their portfolio! Jeez, I'd forgotten that. And more to the point (not that I told him), I have a viewing tomorrow, for something at least as good as what he was showing me..

Later tomorrow, London Classical Music and Theatre Group (LCMTG) have a late-advertised event, at the Barbican: the BBC Symphony Orchestra is playing Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6. Oh man, it is so long since I last met this group! Something has just always gotten in the way..

On Monday, I have yet another viewing. Now, this is an interesting one - I'd asked to see the room ages ago, he didn't get back to me - then got back to me yesterday and said the room was available again, and did I want to view?! Ooh, yes please - and unless something unexpected crops up during the viewing, I'm taking it on the spot - it's big enough, I think, it has a good big wardrobe, it's walking distance to work. The only one of those on the horizon. And it has its own balcony! Watch this space.. so I'll be leaving tomorrow's landlady dangling until this viewing..

That evening, I'm at an online talk - Anglo-Saxon Surrey - with the Surrey History Meetup.

On Tuesday, woo! back at Shakespeare's Globe - for Henry VIII, which I've never seen. And it's years since I was last here..

On Wednesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Bonnie and Clyde, at the Arts Theatre. Now, most of the group going booked this ages ago - I just booked recently. And I noticed that all the cheapest seats were bench seating, which didn't sound terribly comfortable. But for under £2 more, so £25, I managed to get a ticket in the next band up - in the rear stalls - from Todaytix! See, they have this great £25 ticket offer until the 29th. Whatever about the show, the offer is highly recommended!

On Thursday, back with LCMTG - this time, we're at the Royal Festival Hall, where the Philharmonia is playing Mozart and Bruckner. Which makes this my best week for Meetup since lockdown, the only non-Meetup day being Tuesday!

And then back to Ireland for the weekend.

Talk: Bodysnatching in Southwark

Last night, I headed to a rather interesting talk on Bodysnatching in Southwark! Mary, too.. and it's a funny thing, all the tickets were gone when I first saw it, but then I checked again on spec, and more were available! Lucky I checked - despite being on the waitlist, I got no notification. As advertised by Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts - but they didn't run it, tickets were available on Eventbrite, and were free. London Social Detours were going too.

Determined not to have a repeat of what happened on Sunday, I left in good time to catch a direct bus - the office is that bit closer to Southwark cathedral than my home is, and it didn't take quite as long. Well, I was strolling along, nearly at the bus stop, when I got a message from the organiser of Walks, Talks & Treasure Hunts - the doors were closing at 6:45 for the talk at 7. I'd projected to be there by 7, and had heard nothing about this before - I wasn't going to have a hope of getting there for 6.45 now!! What possessed her to post this message at such a late stage, I don't know. Anyway, I did my best - got on the 68 instead to Waterloo and got the packed Tube from there - again; at least this time, I was dropped on the right side of the station, so it didn't take as long to get to the Jubilee Line! With delays on both bus and Tube, it still took as long as the direct bus would've - I needn't have bothered.

Also, this time, I knew which way to go from the station. More crowds to push through - and damned if I didn't have to traipse around the whole perimeter to get to the back door, leading to the back room where the talk was on - not in the main cathedral. It was a bit of a maze, but well-signposted. Oh, and I don't know where the organiser of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts got her story, but they didn't close the doors early - in fact, Mary arrived after the talk had started, and still got in! The place was pretty full, but not completely, despite the tickets having gone. There was water at the back if you wanted it - and you might have; it was stifling! The mc apologised, but explained that the aircon was too noisy and the windows tended to stick. Hey, the seats were comfy though.

I saw no sign, all night, of the organiser of Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts, although in her misguided message she'd said she was on her way. Instead, the organiser of London Social Detours gave me a cheery wave, so I made my way over there. She'd mistaken me for someone else - but, despite me not being on her list, and not having paid the fee she was charging, she invited me to join them - and as there was a free seat, and I was sat beside someone I knew, I did.

The talk - which, I think, started a little late - or my watch might be fast - lasted about an hour, and was fascinating. Her well-researched talk described bodysnatching through the ages, from the 1600s to the 1800s. It all started with the advent of surgical schools, you see, and the demand for cadavers on which to perform dissections and other surgical procedures. Graveyards near medical schools were especially targeted - such as Southwark cathedral itself, of course, which is right across the road from St. Thomas' hospital.

Beadles from the colleges took themselves to executions, and were allowed a certain number of corpses per year: but not nearly enough. So a black market trade flourished. So-called "resurrection men" operated under cover of darkness, and she described to us how the corpses were extracted - very effective! and how they had to be stripped; the removal of a corpse was a misdemeanour, but if any of their clothing, or personal effects (or even bits of the coffin that came off while they were being removed) were left on the body and brought as well, the bodysnatcher could be hanged as a thief! Teeth were generally removed - unless required for medical purposes, they could be sold separately to dentists to make dentures.

