Just wanted to write briefly about CreateLondon - there is so much on. I picked up the brochure yesterday and got that slightly feverish feeling you get when you realise you can only ever do a fraction of the things you’d like to.
Having said that, though, I went to the Arcola yesterday for the Saturday matinee performance of Seagull (fantastic, loved every second of it, loved the clothes, the acting, the words, the story, the set…. but I have been somewhat deprived of culture lately so am perhaps not the most discerning critic these days). Anyway, where was I, yes I realised from the crowd – many of whom were well into their 60s – that London would be an awesome place to retire to. I didn’t get the impression these retirees were loaded – they’d brought their own sandwiches for a start – more that they had the time and inclination (and a free bus pass, and good health) to seek out the best of London, and were thoroughly enjoying it. The couple I sat next to had come in from Essex and had only just discovered the Arcola, which is really settling into its new Ashwin Street location.
There’s a transformed flyover in Hackney Wick, a Lullaby performance at the Barbican that includes breakfast (you sleep the night there)…. the Arcola Theatre is putting on a walking tour inspired by Dickens’ account of his wanderings around London.
Today there is a summer bash at Sutton House and a tour of Saint Augustines Tower… A performance of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House begins on 29 June, also at the Arcola. Even that dismal empty room on Platform One at Hackney Downs train station has been transformed into a reading room and project space.
Anyway, all too exciting. Have a look at the website. I’m off to yoga (it’s been months and months and I need to stretch before I calcify) and then to the Eastern Curve Garden (pictured above) at Dalston Junction for afternoon tea and the Dalston Choir (2-3pm, free entry).
Have a lovely Sunday. xx
