Theatre: Aristocrats Life does go on. On Friday evening I caught the Brian Friel play Aristocrats at the National Theatre which turned out to be an interesting evening of Theatre. Friel wrote this play in 1979 and it tells the tale of a rich land-owning Irish Catholic family that gathers for a wedding and secrets begin to unravel. There is a hint of Chekhov to the goings on as well. But the first two acts I found heavy going. A lot of exposition (and Irish history to absorb). And after observing a minutes silence for those killed in the bombings prior to the first act commencing, I found it all too hard to focus on the intricate story. But somehow after the interval it just felt like the story all came together, and I don't think it was the interval drinks that did it. It was just the story then began to move. The most enjoyable part of it was actor Andrew Scott . He played the twit son who perhaps was not so stupid as everyone believed him to be... The rest of the cast were just ...
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Conversation at the Cloakroom of the National Theatre The day after July 7, things are a little different. I was staying overnight in Streatham so I had a larger rucksack than usual... Security: You will have to open your bag for inspection before you can leave it at the cloakroom. Paul : Ok I just have a change of clothes in here... Security: You will have to open up your bag and show me what's inside. Paul : Ok well there is a polo shirt... Security: And what's under your shirt? Paul: That is just my jeans and a pair of shoes... Security: Ok now open up the front zipper section. Paul: Ok well in there are just my toiletries... Security (also seeing several packets of Lemsip and Syndol ): ... Hmm and medications... A (walks over to Paul after observing this dialogue from a distance): Darling just tell them its your slag bag and so we can all be done with it...
Scenes from Stockwell Tube Friday 17:57. I had no hesitation about catching the tube on Friday to work. It was a silent statement of defiance against the amateur mass murderers with timers. Although in the morning there was a film crew at Goodge St tube station filming people, just to remind you that on the day after, things weren't going to be the same...
Reflections on a Thursday in London
As the search begins for lost loved ones I recall going through my work yesterday. There was enough to do to not think about the events as they were unfolding. Taking calls, placing calls, locating people, background research, typing messages. It all filled time.
But the scale of it all hit me around lunchtime. That was when I first saw the bomb damage at Tavistock Square on the CNN webiste , which is just a couple of blocks from where I live. I recognised the street by the trees overhanging the road as they are so leafy and bright green. I walk down that street on the weekends on my roundabout way into Covent Garden. It isn't the most attractive part of London. The area is not really anything remarkable about this area at all, but because I live there it is familiar. I had this strong feeling of "That's my neighborhood!". Suddenly the atrocity has a very very localised feel to it.
Then to see the wreck of the red bus, ...
Scenes at the end of my street Thursday 20:17. A roadblock and a crime scene investigation is underway. Just a couple of blocks over is Tavistock Place. The bus bombing outside the British Medical Association building was timed as the tube network was shutting down (the explosions were initially attributed to power surges) and people were turning to busses to complete the journey. Only two people have been confirmed killed on the bus, but unofficial reports suggest that the death toll will be much higher when they identify the remains in the surrounding area. This evening the streets were quiet. All theatres were closed. The supermarkets near where I live were all shut due to staff shortages. Thankfully Planet Organic was still open. I ran in and got an organic chicken salad, an organic elderflower drink, organic crisps and an organic white wine for the evening and to watch the day's events on the BBC...
Professional Conversation overheard in the office at lunchtime F: I have been trying to contact Robert for the past hour and his mobile is engaged... Officer (just walking in to the office) : I have just spoken to him... F : Ah how can you do that? Officer : I have an emergency override phone... F : Oooooh! At several key points during the day the mobile phone network disappeared. As part of the plans for dealing with civil emergencies emergency and government services get priority on the mobile phone network to ensure that their calls get through. It also meant that at 7pm tonight I got a whole stream of texts that had been sent during the course of the day... Aftermath. This afternoon I had (in no particular order) a chocolate éclair, a packet of pretzels, two bananas, a thai chicken curry, half a tin of liquorice allsorts, a herbal tea, a coffee and a berocca. My colleague F had the same plus a trifle. Another colleague commented at one stage during the afternoon that at times o...
Something just broke
The timeline to an unfolding day of anxiety 0851 Seven people die in a blast on a train 100 yards from Liverpool Street station 0856 21 people die in a blast on a train between Russell Square and King's Cross stations 0917 Seven people die in blast on a train at Edgware Road station 0947 Two people die in a blast on a number 30 bus at Tavistock Place It happened within an hour but for the rest of the day the news trickled in... And suddenly suspect packages were everywhere... 0955 First newsflash email that a loud bang near Liverpool Street station may be due to power surge 1031 Email newsflash confirming multiple explosions' in London 1150 First confirmed deaths 1217 PM Flies to London 1533 33 Deaths confirmed
Scenes from Trafalgar Square Wednesday 19:30 - All quiet after a day of euphoria of London winning the 2012 Olympics . The big regeneration project for the east end will now commence... There is a sense this result puts it up the French, who after Chirac's comments on British cuisine, are perceived as the obstacle to ending world poverty (while they insist on the EU common agricultural policy). After Live 8 - for Britain at least - ending world poverty is a prime concern, even if it isn't such a priority elsewhere. The French shouldn't complain too much. With the new Eurostar links in place by 2012 travel to London from Paris will be even quicker than it is now...