International Friendship Day

Yesterday, I was thinking of Life Support, a documentary about the medics operating in Gaza. Evening showing is in the Rio Dalston. But then I saw there was a comedy showing in Riverside Studios, called The Big Dog, about a married stockbroker whose savings are cleared out by a dominatrix. Thought I might have a look at that instead.

But gee, it turned out to be one of those really changeable days.. because it turned into sort of an unofficial London Museums A-Z (LoMAZ) day! Second in a row, then. One of the organisers, Shelley, decided to do something for International Friendship Day, and we were to meet at Between the Bridges! a free event with street food and such. They created a WhatsApp group for it - and 27 people joined. 

I headed from the office on foot.. at least it's mostly downhill, what with that heavy laptop bag n all. I tell you though, I did not appreciate the overhead walkway from Villiers Street to the bridge being closed, because of the ongoing engineering works at Charing Cross Station.. so I had more steps to climb (you can take an escalator to the walkway). I made it though, a few minutes after the scheduled time - Shelley had posted that she'd secured a table. By the time I spotted her, she was standing and waving frantically.. I assured her I'd have seen her eventually..

I dropped the laptop with her and went in search of food, settling on the pan-Asian chicken stall, where I chose some options and went off for wine while they were cooking it. Now, I always try to be really specific when ordering WHITE wine, as I do when there's only one of those.. he still poured me red, and had to do another. Honestly, why, oh why.. by the time I got back from there, my food was ready, and I had to go in two stages, having only two hands. The chicken was ok, and I had it with chips instead of rice - not gourmet, but it did the job.

It was great that the table was outside - the inside bar was very stuffy on what was a less warm, but still a warm, day. D'you know, there were only four of us in the end - the two of us, plus the main organiser of LoMAZ, Jonny, and an old friend of theirs. I hadn't met her before, but of course she seemed lovely, and it was fantastic to see the others, it's been an age.. and terrific to see him back to his Duracell Bunny self, even yesterday planning new events.. and yes, the group hiatus is nearly over, new events are being scheduled already - check out the site for details.

He objected to the noise level of the music, and indeed, I have to agree, I can shout if I have to, but I'm not too keen. So we popped out the entrance/exit, and lo, right across from us was a little cocktail bar with an outdoor seating area, called The Thirsty Farrier. We got a table, and he and I were on wine, the others on Pimms. Annoyingly, they insisted on keeping our bottle of wine behind the bar, saying they'd top us up in due course.. of course they didn't, and he had to go and rescue the rest. Anyway, as the sky darkened over London, we had a fine time talking of this and that, before heading towards Waterloo and wending our ways home.

It ran too late to blog though.

I end the month tonight with CT, heading to a concert called Sirens, with an all-female group singing classic numbers in the Emerald Theatre. Eating in L' Ulivo beforehand.

Tomorrow, heading to the Prince Charles, who are showing Blackberry - a fictionalised account of the development.. of the Blackberry, the first phone with internet capability. I never did get to see it, and it looks fun. Eating in Bella Italia beforehand, of course - always great to have an excuse!

Now, some LoMAZ members have developed a new group - Museum, Arts & Culture Socials - and I'm headed with them on Sunday to see The Symptomatic Surreal, an exhibition at the Freud Museum, which is Freud's actual final home. Meeting beforehand at the Garden Breakfast Cafe. 

On Monday, I'm with TAC for White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, a play read cold by a different performer every night. Showing at the Duchess Theatre, and I'm eating at Cote Covent Garden beforehand.

On Tuesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Allegra, starring Maureen Lipman, at the Harold Pinter - got a cheap ticket with Seatplan, and completely forgot I'd earned a voucher I could've used! I managed a seat at the edge of the Dress Circle, which is at ground level. Eating beforehand at Bella Italia again, yay!

On Wednesday, back with CT for a concert, Symphonic Masterworks, by the 1st London City Philharmonic at St. Marylebone Church.

On Thursday, thinking of film again, and what's coming up is The Sacrifice, a film about a family who've just discovered there's to be a nuclear war. Closest evening showing is in the Curzon Soho.

And woohoo, next Friday sees the kickoff of LoMAZ's Dracula trips! The book goes to Whitby next month - and so do we! Now, we were having dreadful trouble trying to figure out how to get there, with complicated travel routes - until I was at one of Laurence Summers' walks, we were having lunch afterwards, and talking travel, and I mentioned this trip to Whitby. "Whitby!", exclaims the woman sitting opposite me, "I love Whitby!" She's always there, it seems.. to which, of course, my response was - "How?!"

So, she always gets the fast train to York and an Uber from there - says it's the quickest, and cheapest, among any of the alternatives. So.. we're all getting the fast train to York! next Friday. I booked with Uber, which got me the best deal - and points - and I had credit with them. Most of us are heading in the morning - I'm taking the day off - and then some are heading straight to Whitby by Uber, some by connecting trains, and some of us are staying in York for lunch and a wander around - it's a beautiful city. (And we're a flexible group.) We're then carpooling Ubers to Whitby, and have made a provisional booking at The Fat Badger in Whitby for dinner that night. We're trying to confirm numbers just now. We all booked our own accommodation - I'm in The Captain's Lodge, and it seems a few more of the group are next door.

The 8th looks jam-packed - not least because there's a regatta in town! A number of us have booked to go to the famous abbey that day, where there are two showings of a Dracula play.. and one of the organisers has put together a Bram Stoker walk. She's compiled a shortlist of places to eat that night. Meantime, there are a few Goth fans in the group, who are likely to hit the apparently numerous Goth shops in the town - as told to me by someone on another of those walks!

Now, I was on yet another walk when the guide said to me that the Dracula Experience in Whitby is great fun.. Well, I'll try and squeeze it in on the 9th, although I'm guessing we'll be having lunch, and then we're heading back home in the late afternoon - watch this space. Altogether though, expecting a great trip!