I had another appointment today – happily, the last one for now – at the clinic in Hornsey. Once that was done, we could think of going for a little ramble.

Hornsey Road bus stop

We went to the nearest bus stop which is called Hornsey Road, although it is not in Hornsey Road. The names of London bus stops are apt to be confusing until you become used to them. They are typically named after the neatest street that runs into the one on which the stop is sited. Quite often, this road is quite some distance from the bus stop so you can be forgiven for being mystified. Fortunately, all bus stops are also identified by a one- or two-letter code and good route guides use these to avoid confusion.

Aboard the number 4

The bus we took is not the one in the picture but the number 4 that terminates at Blackfriars.

Colourful street art
Photo by Tigger

Travelling by bus, you can entertain yourself by watching the scenery scroll past the windows. Tigger photographed these colourful street art flowers.

One might have thought that curtailed working hours and fewer people in the streets would have led to an upsurge in street art but, from what I have seen, it is not so. Most of the art is old and suffering from dirt and “tags”, so it is nice to see a piece like this, bright and new-looking.

The Black Friar

We left the bus in the vicinity of The Black Friar public house. Built in 1875 and remodelled in 1905 and 1917, it stands on the site of the medieval Dominican monastery, whose black-robed monks gave their name to the district. The pub is on the ground floor and both inside and outside is known for its fine Art Nouveau decor. Like St Pancras Station, when faced with the threat of demolition, it found a champion in the person of poet John Betjeman and, thanks to his intervention, survives to the present day.

The Temperance Drinking Fountain

Near the beginning of Blackfriars Bridge stands the Temperance Drinking Fountain. Dated 1861, it was sculpted by the Wills brothers and represents a Samaritan woman at the well, no doubt a religious trope of some kind. The name reminds us that the Victorian urge to set up drinking fountains was not merely to provide clean water for public but was seen as a way to remove people’s reliance on alcoholic beverages, the other common source of safe drinking.

Queen Victoria confined

At the beginning of Blackfriars Bridge, in the centre of the road, stands Queen Victoria, severely regal in appearance as was her wont. At the moment, the poor dear is confined within a building site, rather an insult to the noble dame.

Blackfriars Railway Bridge

Many of my posts on journeys south describe us on the train on Blackfriars Bridge, which is also Blackfriars Station, so, for a change, here is that bridge and station seen from outside. This is in fact the second bridge and the red pillars that you can see are the remains of the first one. More information on the bridges’ history will be found here and on many other sites.

Blackfriars road bridge

The present bridge for road traffic and pedestrians was opened by Queen Victoria in 1869 (hence her statue at one end). It is not the first bridge, as is recounted here. As you can perhaps see from the photograph, modern disasters have caused certain modifications to be put it place. Firstly, terrorist car attacks, in which motor vehicles have used to run down pedestrians, have led to a solid barrier being built between the road and the pavement. Secondly, Covid-19 and the policy of “social distancing, has led to the pavement being divided into to lanes, one for each direction, by a painted blue line and, at intervals, round notices on the footway reminding us to keep our distance from one another. These are simple and sensible measures but persuading the public to adopt them is an altogether more difficult task…

Artwork, artist unknown

As we made our way down to the Southbank Centre, we spotted this work of art. At least, I assume it’s a work of art. I could find no explanatory label or panel and so the name if the artist and the title if the work remain unknown to me. It seems to represent two annular objects interlinked, like links in a chain but more than that, I cannot say.

PizzaExpress

It was already lunchtime – in fact, well past it – and so, having seen a number of other eateries closed, when we found this branch of PizzaExpress open, we did not hesitate. Theirs may not be the most exciting of restaurants but the quality is consistent and can be relied upon.

Inside PizzaExpress

They led us to a table suitably separated from others and enquired what drinks we wished to have. They also explained that only electronic payments were accepted and no cash.

Order and pay online

On the table was this cardboard notice which seemed to indicate that we could order and pay online, using the QR code to access their site. As we had already encountered a similar system at Wagamama, I was sure we could use it. Think again! Unlike Wagamama’s process which was easy to use and effective, this one was quite frankly a mess. Despite our best efforts, neither of us could get it to work. Either it sent us round in circles or hung up with a spinning symbol showing on screen. I think the staff were accustomed to this as they brought a payment machine to the table with the bill and we used that.

