She Loves London

Category: Tried and Tested

Occasionally she tries something in the name of blogging, and tells you all about it.

  • Highly Recommended: A Film about Over 80s Playing Ping Pong (stick with me)

    Highly Recommended: A Film about Over 80s Playing Ping Pong (stick with me)

    I’d never been to the ICA before Monday. It’s on the Mall, home to el Queenie’s gaff, and on this particular Monday night, the entire population of the Territorial Army – berets and all – all doing squats and lunges in preparation for the Olympics.

    Ok, there were no squats and lunges. But there were berets, and the rest was in my mind.

    Point is, I went to the ICA because at the moment they’re showing a film called Ping Pong, which is a documentary about eight competitors taking part in the over 80s World Table Tennis Championships held in Inner Mongolia.

    Les D'Arcy, World Over 80s Ping Pong Champion
    Image credit: Ping Pong, Dir. Hugh Hartford, UK 2012

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  • Southbank’s Literary Takeaway

    I hung about, biding my time and watching from a distance.

    A grey haired woman approached and was turned away, and in response her feet turned inward like a pigeon and her knees jiggled with barely reined-in excitement.

    Ha! Keen-o. I thought, as she walked off, embarrassed, and I edged a little bit closer so as not to miss my chance.

    “Get there early” my friend had warned, “they said aim for 11:45am, before the queue starts”.

    The clock neared 12pm and as if by magic, other people nearby who I’d had down as mere casual bystanders made a beeline for the van. Word had obviously spread.

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  • Eight Courses Down: Friday Night at Leluu’s Super Vietnamese Supper Club

    A few hours before myself and three friends embarked on Friday night’s plans, there was confusion in the air.

    While three members of our party were gearing up for an indulgent eight course meal at the home of Leluu – the writer, photographer, blogger and (extremely) “good cook” behind London’s only Vietnamese supper club – the fourth had misread it as “super club”, and was busy pondering what music would be played, and whether she’d need to bring glowsticks or wear a more dressy outfit for the ensuing rave-up.

    Image by Heather Gregory

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