Measures to combat the bodysnatchers included iron coffins - harder to break into, but expensive, so not that popular. Railings were put in place around churchyards, to make it harder to hide behind the high walls that had been there before. The night watch was established. Questions afterwards included why it took the government so long to do anything about it, whom the corpse belongs to (no-one, really), whether the church objects to dissections (no), and what sorts of operations they performed in those days. Without aid of anaesthetic. Which question greatly intrigued th guy sitting beside me!

Afterwards, I caught up with Mary, and we gatecrashed London Social Detours' trip to the pub. I've been to The George before - a lovey old coaching inn, very atmospheric: and, yesterday, not quite as busy as I've known it. Had a pie and chips, which came with gravy and veg, Very moreish - a very unusual pastry on the pie, which seemed homemade, and was seeded. It was all a bit much for me, and I couldn't finish it - but very, very nice. We sat at a table beside where London Social Detours were - that table was rather full. And Mary and I caught up until they chucked us out, and outlasted London Social Detours, I'm proud to say! ;-) Great seeing her again. Finally, a combination of buses brought me home without too much fuss. I was way too tired to blog, though.
Tonight, I'm back to Ireland again for the weekend. On Monday, I'm off to see Jesus Christ Superstar, finally! At the open-air theatre in Regent's Park - again, I hope it doesn't rain.

On Tuesday, my first talk with Scarlet Ladies UK (!). Their stated aim is to abolish the stigma of talking about sex.. so they have a load of talks. This one is about the history of slut-shaming.

On Wednesday, I was back with Jennifer Rees (and the same two Meetup Funzing groups again), for a talk about the Psychology of Serial Killers. This is at least the third instance of this talk - I was booked for one last month, but had to cancel - it clashed with the trip to the Icebar. The next was sold out - and then I saw this one and booked, at last! It's on the Battersea Barge, of all places! Just a 10% discount this time - I see the latest code for that is crazy_fun. And gee, guess what.. London Literary Walks just advertised a Regent's Park Walk for that day! Guess I'll never make this talk..!

On Thursday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, a musical about the life of Billie Holiday. Nice and close to me, at Wyndham's. Passed it the other evening, in fact.

Next Friday, back with the same group (!) for yet another Camden Fringe double bill: Boris - the Musical! at the Cockpit again (the London European Club - LEC - are also going to this), and Make Advena Great Again, at Camden People's Theatre. Goodness, that's only a short walk from home..

On the 26th, I'm back to the Proms for the first time in years! Funnily enough, it was inspired by a Meetup group - Gothic Requiem London (!). This is the "Gothic Prom", you see - all the composers are Czech (Bohemian). Now, I'm no Goth - but the Proms sound like a great idea.

On the 27th, I'm off on a day trip to Bath, with Carpe Diem: booked while I was in Barcelona, recently.

On the 28th, the organiser of Walks, Talks & Treasure Hunts promised Helen and me free tickets to a treasure hunt she was organising that day - in recompense for that treasure hunt, not run by her but advertised by her, where the organisers never showed, and instead marked us as no-shows. However, the event on the 28th still hasn't been advertised, and what with severe engineering works at Waterloo for the whole month, Helen's not sure she can make it at all. We shall see.

On the 29th, I'm off to see Five Guys Named Moe, at the Marble Arch Theatre - a pop-up, it seems! From the Box Office provided the best deal on this occasion.

On the 30th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, at the Apollo (although booking is with the Young Vic), with Sienna Miller, Colm Meaney, and nudity. Cheapest tickets this time were with LoveTheatre.

On the 31st, back with those two Funzing groups. This time, the talk is entitled "Can You Trust the Media?", and is given by Annie Machon, who gave an interesting talk last month on Russian Hacking. Another 30% discount. I just wish she'd use some visual aids.. At the Lighthouse again, terrific. :-/ Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 4th September, I'm finally going to see Dreamgirls, at the Savoy, courtesy of Amazon Tickets.

On the 5th September, I was back with the Scarlet Ladies for a talk on Generation Sex. Until Let's Do This advertised a concert that sounds really good.. at the Apples & Pears Bar. Hey, I do allow myself to change if something sounds better..

On the 6th September, I'm with another new group - North London Friends - for an interview with Michael Palin, at the Knowledge Centre Theatre at the British Library. I was really torn, though - the LEC is off to an early music concert the same night, and I do love that - but had already booked this, and it is Michael Palin. Hey-ho..