Owl (not real)

The weather had turned wet and the conditions were not really conducive to further rambles so we started walking to where we could catch a bus home. On the way, we spotted this artificial owl, perched on the side of a building. We see quite a few of these as we go about. I can only imagine that people install them mistakenly thinking that they deter pigeons. They don’t, of course. Pigeons are not the brightest intellects among our feathered friends but they are not stupid either. They can tell the difference between a live predator and a lump of cement or plastic. I have seen pigeons quite happily perched next to artificial owls like this one.

Aboard the 341

While we were still st some distance from the bus stop, we saw that our bus was there and people were boarding. We would not reach the stop before the bus left. Nothing daunted, Tigger waved at the driver to wait and we made haste as best we could so as to show willing. He waited and we caught the bus. This is not unusual in London. You might think that in the city everyone is in a hurry and too impatient to wait but bus drivers do in general wait for passengers running for the bus. It is one of the little traits of London that I admire and appreciate.

It has been a while since we had our hair cut and with the possibility of another lockdown hanging over us, we thought we had better have it done while we are able.

First, however, we had some business to see to in the area of Amwell Street. Having done this, we decided to visit a once much frequented locality that we have been forced lately to neglect.

Myddelton’s deli

They once more have tables outside and as the day was sunny, we decided to take our coffee in the open air.

Lots of delicious possibilities
Photo by Tigger

Despite our long neglect, we were made to feel welcome. While our coffee was being made, we cast hungry glances at the stock of food.

Coffee and Portuguese custard tarts

In the end we plumped for Portuguese custard tarts which we consumed with our coffee out in the autumn sunshine.

What’s next for this pub?
Photo by Tigger

We made our way to White Lion Street where we noticed that this pub had closed. We had Sunday lunch here a couple of times when I think it was called the Lord Wolseley. It then acquired the dull name Craft Beer Co and is now closed and nameless. We were amused by notices on the windows. These read “People living upstairs”, presumably to deter anyone from breaking in. What will its next incarnation be? Will it even be a pub? Many pubs have left the trade entirely and become residential properties.

Hair cut here

At the other end of White Lion Street (named after a tavern that once stood here) is the hair-cutting salon which we use. It is a no-frills place with quick and efficient service at £8 a go. (Many gent’s salons now charge £25 or more for a simple trim.)

Passers-by in a time of Covid
Photo by Tigger

From the barber’s, we walked along Islington High Street, making for a certain establishment at the crossroads. Perhaps you guess which one I mean?

Goth boots
Photo by Tigget

We spotted this young lady wearing Goth-style platform-soled boots despite not having any other Goth accoutrements. They look clumsy but I suppose you become accustomed to them.

Jusaka

This is where we were heading – but you guessed, didn’t you? 🙂 Two rounds of coffee in one day isn’t extravagant, is it? 🙂 Then it was off home for lunch.

Just in case you were wondering about the title, I always ask the barber for “A number 4 all over”, that being the size of the clipper head and consequently, the length of the hair after cutting. The result is rather Spartan but, then, it grows again! Here is the result:

“Number 4 all over”

Today started grey but dry though with a promise of rain later.

Shops, Camden High Street

We caught a 214 bus to Camden Town Station and walked through to the upper end of Camden High Street. The lower end, between Camden Town and Mornington Crescent stations, is lined with conventional shops and restaurants but the upper end belongs to the “trendy” or “alternative” world. The shops tend to be open-fronted like oriental bazaars and to be extravagantly decorated, often with oversized 3D models of items that they sell.

Buy your boots here

Shop dummies marshalled on the pavement in front of the shops are also a common sight.

Rainbow flag pedestrian crossings

The pedestrian crossings here are painted in the colours of the rainbow flag.

Dragon, Chinese buffet

This Chinese buffet has a Chinese dragon on its façade. We thought of having lunch here but experience suggests that buffets don’t have much choice for vegetarians and so we looked elsewhere.

Regent’s Canal

Camden High Road crosses over the Regent’s Canal which we photographed from the road bridge. Along the left side of the canal are pubs and coffee bars and on the right side the extensive Camden Lock Market.

The covered market

We went first into the covered market which comprises more or less permanent stalls and boutiques. The stalls are free-standing.

Boutique

The boutiques, like this one, inhabit alcoves. They have shelves for the goods on sale and, though small, can be entered by a few customers at a time.

Can you guess which boutique Tigger was intending to visit? (Clue: it begins with, and sounds like, ‘T’!)

Camden Tea Shop

It was this one, called the Camden Tea Shop. They sell a range of teas and a small number of items of “teaware”, such as teapots and cups.

