It was very cold today and we put off going out until after lunch when the temperature had risen to a balmy 4°C and the sun was shining. Even so, the air was icy and I stuffed my hands down into my pockets between photos.

Wild Kong and Pentonville Road

I took this photo in Pentonville Road, with our old friend Wild Kong in view, to show the pale winter sun.

The Chapel Bar, Penton Street

We went along Penton Street where the Chapel Bar looked rather fine in the sunshine though it was of course closed.

White wreath

We collected a triplet of wreaths, this white one…

Gauze bow

…this unusual gauze arrangement that transforms the door into a pretend Christmas parcel and…

Glimpsed behind bars

..this one like a little Christmas tree. It was in an alcove behind a barred gate. We only noticed it by chance, and photographed it by poking our phones between the bars.

Chapel Market

We turned into Chapel Market which was, as expected, almost deserted. We had come here, hoping to find coffee. According to their website, Costa are open for takeaway today. Are they, though? Well, we will see.

Lost letters

We have already caught some shops with letters missing from their signs. This is the first with the name in cursive but nevertheless with missing letters.

In addition, though, this led to an interesting experiment. I tried photographing it from a different angle and found reflected light interfering.

Light interfering

I then remembered that I had brought the polarising filter with me. So I put it on the phone and…

Using the filter

…turned it while watching the image in the camera’s display. This was the best I could achieve but I think you’ll agree that it’s better than the photo without the filter, depending, of course, on the effect you are trying to achieve.

Wreath at the vegetarian restaurant

This small wreath was our last today.

Climbing plants?

I was rather taken by this façade decorated with a climbing flowering plant. Tigger, of course, pointed out that the flowers were in fact not real but made of plastic. How long did it take them to fix all those flowers to the vine, I wonder?

More missing letters

This shop also has a defective sign with a missing ‘S’. In fact, it looks as if the whole place could do with a little tlc.

This greengrocer’s was open…

The market of course was not present today and we were therefore surprised to find a greengrocer’s shop open.

…and so was this one

This one was open too. There seemed to be a couple of customers but I don’t know how much business they would have done today.

Coffee here sometimes but not today

We usually pick up our coffees here on the way home from shopping on Sunday but it was closed today, as we expected.

Costa also closed

Unfortunately, we also found Costa closed, despite the assertion on the website. No coffee today, then…

Dated 1912

How many times have we walked along Chapel Market? Today, for the first time, and both together, we noticed the date on this building – 1912. How many changes has it seen in the street, in London and in the world?

Upper Street and the Tram Shed

In Upper Street the sun was still picking out certain buildings, leaving others in deep shadow. Here it spotlights the old tram shed.

Starbuck’s was open

Unexpectedly, we found that Starbuck’s in the High Street was open. Starbuck’s is not my favourite coffee shop but it was a case of any port in a storm. We ordered at the counter and were then asked to wait outside in the street for them to bring the coffees to us.

At home we had a special something with our coffee. No, not Portuguese custard tarts, but panettone with hot custard. This provided a pleasant epilogue to our walk.