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Film: Antidote

Today, another film - this was  Antidote , a documentary centring on Christo Grozev , who used to head the Russian investigation section of Bellingcat , an investigative journalism organisation. For highlighting  Putin 's campaign of poisoning, he now finds himself on a kill list, and living in hiding. Showing in the  Curzon Bloomsbury  - and this time, the app registered the booking! I set off in the brilliant sunshine we've had all weekend - of course, that doesn't say anything for the temperatures, and it has been quite chilly. I arrived just in time for the film, and managed to get the app both to log me in (why does it keep kicking me out?!) and display the ticket. They must have had a really short programme of trailers - the opening credits were rolling as I took my seat. Well, the one beside it - it would've been weird to sit in mine, given there was someone in the seat right on the other side! Why he had to take one right beside an occupied one, despite all ...
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Play: Jab

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Today, back with   Up in the Cheap Seats   (UITCS) for the matinée of   Jab , a lockdown drama at the   Park Theatre . And may those days never return. Anyway, a few of us planned on lunch beforehand at   Palmyra's Kitchen . But I woke early this morning - and although I had no intention of getting up yet, something made me look at my phone. Lo, if the organiser hadn't come down with something, and lunch was cancelled! Well, sorry to hear that - but also delighted to have an extra hour in bed! When I was finally ready to leave, bus didn't seem feasible - it was too far. This'd normally mean a Tube journey instead - and then I noticed that Thameslink was an option! Five stops, direct from London Bridge to Finsbury Park , same price as the Tube, but faster. Not to mention nicer, with a view, and comfier seats.. I'm really going to have to start thinking about trains more in future. Anyway, that's what I did, and arrived a good bit before we were supposed to mee...
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The Shakespeare Walk, Comedy: Bernard Casey, & Film: Four Mothers

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Last Wednesday - hey,  London Literary Walks  is back! This one was  The Shakespeare Walk  - we were to meet in  Shaw's Booksellers  - which, despite the name, is actually a pub.. Now, I couldn't find mention of them selling food, so I headed to the nearby  Cafe Rouge  for dinner - it'd been years since I ate at one of them! Again, I left home a bit late - but again, the bus drivers played a blinder, and I arrived 10 minutes early for my booking. It wasn't terribly full, and I was immediately shown to a seat in a very nicely appointed restaurant: Throughout, service was great - efficient and friendly - and I was soon served. Thought I'd try the garlic mushrooms as a starter, and I always remembered the beef bourgignon as good in this chain. They had a few sauvignon blancs for me to choose from - naturally, I went for the New Zealand one, and was well pleased. Ah wow though, the mushrooms were one of those dishes you never forget.. the dish was se...
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Film: The World Will Tremble

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So, I was in Ireland for the weekend - and at the time I'm flying these days, you get some lovely skies - landing there: and taking off again: ..which was a bit touch and go, what with my taxi driver completely forgetting about me, and the reminder being on the phone he wasn't using.. happily, I made bag drop with (roughly) five minutes to spare.. For tonight, I decided on film - and what came up was   The World Will Tremble , a fact-based drama about prisoners who actually managed to escape from the   Nazis' first extermination camp , in   Poland . Showing in the   Curzon Bloomsbury   - I had to leave work a smidgeon early, but what the hey. I booked earlier in the afternoon, to save time when I got there - but it didn't sell out - to be fair, it was on very early, wouldn't have been easy for everyone to get there in time. I left it a bit late to get the bus - but hey, one was right along, and the driver seemed to be in just as much hurry to get there as I was...
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Play: (This is Not a) Happy Room

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Yesterday, back with  Up in the Cheap Seats  for  (This is Not a) Happy Room , at  The King's Head, Islington . After a hectic day at work in the office, I discovered it was only half an hour by bus up there - lovely. Now, my go-to eatery in Islington is The Bull , which I've never needed a reservation for.. so I headed up there. I got a table down the back - there was plenty of space. On checking, I was astonished to find that it was nearly a year since I was last there - and therefore, nearly a year since I was last in Islington! I decided on the chicken schnitzel. Now, I have to give kudos to the chips that came with it.. they were spectacular, the equal of any I've had. Triple-cooked, obviously. The chicken, unfortunately, wasn't quite as good as I remember - I might go for the fish next time, which is truly memorable. A hop, skip and jump from there to the theatre, where I found my group sitting in the (upstairs) bar - downstairs, beside the theatre, wasn't o...
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Storytelling: Fairytales for Grownups

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Tonight, more  storytelling  - this time, back at  Folklore Hoxton , tickets through  Dice  again. Sold out though. And again, I booked to eat at the  Blues Kitchen Shoreditch . Wow, what a day at work! They're desperate to get a release out, desperate for the documentation, and although I got it out in good time, they came back with a load of changes - not all of which I had time to do before I left for the day. 6.30am I started work today - yes, I am sleep-deprived; even though I'm in the office tomorrow, and have to get up earlier than usual, I'm still looking forward to more sleep than last night! and will be seeing to that as soon as I'm done writing this. Even at that, I caught a bus in good time - and brilliant sunshine, although it's still not that warm - and arrived 10 minutes early for my reservation. Even though my bus stopped short, and TFL insisted that the stop I was now at was closed, even as I was getting on another bus there! No problem...
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Dinner at the Greenwich Yacht Club

Tonight, back at last with  Over 40 Living the Life , for dinner at the  Greenwich Yacht Club . They've had a few of these lately, but they've always clashed with something. So, I headed out - it always takes too long to go by bus, so Tube it is. And then bus, to hasten the arrival time - it's only one stop from the station , and pretty much any bus will do. I basically remembered the last bit, which I had to walk - tell you though, it was unnerving, crossing the bridge for the first time in ages ! It wasn't hard to spot them - I got my drink sorted, and then we ordered.. there seems to have been a run on fish (which yes, I know is good), but happily, I wanted a burger anyway. Interestingly, a few people at the table just had soup - but they don't provide spoons in the trays of cutlery and condiments that are considerately left out.. they had to be reminded that soup isn't eaten with a fork.. Anyway, I found the burger lovely, and the presalted chips lovely. Ex...
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