… you have to make the effort! 🙂

We spent the morning lazily until it was time for lunch. Once this was out of the way, it was time to answer the call of our daily coffee.

No cats

We went through Myddelton Square, wondering whether we would see the two cats. We had once caught sight of one of them curled up in the room but since then, nothing. Today, even the window was screened and the window box has been emptied. (Yes, I know, not having anything to show, I am reduced to showing you what is not there! Give me marks for trying, though! 🙂 )

Christmas came early for someone

Outside one of the houses was this impressive set of empty boxes awaiting collection for recycling. It wasn’t obvious from the labelling what had been in the boxes. New furniture, perhaps.

Nearly every other window allowed views into the illuminated interiors of houses and in almost all of them, there were people sitting in front of computers. We guessed that at least some of these would be people “working from home” – a sign of the times.

Christmas wreath

Wreaths on front doors had begun to appear some weeks ago but their numbers are now gradually increasing. Is there a traditional formula as to what is included in these wreaths? Pine cones seem a popular component among others.

Treetop neighbourhood

Now that the leaves have fallen, the trees are revealing their secrets that are normally hidden. This tree contains a number of nests but whether these are birds’ nests or squirrels’ dreys, I do not know. I hope the neighbours all get on together.

Modest wreath

In Chadwell Street we spotted this relatively modest wreath. Once again cones – both pine and fir, if I’m not mistaken – occur in the mix.

Personally, I find the use of wreaths as Christmas decorations somewhat counter-intuitive because wreaths seem to me to be associated with funerals rather than birthdays. Perhaps that’s a misconception in my part.

Decorated shop

During lockdown, while many shops have been locked up and dark, in a few there has been activity as their owners prepare for reopening. This one, though, is the only one I have seen so far that had Christmas decorations on the outside. It is called Islington Makeup Artist but if it has a website, I haven’t been able to find it.

The Banana Tree

This is the local branch of the Banana Tree chain of restaurants. We have eaten here a few times. It too seems to be preparing for Wednesday though it, like many others, has been operating a takeaway service throughout lockdown.

Bicycle rack planters

I have seen a number of these pieces of street furniture dotted around. At first glance, you might just think they were rather small planters but the bicycle symbol and the rails along the top on both sides shows that they are dual purpose, serving both as decoration and as cycle racks. I have yet to see one used for the latter function. Perhaps because of their small size and their disguise they have escaped the notice of their intended users.

You might remember me showing you the shop with the missing letters. Here is a reminder:

Missing letters

We were amused when, passing that way today, this is what we saw:

Letters restored!

They have repaired their sign and, as you can see, the lights are on. They are busy preparing for the end of lockdown on Wednesday. You might know that Camerich sells furniture.

City Road closed

We went to Jusaka for our coffee and saw that City Road had been closed off by the police. The result is that traffic has been brought to a virtual standstill as cars and buses are having to divert, in some cases forced to turn right or left where this is normally prohibited.

Snarled up traffic
Photo by Tigger

In the coffee shop, they said they had heard that there had been a “crime”, but that that was all they knew. I expect we will hear all about it in due course.

In the meantime, coffee in hand, we hurried home amid queues of static vehicles.

Including today, there remain three days of the current lockdown. What will happen then? I think London will be placed in Tier 2, meaning that there will still be restrictions on our movements but there will be more freedom of action. Past experience suggests that this will result in the infection rate rising again, possibly leading to yet another lockdown.

There are hopeful indications that a vaccine will be available “soon”, and that mass vaccinations can begin. Will this finally bring the pandemic to an end? That will depend on how many people are actually vaccinated (anti-vaxers will presumably resist), how effective the vaccine is and how long its immunity effect lasts. I think we should hope for the best while preparing for the worst.

As is our wont, we set out for Sainsbury’s at about 10:45, which brings us to the store when it is open but the first rush of early customers has been absorbed.

We each had a list of items to collect. I sped off to fetch mine and then rejoined Tigger for the rest of the shopping. Today, we had no difficulty finding what we wanted. If there were empty shelves, I didn’t notice them. I hope this is not just the calm before the Brexit storm.

