Kilmurry Lodge Hotel & Film: End of Days

I'm back in Ireland - for the last time this month - for my mother's Month's Mind. Now, I only just recently booked my flights - quite last minute - and while the return flight was quite expensive, I was pleasantly surprised at the low cost of the outbound one! Could it really be because it was on Friday the 13th..?! ;-) Certainly, despite the date, it's one of the very few times I remember it actually leaving on time.. possibly, no other flights were leaving either!

Anyway, I arranged to meet that friend who couldn't meet when I was back before - we had lunch today at the Kilmurray Lodge. My cousins are otherwise occupied, and couldn't make it. For all that the weather app promised faithfully it wouldn't rain, of course it did, on the way there. Never mind, it cleared up for me to go in. He'd beaten me to it. We both had the soup - vegetable, tasty (well, I thought so, although he liberally applied pepper), and deliciously hot. Served with soda bread that, I have to say, wasn't as nice as The Wilmington! (Well done, them!)

For main, he had a burger - which he asked to be well done - and I had a steak sandwich, which she warned only came medium. Jeez, they must have a very particular chef! Anyway, I said that was ok. Unfortunately, when it came, the steak was a bit chewy.. I didn't finish it. I did love the "pepper" sauce they served with it, although it tasted nothing like pepper sauce.. my chips were chunky though, so I swapped with my companion, who'd got fries. I hate chunky chips.

For dessert, he had a brownie, I had ice cream - I asked whether she could source some chocolate sauce for it, and she laughingly said that any she found, she'd make sure made it onto my ice cream! It did take them a while to serve it - perhaps they were looking for the chocolate sauce - but it was lovely, when it came. Service was friendly throughout. I do like coming here, but I don't think I'll bother with the steak sandwich again.. Chat was good with my companion, I had plenty of news, and it's ages since I last saw him.

Unfortunately, it was lashing as I left, but it wasn't far to the car. I was on a mission, primarily to get a pet carrier - whatever I do with the cat, she has to be moved from the house, she's lonely. It'll be fun whenever I have to get her into it.. anyway, my friend from lunch perhaps knows someone who can take her - watch this space.

The Month's Mind went off ok, and I met some old school friends, a couple of whom had been away for the funeral. Lovely to see them again too, and to chat! Yeah, only problem is, we're all so scattered, it's rare to get together like this..

If I'd been at a loose end tonight, the best film around (that I haven't seen) seemed to be Dangerous Animals, a horror about a serial killer who feeds his victims to the sharks. Literally. I see Shudder has bought it.. but as it happened, I didn't bother going - the cat appreciated my company, and I had a caller. So just as well. 

Instead, the late night horror film on TV was End of Days, made in 1999 - and they have quite a clever explanation as to why that should be a year of doom. See, the "number of the beast" - 666 - turned upside down is "999". So, any year ending in "999" - like 1999 - is a year of doom. Never mind the Y2K bug, this relates to the end of the world by the opening of the portal to hell. The Devil, played with relish, I have to say - well, it's a great role - by Gabriel Byrne, assumes human form to impregnate a chosen woman, but it has to happen at, yes, the very last hour of 1999. This will presumably lead to the birth of the Antichrist, etc. The hero who ends up with the unenviable job of stopping all this is Arnold Schwarzenegger, of all people! whose character is called "Jericho". And Miriam Margolyes plays a Satanic nurse, present at the birth of the baby who will grow up to bear the Antichrist, who kind of becomes a mentor to the little girl by first nursing her dying mother, then marrying her father. Just to stay close to her and make sure she goes through with it. Have to say, an unusually evil role for Miriam.

This actually had the potential to be a great horror film. The CGI is fantastic, particularly in its representation of the Devil when not in human form, and the Church's role is really well done, representing a rogue branch that believes that the best thing is to do away with the chosen girl, whereas the mainstream Church thinks that would just be wrong. Lots of clever ideas are introduced, such as the concept that the Devil can't see what goes on inside a sanctified church. The Devil does get to do lots of cool stuff though. BUT then they cast Arnie. And he's an action figure! So it turns into an action movie with great effects. Ah well, still watchable. I have probably seen it before - it's exactly my sort of thing - but couldn't remember a single thing about it, so that's ok.

Back to London tomorrow, and on Monday, thinking film - what's coming up is Lollipop, a drama about a mother, released from prison, whose daughters have been taken into care, and who is now dismayed to discover that social services want them to stay in care! Looks ok - not as depressing as you might expect. Showing in the Curzon Bloomsbury.

On Tuesday, with CT at the Backyard Comedy Club, for the first time in an age! They've got an Irish night..

Then, two days with Meetup. On Wednesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats - this time, at Southwark Playhouse, for The Frogs. Based on a play by Aristophanes, this version actually has music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Got a free ticket on my PAYG subscription. Funnily enough, starting the same night in the other theatre there is Who Is Claude Cahun? starring Amelia Armande, who was at the storytelling.. and promoting it..

On Thursday, back with London Social and Cultural Meetups, who are headed to the Prince Charles to see 10 Rillington Place. Based on a true story, it stars John Hurt as Timothy Evans, a man of diminished mental capacity who was wrongfully hanged for the murder of his wife and daughter at the address, where he lived. The actual murderer, it later transpired, was his neighbour, John Christie, who was also responsible for other murders there.. he's played by Richard Attenborough.. the case played a large part in the introduction of the idea of diminished responsibility, as well as the abolition of capital punishment. Eating beforehand at Bella Italia Cranbourn Street, and we're heading for a drink afterwards. 

On Friday, back with TAC at last for a concert called Lux Aeterna, featuring different requiems in St. Giles Cripplegate. Part of the Summer Music in City Churches series. Eating beforehand in Cote Barbican. 

Next Saturday, I'm back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpies, for the rescheduled tour of the Wallace Collection, yay! And what's more, Helen is coming to town.. and I doubt not that much of our chat will be about the Hurtigruten cruise I've booked for later in the year, and which she's been on.. ;-)

And on the 22nd, I'm finally getting to see Tutankhamen: The Immersive Exhibition, which I had previously booked and had to cancel. Now, this time, it's hosted by a group called Fun Activities to Do in London on a Weekend. But gee, they bought tickets already, and are charging extra.. so I just booked myself again. And as I booked before, I'm even getting a couple of quid off!