Social & Walk: Rebel Women of the South Bank

Yesterday was another ex-colleagues meeting - or actually just another meeting with James! We haven't seen Ivan since June, and Martin since last Christmas.. and of course, we were in The Phoenix again.

No problem with buses - apart from Google Maps oddly telling me to get off early. I was to discover there was a reason - Victoria Street was being dug up! So I had a bit longer walk than anticipated - and I was just starting that when he messaged to say he was already there. So, he beat me for once! And then, when I went in, I couldn't see him.. ended up standing right beside him while I got my phone out to message and ask him where he was, whereupon he reached out and poked me.. I am never going to recognise him in that hat..

Well, he had fish n chips again and I had steak again - how predictable are we?! And I swear the barman remembered us, and gave a nod of recognition when I told him what wine I wanted. But hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.. and you know, we had a terrific catch up. It's always good to see him.. Roll on the next. Anyway, I had less of a walk on the return journey - but I was too tired to blog.

Today, back with Mandy and London Herstory Walks (LHW) for Rebel Women of the South Bank - happily, late enough that I could have a lie-in! I was there early.. we were meeting outside the Old Vic, which was slightly confusing for a minute, with the crowds going in for the matinée. Most of us were there early - we ended up waiting for a few minutes for one who had paid in advance, but was a no-show in the end, sadly..

Anyway, our first stop was the theatre itself, and the massive plaque I never before noticed, commemorating Emma Cons, who founded it. And wouldn't you know it, she was the aunt of Lilian Baylis, who managed it, and also took over Sadler's Wells! And as if that wasn't enough, she also founded the forerunners of the English National Opera, the National Theatre, and the Royal Ballet and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.. ah here, we might as well say she was the single person most responsible for entertainment in London! Hats off.. Neither was this the last we were to hear of them; no, over the road a bit there are mosaics:

Indeed, they're not the only ones to be commemorated in this way - there's a line of local heroes too:

Off-piste but interesting, we came across the site of the now-defunct Necropolis Railway, which ferried corpses and mourners to out-of-town cemeteries:

Apropos of nothing in particular, we came across a window with dinky miniature dresses in it!

We popped into the grounds of the Imperial War Museum, to hear about Hannah Snell, who pretended to be a man and served as a soldier in the 18th Century..

And in the surrounding park, the information board tells the story of the first woman to fly! in a balloon..

The little dog staring wistfully up a tree after a squirrel would have been keen to have equipment like that..

Nearby, there's a memorial to the Russian soldiers killed in the Second World War - back in the days when we were on the same side:

Later, we came to Lambeth Palace - and heard about the scandalous lesbian wife of an Archbishop of Canterbury!

We came to the statue of Violette Szabo:

And, of course, the best view of the Palace of Westminster:

I did not know this lion was carved in a female-owned factory, which used to occupy the adjacent building:

We finished with quite an impressive statue of Mary Seacole, outside St. Thomas' Hospital:

Another interesting and varied walk! Glad to be back on one of these - it's been years since I did a history walk with Mandy..

A quick walk down Leake Street allowed me to advertise Dark Secrets, which we passed, and is of course still running.. but we just used it as a shortcut, ending up in The Glitch Cafe:

..where I had a very good-value wine, and we all had a very nice chat - it's nice when the whole group comes for a drink! Afterwards, I decided to head back to The Archduke - where, again, they remembered me, and had no problem in seating me. This time, the soup was mushroom, so I had it.. and the chicken. The waiter had to remind me that I always swap the salad for garlic mushrooms, too! And by the time I'd worked my way through all that, I was too stuffed for dessert - not for dessert wine, though. ;-)

Tomorrow is film - Train Dreams, what looks like a beautiful film about a logger and railroad worker in the United States in the early 20th century. And this one is in the Curzon Bloomsbury, phew - more familiar to me than the one in Sea Containers!

On Tuesday, heading with Paul and Tim's Greater London Talks and Walks, for Tim's Walk: London by Gaslight. Meeting in the Pret near Green Park Station.

On Wednesday, back with storytelling in Folklore! This time it's Nell Phoenix for the Crick Crack Club, performing The Girl Who Married a Dog, tickets with Dice as usual. Eating at The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch beforehand - and wow, it's a couple of months since I was last up that way!

On Thursday, back with Mandy and her new Meetup group (ahem) Rat-Arsed Tours! This is her Knightsbridge & Belgravia Crimbo Walk - and gee, she has a lot to live up to after the last one of these! Also advertised with LHW. Meeting in The Plumbers Arms. And just like last time, I'll be getting a workout with my laptop on my back..

And on Friday, I've lucked out getting cheap tickets with CT to a concert of Spanish classical guitar music at Pixaudio! Regular tickets with Eventbrite. Ah, I adore this music.. eating in The North Pole beforehand.