♫ A foggy day in London town… ♫

Well, not so much foggy as hazy and rather dull withal. So not really a day for dawdling and exploring, more a day for a quick trot round the block with a stop-off for coffee.

This, then, is 2021 or, at least, the first episode thereof. What will the remaining 364 episodes of the saga bring us? Many people have expressed high hopes of a more optimistic twist to the plotline, whereas the more cautious of us prefer to wait and see.

No stalls but a few open shops

In Chapel Market there were no stalls but a few shops were open and a few people who may or may not have been intending to buy things.

The Fish Shop

The fish shop was open and what looked like a possible customer went in. Note the gent in white wellies who had stepped out for a breath of fish-free air or possibly a cigarette.

Hardware and household

I continue to be confused about which shops are allowed to open and which are supposed to remain closed. A number of shops are open that don’t seem to me to fall within the “essential” designation. Just as well I don’t have a shop.

I didn’t surprise us that Mercer’s were closed and it didn’t worry us, either, because we knew Starbuck’s would be open.

Mask or no mask? Disagreement among the dummies

In Liverpool Road, these dummies differ as to whether to wear a mask or not. That’s fair enough, I suppose, as it reflects prevailing attitudes among the human population.

German Doner Kebabs

Though not a meat-eater, I am always bemused by this shop when I pass by. What are German doner kebabs and is there really any such thing? This website suggests that there may be, even though this recipe is usually said to have originated in Turkey.

Where time has stopped

Back in the High Street where, if you have sharp eyes, you may be able to see that the clock is showing the wrong time. It has been stopped for a while now and that always makes me feel sad. A clock is like a living thing and if it stops, it is as though it has died.

It is becoming more and more difficult (and no doubt, expensive) to have public analogue clocks serviced and repaired. I know of only one company who still does this work, Smith’s of Derby, though there may be others, of course.

Queueing at Starbuck’s

When we reached Starbuck’s, we found there was a queue and there were people waiting outside for their order to be brought out to them. We waited obediently in the queue, then Tigger was sent to the collection point while I went to wait outside. (There were too many people hanging around for me to go into my corner behind the door.)

Then we hurried home with our coffees.

Coffee and Kit Kat

I think I mentioned that I recently “rediscovered” Kit Kat. I knew these chocolate covered wafer biscuits as a child and hadn’t had any for years. Then Tigger bought some, the dark chocolate variety (she knows my preference for dark chocolate), and I found I still liked them. They go well with coffee (and tea).

By the way, I read that “Kit Kat” in the US isn’t really Kit Kat at all, but is made by a different company (Hershey, I believe). So I doubt whether they are the same, though I could of course be mistaken.

That was day 1 of 2021 and we wait with interest, and some trepidation, to see how the rest of it turns out.