Portrait Talk & Film: Skinjacker

Today, London Social Detours organised a trip to a talk about James I (who was obsessed with witchcraft), followed by lunch in the Crypt Cafe of St. Martin's in the Field. Almost the only Meetup of the week for me..

I headed out in good time - which was just as well, considering that buses were blocked from Strand by roadworks! I just had time to trot down the road to Charing Cross Station, where we were meeting. Then I didn't have change.. just as well someone else in the company could break a £20 note. Anyway, we soon made our way to the National Portrait Gallery - the talk turned out to be a regular one, 12.30 daily it seems: a "portrait talk", focusing on a particular portrait, which today was of James I. You gather at a particular point, and are led to whichever portrait is the subject for the day's talk. Ushers also offer folding stools to anyone who might need them - now, you do have to carry them upstairs (unless you catch the lift, which we were told was broken, but it wasn't..), but there's no seating for the talk, which happens right in front of the painting. So, by all means, if you need a seat..

The speaker has very bad projection for such a large group - someone at the back loudly asked whether she could speak up, but she didn't even seem to hear that. And she got her maths wrong - if James I was born in 1566, and married in 1589, he was hardly 14.. Apart from that, it was an interesting enough talk - mainly about him, with sidenotes about the persecution of witches at the time. To be fair, I don't know how much more specific she could have been, given that we were in the Portrait Gallery - I doubt there's a more pertinent portrait in there..

Afterwards, we meandered around the gallery for half an hour or so. I'm completely unfamiliar with its geography, but we seemed to be on the top floor: anyway, it holds the oldest portraits. Mind you, we also came across quite a few of celebrities. This interesting photo of Malala, with Arabic script across it, has an accompanying AV display:

I stuck to photographing subjects I recognised - such as the King's late parents:

If you're a David Beckham fan, you'll be thrilled that there's a video of him asleep!

There's Dame Judi Dench:

and sundry other celebrities:

This chap created a mask of himself, using his own blood! It's kept in a refrigerated unit - very appropriate for Hallowe'en:

Death masks of famous people abound - some very old, although you couldn't tell from the faces:

Delighted to see a depiction of Electress Sophia of Hanover, mother of George I - I never did know that much about her! Very well-educated, apparently:

Ah, and here he is himself:

Here's Daniel O' Connell, after whom the main street in almost every city and town in Ireland is named! They actually have a lot of Irish politicians:

Here's a wall of scientists:

We finished in the Tudor section. More portraits of Elizabeth I than of anyone else - but this stood out for its marvellous frame!

Oh, and apparently this staircase is haunted!

And so to a much-needed lunch - I was starving, and needed a sit-down! They've moved their large tables to the area outside the cafe, so we brought our stuff out there. I had the chicken leg, which came with two sides - I had carrots and spuds. And gravy. And a slice of lemon drizzle cake, which was going fast - there were only two slices left. And wine. And was very well fed! Others had a variety - there's quite a lot of choice. Many went for the pie, some for salad. And we had a nice chat before I decided to head home - there was too long to go before my next event to be hanging around the city centre.

This evening, I headed to Skinjacker, back in the Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival at the Hen & Chickens Theatre. Cheaper tickets on CT. Set on Skye, the scenery promised to be spectacular, at least. Nice to see yet more people dressed up, on the way - a group of killer clowns had congregated outside London Bridge Station. Now, I didn't need a full meal, after lunch - but I was peckish, so headed to the nearby Pret - and wow, the apple juice went down a treat, as did the salmon sandwich - one of their last two! And during my meal, I was entertained by a ghost at the next table - matching the trick or treaters outside..

And so to the pub - where I managed to get a photo of the door decoration this time; last night, there was someone behind me and I didn't get a chance:

Inside, a fetchily dressed couple were questioned by the friendly barman, and it turned out they had been meant to go to a fancy dress party, but something had gone awry:

Meantime, I had a great time waiting for the film - a closer inspection of the membership card I got yesterday revealed that it granted me 10% off my drinks! Now, they really should give you that automatically if you say you're taking it upstairs, which they always ask - because you can't be going upstairs without membership.. anyway, I got my discount tonight. Plus, I spotted their Trick r Treat box, and positioned myself beside it - so that was dessert sorted.. I did leave some for the actual trick r treaters, who called at one point.

I was first into the film again - well, I was well-positioned - and took a front-row centre seat again. And phew, tonight's was much better! It's actually a kind of zombie-meets-aliens type of thing - not too gory, though - in which it's not too much of a spoiler to say that a spacecraft of some kind crash-lands (in Skye) and affects the locals rather unfortunately. How, you'll have to watch to see - it's a little more complicated than as described above. But very watchable! What a relief, after last night. Ironically though, no film-makers present tonight, and no rounds of applause. Unless, perhaps, they didn't like it as much as last night's. Which, I'm sorry, would be just weird.

Home safely, despite the witch at the bus stop and the zombies - and spider - on the bus. Just heard a couple of fireworks as I headed in home - of course, Hallowe'en isn't as big for them here as it is in Ireland, the big one is Guy Fawke's Night - which isn't celebrated there. (I did learn, today, that James I started the tradition with a celebratory fireworks display after the Gunpowder Plot was foiled..)

Tomorrow, film again - and what looked best was The Killer, a thriller with Michael Fassbender in the title role, also starring Tilda Swinton as his handler. How can you lose.. showing in the Curzon Aldgate. And yay, the website finally allows me to use my free credits!

On Thursday, also film - and, you know, it being the Day of the Dead in some traditions, I fancied something scary - even if only vaguely - again. Took me a while to scroll down my film list to find anything that was still on, and would qualify - I finally hit on Cat Person. This is based on a short story in The New Yorker (although they apparently changed the ending), and is a cautionary tale about a couple that meet online. He says he's a "cat person" - but she is to find out that he's not at all as he portrays himself.. Showing in the Odeon Covent Garden.

On Friday, still gainfully unemployed, I'm back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners, for another new one of his - he's off to Kultured Kensington..

Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again. Absolutely intrigued by what's in the cinema - showing only in Ennis, it seems, is Dance First, a biography of Samuel Beckett, who as an older man is played by Gabriel Byrne, with Aiden Gillen as James Joyce, with whom he was apparently close, Bronagh Gallagher as Nora Joyce, and Maxine Peake as Beckett's mistress, Barbara Bray.

And on Monday, back with CT, for a Winter Blues concert at Union Chapel.