London Still Rocks!

I t's a   Hideout   weekend! Today, was back with The Hideout and   Movie Roadhouse London   for the 50th anniversary showing of  Jaws  - at the  BFI Imax ! Now, that promised to be spectacular.. Was all ready to go, but was slightly delayed when my taxi driver in Ireland messaged to say that my broken-down car, which he looks after when I'm not there, wasn't as bad as thought - so I was delighted when a bus appeared about a minute after I started to wait for it! It's not too long a trip for me - and I arrived in the IMAX cafe to find a lot of the group already sat in a kind of circle, so I joined them to say hi, before popping up to get brunch, which was wine and crisps. I had great fun telling them about last night's play .. could have some takers for it.. It occurred to me that it's years since I was last here - and that was with the same groups. Anyway, a fter a nice chat, we headed upstairs to the screen, and to our seats. In a nice touch, the c...

Tonight, back with  Up in the Cheap Seats  (UITCS) for  The Pitchfork Disney . Showing in the  King's Head Islington , it promised to be a rather weird, and thought-provoking, look at the nature of fear. Goodee! I headed off a bit early, planning to eat at The Bull - their food is always good, and I never need to book. Got a table near the bar, was served quickly - the wine was excellent, and I had chicken schnitzel; not the equal of Bella Italia , but still very nice. Service was friendly, as ever -I always strongly recommend this place, and it never disappoints. Dog-friendly, too. A short walk to the theatre, then - and they found it impossible to scan my ticket. I'd booked with Love Theatre , and it seems their tickets always have a problem being scanned. They finally looked me up on the system, printed me off a physical ticket, and scanned that. When I got down to the bar (the upper bar - they do have one at the lower, theatre level, but I don't know whether it'...

Last night, the start of another run of  Meetups  - the first monthly social in  months  held by  The Hideout  and their sister group,  Movie Roadhouse London  (MRL).. whee! The organiser has been busy with family matters, you see - and there's really nobody like him for organising a social. Happened in the Balcony Bar of the  Riverfront Bar at the BFI , as usual, and I booked  The Archduke  for beforehand. I was in the office - and my weather app was up to its usual shenanigans, with rain predicted and then not.. so I ended up wearing a coat with no hood, and then it lashed rain as I was out for lunch. Have to say though, it completely avoided me - I wasn't facing the window, so it wasn't until I was leaving Pret that I saw the drenched pavement! But it had completely stopped by that time, so I deftly avoided getting drenched. On a side note, that Pret's aircon seems to be broken - I was surprised to find myself walking past a por...

Tonight, back with CT for a play called  Saving Mozart  at  The Other Palace  - was hoping for a musical accompaniment to that. Well, they only play musicals here! Thought about eating beforehand, in the area - but I was a little late arriving, what with one bus delayed and the other coming, and leaving, as I was trying to cross the road to it. (Good thing I dressed for rain, it was lashing at that point.) And wouldn't you know it, of all the eateries around there - every one was rammed! Will remember that, in future - for now, I bought a sandwich in M&S , and ate it before I went in. I was early - got my ticket and headed for the bar. There's a small bar area - you grab seats where you can. I was on a communal table - got a second drink in plastic, going in when they said we could. The lady at the box office had apologised when giving me my ticket, saying that was the best they had - but really, I was quite close! Honestly, it starts quite pretentiously - a h...

Tonight, went to a film - top of the list was  This Is Spinal Tap , a mockumentary about a fictional rock group. 40 years old, and I hadn't seen it yet - it was about time! Showing in the  Prince Charles  (PCC), and with it practically sold out for the early showing, and completely for the late one, I booked the early one - which at the last minute shifted to the large screen. This is becoming a habit here! Booked to eat in   Bella Italia   afterwards, of course. With the screen shift came a time shift - it was now showing 10 minutes later, and I was to be grateful for it, as things ran late. And as sometimes happens, I had a last-minute toilet requirement - so, having just missed my bus (and I hate how you can see it long before you get to the stop ), if I wanted to make it in time, it had to be Tube . So, that's what I did - and of course, it was roasting, but I got a seat when I changed to the Northern Line .  In fact, I made it in time to run to Gregg'...

Last Saturday , my monthly ex-colleagues' meeting again, at  The Phoenix  - and just James again, as Ivan continues to be distracted by family matters, and Martin just let me know on the day that he was a bit busy too. I arrived first, took one of the window seats for a change. There were a lot of Americans in, it sounded like - and the magician barman was there, performing to their delight. It wasn't busy though, at that time - with nothing better to do, he took my drink order at the table, and when James arrived and I went up to order, he stopped me en route and said he'd come over. I had steak - lovely, but quite salty on this occasion, and I didn't finish it. Nice how he remembered my drinks order when I went back, though. Good soundtrack, as usual - it's a nice place. And it was good to see James again - doesn't look as though we'll manage next month at all, as he's a bit busy and I can't really count on the others at the moment. I couldn't...