Picadilly Soho London, Photoreportage

One does not find always what one looks for, but something else pops up. So what? Enjoy! Be happy with it.

I went to perform in Soho, near the Picadily Circus and did a set of ten minutes. Not many but great audience and wonderful co-performers.

I had a great evening.

Going out, lot of noise, cheering, movement on the Picadilly Circus.

First, I got into the entrance of a museum where manaquin musicians performed in relative calm.

Did Italy won a match? Flages, waiving, climbing on the statue even.But that was too far. I decided, not to go nearer.
Tam tam also playing near the underground station, people taking photos of everything.

After I realised I do not want to go nearer the crowd I begun to take pictures of the photographers.


Decisive moment!

I I went home and only this morning, looking at my pictures did I realize, I did caught a young short skirted woman puting her hand in another woman's bag!

I did always imagine pickpockets young boys, never like this! Till now. Not only one can learn at any age, but one never know how one thing can lead to another.

Supporting act at Lions Den

Tonight, a new important corn stone in my life, well, comedian's life.

At Lions Den, I was invited by Tim, as supporting act at the Edinburgh preview if Nick Holm.

Ten minutes. I added some new material, that come to me listening to his 15 reasons in YouTube and some from my first ever gig, plus a part came remembering when I was first 'remaqued' at Lion's Den.

Well, about all that more tomorrow.

Slideshow of London Toastmaster Officers

Last officer meeting of London B as it was, first officer meeting of the newly formed three divisions - just a few pictures at the end to remember it. From those, who where there yesterday, at the Tube Talker Toastmasters place, High Halborn. I did go easy, I did come back less: the bus never came, I had to take two others and a train and another bus, but finally, of course, I did arrive home. With all this images in my camera. Even me in two of them, taken by a collegue from another division.

London Underground Humour

I love the English Humour, and how they tell us not cycle instead of using public transport in the weeks to come.

Old, perhaps even a bit ugly woman, not a young slender one as one would show in Paris.

This is just a part of the whole that tells the rest of the tale. I adored also its colours.

What a wonderful way to say... something not very good news, in advance!

Come to Cork!

I am going in November to Cork, to the D71conference. This is the great team preparing it. It will be a funny and also interesting Humorous and Table Topics, impropru contest, and also a conference for all of us from Britain and Ireland to meet.

Intensive days

Intensive days.for me.

Monday it was Funny Funny Standup Comedy Competition, great welcome
Tuesday I went to celebration of Toastmasters club who just "incorporated"
Wednesday, noon, Speakers Corners TM visit and General Evaluation: great meeting
Wednesday evening, at Lewiwham Speakers I passed my Presidency to my successor, great speech and mood and now I can concentrate on my role as Area Governor for four or soon five clubs
Thursday I "killed" (made laugh a lot) at Camden Head, Islington for my 40th gig

Saturday and Sunday will go to an Improv workshop (six hour each day) held by Luisa
 "Chicago style improvisation" 12 hours will be intensive for my age, but I'll go for it.
1-6pm at Rudys Revenge, right by Tottenham Court Road underground
Holborn Covent Garden Apartments, 94-99 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6LF

                                                                                                        Anyone else up to it?  
Next week will be as full, with even more challenges! Storytelling and Gigging and Toastmastering 

Design, Develop, Deliver.

Not only with buildings.

The same applies to a story, a speech, a comedy routine.

Tonight, my last opening as President of Lewisham Club. I did deliver, a healthy club is there, after a year. A last speech to deliver, then on to new endaveors.

Design a new Area Vision, Goals. Deliver.

In fact, I already begun, still, leaving in some way the club, even in very good hands, even if I will remain as member, makes me a bit sappy.

Well, I found my story for tonight.

FunnysFunny Female Comedians

Monday, 18 june 2012

I was between them and got lots and strong laughter : the six hours (3 there and three on the road) the waiting (I was 11 from 12) feeling more and more tired while I waited my tour to arrive from afar (the place was full, even on back and the stairs with audience so we had to sit in an adjoining room, we could only hear) all was worth it.

I got many huge laughter.

The organizer showed me beer on the floor: I laughed so much I spilled it! Good stuff, good stuff.

A competitor complained : it is difficult to arrive at your level. That was also a compliment. But all were good, all had some different and funny material.

