*****@@*****BERRIE, BINKLE, OGGS, LYRA AND ZEB - THE ALL NEW SOON-TO-BE-REALISED LONDON THEATRE MEET-UP THREAD*****@@*****

[binkleandflip]

Here we are!!

I'm in awe of you driving into central London Binkle

I've emailed you all with my mobile number.

git it thanks, have sent you mine.

Have we got Lyra's yet?

Dont be in awe of me Oggs, I am hardly the picture of composure whilst driving around central London in fact my face tends to be comically frozen in panic until I make it up the ramp to a parking space and turn the engine off!!

On the upside I dont have to pay congestion charge because my car is a hybrid but you still had to pay to register (whorra rip-off!!) so I have to keep driving into London just to get my mon ey's worth

ps today I will be eating cottage cheese and ryvita and soup and water..

the prison diet

Got you all apart from Lyra.
Hmm. apparently the circle line is the busiest and you can wait up to 20 mins for a train .

Oh Oggs...you are no help, you have the same problem as me...if I wear my dress all day, I'm bound to snag my tights...also I'd be wearing my spanx too (problem or wees) ...I am edging towards not changing at all...

Ooh. Tights. I don't think I've worn a pair for over 20 years
See, I really am an oik.

So dress down Wednesday?

Berrie starts to worry whether nightie and change of top,knickers,socks, toothpaste, toothbrush, book, deoderant, makeup, purse, camera, map,inhaler, phone,tickets,tissues...er...must be more...will actually fit in her handbag...

Oggs, I'm wondering whether we should try and grab a sandwich at our stations, eat it by the river then wander on down to the Tate and perhaps have a coffee in the cafe there afterwards or something. Otherwise we might end up doing lunch, drinking too much and nothing else? What do you think...doing lunch and drinking too much does sound rather fun...too many choices!!!

Berrie, I'm jealous. I love the idea of doing lunch and continuing.....as long as you don't show us all up later in the theatre with lewd drunken heckling

I'm also veering towards the jeans with whatever shirt/top/jumper thing. And with my shoes, no-one's gonna be looking at my clothes anyway

With regards to finding you at around 6pm, are you just going to text me to tell me where you all are, or should we make a plan? The choices are basically somewhere in Covent Garden, or somewhere in the Strand very close to the theatre so we don't have to walk too far! And if you get there earlier, you could annex a table - an easy idea might be the Pitcher & Piano just off Trafalgar Square (if it's still there )

Here are some ideas

Pitcher & Piano is a good laid back wine bar with lots of seating, food etc where you could easily bag a table, or
Smollenskys on the Strand could also be really good as you can get a table & eat as well. It's a bar & grill & does cocktails. As I recall also reasonably priced and v close to the theatre.

or Gordon's Wine Bar is right by the Embankment Tube Station. I love it but it's very cramped and only sells wine, or Champagne Charlies wine bar, which is underneath Charing Cross station and very close.

Another idea, but a bit further is
Brown's in Covent Garden

or if you REALLY want to be poncey - the barat No. 1 Aldwych. But it's probably shockingly expensive! As would be the American Bar at the Savoy!

So....that's what I've come up with very quickly. There's also the Coal Hole on the Strand which is a massive pub, so we might struggle to find each other.

Zeb have not had time to look at your choices in detail but I just wanted to say I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

Are we going to eat together then...what time do we need to be at the theatre? We'll have plenty of time to eat if we are close by around 6 won't we. Actually it's good that we are seeing the show...we can get a leeeetle bit drunk, see the show, sober up and get drunk again!

Binkle don't survive on soup and water today, I'll not notice the difference on Wednesday and I like you already and I'm a big fatty anyway!

I think we should make an MSN date for the rest of these arrangements and we'll text Zeb to let her know the details.

Sounds good to me. You've got my mobile number, so just text me any plans and I'll turn up wherever.

Evening .
Well I've been shopping today and managed to find a pair of jeans that fit, so jeans it is for me.

Haven't managed to get my haircut . All the laydeeee hairdressers were shut today , so I did as promised and approached Amy's Gents Hairdresser.... miserable, po-faced, condescending slapper
Hung around outside to do a recce. No customers at all.
Went in and laughingly explained predicament and asked if she would do a quick trim. "No".
Just "No". No explanation or smile.
I pleasantly asked "why?" (thinking there might be some regulation or other.
"Because this is a Gents hairdressers". (By now I wanted to slap her)
With puzzled look on face I asked "But why can't you?"
She snottily says "Because if I do one womans hair then I'll have to do any woman that comes in and then it would be a womans hairdressers"

I was gobsmacked and now wanted to both slap her and spit in her face. Managed to compose myself and walked out.

Oh dear Oggs...I'll bring me scissors shall I?

Berrie, you forgot to leave room for your book .
I'm having same problem. Even after I'd ditched the idea of bringing clothes to change into I realised that no way would everything I do need would fit in my handbag .
Think I'll stick to wearing same clothes (jeans, top, cardi, boots), but bring a small bag anyway that I can also pack my handbag into for flight.
I'm easy with plans.. Will happily pick up a sandwich from somewhere, or do lunch. Whatever .
Will need to eat before theatre too though.
Don't mind where we meet as long as it's not too poncey or expensive. Would prefer somewhere that didn't just serve wine, but I could survive .

I'm with you on the not poncey or expensive
Wonder where Lyra has got to today?
Hope I haven't been too bossy about where we go or what we do...You might want to see the Terracotta Army or King Tut or the Russian stuff?

Nah, I honestly don't mind. I'm happy to go along with whatever. I'm just wondering how we'll fit it all in

You're right...best have a boozy lunch instead!

Though I do love a painting or two...oh it's so hard!!!

I have a spot on the end of my nose...I never have a spot on the end of my nose...

poor Berrie. I started sniffing in the office and threatened anyone within a five mile radius with a terrible and violent death if I go down with anything in the next 48 hours!

Phew! Glad about the jeans And I agree about nothing poncey or expensive or serving only wine. Just as long as we have somewhere to sit down reasonably comfortably, we can hear ourselves speak and aren't likely to get bottled, I'm fine. God, I'm getting old