Things To Do In London Today: Monday 20 January 2014

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Fet a Ma at the London International Mime Festival, details below

Listings

BLOOD: Today’s opportunities to donate blood are at St Olave Parish Hall on Fenchurch Street, Royal Free Hospital, Lewisham shopping area on Wearside Road and Our Lady Of The Annunciation in Addiscombe. Free, see site for terms and conditions

ORCHID DISCOUNT: Kew Gardens' annual Orchid Festival doesn't start for another couple of weeks (8 Feb to be precise), but for this week only it is selling early bird tickets for just £10. That's 30% off. Surrounding yourself with tropical orchids of all colours is a lovely escape from an otherwise dreary February, so it should be worth the wait. £10, prebook online, offer ends 26 January

DRY JANUARY: If you're staying off the alcohol this month then try these booze-free venues for some alcohol-free fun.

JEWISH FIGHTER: The story of Daniel Mendoza, the great Jewish bare-knuckle prize fighter and the founder of modern boxing, is told at the London Jewish Cultural Centre. £12/£10, prebook, 2pm

NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY: Elspeth Storrar, an industry photographer, currently holds Night Time Street Photography classes around Highgate Village, showing how to make the most of the area's architecture in low light. £48/£34, prebook, 6-8pm

COMICS FOR GIRLS: Ladeez Do Comics presents  Isabel Greenberg, Penelope Mendonca and Dr Geraldine Perriam at Foyles Charing Cross Road. Free, prebook, 7.30pm

POETRY: Take your poems, flash fiction and random bits of prose to the Poetry Cafe for the Farrago SLAM! hosted by John Paul O’Neill, with Greta Bellamacina, Isabel del Rio, Mike Galsworthy, Alison Hector-Rooms, Ben Jacobs, Celia Morris and more. £6/£5, just turn up, 7.30pm

MIMEFEST: London International Mime Festival is underway – read our preview. Check out the huge programme, which runs till 1 February, but tonight it's the opening night of Cru’s experimental French/Spanish production Fet a Ma. £17, prebook, 7.45pm

COMEDY: Comedian Josie Long's Lost Treasures of the Black Heart is a night, held at The Black Heart in Camden, dedicated to unsung heroes, unknown gems and obscure facts. Pop along tonight and share your own tributes. Free, just turn up, 8pm

MORE COMEDY: Jamie Demetriou brings his hit Edinburgh character comedy show to the Soho Theatre all this week. £10, 7.15pm

FILM: West End Film Club turns Century club into a cinema for one night only, screening the 2013 film About Time, starring Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson. £5, prebook, 8pm and 10.45pm (at time of writing the later screening has much better availability)


Good Cause of the Day

Walk for a good cause on Saturday 25 January as part of the Winter Walk for Gaza in Hyde Park. Taking place in various cities around the country (of which London in the first), this is the sixth year international aid agency Muslim Hands has encouraged people to sign up, wrap up and turn up, to take on 5 miles of chilly terrain and raise funds for the children of Gaza. Register online, Saturday 25 January 10am-3pm

London Connection Puzzle

Congratulations to Sarah Esposito, the first to spot last week's connection. HORTENSE, CATHERINE, BARBARA and NELL were all mistresses of Charles II. Sarah guessed it from just the first two, and will now set this week's puzzle. The first clue comes tomorrow.

From the Archive

Which is London's best tube station? The results are in (or they were, on this day two years ago).

Londoddities

This week's theme is 'weird and wonderful sculptures', of which London is wealthy beyond measure. We start with this delightful tableau from the junction where Hoxton Street and Pitfield Street join together. This three-dimensional children's drawing was designed by Kevin Harrison, and commissioned by the Hoxton Trust for Hackney Council. Aside from a brief absence for road improvements, it's stood at the junction since 2001, pointing the way to Hoxton Market. Is there a more delightful sculpture in the whole of London?

hoxton

By the way, we welcome submissions for Londoddities — either on this week's theme, or something else entirely. Send to hello@londonist.com.