Mediaeval Carol Service

Today, I was supposed to be in the office - but when I woke, I could tell this would be one of those days that I'd spend a lot of time coughing.. so I made the executive decision to work from home, on this, my last work week of the year. (My boss said that was prudent.) This evening, something I waited a long time to hear about.. some time ago, I was at an amazing mediaeval music concert by Rune at the church of St. Bartholomew the Great - at which they advertised a mediaeval carol concert in the same venue. Well, it finally came onto the church diary, and happened this evening - twice in fact, at 6pm and 9pm, free, no tickets required. They're also livestreamed on their YouTube site, and kept there for two months. The church opened an hour beforehand - and they recommended getting there early. I decided to head to the later one, and was thinking of eating in The Old Red Cow beforehand -  emailed for a booking, only for them to get back to me and say they were fully booked. Most of the restaurants around there are too pricey, and those that aren't were booked up by then - but I managed to get a table at Alfonsina, which is a steak restaurant, not too far away. Oh, and I took Strepsils with me.. they were a lifesaver last night..

Didn't have to head off too early, my timings were all late enough. Having said that, I forgot my keys and had to go back for them, then forgot my Oyster card and had to go back for it.. (well, not really, I could have used any contactless card, but what the hey, the bus wasn't there yet - and as it turned out, traffic was heavy, and I had time to run back, get it, and run back again, to find the bus stuck in traffic just a way down, and the driver just deciding to let people on as I approached - and with all the people getting on, I didn't even have to get anyone to hold it for me). I tell you what though - it is very annoying to have the bus say it's terminating at London Bridge - and you want London Bridge - and he doesn't terminate there, he terminates just short of there, at London Bridge Station..

Well, the next bus was a while in coming, and I ended up a little late for my booking - but not terribly, and got a table immediately. The unfortunate thing was, they then seemed to forget about me - despite it being such a small space, and them walking past me all the time. And you see, I needed to get to the church in reasonable time - so, after 15 minutes or so, the next time I saw the two young people that were walking the floor had a spare moment, I grabbed them and asked to order.

Just as well I hadn't time for a starter - it isn't the cheapest. Interestingly, I noticed the young couple at the table beside me shared both a starter and a main, which was a big bowl of something like pasta - both romantic and cost-effective. I did notice her glancing over at my steak.. I was always going to have steak, for two reasons: firstly, it was the best thing I could see on the menu, and secondly, it's an Argentinian steakhouse and I'd be mad not to. I wasn't mad about the range of cuts, so had the fillet. I'll say this, they do include the sides in the price, which is refreshing - so many steakhouses add everything on, and it's a huge expense. This menu explains that all steaks come with potatoes, salad, and a choice of sauce - I had peppercorn. And Sauvignon Blanc, which was also Argentinian, and for once, the cheapest on the menu - unfortunately, they only do medium glasses.

After the initial hiccup of being delayed in ordering, everything went really quickly. I found the wine unusually sweet for a Sauvignon, but not unpleasant, and later ordered a second glass. But ay, ay, ay.. I've had a lot of steaks in my life, but I have never, never had one better than this. It was perfectly cooked, it was buttery soft.. and the seasoning was the best I've ever had. Oh, they should give lessons.. even the potatoes (sautéed) were so tasty, I didn't bother with the little pot of sauce they provided - and it would have been criminal to use it on this piece of meat. I actually said it to both my waiters - I have never had a better steak, never had better seasoning. I considered it a bargain at £64 for a reasonably sized fillet and 350ml of wine - it's so easy to spend more and not eat as well. I'd been aiming to get to the church for 8pm - but with food this good, it'd have been criminal to rush it. As he said, you'll be back? As I said, hopefully..

Anyway, the church was just around the corner, and a pair at the door were handing out programmes (complete with donation envelope, and QR codes for donation). This was actually a prayer service as well, complete with voluntary collection. Unfortunately, the seats nearest the nave were reserved for patrons and such, and when I arrived, at about 8.10pm, the seats behind those were packed - I got a reasonable seat at the other side of the side aisle:

                                                

And I had a view of the clergy getting dressed up:

FYI Almost all the seating where I was was full by 8.30, half an hour before the start time.

Now, I made a terrible mistake - the Strepsils might have helped yesterday, but as I waited for the service, I took a couple at intervals - and each time, they just made me cough violently. So when I again felt the urge to cough during the service, I left them alone.. and the urge just got stronger and stronger. I'd have been in a bad way indeed, and might have had to leave, had the guy beside me not offered what I believe was a Soother.. took a minute, but it sorted me, and I must get more of them tomorrow, if I can.

The music, interspersed with readings, ranged from 12th Century (like the building), to 15th, and as the programme instructed us, we could join in with anything that had "hymn" in the title! I made an effort for the first (as the reader encouraged, doesn't matter what level of Latin you have, give it a go!). This was Veni, Veni Emmanuel - but my voice was feeble, and I stopped when I began to feel as though I might cough..

The next music was the lovely Nowell, Nowell: Out of Your Sleep, followed by Ecce Quod Natura, from the same period (15th century). But it was the next, Magno Gaudens Gaudio, where the two female singers in the group joined in harmony to give us a beautiful chorus. Again, this was one of the oldest pieces.

Honestly, there was some of the repertoire I wasn't mad about - much of it I wasn't familiar with, until they came out with Salve Sancte Parens, which has also been released by the Mediaeval Baebes! And there was some marvellous polyphony with A Solis Ortus Cardine. They finished with Gaudete, where we were encouraged to sing the chorus, but again, I didn't dare. Of course, soon as I was outside, the urge to cough passed..