On the 7th September, I was back with North London Friends, and another talk on Fake News - different speaker, mind! This is the Fulbright Commission annual lecture, at the British Library. However, much more attractively, Let's Do This are reviving what used to be a regular Man with the Hat event - we're off to St. Martin-in-the-Fields, for some Vivaldi concertos. With a discount, yet! London Concertante, as usual.

On the 8th September, until the other day I was still technically booked for free comedy in Hammersmith with DiscoverLDN.UK. But, as I say - good atmosphere, but the comedy is usually pretty bad. I was saved - again - by Up in the Cheap Seats, who are off to see Doubt, a Parable, in Southwark Playhouse. Aww.. it's so long since I was there, and I have so many good memories of it from my time with the Man with the Hat!

On the 9th September, Helen and I have our 25km sponsored walk, in aid of Haslemere's Cat Protection Society. We're going as Dick Whittington and his cat, respectively, and the route is the Thames Bridges Trek. You can donate here..

Which will tire me out nicely, just in time for my flight to Prague the next morning! I'm at a conference there, Sunday to Tuesday. (What a nice company I work for!) Gee, but I love Prague - most beautiful city I've ever seen, and I've seen a few. They're putting me up at a nice hotel too, just down the road.

So, I fly back on the 12th September, and on the 13th I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats, at Sadler's Wells, for the Hofesh Schechter Company grand finale.

On the 14th September, I'm at another talk with Walks, Talks and Treasure Hunts - this one, at Southwark Cathedral, is about the River Effra, South London's Secret Spine. Another free Eventbrite event, this is to publicise a book about the subject, and the talk is again given by the author. Another thing that had no tickets, then it did (no notification)! I'm not going to believe any messages about door closures. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 18th September, I was off to Showstopper! at the Lyric. Ticket courtesy of From the Box Office again. I have actually seen this before - but, being an improvised musical, it literally is different every time! But you'll never guess - the Crick Crack Club finally announced their autumn schedule today, and now, that night, I'm off to Eaten Father, Eaten Mother by Ben Haggerty. In Soho Theatre, first time in ages.

On the 19th September, back with the Scarlet Ladies, for a talk entitled 100 Women - Their Breasts, Their Stories.

On the 20th September, Funzing (same two groups) and Jennifer Rees again - this time, a fun talk about the Psychology of Batman Villains! The first of hers for which I managed to get a 30% discount.. and it's on nice and close to me again. Seems to be a feature of her talks!

On the 21st September, technically, free comedy in Hammersmith - with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, Random London, and DiscoverLDN.UK. And on the 22nd September, the same - with DiscoverLDN.UK. I rather doubt it though - don't you?

On the 23rd September, I was to do the same, but am now headed to the launch of Rob Luft's new album, Riser, at King's Place. As advertised by The London Jazz Meetup. I finally ended up paying their membership fee after booking an event with them the other day, for November, which someone is attending that I know. So I figured it was wiser!

I had booked the same free comedy, with the same group, on the 24th September, but was again saved - this time, by the World Music Meetup! They're off to see Kefaya, in Nell's Jazz and Blues bar, back in my old stomping ground of North End Road! Happy days, when I was working there..

On the 25th September, a group called Theatre and Stuff is off to see Prism, at Hampstead Theatre. They're charging extra to go with them, though - so I happily bought my own ticket. What the hey, odds are I won't know any of them anyway.

On the 26th September, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats - to see Wings, at The Young Vic. Accidentally booked standing, I think.. :-/

On the 27th September, with Up in the Cheap Seats again - for Jekyll & Hyde, presented by the National Youth Theatre, at the Ambassadors Theatre.

On the 28th September, with another new group: London, Surrey and Beyond.. for an event called "A Unique Experience. Olde Pub, Gerry's Private Club, 2 'i's Famous Fish 'n' Chips". Which says it all, really! Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 2nd October, I had booked at Hampstead Theatre, for No One Will Tell Me How to Start a Revolution. North London Friends are attending - and charging extra, so I was going it alone! But now it turns out I'm spending the week in the Stockholm office - back on the 8th.

On the 3rd October, it was free comedy in Hammersmith - nominally. With Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich. So, that was easy to cancel, for Stockholm!

On the 4th October was Up in the Cheap Seats and Labour of Love, with Martin Freeman, at the Noel Coward Theatre. Cheapest tickets from the venue, for once!

On the 5th October, same group - headed to see the Company Wayne McGregor, at Sadler's Wells.

And finally! on the 6th October, headed to see Chekhov's The Seagull, at the Lyric. Third night in a row for that group - almost as busy a group as I am a person! So, four things in all I had to cancel, without refund.. what the hey, I'll doubtless be saving money in Stockholm!

On the 9th October, I'm finally going to see the show so many people have asked me whether I'm seeing. Ink is showing at the Duke of York's Theatre. 

And on the 10th October, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Ballet Boyz at Sadler's Wells.