London Still Rocks!

Tonight, third of four Meetups in a row, I joined the  World Music Meetup . They were headed to the  British Museum , which is currently running a  Silk Road exhibition  - and tonight, they ran an event called  Music of the Silk Roads , in the midst of exhibits relevant to the music. So, that sounded good.. I had to skive off work early - just as well I was up to date! There was any combination of buses I could take - happily, I found a combination that got me to the museum at about 4.50; we were to meet at 5.15 for a 5.30 start. As I walked the last bit to the museum, I prayed there wouldn't be a long queue.. lo, there was hardly a queue at all! and me used to having to plod along the pavement for up to 45 minutes before I get in. We'd been advised to get a timed ticket for museum entry - and indeed, why not?! They're free, and it means you can enter via the main entrance on Great Russell Street - non-ticket holders have to go around the back, and I was comin...

Tonight, I was thinking of film again -  Cure  is an unusually highly rated horror film, showing at the  Prince Charles   tonight only . Set in  Japan , where a detective is flummoxed by a series of inexplicable murders, committed by people who all seem to have lost all trace of memory of the event! Now, I mentioned this to the organiser at the  Frost Descends social  - and lo, it turns out to be a film he always wanted to see, and never got to! Not only that, but it's said to have kick-started the subsequent wave of  Asian horror . So.. it got transformed into a   Meetup , with  The Hideout ! Unusually for events in the area, we headed to  The Bear & Staff  - well, he did say he wanted to find a different place. And I'd eaten there before, and found it good - so I booked to eat there beforehand. I was in the office today - the very day they decided to put up the Christmas tree! The office was walking distance from the pub;...

Tonight, I headed  to the  Theatre Royal Haymarket  with  Up in the Cheap Seats , who were going to see  Waiting for Godot  - I always love  Beckett . Stars  Ben Whishaw . Someone from the group decided she'd rather a sun holiday, so I took her ticket, which was a decent one. And my sometime companion from the group joined me at the  Angus Steakhouse  beforehand. I headed off in decent time, arriving in Regent Street , which had a Christmassy atmosphere: I was first to the restaurant - she was coming on the Elizabeth Line , and someone at work had warned us all that all the lines were delayed - apparently due to yet more flooding ! I'd ordered by the time she arrived, but hey - the food came when it was ready, and we were well fed. Certainly, I was starving - had the pumpkin soup from their Thanksgiving special menu, and a steak. We skipped dessert, and headed straight to the theatre - when we could find anyone to pay. Funny how slow se...

Tonight - yes, film again, and indeed, documentary again. This time, it was  The Ballymurphy Precedent  - about the  Ballymurphy massacre , where 11 innocent people were killed by members of the  British Parachute Regiment  - the same regiment that would be responsible for  Bloody Sunday , five months later. As someone in the film rightly points out, if the Ballymurphy massacre had been properly investigated, likely Bloody Sunday wouldn't have happened.. and it was the catalyst for so much more.. Complete with intro, it was happening at the  BFI , and was selling strongly, so I booked.  The bus driver fell short of expectations again - when a man wanted to get off, complete with buggy, and pressed the button, despite the fact that we had already stopped to take on passengers, the exit doors remained closed! Others pressed it twice more on his behalf - no good, the bus drove off again shortly afterwards, with him still on board. Cue lots of peopl...

Wey-hey, I'm back! Never fear, just a wee holiday.. Last Thursday , the  Crick Crack Club  had an event in  The Cube, Bristol  - which had the advantage of having streaming tickets, one of which I bought. I was in the office, and for once yes, heading home afterwards! The event was  The Three Snake Leaves  - and ironically, is happening in  King's Place  in January, which I'd have preferred - I always prefer to go to things in person, and especially storytelling. But never mind.. I decided to eat near the office - and as it happens, it's quite close to the British Museum : so I did what I always do there, and tried the Museum Tavern . But, as so often, it was packed. So I tried my very very acceptable Plan B - and headed to Il Castelletto . Found myself sat beside a group of friends / family, one of whom kept exclaiming how lovely it looked! Well, yes.. Now, the last time I was there, the people at the table beside me had calamari that was so goo...

Tonight, another social with  The Hideout  and their sister group,  Movie Roadhouse London , at the  BFI Riverfront Bar  - this one was fetchingly called  Frost Descent . How appropriate. Eating beforehand at  The Archduke , as usual. Ah man, what a busy day.. I was to be glad I was headed reasonably close to home, as I even had to run to Tesco beforehand! Cold as a.. (insert expletive here). Anyway, I arrived at the restaurant a little late, wasn't a problem.. warmed my hands on the candle on the table, not joking. When she came for my drink order, I gave her the whole order - I knew I wanted beef bourgignon. And wow, was it good.. and when she came to clear it away, I asked for the bill. I was in something of a hurry. So, I arrived at the social a little ahead of the scheduled time, but I had heard it was going to start early - some of the group had decided to decamp to a table quiz at the Prince Charles . Never mind.. it was another very convivial ...

Tonight was film again. So, what I came up with was  Soundtrack to a Coup d' État , a fascinating documentary about events in the  UN  in 1960, with the entry of a host of newly independent  African  nations, shifting the balance of power. We get  Khrushchev  banging his fist, we get  Eisenhower  - and we get a political  assassination . Lots of shenanigans - and all to a rocking jazz soundtrack. Showing in the  ICA . I left a little later than intended, but the bus fairly flew - until we were nearly at my stop , when we hit horribly heavy traffic. When we were finally let off, happily, Google Maps had provided me with a terrific little shortcut, down Spring Gardens , then onto a pedestrian passageway that took me straight to the Mall . So handy - albeit there was a chap pissing in the corner. And wouldn't you know it, I made it on time! Had to queue for a ticket, then slipped into the cinema behind another couple, and sat in the...