London Still Rocks!

Tonight, I booked with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - unusually, because lately, most of what I was seeing advertised with them was already sold out - for Stage Kiss , an acting drama, in Hampstead Theatre . But wow.. the friend I was supposed to meet yesterday got in touch; he'd mixed up the days! and wanted to meet this evening instead. And hadn't checked his messages in the meantime, of course. Now, the whole afternoon was thunderstorms and hail showers - I wasn't in the mood to traipse all the way to Hampstead . And I hadn't seen him in years - so I cancelled my poor UITCS companion, who ended up going on his own, and said I'd meet my old school friend instead. The weather was supposed to clear by the time I went out - so I optimistically didn't wear a hood. So, of course, it rained on me.. and as I was approaching a bus stop , I decided to take shelter and see whether a bus was due. And lo, as if on command, there was one , which I promptly took. Now,...

Yesterday saw 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  was 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 started at  Nando's London Bridge . She got there before I did - and when I got there, there were also a couple of the group outside. I hung around with her inside the door until our Master of Ceremonies - dressed festively in a Santa hat and jacket, stormed into the place (I told her she couldn't miss him, he was a big, boisterous hug of a person..) Well, sure enough, in he breezed.. and I think he had spoken to the place bef...

I planned film for the weekend - and Flicks has made an absolute sea-change in my life! No longer do I have to bother with that blasted   old listings site , which is never completely updated until the week whose listings it's describing is nearly over - no, Flicks is much more up to date.. and what's more, I can order the listings - by rating! They do use   Rotten Tomatoes  (RT) - but to be fair, I could do with a change from   IMDB   anyway, they have a problem with overrating some films. And RT does highly rate some of the generally acknowledged good films. What's more, you can store a watchlist - and for each film, you can list the venues in order of distance from a specified location! Default is your current location. For a specified day (chosen from the list of available days), they show the different listings for each cinema - and lo, you can click on the time you want, for the cinema you want, and be taken straight to the booking page. It's so easy, it'...

Tonight, headed with CT to a concert by  Wayne Marshall  in the  Summer Organ Festival  in  Southwark Cathedral . The weather app said no rain. So, of course, it rained on me as I walked there - happily, only a few drops, and I was pre-warned when a few more drops fell on me as I popped out for shopping, this afternoon. So I knew to dress appropriately - damn windy, too. I fancied food beforehand in The Old Thameside Inn - figured they wouldn't be busy on a Monday, so I didn't need to book, and I was right. Ah, so many happy memories from here.. and I love this part of town too, all its winding old streets and alleys. I had plenty of choice, both in the table service area, and the general bar - after all, I arrived early, around 5pm. I picked the general bar - it's faster to order with the app; you don't have to wait for someone to wander by before you can order, and you can pay at the same time. Decided on the "beef rib and brisket" pie, with red wine sauce ...

Yesterday, met Ivan - with all the pubs near him unbookable because of the   Hackney half-marathon , I suggested he come to me, and we headed to   The Old Thameside Inn , walking distance from me, and in an area I love. It started overcast, the sun coming out as I walked.. Came across a random piece of wood.. Well, I got there first (predictably), asked whether he was nearby, the place being such a maze! I would have preferred to go in with him. No response, so after a minute, I went in. As it happened, we were seated on the ground floor - easy to find, and the place was mostly empty. And he wasn't long, to be fair.. he opened with a convoluted story about how he'd done his best to be early, but was scuppered by buses, delayed by traffic and stopping early. (I know the feeling!) So, from now on, he's not going to bother trying to be early.. He introduced me to a nice Bulgarian tradition of pouring a small glass of whatever the deceased person would have liked to drink - so...