Tomorrow is the Crick Crack Club's Christmas Carols show, at Hoxton Hall, starring Ben Haggarty, Tim Ralphs, and Steph Brittain, with Sheema Mukherjee on music. Booked the nearby Breeze Bistro for beforehand, and have been waiting ages for confirmation.. so I've given up, and booked The Blues Kitchen again.

Saturday sees my last Meetup of the year, with London Museums from A-Z (LoMAZ) doing their 2025 Xmas Pub Crawl! Not listed as an official Meetup event, it was advertised on their WhatsApp chat for people who have already attended a LoMAZ event - so restricted to people who've both attended an event and signed up for the WhatsApp group, and people they choose to invite. Now, Helen is also coming to town that day.. and when they amended their plans to include a pre-crawl lunch, she said she'd join us! So, we start at Nando's London Bridge, then it's off to Hays on the River - you never know, she might stay with us for that, it's near London Bridge - then the Globe Tavern, The Old Thameside Inn (one of my favourites), The George (another of my favourites), The Bunch of Grapes (a short walk away), and the Bermondsey Bierkeller (which also does wine, I checked). And all walking distance from my home, lovely! What's also nice is that we've planned 90 minutes in each, so it's not too rushed.. there's forward planning! (and they've been reworking the lyrics to the 12 Days of Christmas .. not sure whether my throat will be up to joining in, after all this coughing..)

..and I'd better have packed before I head on all that.. because I'm catching a flight from Gatwick at 9.15 the following morning.. to Bergen! where I'm catching the Hurtigrute.. doing the classic voyage, to Kirkenes and back - AKA BKB. 12 days, 11 nights, returning on New Year's Day. You see, with my mother having died this year, that's my last close relative gone, and I was damned if I was spending this Christmas, whatever about future ones, alone, here or in Ireland. It was actually Mark who set me to thinking about it, bless him - and it didn't take me long to come up with this, which so many have recommended to me as one of the world's most beautiful voyages. It's real bucket-list stuff, so I spared no expense - happily, they have no single supplement, and equally happily, they include the flights (Norwegian Air). I booked an outside cabin (with full window), a wine package (a bottle a day), and seven excursions..

Now, I ordered a whole lot of warm clothes for this trip (as you can imagine) - had them delivered to a pickup point, and he bloody lost some of them! including the thermal underwear I ordered. That could be a problem.. Well, I needed to pick some more stuff up there - and when I gave him a sad look, and without too many people waiting this time, he had a good root around.. and lo, produced a stained envelope from the back.. which turned out to be the missing undies! HALLELUJAH! Not only that, but checking the envelopes for combined orders, it now turns out it was all delivered.. what a weight off..

On Monday, I'm off to see Alnes Lighthouse. William the Conqueror's great-great-great-grandfather apparently hailed from here. Or maybe not.

On Tuesday, I'll be on a guided city walk in Trondheim.

On Christmas Eve, I kid you not, I'll be on a Sámi adventure - including feeding the reindeer! It took someone else to point out to me that I'd be setting them up for their big journey..

On St. Stephen's Day (AKA Boxing Day), I'll be at the North Cape (Nordkapp) - weather permitting. Seas are rough up there.

I arrive in Kirkenes, on the Russian border, on the 27th - apparently we can take photos, but can't cross! ;-)

We're in Hammerfest on the 28th.

And I'm at a midnight concert at Tromso Cathedral on the 29th.

So, Christmas and New Year's on the boat! Just what I wanted.. and a guarantee of seeing the Northern Lights, to the extent that if I don't, I get a free cruise. Ooh, and I mustn't forget, I promised postcards to someone..

So, back on New Year's Day - not as early - and taking the next day off, because it's a Friday - and back home to Ireland for the weekend, because it's been too long. The next two days are with CT - on the 5th, I'm back at the Hen & Chickens for Shake It Up: The Improvised Shakespeare Show.

And on the 6th, I'm at a comedy show - Live Next to the Apollo, at Riverside Studios.

On the 7th - my first Meetup of the year - I'm back with the Horror Book Club - assuming I get the book read in time! It's The House on the Borderland - and they're meeting in the Prince of Wales, as usual. Now, considering the lack of progress I made with Hogfather for my work book club.. we'll have to see.. it's over a year since I was last with them for a book review! (As to Hogfather, we met today (me virtually), and it turned out I was one of the ones that read most.. I had a last-minute sprint, and got to 71%..)

The next two days, I'm with CT at the Backyard Comedy Club.. again, it's been a while!

Then, four days in a row of Meetups, including five in total. On the 10th, two Meetups.. firstly, a walk titled Southwark: Seedy and Sublime with none other than Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpies, yay! Haven't seen him since September, would you believe..

And that evening, back with The Hideout for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Venue and timings TBC, but it'll be somewhere around Leicester Square. 

On the 11th, back with LoMAZ for T is for Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, an exhibition at The Wellcome Collection. Advertised, would you believe, while I was looking at my phone but not especially busy, in The Rockingham Arms last night - and this being the next unscheduled date in my diary, I was one of the five to snap up a place in the first minute!

On the 12th, with UITCS again, for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo - a dark comedy set in Iraq - at the Young Vic. Booked for Bar + Block Southwark beforehand. Ooh, another place I haven't been in an age..

And on the 13th, I'm back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group for The Makropulos Affair, by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, at the Barbican - one of the group with a wildcard ticket couldn't go and kindly offered it for free, so I snapped it up. Eating at Cote Barbican beforehand. And gee, you guessed it.. Haven't been there since September, but was with the group slightly more recently, in October..