Tigger’s selection
Photo by Tigger

Tigger explored the stock thoroughly and made her selection. (“Chakra” just happens to be the name of one of her choices. Neither of us indulge in woo-woo beliefs or practices.)

Some outside stalls

There are many more stalls outside, like these, beneath a sculpture or model supposedly of a Zulu. There are food stalls too and in the “old days” (pre-Covid-19), the area would be so crowded that it was difficult to move about. Today, though the stalls were hopefully plying for trade, there were few people about.

Starling hoping to share food
Photo by Tigger

Beside one food stall were tables and a few diners. Some starlings were busily looking for food like this one hoping to share the meal.

Handling goods on the canal
Photo by Tigger

Walking along the canal looking for lunch, we spied this sculpture. I don’t know who the artist is or the official title of the work but I suppose it represents a man loading or unloading crates from a canal barge.

Inside Wagamama

Faute de mieux, we ended up at the local branch of Wagamama, a supposedly Japanese restaurant. Thanks to Covid-19, the place was virtually empty of customers. Nice for us but not so good for the business or employment prospects of the staff.

Wagamama, the menu
Photo by Tigger

They have paper place mats on which is printed the menu. At top left of the menu, you can see a QR code and an empty space beside it. The waiter enters the table number in that space and, when you have finished your meal, you use the QR code on your mobile to access the website where you enter the table number to locate your bill which you then pay electronically, for example using Apple Pay or typing in your credit card details. No money changes hands and no cards are handled, helping to avoid infection.

Jasmin flower tea

To drink, we ordered “jasmin tea” which was probably a mistake in a Japanese restaurant. We should have asked for “green tea” which was what we had on previous visits. What we received was jasmin flower tea. The flavour was very delicate, so delicate in fact as to be virtually undetectable. Live and learn.

Avant Gard’n with vegan “egg
Photo by Tigger

I don’t usually bore you with photos of food but I thought I would show you my main dish because if its curiosity value. It is called “Avant Gard’n” but the detail of interest is that it comes with “vegan egg”. To be honest, the dish was not wonderful and I won’t be ordering it again but it satisfied my curiosity, well, after a fashion. The “yolk” was a gobbet of liquid sauce of some kind. What the white was, I have no idea. It was a tasteless white semi-solid of some kind.

It’s raining

When we emerged from Wagamama, it was raining. Not that we could complain because the forecast had specified rain later and so we were expecting it.

As we had done everything we had intended, the sensible course of action was to take the bus home. And that was exactly what we did.

Today, for a change, was dry and sunny. If the temperature was about the same as yesterday, the sunlight made it warmer at least psychologically and perhaps also physically.

The Angel Crossroads

We stopped briefly at the Angel Crossroads to survey the pleasant sunlit scene.

No 1 Islington High Street
Photo by Tigger

Tigger photographed this, our favourite local building. It stands on the site of the original Angel Inn from which the neighbourhood is named, and is today occupied by a bank and other offices.

Jusaka, open again

Jusaka had been closed for the last two days and so we had not brought our reusable cups with us. They were open today and for once we had our coffee in disposable cups. I hope the planet doesn’t judge us too harshly.

It turns out that the man who served us is originally from Senegal so we were able to chat in French. He has also lived in Portugal and so is fluent in three languages.

Piccadilly

We took a bus next. I knew that Tigger had some plan in mind but not what, so I just waited for it to manifest itself while enjoying the ride and the views from the bus window. We left the bus at the place in the above photo, which is part way along Piccadilly.

Piccadilly is one of London’s main thoroughfares, lined with shops, restaurants and other notable institutions such as the Royal Academy. Originally called Portugal Street, its present name, which it acquired in the 17th century, comes from a house that once stood there. This was Pickadilly Hall, belonging to a tailor whose wealth derived from the sale of pickadills or pickadillies, a kind of lace collar.

Sanitise your hands here

A short walk from the bus stop is Waterstone’s, the bookshop. I think this is their largest store comprising 5 floors (plus mezzanine) and a cafe. This, apparently was Tigger’s destination and one I was happy to visit. At the entrance, as is standard in these times of Covid-19, is a hand-sanitiser dispenser. This one produces foam rather than the more usual gel.

As an aside, I have noticed that in many places, the sanitiser is very runny which suggests to me that it is being watered down in order to save money. This, however, defeats the object of having sanitiser in the first place. Perhaps the authorities should take note of this. I hasten to add that I had no such suspicions of Waterstone’s sanitiser.

