Catch-up

Yesterday, met Ivan - with all the pubs near him unbookable because of the Hackney half-marathon, I suggested he come to me, and we headed to The Old Thameside Inn, walking distance from me, and in an area I love. It started overcast, the sun coming out as I walked.. Came across a random piece of wood..

Well, I got there first (predictably), asked whether he was nearby, the place being such a maze! I would have preferred to go in with him. No response, so after a minute, I went in. As it happened, we were seated on the ground floor - easy to find, and the place was mostly empty. And he wasn't long, to be fair.. he opened with a convoluted story about how he'd done his best to be early, but was scuppered by buses, delayed by traffic and stopping early. (I know the feeling!) So, from now on, he's not going to bother trying to be early..

He introduced me to a nice Bulgarian tradition of pouring a small glass of whatever the deceased person would have liked to drink - so my mother got some of my wine. I had the Sunday roast chicken with all the trimmings - he had sausage, mash, and a ton of sides. For dessert, he had sticky toffee pudding, but I didn't see anything I fancied - when I said there wasn't anything chocolatey enough, he suggested I just have ice cream with chocolate sauce. Which I did! After eating, we repaired to an outside table:


Lovely place to sit, but too cold to stay, especially with the breeze - still, after a bit, we managed to get a table inside without trouble. And stayed some hours, catching up.. Lordy, it's months since I'd seen him.. Anyway, it ran too late to blog, what with having to be at work today.

This evening, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for How to Fight Loneliness, showing in the Park Theatre. My companion from the Swiss trip is coming too, and has pre-ordered a bottle of wine, which we'll share.

The next two days, thinking film - for tomorrow, it's looking like Exhibition on Screen: Michelangelo - Love and Death. Which is showing in the Curzon Bloomsbury.

On Wednesday, The Garden Cinema is showing what looks like a quirky French offering, called The Marching Band.

And on Thursday, heading with TAC for the first time in an age, to Blithe Spirit, by Noel Coward, in The Courtyard. Eating beforehand in Schnitzel Heaven - where I might try something other than the katsu, for once!

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