Tuesday 09 June 2026.

Tuesday 09 June 2026. A very sad day as i went to a funeral of an ex work colleague. The dreaded cancer claimed him at the young age of 61. North East Surrey Crematorium , Morden then the wake at The Oaks Golf Club, Carshalton . Good to several ex work mates again. then the train back into town... 7pm to 8pm South Asian Modern Art - private view - Grosvenor Gallery, 35 Bury Street , St James's, London SW1. Around 50 guests at this gallery around the corner from Christies. Complimentary prosecco and white wines. ------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- Monday 08 June 2026...6pm to 11.45pm... NATIONAL RESTAURANT AWARDS at Magazine, North Greenwich , London SE10 . Around 500 guests here tonight . The venue has outdoor space and views by the river . Plenty of seating indoors and outdoors . At 8.15pm we are all seated for an hour in the room next door to the bars and food trucks for the awards. We have the Top 100 restaurants in the UK countdown. Nice to see I have been to a couple of them . The Ritz was number one last year , but this year it was number two. A DJ was playing tunes in the background before and after the awards . Lots of complimentary drinks and food for all. Piper Heidsieck Champagne, four different cocktails, wines, Estrella Damm lagers , ciders and the five different food trucks who were all located outside. The Top 10 were ... 1.Bouchon Racine 2.Osip/The Ritz 3.Dorian 4.The Ledbury 5.Moor Hall 6.Ynyshir 7.Mountain 8.Trinity 9.Woven by Adam Smith 10.Legado Check www.nationalrestaurantawards.co.uk for the full 100 list. ----------------------------------- ----------------------------------- Sunday 07 June 2026....6pm show... ABBA VOYAGE show at The Abba Arena, Stratford, East London. Pudding Mill Lane Station DLR is actually much nearer than Stratford Station to the venue. First there was the comeback album, and now are the live shows...sort of. The ‘immersive theatre’ is the purpose-built 3,000-capacity ABBA Arena where audiences will be able to watch a special concert that mixes a live ten-piece band ( including three female backing singers), with an ultra-high-tech pre-recorded motion-capture performance from the four members of ABBA: The show is the first music offering from George Lucas’s Industrial Light & Magic special effects company. Floor standing or reserved seating available. The show will feature hits and a couple of tracks from their 2021:' Voyage' album, which was their first new material for over 40 years. They have sold over a staggering FOUR MILLION tickets for this show....despite the location . They recently celebrated their fourth birthday anniversary in May 2026. It has been a huge success ,despite high ticket prices that start at £40 and go well over £100. and is now booking to January 2027. I saw the real Abba at The Royal Albert Hall in 1977. Their last shows in London were six nights at Wembley Arena in 1979. ------------ This show has just celebrated its fourth birthday , but somehow it's my first time seeing it. Amazingly it is still selling out , as tonight the 3000 capacity venue is very full. Lots of folks in Abba type glam outfits. Strictly no photos or filming of the show allowed. Needless to say , visually it is fantastic. Amazing light show, superb sound quality and the big screens are great . The avatars are very clever and impressive. A very enjoyable show. The last five tracks were ... Waterloo Money Money, Money Thank You For The Music Dancing Queen Encore : Winner Takes It All Then the original four members appeared on the big screens from the opening night in 2022.

Posted 7th June 2026