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Prayers and thoughts: The Inseparables @Finboroughtheatre

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The Inseparables brings Simone de Beauvoir’s posthumously published novel to life. It traces a lifelong friendship between Sylve and Andrée, two unconventional girls who grew up in a stifling world where being a woman meant getting married or entering a convent. With a quick pace and engaging performances from the two leads, it is a journey back into the 20th century that captures two unconventional women trapped in a conventional world that will have you reflecting on how much or little things have moved on in the last century. It’s currently playing at the Finborough Theatre .  We’re introduced to Sylve praying for her country, France, to be saved from the war and indoctrinated into the world of faith and obedience. But too smart for all that, her life was full of detached guilt and boredom. But when she meets Andrée, a new arrival at her school, she is struck by how different she is from everyone else. She was burned in a fire and had a passion for life that nobody else she knew...
Streetlife and XXXX

Things to do on a Saturday when you have time:

*Visit the Royal Park at Greenwich and see your first squirrel. I had no idea that there were deer there however. There were thousands of people at the park but you would not have known it. One also took in the views from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. On a clear day you really can see forever. Well at least past St Paul's Cathedral.

* Spend time around and about Canary Wharf. Apart from the lovely tube stations in this part of the woods there were plenty of sensimible shops to have a wander and a browse through. Resisted the temptation to purchase anything for now but made a mental note to return.

* Have a drink at The Gloucester at Greenwich... just because it was in the film Beautiful Thing. Also managed to pick up a copy of the Pink Pages which details sensible accomodation and jobs to look for...

Other things to do on a Saturday:

* Go with (straight) friends to Club Aquarium. Apart from the standard issue club setup and faux-bamboo walls (maybe Gilligan and Ginger did the interior dec), this club in Old Street boasts an indoor swimming pool complete with spa etc. They were having a 70s Carwash night which meant that we all had to dress in 70s style. Well almost all of us. We arrived at the club early for a private function and that helped. It was only £10 cover and £3 drinks then...

When the club opened and the music started one by one things started to remind me of Brisbane. Whether it was Randy Crawford's Streetlife or the promotions for XXXX there was a distinct Australian feel to the evening. It could have also been the other expats in the group as well.

I ended up leaving before midnight and missing the pool opening. When the pool did open after midnight it apparently was clothing optional. Through the glass doors to the pool the non-swimming punters could see women baring their beavers and breasts to the delight of the local lads (especially those there for a swim). At least it answers that question commonly asked by some folk... can straight saunas happen? Well at least they can in Old Street in London...

Up for today
* An aussie barbeque...

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