Today we needed a couple of items from the shops and so our walk took us to Upper Street, an area which we have hitherto avoided.

Fancy a new mattress?

We passed through Chapel Market and found it very busy, as is usual in the run-up to Christmas. There were some stalls that we don’t usually see here such as this one selling mattresses.

Flowers and pot plants

Christmas trees were of course still on sale (see previous posts) while flowers and particularly, pot plants, have returned.

A pigeon sneaked in

I photographed this takeaway food stall, not out of interest in its goods but because I was amused by the pigeon that had sneaked in (see bottom centre) and was tucking in busily. Unfortunately, my action in taking the photo attracted the notice of the stallholder who then shooed the pigeon away. Sorry, pigeon!

Pub doorway decorated for Christmas

On the corner of Chapel Market with Liverpool Road is a pub and we saw that its doorway was lavishly decorated for Christmas. We have passed this pub often but never been inside.

Flying Tiger

We went into the Angel Centre, as it is now called, intending to visit Flying Tiger. This is a chain of shops selling a frequently changed selection of novelty goods, relying, I imagine, on people making impulse purchases of amusing trifles. We saw that the security person was regulating the flow of customers and, rather than wait, we moved on.

Room freshener sprays in Muji

Instead, we paid a visit to Muji. As you might guess this is a Japanese store but it has a presence in many countries. It sells clothes, household wares, pens, novelties and a lot more besides. Near the door it has a shelf of room freshener sprays, some of which are always in action.

Clocks and USB fans

They have a selection of small clocks and, on a lower shelf, some neat electric fans which you can put on your desk and plug into your PC’s USB port. They are in a more prominent position in summer and I have often thought of buying one in the hot weather.

Christmas lights in the window

The shop is crammed – but neatly arranged – with a wide variety of goods from cheap to expensive.

Toys and novelties

It’s sometimes difficult to know whether to call some if their items “toys” or “novelties” – toys for grownups, perhaps. For example, do you see the board game in the table? It’s for the ancient game of noughts and crosses but with black and white dogs as markers (Scotties and Skye Terriers).

The Angel Centre halo

There is a large pair of wings on one side of the centre and on this side, reflecting the angel theme, is a halo. A Christmas globe has been hung to to appear in the centre of it.

The Body Shop

We had some purchases to make at the Body Shop in Upper Street. As you probably know, this business specialises in “cruelty-free” beauty products. I buy my soap here. If you have a membership card, as I have, you receive a £5 credit on your birthday, a nice gesture.

Angel tube station

We passed the Angel tube station. I used to travel from here frequently by tube but I haven’t used the service since August 8th when I went to the Apple store to have my mobile repaired. When will I next ride the Underground?

Wreaths awaiting front doors

In front of the tube station is a flower stall. We were amused to see this display of Christmas wreaths. We could have added them to our “collection” but that would have been like shooting fish in a barrel!

Stuffing a body in the boot

On the other side of the road was a car and a woman apparently trying ti stuff a body into the boot! It wasn’t a body, of course, but a fancy dress costume that was very padded and hard to handle.

Sitting in at Jusaka

We called in at Jusaka and decided to drink our coffee there instead of taking it home. It’s not very warm on the premises so we didn’t spend long there but it made a change and the coffee was at least hot for once!

Coffee decoration
Photo by Tigger