Mara, if you'd like to go to Austentatious on Dec. 3 or Dec. 9, please let me know and I'll email them to request that they hold two seats for me instead of just one.  They tend to sell out quickly. If you'd rather just meet for lunch or tea or something on another day, then no worries.  Just let me know.

Anna M.C.

I just realized I missed the last few replies to this somehow.  Sorry!  Anyway, thanks for the additional welcomes.  

Soon I will be visiting London again! Yaaaaay! *Kermitflailing*

Anna M.C.

Into the Woods is my favorite play!  I've seen it at least half-a-dozen times in various productions.  I wish I could have seen it in Regent's Park -- I can't imagine a more perfect venue.

Back when Benedict Cumberbatch was performing in Frankenstein, I was also lucky enough to get a ticket to see him recording the St. Petersburg episode of Cabin Pressure. Although I admit I was initially interested for the Cumberbatch Factor, that recording got me completely hooked on the show, which I immediately purchased from Audible.com.  The writing is hilarious and the entire cast is marvelous; best comic timing ever.  Roger Allam's voice can actually rival Benedict's, which is not something I would have thought possible. Attending that recording is one of my favorite memories. Some kind stranger showed me the best place to wait by the doors before they let us into the studio, so I ended up getting a seat in the second row, dead center.  To quote Arthur, it was brilliant.

I've only been to Stratford-Upon-Avon once, for less than an hour, alas, and I didn't really get to see anything.  I'll have to go back one day. So many things left on my list to do.  I really want to see the lake country sometime.

A road trip would be fun -- we'll see if the convention ends up happening.  Just to warn you, though, the convention doesn't offer day passes, and it's not cheap.

Speaking of road trips, I'm trying to find someone with a car who also enjoys Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy to attend this with me:
http://www.hitchhikerslive.com/tour-dates.html

I was thinking of the Nov. 22 show in Bromley with John Lloyd.  I'll happily pay for the other person's ticket and help out with the cost of petrol if they take care of the to-and-from-Bromley part.   Anyone interested?

Anna M.C.

Hello Nick/SherlockHound, lovely to meet you, too!

I just read your post on the Birmingham market - sounds fun.  If the convention isn't canceled, I'd definitely like to see the market while I'm there.  Perhaps we can make arrangements to meet up there, if you're planning to visit the market as well.  If not, we can meet up in London, or both.   I've been to Birmingham once before for the Discworld convention, but the museum was about the only thing I saw there besides the convention hotel.  They had a nice selection of Pre-Raphaelite art there, though. The Shakespeare Memorial Room you mentioned at the library would be worth a visit.  Speaking of the Bard, I have a ticket to see Hiddleston in Coriolanus in December!  Go, me!  I hope the rumors about HamletBatch next year turn out to be true; he was brilliant in both roles in Frankenstein. Wish I could have made it to London this summer to see Roger Allam in The Tempest at the Globe, as well as Pride & Prejudice at Regent's Park, but neither my vacation allotment nor my finances are infinite.   I do have a ticket to see Perfect Nonsense in November, though. Hurrah for Jeeves & Wooster!

Yes, the metalwork at the V&A is exquisite -- just about everything is.  I'll admit that the costume and jewelry sections hold an extra-special place in my girly heart, and I can get lost for hours in the British galleries.  Theatre galleries, too.  So much good stuff!  How I wish that I could live in London. I know I'm lucky that I can at least visit every year, though.

Anna M.C.

Hello,

I'm going to be in and around London from mid-November to mid-December and would love to meet up with some other Sherlock fans.  Are there any meetups planned?  I'll theoretically also be attending the Starfury "Elementary" Sherlock BBC convention in Birmingham, but I'm getting the uncomfortable suspicion, based on how quiet the site is, that it might end up canceled due to lack of guests/lack of interest/etc.  I'd really like to have some Sherlock fun regardless, even if it's just meeting up with a couple of fans for lunch or tea or something.

Thanks!

Anna M.C.

Starfury just announced that Louise Brealey (Molly) will be attending as the first guest.

Anna M.C.

I probably won't in good conscience be able to afford to go to London again so soon after next summer's trip, but I can hope.  Depends on how long the exhibit lasts. Maybe I can manage if it's still there in late winter or early spring.

Anna M.C.

Fresh from Twitter, news from Red Scharlach, she of the Otters Who Look Like Benedict Cumberbatch fame:

RedScharlach ‏@redfacts 17m Ooh, Benedict Cumberbatch will be in the Reasonably Priced Car on @BBC_TopGear on Sunday 14th July: http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/ckwkdy/top-gear%E2%80%94series-20%E2%80%94-episode-3

Top Gear
Series 20, Episode 3
Sun 14 Jul

3/6. The three motoring enthusiasts head to Spain on a mission to help its struggling economy - but the convertible supercars they take are very expensive and anything but discreet. With Jeremy Clarkson in a McLaren MP4-12C, Richard Hammond driving a Ferrari 458 and James May behind the wheel of an Audi R8 V10, the trio encounter mountain passes, empty towns and an abandoned airport before creating their own street circuit in a deserted Madrid development. Plus, Sherlock and Star Trek Into Darkness star Benedict Cumberbatch sets a lap time in the Reasonably Priced Car.

Anna M.C.

Thank you -- this month-long trip to London is one huge early Christmas present to myself, but that play will definitely make the shiniest of shiny bows to wrap it up.

Davina, did you get a ticket?  Hope so!

Only bad thing is that I swilled so much tea in the last hour to stay awake that I'm now buzzed and twitchy on the caffeine, with no prospect of falling asleep in the near future, and I have to go to work in a few hours.  When I'm a sleep-deprived zombie tomorrow, I'll tell my colleagues to blame it on Mark Gatiss and Tom Hiddleston.  And time zones.  And tea.

Anna M.C.

I can't believe it -- I scored a ticket to opening night, December 12!  It was so worth staying up past 1am on a work night!   I think trying for only one ticket, and asking just for the best available rather than trying to pick and choose, probably helped.  Go, me!

Anna M.C.