Pub: The Sun Wharf

Last night, was thinking of heading to a film - and was thinking of Seven Days in May, with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas in an Oscar-nominated thriller about an army colonel (Kirk Douglas) who alerts the president about a planned military coup against him - because he supports nuclear disarmament. Showing in Finsbury Park Picturehouse at 5.30. Then I checked the listings again - and decided on The Sheep Detectives, with Hugh Jackman as the farmer who reads detective stories to his sheep, which then use their learned skills when he is murdered! They are voiced by Patrick Stewart, Chris O' Dowd, and Bryan Cranston, among others. Showing in Peckhamplex. And a couple of people said they might be interested as well. And then.. an old school friend I haven't seen in years messaged to say he'd be in town, yesterday only, and would I like to meet? So that was the final plan for a day that turned out to be the most confusing to plan.. we arranged to meet in The Sun Wharf, because he was staying in Canary Wharf, where it's kind of hard to find a decent place at a decent price, and I figured I might as well pick somewhere convenient to me!

I was glad to have the extra time to put in at work.. and when 6pm rolled around, and he'd said he'd be free any time after that - I started to wonder. I'd asked him to let me know when he was setting out, and I'd do the same - but there'd been no word. Well, I figured he'd been caught up with work - it must have been a work trip - and left well alone. I got hungry around 7.30pm, messaged him to say I was on my way, and headed out into the sunshine. Mind you, I despaired of finding a table, it was packed.. but I finally did, down the back near the loo, when someone vacated it. And then I found a better one, not quite so near the loo, when another couple of people vacated it!

I ordered my usual.. thought about messaging him the table number, which he could use to ask staff how to find me, but I figured I'd wait until he messaged to say he was there, as I'd asked. I was to be kept waiting.. I never heard from him, all night! What's more, the messages I've sent since don't seem to have been read. I do hope he's ok. Anyway, I actually did have a good evening, chatting to people on the phone - including advancing details of the organisation of some Dracula-related events with LoMAZ! My, they're going to be keeping me busy.. oh, and when I put in my last wine order, they accidentally brought me two glasses of wine instead of one! Eh, all right then.. With all that, I was too tired to blog last night.

Tonight, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - unusually, because lately, most of what I'm seeing advertised with them is already sold out - for Stage Kiss, an acting drama, in Hampstead Theatre.

Tomorrow, more storytelling with the Crick Crack Club (CCC) - this is a Story Pick+Mix, with Laura Sampson and Minnie Wilkinson delivering Beowulf, at Next Door at Theatre Deli - an unusually early start, so we can have an interval in what is a long piece.

Then I'm finally back on an overdue trip to Ireland for the weekend - first in two months..! Have arranged to have lunch with my friend from there on Saturday, in Jade Cottage as usual.. and afterwards, I might well head to The Sheep Detectives. In Ennis.

On Monday, back with UITCS in Soho Place for The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - a musical based on the true story of a boy in Malawi who built a wind turbine from scrap materials and provided necessary power to his community. Chiwetel Ejiofor, who starred in, and directed, the film, is executive producer. I got my ticket on Seatplan, which I used a Seatplan voucher for, and which garners me extra Seatplan points! Eating in Bistro1 beforehand - and I must remember not to have the calamari..

On Tuesday, I'm with TAC for Way Upstream, a dark comedy performed by final year students at the Court Theatre Training Company, at their onsite theatre, The Courtyard. Eating beforehand in Schnitzel Heaven.

Next Wednesday, yet more storytelling from the CCC! This one is Downright Rude! with TUUP (wow, it's ages since I've seen him), Sarah Liisa Wilkinson, and Nell Phoenix, in Folklore. (How they'll all fit in there, I dunno - it's tiny!) Eating beforehand in The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch.

On the 21st, back with CT at the Backyard Comedy Club.

On the 22nd, Movie Roadhouse London are finally having a social again! Ah, it's been so long.. so, back at the BFI Balcony Bar, and I've booked to eat at The Archduke beforehand. I tell you, without the main organiser in town, these things don't happen.. strange that numbers are limited, mind- never happened before.. Sadly, it isn't in conjunction with The Hideout any more, and also the cap on numbers means some were excluded.. 

On the 23rd, The Hideout organiser is talking about heading to a cat cafe.. watch this space. Anyway, that evening I've signed up to go with him, and The Hideout, to a new slasher, Corporate Retreat - details TBA.

On the 24th, talking about heading back to The Lanesborough for sachertorte, this time with Mark and Martin.. our monthly catch-up. Waiting on Martin to confirm a time.

On the 25th, going to see Player with CT at Riverside Studios.

On the 26th, back at last with Rune for a medieval concert in St. Bartholomew the Great - this one is Saints and Miracles. I've booked to eat beforehand in the Old Red Cow.

On the 27th, taking instruction from LGBTQ Culture Lovers again, who kindly shared that CT has cheap tickets for a performance of The Creation by Haydn, in the Royal Festival Hall. So, headed to that (solo), and eating in The Archduke beforehand.

Then I have two appropriately vampiric days! On the 28th, I'm back with The Hideout for Vampire's Kiss, an old comedy with Nicholas Cage, in which he thinks he's been dating a vampire, and is now turning into one himself. Showing in the Prince Charles of course, and we're meeting in Victory House beforehand. I've booked to eat in Bella Italia before that - took two goes though, the site was down the first time!

And on the 29th - well, one of the things LoMAZ were talking about doing for the series of Dracula events was going to a ballet - and sure enough, there is a Dracula ballet in town! Supposed to be good, with a classical soundtrack - and sure enough, when I checked, it was almost completely booked up. The only tickets left were on the evening of the 26th - which I couldn't manage - and the matinees of the 27th and 29th - so I'm taking the 29th off, being a Friday, and will go to it that day! Can't see I'll persuade anyone to go with me though - they'd either have to take time off work, or if not, they might not be in work, and might baulk at the price! Showing in the Palladium - I had to take the Second Circle to get the lowest price, and as legroom is reportedly tight, I made sure to get an aisle seat. Eating in the Shakespeare's Head (Soho) afterwards.

On the 30th - back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpies for his Nooks and Crannies of London walk - and damnit, Meetup is charging for RSVP again! (plus an extra charge, of course). And afterwards, back with The Hideout for Backrooms - the film version of Backrooms on Creepypasta, a series of liminal horror stories about featureless, unending rooms and corridors, sometimes with hostile beings in them.. stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, as his psychiatrist, as - well, he might be expected to need one, with this kind of tale. Details TBA.

Then, two days with CT.. On the 31st, I got a cheap ticket for the Sunday concert at Conway Hall, with Francesca Dego and Alessandro Taverna.

And on the 1st, back with Shake It Up: The Improvised Shakespeare Company, first Monday of every month in the Hen & Chickens.

On the 2nd, back with London Fun for Churchill's Urinal, about a female Chancellor of the Exchequer wanting the urinal in No. 10 removed.. showing in the King's Head. The organiser bought the tickets - and later informed us we'd been upgraded. As he says, another reason to buy the cheap tickets!

And on the 3rd, more from Story Pick + Mix in Next Door at Theatre Deli - this time, it's We Are Fox, with Alys Torrance and Lucy Lill.