All were young too.

All but me.

Well, that was funny too.

Area Governor this year in a new Area

My area was just created, and it is one of the latest, with the number 59.

Well, I am not so much into festivities, but this somehow it counts. And it does even more, that I received in at the end of the District's Officer Training event.

Last year, the president of the club who should have passed me the president's sign, has "forgotten" to bring it, then told me "lost it". Somewhere inside him he did not want to pass it to me.

Even without, I become a good president, and somewhere along the line I got one. But it was not the same as if I have gotten it when I become president of the club.

As area Governor, now I have four clubs in charge, to serve and help, as they need - and new ones, hopefully to grow.

Yes, our District Governor, was right: recognition matters. I shell keep this in mind.

And in a few days, I will pass my "president" sign to my beloved successor, she will be a great president of club. In fact, we already begun our activites, each one for the following "Toastmasters" year, which, officially begins only 1 July.

We did pass to each other the toarch.

Bus bus bus

Well, travel with bus is nice, and not expensive, and I found out it takes me wherever I wanted.

But so long!

And I would say today, at least for return, the waiting was also very long.

Of course, when tired, the waiting seems even longer!

Great day, lots new things to assimilate, at least it seems like it, lots to do and so soon, too, but after so many hours listening, waiting for bus half an hour, trip then waiting again, then walking home, was long.

Happy! It did not rain! Happy, I am happy again, it could have been worse.

WIBF Toastmasters club 10 years!

The first Toastmasters club in Canary Wharf; that of Women in Banking and Finance.

So happy to have gone and participated to their celebration of the tenth year anniversary!

At the same time, four great speches, three number 10 finishing the Competent Communicator Manual and one wonderful Entretaining Speech finishing an Advanced Communicator award.

Great evaluations and fun, too.

I was General Evaluator, it is not easy to find something to recommend when they are so great. I made them also laugh, with ad hoc findings, related to what happened.

Some pictures taken towards the end.

Poppies along Heath

Poppies along Heath, a set on Flickr.

This morning I took two of my small cameras and walked to the Heath, where, till now, I have seen only from thee bus the flowers that have been planted along the road.

I took picture after picture.

And also remembered my walk along a wheat heath when I was 14 years old, and my friend who was from the village told me "these signify the heath is not well cared for". Of course, it were not there for ornament.

i also remembered my mother who preferred the blue ones. And the poppies under the bridge of Argenteuil.

But in themselves, these flowers were wonderful! I came home almost drunk with the pleasure of them.

Indecent?

The flower is not decent or indecent, even if there is on the flickr a group called "flower porn".

It is our imagination that lends to any picture or words more then we see with our eyes, probably by analogy.

Analogy and our mind eyes see more hear more then just what is there. That is a cursing but also a blessing.

Can be used, abused or, condemned even.

All is in how the receiver perceives it.

Going back, soon

What a pleasure a odiscover a new pub, a new restaurant, a new "hangout"! Warm welcome, good food (it did smell and look so) served and books all along the windows. Places to speak. 

Well that "speak" was the only thing that gave some problem to us, comedians, standup, Thursday, after nine in the evening, as we tried to make those, who did want to have good time and laugh, listen to us in one of the corners of the place. One day, they will solve the problem, or isolating the place, there is enough room and corner to do so, or asking all there to participate for those one or two hours.

But it is a place I feel I will return with someone I want to speak with around a nice meal. I am not sure yet, how much one can hear each other, but for sure there are quiet corners and even tables outside, behind. And it is not far from where I live. With the bus, 15 minutes. Considering the time to the bus, the time the bus arrives, in is still less then half an hour. Yes, I will go back.

This morning, I made another discovery, that of a wonderful woman and family. 5 children. Probably from two different husbands, a husband so attractive. Joys and sorrows of a life, working woman, writing woman, and most of all, someone who does care. One can feel the care from her wonderful (French) prose. Art. I am still very moved by it. The joys of a blog and the joys of connection!

I will go back soon, to both.

January 2011. the worst was the best

I went to a Comedy School, at the beginning of last year. My first one.

I was the fish out of water, with all this boys, men who wanted to behave like kids again.