Vegan croissants
Photo by Tigger

I have often described our cafe breakfasts of coffee and croissants. We do like our croissants! Tigger spotted these vegan croissants in Sainsbury’s. They amused her without tempting her to buy any so I cannot say how good they are.

The scene in front of Sainsbury’s
Photo by Tigger

The road in front of Sainsbury’s is still a mess of barriers and building works. Extensive remodelling of the Angel Centre is still proceeding and a row of barriers has narrowed the roadway for traffic. I don’t know what is because of the building works and what is Sainsbury’s arrangements for regulating the flow of customers.

As usual, we walked through Chapel Market on the way home.

Chapel Market, bottom end

There is still a huge gap in the middle of the street which in “normal” times would have been filled with stalls and customers, especially this near to Christmas.

Chapel Market, top end

Most stalls were grouped at the top end. As I passed the dead fish stall, I held my breath but started breathing again too soon and received a noseful of dead-fish stink. How anyone can bear to work among that miasma of rotting flesh, I do not know. I also hold my breath when passing butchers’ shops for the same reason. I will admit that I wasn’t as sensitive before I became a vegetarian but in the decades since adopting that lifestyle, the odours given off by those places has become more and more disgusting to me. It makes me wonder how people could ever have started eating dead flesh in the first place.

Christmas decorations

I noticed that the Council has installed flashing lights on the lampposts as Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, because of the brightness of the daylight, the photo cannot show the lights or their movement. Perhaps we’ll manage to catch them one day after dark.

Christmas trees

There was at least one sign that Christmas is coming: this large stall entirely filled with Christmas trees. Trade was not as brisk as one might have expected. Perhaps it will pick up after December 2nd.

Christmas tree wrapper
Photo by Tigger

I expect you have seen these devices. Around the outside of the drum is netting. A Christmas tree is passed through the centre of the drum and is wrapped in netting to make it easier to transport.

This might be a good selling point

One of the downsides of having a real tree for Christmas is that they tend to make a mess by dropping their foliage. According to the notice, these trees do not shed their needles. If this is true then that is likely to be a good selling point.

We of course stopped at Mercer & Co to pick up coffee on the way home.

After all, a ritual can still be a pleasure even if it is a ritual!

Note: This post replaces one already posted on this date which, for various reasons, I decided to delete. I apologise for any confusion that might cause.

We had a particular call to make this morning and this motivated today’s little ramble.

A misty day in St John Street

We set off down St John Street. As you might be able to see, it is a damp, misty day today but it is at least somewhat warmer (8°C) than yesterday (2°C).

At the launderette

We had business, here, at the launderette. That was soon disposed of, leaving us free to continue on our way.

Finsbury Library – closed and dark

Opposite the launderette is Finsbury Library, the local branch of Islington’s public library service. It was closed, of course, and dark inside, very unlike its busy appearance in happier times.

Islington Museum, also closed

In the basement of the library is Islington Museum. It too is closed and you can perhaps see the glass door or gate barring access to the stairs. Perhaps library and museum will come alive again when lockdown ends on December 2nd.

Tower block

We passed through the nearby housing estate where I photographed this tower block. I don’t know what you think of such buildings but I have never liked the idea of living in one, much less since the terrible Grenfell fire. We live in a flat which is one of four in a terrace house and ours is on the ground floor with exits to the front and back, much safer than a high-rise.

Whose laundry?

We are used to finding furniture and sundry items, even clothes, left out in the street. It seems to be a habit in this neighbourhood of disposing of unwanted property by putting it out on the street where it can be taken by anyone who wants it or, ultimately, removed by the Council. Here, slightly unusually, someone has left what looks like a heap of laundry. Everything is folded and apparently clean. A pair of sneakers with it seems to be in a child’s size. Who left these, so carefully placed, and why?

A table for one

In a back yard which also serves as a car park, is a table and a single chair, conjuring up strange visions of a diner seated in solitary state. Is it junk to be disposed of or has it been removed temporarily? Someone knows but I don’t.

