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A little wine... 12/10/2009
 
By Roz

It's been a full week. Though not absolutely Camberwell based, alas.

On Monday, we felt very intrepid indeed as we headed north to the Canal Café in Little Venice, to go to their storytelling night. Except that we stopped feeling intrepid and looked rather foolish when we discovered that, far from being a continent away (which we'd expected looking at the loooong ride on the Bakerloo line), it actually only took us about half an hour, door to door. Most peculiar. And a very pleasant evening it was too - with twinkly lights over the canal - free mulled wine (the only thing which reconciles me to Christmas) and what was essentially a whistle-stop through some of the best stories that had been told there over the last two years (since it was their 2 year birthday gig). As we whizzed home, we felt very pleased to have made the trip north, and promised ourselves to do it more often.

On Tuesday we headed over to the Ritzy cinema for a blind wine tasting, followed by a screening of the film Bottle Shock with Alan Rickman. Whilst the film wasn't dazzling (although very pleasant) we loved the combination (and I have been smug ever since, having identified all of the white wines - sad to say my red wine palate needs more work).

We stayed south last night too, meeting a friend at Polari (the gay literary salon run by Time Out's gay editor, Paul Burston) which was held in Concrete (the bar by the Hayward Gallery). Stella Duffy read from her very lovely book The Room of Lost Things (definitely worth getting a copy of, if you haven't before) and tried to persuade us of the merits of moving to Loughborough Junction. Of course she's right that the property prices are cheaper...and it's very close to the Ritzy...but it just feels wrong. The problem is - and who'd have thought I'd be saying this - but we're probably priced out of Camberwell proper if we really do want to have somewhere substantially bigger than we have now. If a doctor and a lawyer are priced out of Camberwell, does it mean that it's no longer up and coming...?

And as for tonight, it bodes badly for my career that I'm looking forward more to the late night shopping in Bellenden Road than I am to my early evening party at the Swedish Embassy. But then the Swedes haven't promised me mulled wine, whilst I hear that it will most definitely be flowing in Petitou...

PS Quick plug for Whirled Cinema by the Cambria, who have got nicely into the Christmas spirit with their free screening of the French film A Christmas Tale tonight and tomorrow night.

 


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