Clare and I were discussing the blog no less, some of the stuff that Kat and I write about, the audience it now has and how somedays there just isn’t anything to blog about and she has to suffer with a photo of what we had for dinner. I was relieved that I wasn’t to blame for then missing our stop. But, it proved to be a fortuitous stroke of luck, with the station we were heading to going to be closed. We weren’t to know yet that our little preamble from Moorgate up was the best option available and we loved it. The streets were empty, the sky was blue with fluffy white clouds and we saw some graffiti and wall art that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. It was also how Clare found a vintage inspired clothes shop that she’ll visit again some day. Sorry Martin!
We had lunch at Dishoom, a lovely Indian restaurant, where I was able to help order a selection of dishes; lentils, mattar paneer, tikka paneer, bhel, okra, gunpowder potatoes, veg biryani, raita and roti. It was so nice knowing what I was actually ordering and eating, normally sticking to a safe option. Plus, with four of us at the meal we could sample a wider selection of dishes. I even treated myself with a Limca, oh how I’ve missed you, synthetic lemon fizzy soda. 
But, with the weather closing in and all of us getting cold we decided it was a good idea to walk slowly around the area in the sunshine for a bit of warmth before our meeting time at the station.I had absolutely no idea what to expect, Clare organising this event as one of her Fabulous/Frivolous 40 presents. I just knew that we would be doing a walking tour of the area looking at graffiti. So, presented with a clipboard from the University of Bulderdash, I didn’t know that we filled out the form as a spoof and weren’t to take it seriously. I was confused by the manner in which they were speaking, that of a lofty professor with a broomstick stuck up there ass. Still, things started to make sense and it all fell in to place by the end of the first work of art – the padlocks on the fence. There was a padlock for every failed relationship that Sir Shoreditch Richmond III had. And the stories of their forbidden love, anguish and suffering were portrayed in the type of lock that he added to the fence. 
The graffiti work was equally nonsense, with Clare being one of the only ones in the group to challenge the ‘professors’ on their thinking and subjects. The questions asked were silly and the responses were farcical. We upped the ante when we were told that the Prof’s had been hypnotised at the Christmas party and if we didn’t like the explanation of a piece that we say ‘correction’ and they have to make up something else entirely. They sometimes painted themselves in to a corner and I’m surprised I didn’t bawl my eyes out from laughter.
I’d highly recommend people doing this improv theatre. It was such simple fun, you didn’t walk very far, you got to be silly and relax and see some amazing stuff that you otherwise would just walk past. Sure enough we finished with the red arrows passing over head and then the heavens opened with torrential rain. We took ‘shelter’ in a pub and eventually got home to watch ‘The Boss’ (good film) and enjoy more yellow food for dinner.
Saturday 25th June 2016
Trans Travels 