Rosebery Avenue – still misty

We crossed Rosebery Avenue where I daringly stopped in the middle of the road to take this photo, showing the misty conditions. Personally, I prefer mist to rain or, worse still, snow.

London in the past was of course legendary for its “peasouper” fogs. In fact, the popular name for London in times past was “the Smoke”. Fortunately, laws on air cleanliness aided by a decline in industry have improved air quality though there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Tangled garden

In Amwell Street, I photographed the garden belonging to the Clerkenwell C of E Parochial School. Seen from this viewpoint, it seems in a rather romantic tangle though that’s all the better for wildlife that relies on parks and gardens such as this.

A few more steps brought us to Myddelton’s deli where we bought our takeaway coffees and then made for home.

City University building

I photographed this fine old building in St John Street, currently occupied by City University, as we were on the way to the launderette.

Frieze over the doorway

Since the arrival of Covid-19, we have been taking our laundry for a service wash instead of doing it ourselves. This may seem lazy (well, it is!) but it’s arguably safer than spending an hour and a half shut up in warm and humid conditions in close contact with other people.

It was fairly cold (8°C) and cloudy but with the sun breaking through from time to time to make the world look a little more cheerful.

After dumping the laden trolley at the launderette, we went for a little ramble, working our way back to the Angel crossroads where we intended to buy coffee.

Butterfly

In Percival Street we spotted this butterfly perched on a drainpipe. It’s a handmade one, of course, but rather lovely. It adds a cheerful note to the surroundings. Oh that all art were as immediate and appealing as this butterfly!

Children’s playground with standing figure

Also in Percival Street is this children’s playground, today still and silent. It will probably wake up again when school ends for the day and at weekends. Slightly unusual is the figure, done as a flat silhouette atop the swing.

Gateway – closed

In the same street is this gate in front of a block of flats. Small but imposing snd with a touch of character, it is closed for the foreseeable future, as the notice says “to keep everyone safe”. Such are the changes, both big and small, brought about by an enemy so small that it needs an electron microscope to see it.

Small houses

We walked through the housing estate and saw this pair of small houses or bungalows. They are of unusual design and I haven’t seen any others like them. Tigger hazarded a guess that they might be homes for resident caretakers, a reasonable hypothesis.

Northampton Square

We walked out along the short Tompion Street, named after the famous clockmaker, Thomas Tompion (1639–1713), into Northampton Square. I have already mentioned (and photographed) this quiet and pleasant square with its central garden graced by a bandstand. Today, perhaps because the autumn had stripped the branches and left them bare, I was struck by the age and size of the garden’s arboreal residents.

Mature trees in Northampton Square

I don’t know how old these trees are but they are perhaps the original trees planted when the square was first laid out. If so, then they could be over 180 years old. (See here.) Imagine what momentous times and events they have lived through!

Number 7 Wynyatt Street

The photo shows part of Wynyatt Street, which contains a row of modest Georgian-style houses dating from the beginning of the 19th century. Some of the houses have been rebuilt, including one that is of modern design and stands out like a sore thumb. The reason for a least some of the rebuilding is that Wynyatt Street and adjoining Spencer Street in June 1944 suffered Islington’s first hit by V-1 flying bomb, leading to 13 deaths and 83 injured.

Plaque to William Arling (?)

The reason why I photographed number 7 is because it has a plaque on the wall. This is damaged and hard to read but we think it celebrates a William Arling, clockmaker, who allegedly lived and had his shop here from 1820. The second letter of the surname is damaged and we may have misinterpreted it. I cannot find any mention of a clockmaker of that name but that may simply mean that he did not achieve fame. Nor do I know who placed the plaque or how authoritative their information might be. It remains, therefore, as a touching but mysterious memorial to a skilled artisan of a past age.

