Social

Last night, The London Movie Club (in conjunction with The Hideout) had their May social - back in the BFI Riverfront Bar again. I originally thought that'd be a good day to drag myself into the office.. except then it occurred to me that I haven't got a lot on.. and if I wanted to look busy, it'd be a lot easier today, when I have more meetings. So I stayed at home yesterday. Which turned out to be great timing, as the film list got done.. so I got a lot of forward planning done as well.. read on..

I have trouble, to be honest, eating around Waterloo - for all the eateries it has, a lot of places are sub-par. Tried The Archduke - but they were full by the time I got around to thinking about it. I ended up in Black & Blue, across from the station entrance - which is actually the same chain:

..where I had the Prix Fixe menu, with steak frites and an ice cream sundae - don't really like the starters, here, and it's cheaper if you only have two courses. Service was quicker than usual - it might have helped that I was in plain view, rather than stuffed in a booth, as previously. The steak comes with Bearnaise sauce, which I wasn't mad about, but of course it was served on the side, so I left it. The steak itself was lovely - if a bit chargrilled, which I'm not mad about - and the chips were delish. The ice cream sundae did take 15 minutes to arrive - were they leaving me time to digest? But it was very moreish.

Outside, a couple of Santander posters seem to be in the style of Banksy.. I assume they're not authentic:

I was a teensy bit late for the start of the social - especially since I needed the loo, and the queue was.. time-consuming. Boy, those toilets are a mess, too! Anyway, in due course I got my drink, and got to chat to people.. and apart from one mention of Dune, the conversation was excellent. Always love these socials. Was too tired to blog last night though - particularly as I had to be up early this morning! Crashed, woke at 3.40am.. yep, so no blogging for me at that stage.

The bus this morning was fun - traffic like treacle, and a veritable sea of schoolkids, most, apparently, on a school trip. This evening, I'm with CT again - and back with the Backyard Comedy Club! About time..

And now that the film list is done, I know what I'm doing on Friday. Honestly, what was coming up on my list wasn't as interesting as what The Hideout are doing, so I'm joining them instead, for The Strangers: Chapter 1, at the Vue West End as usual. These films always disturb the hell out of me - but that's the point, isn't it! Eating at the adjacent Bella Italia, as usual.

On Saturday, also film - this time on my own, and I'm heading to Big Banana Feet, a documentary about Billy Connolly in action in Ireland in 1975. I love Billy Connolly.. will adore this. Closest showing is in Picturehouse Central - and I suppose I'll head to Bella Italia again afterwards - must book that. And the film is mid-afternoon, so I'm grabbing the time beforehand for a much-needed haircut! At last.. it's just been so hectic, I haven't had the time.

On Sunday, back with Discover London - History Walks and Events for a walk about The Great Fire of London. I love these walks - it'll be nice to get back to one.

On Monday, last film of the week - I'm off to see Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger, closest showing in The Curzon Bloomsbury. As usual, much easier to book on the app - but even that isn't without its problems, constantly telling me there's a problem with my payment method right before sending me a purchase receipt! Freaky..

On Tuesday, back for the first time since St. Patrick's Day with Buddies on a Budget (BoB) in London - we're off to The Globe for Richard III. With a woman in the title role.. could be interesting. Ah, The Globe - must be summer!

On Wednesday, for once, I'm staying in - I have a Zoom talk given by the writers of a book called Seven Myths that Changed England. Turns out it's an LSE event.. and blast it, I saw it on cheap ticket sites, but it turns out to be completely free.. actually, I might head to the in-person event instead, I'll see how I feel.

Next Thursday, I'm with London Social and Cultural Meetups, first time in months - we're going to a photo exhibition at Estorick. Then I'm back to Ireland for the next bank holiday.

On the 28th, another of those cheap ticket talks - this one is by Asne Seierstad, and is at The Conduit, on the subject of Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

On the 29th, back with London Literary Walks at last - my Wednesdays are just so busy! This is a walk about Island Records - U2's old label, so of course I have an interest..

And on the 30th, back with London Hot 100 - we're at the New Wimbledon Theatre for Jimmy Carr Laughs Funny.