A glimpse of the fourth floor

I have been in Watserstone’s in Piccadilly many times but I am still always amazed by the sheer numbers of different books on display. There must be thousands, or perhaps millions, of writers around the world labouring away to keep up this supply of titles. You could not, in one lifetime, reads all the books on one floor of Waterstone’s, let alone the whole stock.

The French language section

The shop has a very impressive staircase but we took the lift to the fourth floor. It turned out that Tigger, noticing that I had run out of French books to read, had decided to buy me a couple.

This kindness produced the delicious dilemma of what to buy. There was considerable choice from the classics of French literature to contemporary writers. There are authors that I like but it’s good to try others as well, so I eventually chose one of each.

Jermyn Street

We left Waterstone’s by the back entrance in Jermyn Street. This street is much quieter than Piccadilly but is also home to a number of exclusive shops.

Whittard’s tea and coffee emporium

Our next port of call was for Tigger. It was a branch of Whittard’s. Here Tigger explored the shelves and chose several different teas to try. These she brews both at home and at work where her tea is apparently appreciated by her colleagues!

Regent Street

We next found ourselves in Regent Street, once known for tailors. These days a mixture of shops and businesses inhabit it, some exclusive and many less so. As elsewhere, a number of premises were boarded up or empty, suggesting that their occupants have moved out, perhaps because the loss of business owing to the pandemic has proved fatal.

Exotic? Not so much…

Along the way, we spotted this figure. Anywhere else in Britain it might appear exotic but not here, among the shops selling luxury items and goods for export. Nonetheless, it seemed worth a photo..,

Burlington Arcade

We passed through the famous Burlington Arcade, replete with boutiques whose window displays do not show any prices. (“If you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it..”)

The arcade was built in 1818 and styles itself as “the original department store”. It was set up by George Cavendish, First Earl of Burlington, on a garden of his. According to legend he did so because he was tired of passers-by tossing their oyster shells onto his property. For more on this, see here.

Piccadilly once more

The arcade let us out into Puccadilly once more, thus closing the circle of that part of our outing. We walked to a nearby bus stop in front of the Royal Academy and caught a bus back to the Angel.

I expect you are wondering what books we bought at Waterstone’s, so here they are.

Michel Bussi, Mourir sur Seine

I have read other books by Bussi and so expect I will like this one as well. A “polar” is a detective story while the title, Mourir sur Seine (“Death on the Seine”) is probably a pun on mourir en scène, “dying on stage”. I will find out the exact meaning of that in due course!

Robert Sabatier, Les allumettes suédoises

Robert Sabatier is a writer new to me. The book, Les allumettes suédoises (“Swedish matches”), has been translated and made into a film, so I hope that will prove to be a good one as well.

In this age of electronic books, reading a book printed on paper that weighs in your hands, and gives off that special smell that books have, has become a special experience and one to look forward to.

It’s another cold and wet day today. The following snippet of the weather forecast will give you an idea of it.

Met Office forecast

It took an effort to make up our minds to go out and do the weekly shopping. By the time we did, it was near enough noon when we could feel justified in going for lunch first.

Baron Street

We made our way along Baron Street, narrowly managing to avoid being swamped when a bus ran through a large puddle, spraying the pavement.

Cafe Sizzle

We went to Cafe Sizzle which we found moderately crowded. At the door were what have become standard equipment for restaurants and cafes: a bottle of hand gel with a notice instructing customers to gel their hands and a printed form and pen with a notice asking customers to leave their name and contact details. For the more technically up-to-date, each table has a QR code which you can use with your mobile to access a website and leave your details there instead.

Farmers’ Market in Chapel Market

Outside Sizzle and along this end of the street was the Farmer’s Market. This takes place only on Sundays, and not every Sunday at that. Whether the stalls are really run by people who can plausibly be called “farmers” I do not know though I am somewhat dubious.

Chapel Market

The stalls of the ordinary Chapel Market were all grouped at the other end of the street, leaving a long space between it and the farmers, like a no-man’s land between opposing armies. This was mainly because there were relatively few stalls operating, far fewer than on a good Sunday when the market can be very busy. I suspect the weather put many stallholders off from attending.

Because it was later than when we usually go to Sainsbury’s, we found it busy. The usual notices requested us to maintain two metres separation from one another but when the shop is as crowded as it was, such an injunction is impossible to obey.

The shopping done, we headed home. That will be it for today. We have no urge to confront the weather and will spend the rest of the day at home.