Sign no longer spinning

Back in St John Street, I photographed this barber’s shop. I had previously photographed it during the first lockdown when it had a different name. What had attracted my attention then was that the red and white sign had been left spinning, whether by accident or as a sign of hope for the future, I don’t know. At the end of the lockdown, it had changed ownership and had operated until hit by Lockdown v 2. Then it closed, of course, but this time, the sign is still. I hope that is not an omen…

Naked ambition at Andrew Majtenyi’s

I spotted this naked dummy in the window of Andrew Majtenyi, a purveyor of designer garments for women. Despite having a small premises in a relatively obscure part of town, Andrew Majtenyi seems to be fairly well known as a designer. The unclothed dummy strikes a strange note and might almost be regarded as an ikon of the pandemic… Though we ourselves will never be in a position to be customers of the business, I hope the time soon comes for it to reopen and thrive again. So many businesses have shrunk or closed entirely because of the pandemic and we have yet to count the cost of this.

Missing letters

I already showed you the shop in Pentonville Road with missing letters. (See Missing letters.) Here is another one, this time in St John Street. Have the letters fallen off or been removed? Will they be replaced? Let’s hope so and that the disappearance of letters is not an omen of yet another disappearing business.

From here, we went to Jusaka and bought our coffee. For those who were kind enough to wish me well after my root extraction (see Roots), I will say yes, I am again taking hot drinks though still with a degree of caution!

This is where we went today. In fact, we went not once but twice.

Guy’s Hospital

The reason I had come here was briefly mentioned in my post Great Maze Pond. My dentist had tried to remove a tooth but had succeeded in removing only the top part, leaving the roots behind. As these were very long, removing them was considered a job best left to the oral surgeons at Guy’s Hospital . Today was the day when this was to be done.

As before, Tigger accompanied me (happily, she did not have to go in to work today). As she was not allowed to go with me inside the hospital, I regretfully bade her adieu at the entrance which is pictured above.

My appointment was in the tower on floor 23. I discovered that there was a queue for the lifts. The reason is that although there are (I think) eight lifts, because of the pandemic, only four people are allowed in a lift at one time. The queue was regulated by two security persons.

I eventually reached floor 23 and presented myself with my appointment letter at reception. Then I sat and waited to be called.

I was attended to by an experienced oral surgeon and an acolyte in training. He, in fact, did most of the work.

I will draw a discreet veil over the proceedings as I doubt whether you wish to know the details. I was told that I must not imbibe any hot drinks for the rest of the day and, of course, to avoid chewing on that side of the mouth. The wound has been stitched and the stitches will in time dissolve by themselves. I was also given an information sheet with a phone number to call for advice if this should be necessary.

I met up with Tigger and, as I had been told to avoid strenuous activity and to take things easy today, we caught the 43 and returned home.

Before releasing me, they had checked the wound and said that the bleeding had ceased. I was sceptical about this because when the tooth had been extracted, bleeding had continued, necessitating a trip to A&E to let them deal with it. (See A trip to A&E.)

Back home, I kept watch on the wound and, sure enough, it was bleeding and continued to do so despite me biting in gauze pads as instructed to do.

Around midday, therefore, I phoned the number on the instruction sheet. I was asked to return to the hospital at 1:30. Hence the second visit to Guy’s. Once again, Tigger came with me and entertained herself outside while I was in the hospital.

Again, there was a queue for the lifts and a visit to floor 23 where I was examined and then instructed in bite on a gauze pad for 15 minutes. By now, the painkilling injections had ceased to have an effect and the wound was beginning to ache. Pressing a pad on it was painful but I managed to bear it for the 15 minutes. I was told that the bleeding had stopped but, ominously, they gave me a supply of gauze pads, “in case”.

I had not had anything to eat or drink since breakfast so around 4pm Tigger made me a sandwich which I cut into small pieces which were easier to chew in the left side of my mouth. What about drink, though? I am not allowed hot drinks so no tea… unless… Tigger made me a pot of my Russian caravan tea and I am leaving it to go cold. Cold drinks are allowed and so I shall just have to drink me tea cold today.

I’m sorry for the lack of photos in this post but I really wasn’t in the mood for photography. All being well, normal service will be resumed soon!