London Still Rocks!

Now, tonight was supposed to be the third in a  run of three Meetup s, back with London Social & Cultural Meetups (also advertised, again, with the London European Club ) for a talk at the London School of Economics - this one was Ten Years On: Brexit and Britain's Political Future . But wouldn't you know, I was checking this afternoon - and I never registered for the talk! Lordy.. well, there was no doing it now - so I cancelled my attendance at the Meetup and headed for dinner at the Pommeler's Rest before the talk, which I could still access online. The rain held off, and it was a gloriously sunny evening - I got a table just inside the door, where I could watch both the golden sunshine and the manic traffic. Had a nice meal, nice wine.. a second nice wine.. and reflected that one of the good things about not attending in person was that I had time to eat beforehand, rather than spending the better part of an hour just getting there. And I was hungry.. Got hom...

Now in the midst of three days in a row of Meetup , it's been a London Museums from A-Z (LoMAZ) weekend - yesterday was their bimonthly birthday bash, starting in Benugo Waterloo . The buses were playing with me, first not coming, then on their way.. as I told the group, I'd be fashionably late. And so it proved, with me arriving about 10 minutes after the scheduled time. Still ahead of most of the group though, who dribbled in gradually.. well done to the day's principal organiser for getting there first and securing a table! As we chatted, we unanimously decided that if there were to be a walk at all, as planned, it'd be within the station where we then were, due to the rain. And then our uber-organiser (Jonny) spotted the Well & Boot at the end of the concourse and decided to give that a try. So over there we schlepped, got a round in - I asked the barman whether he had Sauvignon Blanc and he said, "yes, would you like some?" - and spent a convivi...

Last night , I was supposed to be back with The Hideout for the latest Scary Movie ! The trailer looks hilarious, with its references to horror films and popular culture.. and as usual, it'd be interesting to try and spot them all. Only thing is, it was run by the Southeast London branch.. and while I'm in the Southeast, this was far, far southeast.. they were headed to Vue Bromley . I'd have to get another train.. But wouldn't you know it, they switched to today, which I can't do. Never mind, said I, I was looking forward to it too much, I'd go see it on my own last night. Closer to me. Turns out it's showing in The Arzner , which I've never yet been to, but which is walking distance from me! It's an LGBTQ+ cinema, and last night's showing apparently had a drag intro.. well, fine.. And then, to top it all off, The Hideout cancelled today's event, and someone from the group advertised the same film for last night, in Greenwich . Ugh, to...

Tonight, I was with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for a reggae musical called The Harder They Come at the Theatre Royal Stratford East - the story of a young musician trying to make it in the business. Should have been easy to get to - if not by bus, then straight there by the Jubilee Line .. if I were travelling from home. Even with today's Tube strike , which didn't affect that line. Except, of course, I wasn't coming from home, but from the office.. Never fear, Google Maps reassured me that I could get the Elizabeth Line (which isn't a Tube line) from Tottenham Court Road , straight there. Really easy, really quick - less than 30 minutes altogether. Now, I've been on that line when it was really crowded, so I was a bit dubious.. but I went down there after work, only to find all but one entrance to the station closed, and a flashing "Do Not Enter" sign overhead, accompanied by a repeating announcement saying the same thing, and citing overcrowd...