What to do on a Monday?

The Soho Society Film Club has been running every Monday downstairs at the lovely Sanctum Hotel for 7 months now and has been something I've looked forward to week after week.  Apart from obviously the great films they put on, I enjoy collecting my free book every week, people watching, Old Fashioned Daisy's songs, and never quite knowing what the evening will bring....be it drinking cocktails in the roof bar after the film or watching a stripper!

Last week was a bit different and had a 40s theme.  I'd raved about the film night to my Newcastle friends since I started going so was particularly happy that they were in town and able to experience it this time round.  The film was the 1947 "It Always Rains on Sunday" which followed some funny little public information type shorts....the sort where the women talk with a plums in their mouths and everything is so very nice!  We got given a book, wrapped in brown paper with a ration card, and ice-cream in wafers.  Lovely.  If I had a wardrobe full of 40s clothes, I'd had worn them...it was a very beautiful time fashion-wise.

This week, film club finished for Summer.  It'll be strange not going for a few weeks but no doubt we'll survive and will look forward to it starting up again in September.  A total change to last week's film, this week we saw the Elvis classic "Blue Hawaii".  I've never particularly been an Elvis fan but the film made me smile and was a nice easy watch for a Monday night.  The lovely owners of the Sanctum gave out free drinks to everyone and I would have taken them up on their kind offer, had it not been a school night.  So, thanks to Mr & Mrs Pereno for some great nights over the past few weeks.  See you in September.

Other goings on.....the opening of the photo exhibition for "Young Souls"....a short Northern Soul film which has just been released for download.  The night was sponsored by Kopperbergs.  We left before it got dangerous.

And it wouldn't feel right without mentioning that Amy Winehouse died this week.  It's been a sad one....particularly knowing friends of hers and seeing how upset they obviously are.  Whatever you feel about her, in the end she was a young woman who had lost her way...some people are stronger than others.  R.I.P Amy xx

Ant-ics

Rain has dampened play today and I'm home, getting my house in order like a good woman should.

Last weekend, the N8 folk ventured to Kiss the Sky for a few cocktails.  I had the green ones, that's all I know!  I will return for perhaps the blue ones next time.  I'm liking the venue a lot and at the point men in distasteful t-shirts or shoes turn up, we leave.  Early evenings are definitely best for a quiet green drink and some nice tunes.

In our quest to become Soho socialites (!!!!), off we went to the annual Soho Festival in St Anne's Gardens on Sunday.  What a bizarre but fun day it was too.  Although not a big square, the festival consisted of stalls, lovely food & drink, a palm-reader (who was apparently VERY accurate by all accounts), a great toilet (!!!), The Correspondents, various well dressed Soho characters and, the highlight of it all, Adam Ant doing a few acoustic numbers.  Imagine the sight if you turned up not knowing what was going on - a parrot painting competition, transvestites, a horn blowing competition, women with fruit on their head and the Ant.  You'd think you'd overdone the Piriton or something.  What a thought.

Mr Ant was on top form and looked well & happy, which made me happy. He was a favourite of mine when I was a teenager, as he was with so many other people.  I'm glad he's come out the other end of all the horrible things that have happened, and long may his recovery continue.  Looking forward to seeing a longer set & some films at the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley in a few weeks.

On the day, we drank Prosecco and Pimms & Lemonade, ate Soho Mess (Eton mess but not!), bought some little things and enjoyed it all.  Roll on next year.  I hope it doesn't get more commercial as I like it as it is - small but perfectly formed.  The day finished off nicely with a coffee at Bar Italia...what could be better?

Brighton yesterday, a very wet & windy Brighton.  I got a haircut, ate nachos, drank rose', ate ice-cream at my once favourite ice-cream parlour, Scoop & Crumb, bought dome umbrellas and looked at the sea - briefly.  Also caught up with my favourite toddler - love to you Dolly.  Brighton doesn't feel the same these days but I'll always pop back.  Maybe when I get itchy feet in a decade or so, I'll go back....I've learnt never to say never in the past year.

Toodle Pip frock fans x

South of the River....

It's not often I head south of Soho - not because I dislike South London nor because I think I'm going to get the vapours - more that so much goes on elsewhere.  I havn't really spent a lot of time down that way since I worked for LWT on the Southbank, in my 17th floor office that overlooked the Thames, and, more recently, during a few weeks of illicit liaisons in Sarf-East London.  This weekend however, I ventured back, with a friend in tow.

First stop was the Tommy Nutter exhibition at the Fashion & Textiles Museum in Bermondsey Street.  The museum had somehow passed me previously but I'll be back as they seem to have a lot of great exhibitions on.  I particularly liked the cutting room set-up and the little order book, as well as obviously some fantastic suits.  I liked what I saw of the back streets of London Bridge & Bermondsey - obviously an area under regeneration.  It had a nice feel about it.  We walked past the new Shard building, which is huge, and nearly gave me a nose-bleed just thinking about working on one of the highest floors.

We spent the rest of the day on the Southbank, near my old office, bringing back memories of many an hour spent in the Studio Bar, sniggering over the likes of Westlife, and getting over-excited over Paul Weller.  *Sigh* - those were the days.  We had a great time on the Southbank and, if we'd had passed on the raspberry beer and a polish sausage lunch, we could have done it all for free.  We loved the individually themed beach huts, the "beach" and the brilliant water feature which, if I were a big kid, would have jumped right into the middle of given half a chance.  We went round the Festival of Britain exhibition, played on the old typewriters, took photos of the 1950s house and finished up by doing a bit of unexpected C list celebrity spotting.

I'm a convert - South London rocks!

Back to Soho last night though and back to our favourite Monday activity - Soho Society Film Club.  Last night's offering was "The Girl Can't Help It" which was obviously a popular choice as it was a sell-out.  We ventured up to the roof terrace bar for the after-show party, with Gaz Mayall on the decks, drank cocktails and played "WHO is that person that I recognise?".  The Film Club manages to pull together such a wide range of people - from authors & actors to A list celebs (in my book) and us.  Long may it continue without being ruined by everyone and their dog catching on.