Yesterday after Holy Mass at the little church on Maiden Lane near Covent Garden, a group of people met up at The Coal Hole, nearby on The Strand, for an extemp blognic. Here are a few pics of the proceedings.
Those who were down in “the hole” itself were having serious political theory discussions. When I popped in they were talking about Dante and De monarchia. No, really.
That is my pint on the empty corner. I was delighted to be drinking pints of Brains, which appealed to my inner zombie.
Here is one of the “share platters”. I think His Hermeneuticalness offered this one.
That door at the back to the left goes down into the “hole”.
I really enjoy these gatherings. It is nice to travel here and see the museums and events and sights, but the people I meet make these trips memorable and exceptional.
Changing gears, here, are a couple shots of something fun I saw yesterday from my perch over the square by the parish.
Some people were Swing dancing in the park. They had a boombox playing that great music from that era (I didn’t recognize the tunes but they were distinctly appropriate for the style of dancing).
I think this must have been a regular meeting. Some people drifted in and out. At the time I shot this one, there was only one couple dancing, but shortly before there were three, with a some on the sidelines chatting.
And, just for fun, here are a few pics from my trips to The Globe Theatre, the recreation of the “wooden O” of Shakespeare’s time not far at all from the original site. I dearly love good and reasonable productions of the Bard’s plays, and the two I have seen were well done. You may also recall my posts for Talk Like Shakespeare Day.
Here was my view for The Taming Of The Shrew. I walked up to the box office ten minutes before the play and got the dead center seat in the front row of the middle balcony.
The production was pretty bawdy, but, hey, TTOTS, is a pretty bawdy play.
My view for As You Like It, and I did. The production was superb and put a smile on my face from beginning to after the end. The company was well-rehearsed, since this was, as it turned out, their final performance.
As evening drew on, the character of the place changed. This would not have been possible in Elizabethan times. We need to remember what Holy Mass and baseball and Shakespeare were like before electric lights.
The outside view.
Two wonderful and refreshing experiences. I am soooo tempted to extend my stay a couple days with the hope of seeing their Richard III, a favorite… er um favourite.
And just because some of you are wondering about food, …
… I am pretty close to Chinatown, so I will be digging in soon. I am intrigued by one shop which is preparing squid, along with ducks. The squid are the two things that look like something from Doctor Who.
Nearby there is a shop with a window where there is often a lady making dumplings. Since I make these same, I will usually stop and watch for a bit.
She works fast, but she is cheating by not putting the classic crimp in the edge. I have seen that done before and could use some visual help. I haven’t mastered that technique.
Also, I will one day arrive in time to watch the preparation of the wrappers, accomplished by rolling with a wooden rod while turning the little disk of dough.
Just for fun, the famous Seven Dials. At the end of a day, if I don’t have some other appointment I will often wander over here. There is a pleasant pub, and the Dial reminds me of characters in Dickens and O’Brien and appeals as well to my astronomical side.
The Dial is indeed a dial. On the wall on one corner there is a bronze plaque that describes how it describes the time.
So… there we are for now.
The rest of the day will involve confessions, Mass, and then probably a visit to the British Museum.
Again, the waving flag is clickable. Some of what you donate will buy me a pint of bitter, but will also go to the parish where I am staying.
