London Still Rocks!

Last Friday , I was hardly going to miss a trip to see  Smile 2  with  The Hideout ! I loved the  original , was always interested in seeing this anyway.. we were seeing it in the  Odeon West End . And I booked beforehand in Bella Italia -  Cranbourn Street , not  Irving Street , which is nearer, but booked up before I could get to it. Ooh, and I was to get a free starter because I reviewed my  last trip  to a branch of theirs!  Well, the bus was one of the slowest ever. It stopped twice to "even out the gaps in the service", then we stopped to change driver.. and to cap it all, it terminated at Aldwych . Checking, I figured walking was as fast as any other way of getting to the restaurant - so, walk I did. I arrived half an hour late - thought I might as well try them, I'd planned on being early anyway, which meant I now still had time to eat before meeting the group! I asked whether they had a table for one - she said yes, if I didn't...

Today was film again - My Favourite Cake , a comedy from  Iran  (and I love Iranian film) about an old widow who meets a taxi driver, invites him home, and they have an evening to remember.. Closest showing to me was in the  Curzon Bloomsbury  - the booking system was down again, as usual, but hopefully I shouldn't have a problem getting in. I was in the office, for my sins - and hardly had any sleep last night, catching up on work! which proved completely unnecessary, as they weren't expecting it to be done, thank goodness. Anyway, I decided to go to the earlier film showing and eat afterwards - and I could walk from the office, so I did. Actually arrived a few minutes after the scheduled start time, but of course I knew there'd be ads. Still, the long queue to get a ticket was annoying. And lo, when I finally asked for one, it turned out there were only two left! Phew - I could have gone in the front row, or near the back - it's a small screen, as they all are her...

Tonight, I was back with   Up in the Cheap Seats  (UITCS)  for  A Face in the Crowd , about what happens when someone is plucked from obscurity to become famous. A warning about the dangers of idolisation of celebrities. Showing in the  Young Vic  - so I booked the nearby  Bar + Block , yum yum! And someone from the group said she'd join me. Now, I did try to amend the booking - not a hope!  Reserve with Google  wouldn't even display my booking! I put the support team working on it - apparently, although after their initial contact, there's been nothing. Anyway, I couldn't see it being a problem to add just one person to a table for one.. and ideally, bump the reservation forward by 15 minutes - it's never been busy when I arrive, despite them requiring a booking. Happily, my bus arrived in decent time, depositing me at the start of that lovely maze of alleyways that I've used before to get here. Funnily enough, that was this group's last m...

Tomorrow, film - and with the week's film list finally done, and me having eliminated what I didn't like from the top of it - I was headed to  The Teacher . It's about a  Palestinian  teacher who begins a relationship with a  UN  worker ( Imogen Poots ) stationed there. Stanley Townsend plays the father of an American/Israeli soldier taken hostage. Closest showing to me was in  The Garden Cinema  - and late enough that I should be able to make it! It'd be lovely not to have to rush. "Not to rush", eh? I was on the slowest bus imaginable.. but I stuck it out, figuring I had plenty of time. We stopped TWICE "to even out the gaps in the service" - the second time, it was ages before he even put on that announcement. A tourist family on board were most confused about why we kept stopping. Tons of passengers did disembark, to try their luck elsewhere. Me, I think he was eking out his time - sure enough, when we got to the usual spot, we changed drivers....

Tonight, back in London, I was with  Up in the Cheap Seats  (UITCS) again - for  Juno and the Paycock , by  Sean O' Casey , showing in the  Gielgud . Stars  Mark Rylance  as the   "paycock" (peacock, his wife - Juno's - nickname for him). Funnily enough, I'd never seen this - booked to eat beforehand in the nearby  Bella Italia , yum! I arrived in good time - to find myself squishing into the restaurant behind another group of three. It turned out they didn't have a booking - and were summarily dismissed, as was everyone without a booking for the next half hour or so! Well, being right in the heart of Theatreland , of course most patrons were probably headed to a show. Like me. I was 10 minutes early for my booking - she asked me to hang on while she cleared a table, which I was happy to do. Only two of them serving, but then, you could hardly fit any more - and as usual here, they moved like greased lightning. I had my usual - she apologise...

I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again. Just made the Stansted Express with minutes to spare. The journey was greatly enlivened by the appearance, in Tottenham Hale , of a group of youngsters obviously out for a night of fun. I thought they were on the wrong train.. one asked me whether the train stopped in Meridian Water . It didn't ring a bell, so I said I didn't think so.. from their conversation, it became apparent that there was a music festival on there, which they were headed to, and some person in the group had just hopped on the first train they saw. Rather than the train they should have got, two minutes later. So I decided to be helpful by checking our route for them - I told them the next stop was Harlow . "HARLOW?!" one cried in dismay.. well, that was 15 minutes away. They had no choice but to wait for it though, trooping off there into the night. Good luck to them. Ironically, one kept saying they were going to Ibiza .. Obviously a reference to ...