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Bletchley Park

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After three Meetups in a row, t he weekend belongs to  London Museums A-Z .. today, we were off to  Bletchley Park , the ticket for which is valid for a year. I got a cheap train ticket on  Uber , with a promotion knocking £5 off, plus £10 Uber credit - which was most of the cost of the ticket.  Amazing how I can get myself out, sometimes - I ended up getting there early. Our organiser had a teeny sign.. of more use, TBH, was the picture he posted of where he'd be, adorned with a big red arrow. When someone suggested getting a hot chocolate in the Starbucks , just upstairs, while we waited, I thought that was an excellent idea.. in fact, they had a new, pistachio one. So I had the new, pistachio one! And a chocolate muffin. Because, you know, chocolate. No bins. No bins on the train either. On the train, we couldn't all sit together - I unsocia bly sat on my own - in my defence, I had a time-boxed event in my phone game .. which I got finished on the train. Tha...
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Play: Guidelines

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Tonight,  third Meetup in a run of five,  Up in the Cheap Seats   (UITCS) tempted me back with  Guidelines , at the  New Diorama  - a play about the horrors of the internet, basically. Turned out to be far enough away to take the Tube - and so to London Bridge . Buses were scheduled, but nary a one had passed me by the time I'd walked there. The plan was, Jubilee Line to Baker Street , then take any of three lines one stop to Great Portland Street , where I could eat at the adjacent Greene Man pub. Indeed, I even got a seat on the Jubilee Line! The trouble started at Baker Street - now, it's a maze of a station, but that wasn't the problem - I made my way towards the lines I needed, only to pass stalled Metropolitan Line trains; that being one of the lines I needed, I started to think something was up. Sure enough, there was an announcement - I didn't hear the full thing, but I heard something about "severe delays" on the Circle and Hammersmith and Ci...
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Film: Nouvelle Vague

Last night , second Meetup in a row of five, I was with  Movie Roadhouse London  - for the new  Richard Linklater  film,  Nouvelle Vague . Re ferencing the  French Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) ,   i t primarily focuses on the making of  Breathless ,  directed by  Jean-Luc Godard .  Showing in the  BFI , and I headed to  The Archduke  beforehand - although when I looked, there were only two timeslots left, and I ended up having to book quite an early one! So I had have lots of time before meeting the group.. Didn't think I'd have soup, after the  last , disastrous visit. Walked from the office in pouring rain, shoulders aching from dragging the laptop - arrived a bit late, which wasn't a problem: the lady at the desk recognised me, checked me in, and said my "favourite" table by the window was waiting for me. Hmm.. did they read my online review and equate it with me? Anyway, service was quick and friendly - to be f...
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Play: Mrs. President

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Now in  a run of five  Meetups ! For tonight, I got a ticket from someone who bought one, then couldn't go, for  Mrs. President  at  Charing Cross Theatre : an outing with  Up in the Cheap Seats  (UITCS). And that was interesting, a week after seeing  Our American Queen , because Mrs. President is about the  wife  of  Abraham Lincoln , who's mentioned in Our American Queen, and she and the Chases, subjects of Our American Queen, couldn't stand each other! I went early so I could eat beforehand. Now, I checked on Google Maps - and for some reason, couldn't see L' Ulivo , the Italian restaurant across from the theatre where I've eaten before. Never mind, I said, I'll get something somewhere. The bus , mind you, was running late - and Google Maps' advice to walk through Victoria Embankment Gardens ignored the fact that they're locked after dark. So I was late to eat.. and they're slow in L' Ulivo (which, yes, is still there and goin...
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Film: This Is Not a Film

Last night, stuck with my plan to see a documentary called  This Is Not a Film , made by the banned  Iranian  director  Jafar Panahi , mostly on a mobile phone, and reportedly smuggled out in a cake - that bit is said to be untrue. Showing, as good documentaries tend to do, in the  Curzon Bloomsbury . I could leave nice and late - and immediately knew the buses were delayed, from the unusually large crowd of people waiting for them. In the pouring rain, I managed to squeeze under the bus stop canopy - and one did come eventually. I had to change, and had to squeeze under another bus stop canopy, watching for any bus to come, through the drips from the edge.. it was only two stops to go, but I wasn't walking in that! It took a while, but I was early - any bus would do, and I was eventually deposited near the shopping centre . And so to my standard for food here, GBK - where only one server was on duty, and a wee bit inexperienced, I think; with the place mos...
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Immersive Theatre: Jorvik

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These  two days, I was thinking film, but they were not selling out (yet), so I didn't book. Tonight, I was thinking of  Breathless , at the  BFI  - part of their  Ensemble  season to celebrate the filmmakers referenced in  Richard Linklater 's new  documentary  about the  French Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) . Breathless is directed by  Jean-Luc Godard . However, last night I was having a look at what else was on - and lo, TAC came up with a stunning option - so instead of the film, I booked for  Jorvik , an immersive  Viking  experience, based around the capture of  York  by the Vikings, who renamed it Jorvik. Happening in  The Glitch . Regular tickets from  Ticket Tailor . Booked for  The Archduke  beforehand. Ah, TFL - I was surprised, recently, to see "due" buses actually arrive straight away.. this evening, they were back to normal. The bus was "due", and there I was, waiting and wait...
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Film: Primate, January Catch-Up, & 7 Wonders Immersive Exhibition

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On Friday , second Meetup in a row, I was back with  The Hideout  for  Primate , about your typical tropical paradise, where a group of youngsters have come to party, and there's a pet chimp. Unfortunately, he goes from sweet to savage when bitten by a rabid animal, and carnage ensues. Venue finally announced as the  Vue West End , to  Victory House  before that for drinks, and  Bella Italia  before that for me, for food. I made it slightly late to the restaurant, as usual - sadly, it seems my regular table is no longer in use. To be fair, I was probably the only one that liked it - I could sit inside and look out: but it is a cramped space, and better suited to storage. Anyway, I was seated immediately - and as I perused the menu, something caught my eye that I hadn't noticed before, but that sounded good: so I ordered the beef and red wine tortellini. As usual, I had chicken fries to start. However, not as usual, they were burnt and unpleasant!...
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