Poppy

Took my eldest to the cinema in the afternoon to see the latest Studio Ghibli film, From Up On Poppy Hill. It was more than good enough and she really enjoyed it which was the main thing. Not classic Ghibli, but still very likeable.

Our friend Pete arrived at teatime to stay for a couple of days and tonight was my turn to be out on the town with him doing fringe stuff (tomorrow I get the night off!). Went to see Markus Birdman at the tiny Stand II venue. A pretty solid show, liked him a lot, all based around things that have happened in the last year in his life, the backdrop featured here centred as it is around the HMS Heartbreak gives a fair, and thinly-veiled, indication of the stormy waters that he covers. Then across the road to one of the other Stands for their Best Of Irish Comedy bill - we got Paddy Lennox, Sean Hughes, Jim Rooney and Michael Legge for our £6 (Half-Price Hut tickets) and it was very enjoyable, varied and I'd never seen three of them before either, (I'd never even heard of two of them).

Then stayed out too late.....

Bit of music to close. There was some reggae playing before Markus Birdman came on stage. Here's a choice cut that I'm sure he'd approve of.