London Still Rocks!

Tonight, back with  Up in the Cheap Seats  (UITCS) at  Sadler's Wells , for  Solera  - flamenco with  Paco Peña . ¡Olé! Eating at The Wilmington again- and could go a little earlier, it being a bank holiday. Mind you, I didn't have all day to get ready - got up very late, having taken so long over the last post ! And then, Google Maps having told me to be out for a certain time, and me being out for that time - it turned out the bus had been 10 minutes early! So, getting the next meant I was a little late. En route, two teenage girls got on at the central, exit doors, made their way upstairs without paying - even when the driver tried to get their attention, one just looked at him, then followed her companion. I swear, it's impossible to police fare-dodgers.. Never mind, there wasn't a problem at the pub, they had plenty of space. On serving duty were a guy who turned out to be French Canadian (as he told the next table), and the guy who was so helpful ...

Well, again on Monday I was too tired to blog - and Tuesday saw me booking some things ahead, which took up all my spare time. That evening , I was back with  Movie Roadhouse London , who were dipping their toe in horror as well.. subsequently also advertised with The Hideout .. we were seeing  Brain Damage , an 80s body horror about a guy infected with an alien parasite..  hmm. Showing in  The Nickel Cinema   - which turned out to be around the corner from  The Wilmington , so I booked there again. Now, I might have known that the organiser would have an idea where to eat - and he found a few places closer than that - so I cancelled my booking for The Wilmington, which hasn't been great for food lately anyway, and has never been good for service. First, he suggested an Italian - but it turned out to be one of those places you have to email for a booking, and they never got back to him. So instead, we ended up in The Lady Ottoline !  Well, the buses w...

Oh man, I don't think I've ever had such a busy week, so many impediments to the blog.. Ah well, read on. I was too tired to blog after Saturday 's shenanigans, and on Sunday, things ran too late. That evening, I was back with  The Hideout  again for  They Will Kill You , a comedy horror about a girl who takes a job at a  Manhattan  mansion, only to discover it's a temple to  Satan , and she's tonight's sacrifice. However, they didn't know about the martial arts she picked up in prison.. not a spoiler, that's all in the trailer. In due course, the venue and time were announced - we were headed to the  Vue West End , and hallelujah, I managed to get a booking at  Bella Italia ! And I had a voucher.. Lordy, it's over a month since I'd been  last  there! A couple of people from the group joined me for that. I arrived first - it was good to be back. It wasn't busy, so I had my choice of seats, and thought the sofa at the back would be handie...

Well, I had nothing on Saturday night.. I often do after Laurence 's walks, which - even with their long post-walk lunches - tend to be finished by 4pm, but on this occasion I had nothing booked. So, when my friend who got married last year got in touch, on behalf of another friend of hers, whom I'd met at the wedding, with a request from him to come see this show he was putting on.. I checked it was starting late enough, and said ok. Tickets were on Eventbrite . Mind you now, it was in Notting Hill , so even though I was already in the centre, it was a Tube journey.. I found the address ok - it was happening in his flat - then realised I didn't know the flat number! Now, I did have his phone number if it came to that - there were another couple of people outside with the same problem. But then, with impeccable timing, someone came along who knew exactly where she was going, and we all trooped along behind her.. right up to the top of the house! I must say, the last set of...

Last Saturday , fourth in a row of five days of Meetup , I had to be up early-ish for  Laurence Summers  and the  45+ Not Grumpies  -  this walk was  It's Only Rock 'n' Roll but I Like It!  Unfortunately, the event pages seem to be set up differently now, not allowing people to sign up without paying through  PayPal , and incurring the fee. He's having to take people's names offline..this wasn't his intention, and I'm not sure what has happened, but someone should check the Meetup settings, because it doesn't happen for all groups. The buses, mercifully, seem to be running properly again. That morning's travel entertainment was provided courtesy of a small child, who remarked to her mother (or whomever) that the gentleman nearby reminded her of her grandad.. the gentleman in question pretended to be offended at the suggestion he was so old.. All quiet apart from that, apart from the usual change of driver - which didn't even make me late. Wow, it...

Yesterday , I was in the office - with all the bus trouble lately, I got myself out early. And a good thing too, considering the journey took 15 minutes longer than usual (1hr instead of 45mins). When you have to be somewhere.. In the evening, I was back with  London Museums A-Z  (LoMAZ), unusually for a midweek event, a talk on  Johnson, Crime and Punishment, in Four Cases , at  Dr. Johnson's House . Sold out in due course. No buses required, thankfully - it's walking distance from the office. Mind you, that was a trek, with my laptop.. the new, heavier, laptop at that! Made it ahead of Google Maps ' estimate, arrived really early. Got a bit lost at the very last bit - it's a maze around there! The organiser had just messaged to say she was sitting with Hodge the cat - I knew the cat when I saw it, and she was indeed there, so we chatted for a while as we waited for the others to arrive. Tickets were cheaper if bought in pairs, so I paired with someone from the gro...