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A lively weekend, to match my buoyant mood and the spirit of the 30's.
A wonderful couple we have come to know in London, are heading back for India this week, after a two and half year stint in London. So we spent Friday evening with them. In an effort to enjoy the spirit of 'summer' london we watched the London Chamber Orchestra play at Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf. Sitting on the grass, chips, pimms and friends. Aaaahhh!!! Followed it up with scrumptious dinner by the river @ Chimichanga, a lovely Mexican joint that is fast becoming my favorite in the Canary Wharf area.
Saturday, we spent the morning/ afternoon at Greenwich with a friend who came to stay. The idea was to show her around, but we ended up buying loads of junk for ourselves. In the evening we went for dinner to a friends home. It was a dinner which brought together 4 couples (beside the hosts) who did'nt know each other. It was lovely to meet new desi's in London. And there can't really be 1 billion Indians because it turned out that I met a friend from school, someone I have not seen or been in touch with since I was about 12 years old. How cool is that!?? Anyway, the evening was lovely and this school friends wife and the host kept us well enetertained by singing - what beautiful voices! All well worth recording - who knows they could be famous one day and I'd have pipped the queue and heard them live first!!!!!
Sunday, I spent at home nursing a light fever while V entertained our houseguest. In the evening I was introduced to an activity which is no doubt going to become addictive - Stand-up comedy. In all the time we've been in London we've been intrigued by Comedy clubs and the idea of stand-up comedy. V had the chance to go to the Comedy Cafe as part of his office's Christmas celebrations. He hated the dinner that went with the act and as a result the whole evening seemed average instead of magical. Our guest is a stand-up addict and the act she persuaded us to go for was by a comic she saw in Melbourne a year ago.
So at 7.30 pm we arrived at the Hampstead Comedy Club which is a rather fancy name for a tiny stuffy basement below the Washington pub. We had to pre-book our £6.50 tickets by phone. 7.30 was still too late to arrive. With more than an hour to go before the show began the basement was stuffed to the gills and we got seats on tiny uncomfortable stools and seperate from our friend. Luckily the show was brilliant and the uncomfortable seats well made up for. The two acts we saw were Lucy Porter and Daniel Kitson. Both were previewing (polite-speak for 'trying out on paying suckers') abridged versions of their pieces for the upcoming Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Tiny Lucy Porter had us chortling to her seemingly unpracticed lines and self-depreciation for the first 50 mins with her show called 'Happiness'. A 20 minute break (to help the stomach pain from laughing hysterically!) later we were attacked by the utterly hilarious Daniel Kitson. He's the guy our friend had seen Down Under and came highly recommended. He has a strong stutter but overcame it beautifully and by making light of what must be so frustrating, endeared himself to his audience. His brand of humour is entertaining and as a comic he is first class. An hour and a half later we were all laughed out. A brilliant end to a marvellous weekend.
Stand-up comedy here's your new fan!
A wonderful couple we have come to know in London, are heading back for India this week, after a two and half year stint in London. So we spent Friday evening with them. In an effort to enjoy the spirit of 'summer' london we watched the London Chamber Orchestra play at Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf. Sitting on the grass, chips, pimms and friends. Aaaahhh!!! Followed it up with scrumptious dinner by the river @ Chimichanga, a lovely Mexican joint that is fast becoming my favorite in the Canary Wharf area.
Saturday, we spent the morning/ afternoon at Greenwich with a friend who came to stay. The idea was to show her around, but we ended up buying loads of junk for ourselves. In the evening we went for dinner to a friends home. It was a dinner which brought together 4 couples (beside the hosts) who did'nt know each other. It was lovely to meet new desi's in London. And there can't really be 1 billion Indians because it turned out that I met a friend from school, someone I have not seen or been in touch with since I was about 12 years old. How cool is that!?? Anyway, the evening was lovely and this school friends wife and the host kept us well enetertained by singing - what beautiful voices! All well worth recording - who knows they could be famous one day and I'd have pipped the queue and heard them live first!!!!!
Sunday, I spent at home nursing a light fever while V entertained our houseguest. In the evening I was introduced to an activity which is no doubt going to become addictive - Stand-up comedy. In all the time we've been in London we've been intrigued by Comedy clubs and the idea of stand-up comedy. V had the chance to go to the Comedy Cafe as part of his office's Christmas celebrations. He hated the dinner that went with the act and as a result the whole evening seemed average instead of magical. Our guest is a stand-up addict and the act she persuaded us to go for was by a comic she saw in Melbourne a year ago.
So at 7.30 pm we arrived at the Hampstead Comedy Club which is a rather fancy name for a tiny stuffy basement below the Washington pub. We had to pre-book our £6.50 tickets by phone. 7.30 was still too late to arrive. With more than an hour to go before the show began the basement was stuffed to the gills and we got seats on tiny uncomfortable stools and seperate from our friend. Luckily the show was brilliant and the uncomfortable seats well made up for. The two acts we saw were Lucy Porter and Daniel Kitson. Both were previewing (polite-speak for 'trying out on paying suckers') abridged versions of their pieces for the upcoming Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Tiny Lucy Porter had us chortling to her seemingly unpracticed lines and self-depreciation for the first 50 mins with her show called 'Happiness'. A 20 minute break (to help the stomach pain from laughing hysterically!) later we were attacked by the utterly hilarious Daniel Kitson. He's the guy our friend had seen Down Under and came highly recommended. He has a strong stutter but overcame it beautifully and by making light of what must be so frustrating, endeared himself to his audience. His brand of humour is entertaining and as a comic he is first class. An hour and a half later we were all laughed out. A brilliant end to a marvellous weekend.
Stand-up comedy here's your new fan!
Chimichanga: 37 Westferry Circus, Canary Riverside, London E14 8RR. Tel: 020 7519 1234
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