It was the worst environment for me, the only woman, the only old, the only "too much reminding them boundaries".

It was the best environment for me, too.

Preparing me to what will be most of the audience and how to conquer them, how to speak their language in some way, how to communicate with them.

After that, it went uphill.

No I was not "obliged" to swear, for them to accept me, but when you are in a new place, do you not try to learn and use "their language"? I think, you do. Weather that is "English", or "Scottish" or Hungarian. Or the language of the street or the language of comedy.

It is not about clean or not clean. There are not really "dirty" words, it is more what is in your head. What conveys what and how I say it.

"I gather my shit and come back to you" from a young comedian meant only, he has to find a place where the gig will be held. "What I am doing in this shit" from me it shows I can speak like them. I do not have to. I enjoy it, on the podium only of course.

I am still happy of what I have accomplished so far. But now, I prepare for tonight gig, on Lewisham High street (details in my Competent Communicator blog), and all the rest is behind me.

What counts now is the next gig, the next experiment, the next audience.

Great paper on me in the Guardian

Yes, after so many month, the Guardian did publish the 5 papers on "New life after 60".

It was supposed to be in the Christmas magazine or newspaper. It did not gel then. In February, I was send a nice photographer (but he did not send me - yet? - the other photos as promised) to Comedy in Tooting. He has taken more then hundred different images then.

Another bank holiday, it will be published, I was told.

Bank holidays come and went and nothing. I told myself, well, "c'est la vie". So goes life. So what?

Yesterday afternoon a sudden email "it is in the paper"!

Not only with a great and huge photo of me gigging, but also with mention of those through whom I arrived to Comedy. The Toastmasters International, public speaking clubs, where I fall in love with the audience and telling about my life, three years and three month ago. Spark London with whom I told true stories at the Canal Café Theatre, (and soon in Edinburgh Fringe for a week). And the Silver Comedy, with whom I won the "Best Newcomer 2012" award in Leicester, and who linked to Dave's Comedy festival had a great Public Relation's team or journalist. So far, she linked me to many journals.

Well, it is coming and going, but it was a great afternoon and it will be a great day! The summer is up, my energy is up, my plans for the future look bright, too.

But I had a nightmare, this evening. I was asked to perform... comedy for one hour! What? I always want "more" then my usual 5 minutes but already 10 seems plenty. For the moment. We build our material slowly, experimenting, writing, experimenting again. A lot more to gig, before I go to even 20!

Of course, if someone asked me to tell stories, true tales, that would be another mater. No nightmare.

Birthday cake

Celebrating the Diamond Jubilee in London, it did not rain this time.

Celebration the passage from 40 to 41 is also a great event! We did it with this rich cake created by my grand daughter.

Of course, it is my daughter in law and not me, at that age. What is passing to 41 ? Just growing up.

I will finish wishing her... till 120.

Can-can in the rain

Well, perhaps we will not see French Can Can in London tonight, but if it rains, the dance (if any) or if not the music and songs for sure, will continue.

I looked at the face of the Queen on the boat while it was raining and going down the Thames, she was not happy and she was cold. Still stayed there despite all her years.

I hope she will not catch cold.

I would in her place, and yes, I did stay home and looked at all in my again warmed appartment.

Meanwile at least I created new stories in my mind and got some new ideas for the incomming Toastmaster's year.

Remembering the dancers in the rain the 1 May 2006 in Argenteuil. They did not stop, they went on!

Where do we go from here?

At the beginning I do not plan.

I fear or / and I dream.

I can not yet imagine where the road, even if the rails are already there, will lead me.

Yes! Something frightening. Yes, something great. For sure, interesting.

At some time, while doing some very different thing or reading a book non related, the idea arrives. Often, even when I am half awaken in the morning. Yes! That is what I should try to do.

At least, reassured today, I have a better idea, what I'll try, how i'll try to put my experience into my new role.

À Nice smillé wins over

I begun to tape this on my iPad with a virtual French keyboard. It automatically changed what I have typed, adding instead something in the title about Churchill and then overdose!

From where they take all that nonsens suggestions?

Why do not just recognise I write now in English no more in French?

Here is a nice warm comic, stand up from the Lion's Den Comedy club.

Yes!

With her warmth and smile and manners she did win me over. That is already a huge step forward.