Sunday is our day for shopping, so that is what we did. When set out we found that it had rained during the night, quite hard to judge from the puddles. Even with the temperature around 7°C, it felt chilly and there was moisture in the air, making it feel colder still.

When we came to cross Pentonville Road, we found a solid and unmoving file of cars and buses in the King’s Cross direction. What was the hold-up: road works, an accident, flooding? We shall probably never know but it must have been something serious.

Farmers’ Market

On reaching Chapel Market, I paused to take a few photos of the Farmers’ Market that traditionally takes place on Sundays. There seemed to be a good turn-out as is usual in the approach to Christmas. Perhaps persistent rumours that London will be put in Tier 3 also motivates stallholders to sell as much as they can while they still can.

I stopped just long enough to take photos of the first two stalls.

Flowers and plants

This stall has a fine range of plants. I’m not a gardener or indeed knowledgeable about plants so whether these are intended as house plants or for planting out in the garden, I cannot say.

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are if course staples of farmers’ markets. I wonder how much trade they manage to do as we have a couple of shops selling these goods as well as several stalls in the ordinary market, not to mention that the supermarkets also sell them.

We had left home at 10:45, thinking to reach Sainsbury’s just after they opened. In theory, they open 15 minutes ahead of time to allow “browsing” before the checkouts open. (These 15 minutes are additional to the statutory opening hours.) Today, however, we arrived to find a static queue of shoppers waiting for the doors to open. We joined it but it only started moving on the dot of 11:00.

(Queues outside shops snd other businesses, something not seen in Britain since the Second World War, have become a common sight.)

We dutifully plonked the hand gel dispenser at the entrance but hardly anything came out. Despite opening late, they hadn’t managed to refill it…

I scooted off to find my own few purchases and then rejoined Tigger for the main shopping. Typical male, I have no idea what we need or where to find it in the shop while Tigger has a complete shopping list in her head. So I push the trolley and Tigger loads it.

“Choose a cheese,” she says. I do and on we go.

We found a checkout where just one customer was just finishing. When it is our turn we again cooperate. Have you noticed how the checkout people never push your items far enough along the slide? This is even more annoying now that they have installed protective barriers around the till. So, I reach around the screen for the items and Tigger packs them. Then I pay by poking my mobile through the slot to the payment machine. I like the cheerful “ploink” it makes to indicate successful payment.

Outside, someone offers me a pound coin for the trolley, saving me the effort of returning it to the trolley store. Then we head once more for Chapel Market on our way home.

I’m sure you are expecting the next bit 🙂

Goodies on sale in Mercer’s

Yes, we called in at Mercer’s for takeaway coffees. I sneaked this photo of their display of cakes and confectionary. I din’t doubt that they would give permission for photos if I asked but it’s more fun to do it covertly like a spy! (“Easily pleased”, did I hear you mutter? 🙂 )

When we reached Pentonville Road there was still a queue of traffic in the King’s Cross direction. Still, that at least made it easy to cross the road.

I was glad to be back indoors in the warm with my coffee. And there we will stay for the rest of today. Tomorrow is another day and perhaps we will venture out further, depending on the weather. For now, the shopping expedition was enough.