It was rather warmer today (8°C, according to the Met Office) but it still felt cold, especially my hands.

“I wish you’d wear your gloves,” said Tigger.

I explained that I can’t handle the phones camera when wearing gloves and that I’m prepared to suffer for my art. Tigger wasn’t convinced.

White Lion Street (the other end)

This picture is to show you the dull weather though it doesn’t give you an idea of the cold. I showed you White Lion Street yesterday and this is the other half.

Chapel Market – closed on Mondays

We crossed Chapel Market, which, as you can see, is closed on Mondays. I took the opportunity to pop into Mercer’s to ask about my loyalty card which I had forgotten to pick up yesterday. They had it and it was already stamped. (People tend to remember us, for some reason 🙂 )

Pigeon colony, Culpeper Park

We crossed through Sainsbury’s car park into Cloudesley Road. On the corner is Culpeper Park where we find this permanent colony of pigeons. The curious thing is that they hang out here, on the pavement and narrow strip of garden, rather than in the park itself. If you stand still facing them, as I did to take the photo, after a while you notice a slow but general movement of pigeons towards you. I think this is because people come here to feef them and if you stand here, they hope you have something for them. Unfortunately, I didn’t. Sorry, pigeons!

Culpeper Park

Here is Culpeper Park, looking very dull and wintery, its children’s playground deserted. This is one of the many small parks and gardens scattered here and there throughout the borough which help make it such a pleasant area in which to live.

Wonky shop

By and by, we came to a crossroads where this shop stands. You can see that it is distinctly “vertically challenged”, not to say wonky. This too is not unusual in this area because the ground is liable to subsidence and because builders of two centuries ago did not always dig deep enough foundations. Sloping windows and non-rectangular doors are quite common.

Cheerful red berries

This bush loaded with cheerful red berries made a pretty picture and shows that not all life grinds to a halt in winter.

Bicycle for a quadruped?

This bicycle was parked outside a house in Cloudesley Road and its owners had wisely padlocked it to the railings. What caught my attention, though, was that it has, not one but two sets of pedals, one set for the conventional sit-up position and another for the prone position. Is this bicycle used by someone with four feet? 🙂

French Milliner’s shop

I have photographed this lovely old shop front before. How old is it? 19th or early 20th century? The faded lettering identifies it as the premises of A. Wyld, “French Milliner”. Mr Wyld and his hats are long gone, alas, but the shop front still remains as a memory of him though the shop itself now seems to have been converted to residential use. Note, however, the decorative stonework at either end of the shop’s sign. This suggests that this was originally the opening of a passageway leading to the rear of the building and that a “developer” of the time filled it in and made into into a shop.

Doors on different levels

The difference in height of these two front doors is quite striking. The land in parts of the borough is quite hilly and one sees interesting examples of how the 18th and 19th-century architects dealt with this. This case seems quite extreme, however, and I suspect that this too is another example of a passage being filled in. The rather prominent lintel, which could have been used to support building work above an open space, also suggests this.

Once a chemist’s shop

This corner premises also wears its heart in its sleeve, so to speak. The erstwhile occupants used the wall to advertise some of their products, suggesting this was a chemist’s shop. Whether it is still a shop or now a residential property, I am unsure.

Waiting for spring

We passed along Stonefield Street which contains some fine old trees. They are bare now, spreading their branches to the empty air in anticipation of spring when they will dress themselves once more in green finery.

Holy Trinity, Cloudesley Square

In Cloudesley Square, Holy Trinity Church is still undergoing rebuilding. The blue plastic shrouding has gone from the turrets but these are still boarded up and there is scaffolding and shrouding at various parts of the building. I shall be curious to see what it is like when finished, assuming that by then churches will be open and able to be visited.

Number eight-and-a-half

In a street leading from the square and also called, somewhat confusingly, Cloudesley Square, we find this door, surely evidence of another piece of intercalation because the number is 8½!

Making friends with a neighbour

Back in Cloudesley Road, heading back towards home, we encountered one of the neighbours. She (and I am convinced she is female) turned out to be friendly. Once formal introductions had been completed, she was happy to be stroked and made much of. This was, if not the highlight of the walk, at least one of them!

Sainsbury’s car park once more

We came at last to Sainsbury’s car park and as I prepared to take a photograph, the family visible in it brushed rudely past me as though social distancing had never been heard of. Are we surprised that the disease keeps on spreading?

Through White Conduit Street to Chapel Market we came, and there I entered Mercer’s again, this time to buy coffee to take home. Today the door is open as usual so why we were served through the window yesterday is a mystery, though not one that I will bother dwelling on.

It was time to hurry home and enjoy our coffee while it was still hot!

Look, no Ari!

When we emerged this morning from a well earned rest (lockdown is so wearing!), we naturally looked for Ari to bid her good day. All in vain, for no Ari was there to be seen.

Ari has apparently gone walkabout, we know not where. Maybe she has gone in search of food or fancies a change of scene.

Perhaps, having satisfied whatever needs have provoked her departure, she will return here as she did before. I hope so and will be sure to let you know if she does.