Flibbertygibbet: Getting lost

I had a great day (already!) today. I got lost.

After doing my first set of morning pages, and trying my first (loud sound!!) online yoga tutorial, I walked to Stratford to visit the Theatre Royal as part of the annual Open House event. I've always meant to go and I'm pleased that I managed to make to at least one this time (I chose to go to one local one rather than tear around London). The theatre has a very strong community remit and I'm tempted to go back to the free comedy night that they run each week. One of the corridors was lined with Joan LIttlewood's obits. What an inspiration. The Beeb's obituary casually mentions that she

dragged herself from the poverty of South London to RADA on a scholarship. But she soon left, walked to Manchester and entered repertory theatre there.

She walked? That's a hundred miles away. A former colleague said:

"To know Joan is to be attacked by Joan, but the fact is she is a wonder. A ragamuffin, a nuisance, but a wonder."

I think that's quite an epitaph. Quite a commendable one.

A vintage poster; the stage from the upper circle; detail of the stage decoration from one of the boxes; one of the illustrations from "Cartoon Corridor".

Rather than walking home along the main road, I decided to turn off. I had been trying to find my way around the Bow Backs and the noticed the Greenway which is part of the Capital Ring and headed down there. I got a little lost while still knowing that I wasn't too far from home, found all manner of flora and fauna, and derelict buildings interspersed with fabulous studio space on Fish Island. I was heading toward the Old Ford Lock, just realised when I got there that in fact it wasn't the place I thought it would be. But I found my way home.