London Still Rocks!

T onight, second night in a row with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS), we were going to  Bird Grove , the story of  George Eliot 's relationship with her father , in  Hampstead Theatre . This far out, it had to be Tube .. and with a bus that would take me to the station imminent, I thought it'd simply be silly not to take it. So I did. Now, as often happens at busy periods, we were made to enter for the Jubilee Line via the Northern Line route, at the end of which you go down a staircase that has steps to the left and right. I usually go down the right, whereupon the Jubilee Line to the city centre is to my left. Tonight, I went down the left staircase.. and, distracted, took the train that was just pulling in. To the left. It wasn't for a couple of stops I realised I was going the wrong way and changed - just as well I saved time getting that bus! Not that dinner was going to take long - I was at KFC , as usual for this venue, these days. And it was very nice.. althoug...

Back in London - and bah humbug, the cold weather has followed me! Anyway, two more nights of   Up in the Cheap Seats   (UITCS) in progress. Last night, we were at   Southwark Playhouse   again, and again with their now-expired PAYG discount, for  Beautiful Little Fool , the story of  F. Scott Fitzgerald  and his  wife , as told by their  daughter .  I planned to eat in The Rockingham Arms beforehand - but it was completely full! Pretty good, for 5.30pm on the Monday after Valentine's Day - they must be doing good business. Never fear, there's a Nando's right next door - I ate there. Found myself sat beside an elderly man and a young boy - got talking to them when I realised they didn't know you have to get your own cutlery, and told them where it was. Of course, it was a grandfather taking his grandson out for the day - he informed me they'd been to the War Museum . Not my idea of fun, but I'm sure they had a good time. They're fast ...

I'm back in Ireland for the weekend- a good weekend not to be in London, with  Valentine's Day  in the middle.. signs of which were evident throughout my departure: The crowd of men clustered around the card stand in WH Smith The extra-large queue at the airport As I trudged to the plane, one of the shops was playing Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights .. Today, I went to   Send Help , which has   Rachel McAdams   suffering under a horrible boss: until the private plane on which they're travelling to a meeting crashes, and the two of them are washed up on a desert island. He's injured, and spends a couple of days unconscious - by the time he comes to, she's in charge. Heh. Very much wish fulfilment, this.. Decided to see it in Ennis - with my friend who usually meets me unavailable, I took the opportunity to put on a wash this afternoon, then headed in in the evening. By 'eck, it's cold out there.. and wet. I went early, to eat in Supermac's beforehand -...

Last Tuesday , I headed to see  Is This Thing On?  A comedy about a guy who, having marital problems, heads to a bar - only to find it's open mic night, and he can't get a drink unless he does a turn on stage: so, for the first time ever, he attempts a bit of stand-up comedy. Directed and co-written by  Bradley Cooper , it stars  Laura Dern  as the wife - and as told to me by someone at  The Cartoon Museum , it's inspired by the story of  John Bishop ! Nearest showing to me was in the  Curzon Aldgate . My go-to eatery around there is Cote St. Katharine Docks , so I booked - and then moved my booking time back by a quarter of an hour, because of course I wasn't ready! And when I headed out, it was absolutely pouring rain.. Seeing that a bus was due soon, I waited and took that - mind you, just for a couple of stops, to Tower Bridge . So I still had to walk most of the way - I was drenched and dripping by the time I got there. Well, my coat and bag ...

  I was stuck for something to do today, until I remembered something I saw advertised on  Facebook  - there was a  talk about British Folk Horror  tonight! Courtesy of Seed Talks . I was too late to book an in-person ticket, so I booked one for the livestream - tickets from  Eventbrite . Work finished in nice time to get something to eat first - so I schlepped off to my local Wetherspoon's, the Pommeler's Rest ! Damn cold out, too. Got a table without issue - except that it was a bit snug, and if I moved the table back enough so I could squeeze in without having to push the chair in the way of the stairs, then the gap between my table and the adjacent one would be challenging for anyone to squeeze through.. And I was in line with the door. Which wasn't actually a problem, I was far enough from it - just as well, considering the number of people who left it open.. Had my usual katsu, which was lovely, even the third day in a row - might have been my imagina...

Yesterday, fifth Meetup in a row, and second in a row with London Museums A-Z , wa s an  Unlimited event , where they don't cap numbers - we were off to the  British Museum  to see fragments of the  Mausoleum of Halikarnassos , one of the  Seven Wonders of the Ancient World , as I previewed on  the 1st  of course. It was only as I was getting ready to leave that I remembered to book a General Admission ticket for the museum - they're free, and not necessary, but handy to have. We were to meet at 3pm - which was all booked up when I looked. Funny that! Well, I got a ticket for 2:50pm - they don't check the time anyway, as long as you have a ticket. Got a nice, early bus - it arrived as I was racing for the stop , and the obliging, lone person at the stop kindly delayed getting on, giving me a little smile as I ran up. Just to make sure the bus didn't leave. Thank you, kind stranger.. So I arrived about 2:30pm, made for the security check - they glance...