London Still Rocks!

Yesterday wa s our ex-colleagues' monthly get-together. There was talk that it might clash with a birthday party.. and then, there was the   Ireland-England match . . we played it by ear. Martin, sadly, was busy and couldn't make it. I was surprisingly sprightly, for me, and made it out early, on what was a grey day: Was first there of the three of us that were meeting, and discovered the entire ground floor was reserved, for one time or another - and we'd need pretty much the whole day. Tried upstairs, which, happily, was open, and managed to find a free table there, phew! Messaged the others, ordered my drink, waited till James arrived to order food. Mark, I knew, would be fashionably late. I hadn't been going to have steak, twice in a row - but honestly, I wanted it more than anything else on the menu, and it is so good there. James had fish though - it's also very good. Sure enough, we'd eaten by the time Mark arrived.. and much drinking and chatting was don...

Tonight, headed with a friend to the  Menier Chocolate Factory  to see  Fallen Angels , by  Noel Coward . He booked a table for us beforehand at   Casa do Frango  - I could have walked, but decided to pack my Oyster card, just in case. Sure enough - despite my weather app's predictions - I walked into a horrible night, squalls of wind, pouring rain. Now, I was wearing a highly waterproof coat - doesn't matter, it was still a horrible night to be out. I do pass a bus stop as I leave - had a look, saw a bus was coming in a few minutes that'd take me within two minutes' walk. No competition! Did that - still got soaked on the walk to the restaurant. I was the first to arrive - gave his name, and was told it was a reservation for three (yes it was, he'd forgotten to tell me someone else would be joining us). Upstairs, the table was (sigh). Was in possession of a glass of Sauvignon Blanc before anyone else arrived - unfortunately, they only do small glasses (...

Last   night, a  Meetup  group called  LGBTQ Culture Lovers  was headed to a  performance  of  Bruckner's 8th symphony  by the  Philharmonia  at the  Royal Festival Hall . Now, I don't want to go with them - I don't swing that way - but hey, nothing to stop me going on my own! Heading to  The Archduke  for food beforehand. I walked, feeling strangely sprightly - got there slightly late, being somewhat distracted by a light show on the church of St. Martin in the Fields , which I passed en route: As usual, I got a friendly welcome - and was taken upstairs (could do without that, dragging my laptop bag). Got a window seat again. Had their gorgeous pumpkin soup, and the chicken - had to run after all that to get to the concert in time, and didn't quite finish the chicken. Would you believe, upon seeing I'd left some, they decided I didn't like it, and took it off the bill! Well, ok.. I wasn't going to complain.. Over to ...

Last night , back to  Winter's Night Wonder Tales , at  The Palmerston . Tickets from  Eventbrite . It's a long, long bus ride to East Dulwich - I had a couple of options, and just made one of them. And OMG, such rain.. sadly, not really bringing milder weather with it. I had to change buses in it, and just before I got off the first bus, I had the privilege of gaining a companion in the seat beside me. Not so happily, I hadn't a clue what he was trying to say to me. At least I managed to glean that he was asking me whether I didn't understand what he was saying - I said no, and he gave up trying. Honestly, that's what you get for going to Peckham , an incomprehensible accent.. really, Only Fools and Horses gives you no clue! So I was rather happy to get off in the rain. Happily, for a long stretch either side of the stop , the building side of the pavement is covered by a long awning, so everyone stood under that. I did have a wet trudge to the pub, though. No p...

T onight, second night in a row with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS), we were going to  Bird Grove , the story of  George Eliot 's relationship with her father , in  Hampstead Theatre . This far out, it had to be Tube .. and with a bus that would take me to the station imminent, I thought it'd simply be silly not to take it. So I did. Now, as often happens at busy periods, we were made to enter for the Jubilee Line via the Northern Line route, at the end of which you go down a staircase that has steps to the left and right. I usually go down the right, whereupon the Jubilee Line to the city centre is to my left. Tonight, I went down the left staircase.. and, distracted, took the train that was just pulling in. To the left. It wasn't for a couple of stops I realised I was going the wrong way and changed - just as well I saved time getting that bus! Not that dinner was going to take long - I was at KFC , as usual for this venue, these days. And it was very nice.. althoug...

Back in London - and bah humbug, the cold weather has followed me! Anyway, two more nights of   Up in the Cheap Seats   (UITCS) in progress. Last night, we were at   Southwark Playhouse   again, and again with their now-expired PAYG discount, for  Beautiful Little Fool , the story of  F. Scott Fitzgerald  and his  wife , as told by their  daughter .  I planned to eat in The Rockingham Arms beforehand - but it was completely full! Pretty good, for 5.30pm on the Monday after Valentine's Day - they must be doing good business. Never fear, there's a Nando's right next door - I ate there. Found myself sat beside an elderly man and a young boy - got talking to them when I realised they didn't know you have to get your own cutlery, and told them where it was. Of course, it was a grandfather taking his grandson out for the day - he informed me they'd been to the War Museum . Not my idea of fun, but I'm sure they had a good time. They're fast ...

I'm back in Ireland for the weekend- a good weekend not to be in London, with  Valentine's Day  in the middle.. signs of which were evident throughout my departure: The crowd of men clustered around the card stand in WH Smith The extra-large queue at the airport As I trudged to the plane, one of the shops was playing Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights .. Today, I went to   Send Help , which has   Rachel McAdams   suffering under a horrible boss: until the private plane on which they're travelling to a meeting crashes, and the two of them are washed up on a desert island. He's injured, and spends a couple of days unconscious - by the time he comes to, she's in charge. Heh. Very much wish fulfilment, this.. Decided to see it in Ennis - with my friend who usually meets me unavailable, I took the opportunity to put on a wash this afternoon, then headed in in the evening. By 'eck, it's cold out there.. and wet. I went early, to eat in Supermac's beforehand -...

Last Tuesday , I headed to see  Is This Thing On?  A comedy about a guy who, having marital problems, heads to a bar - only to find it's open mic night, and he can't get a drink unless he does a turn on stage: so, for the first time ever, he attempts a bit of stand-up comedy. Directed and co-written by  Bradley Cooper , it stars  Laura Dern  as the wife - and as told to me by someone at  The Cartoon Museum , it's inspired by the story of  John Bishop ! Nearest showing to me was in the  Curzon Aldgate . My go-to eatery around there is Cote St. Katharine Docks , so I booked - and then moved my booking time back by a quarter of an hour, because of course I wasn't ready! And when I headed out, it was absolutely pouring rain.. Seeing that a bus was due soon, I waited and took that - mind you, just for a couple of stops, to Tower Bridge . So I still had to walk most of the way - I was drenched and dripping by the time I got there. Well, my coat and bag ...