There was no sun and no moon visible today, just a cold, grey day overlain with a thick blanket of cloud.

A thick blanket of cloud

According to the Met Office, we were enjoying a sultry 5°C but it didn’t feel like that. There was a mistiness to the air and perhaps because of this it felt frosty cold.

Still bare – the Curvaceous Tree

We saluted the Curvaceous Tree in passing, noting that as yet there is no sign of renewed life. Like most of the trees, it is still deep in winter slumber.

I tried to tell myself that it really wasn’t that cold but I don’t think I was listening. My hands were stinging (I need to find camera-friendly gloves) and I didn’t object to making it a relatively short walk though I tried to mitigate this by walking slowly and stopping often!

Man on the balcony

In Myddelton Square, a movement at first-floor level caught my eye. While these Georgian style houses do have balconies, these are not very wide and are intended, I think, for decoration rather than for standing or sitting on. (Given their age, I would feel somewhat nervous about venturing onto one.) But there was definitely someone on this balcony, busy with something though I couldn’t make out what.

Signs of spring
Photo by Tigger

Tigger spotted that these plants had produced buds, seemingly a sign of impending spring. Perhaps their sheltered position down in the “area” of the house had encouraged them to wake up.

Chadwell Street under cloud

We were walking along a well beaten path that we have travelled so many times before since the outbreak of the pandemic.

“It’s like beating the bounds,” said Tigger.

I agreed. It is familiar territory that we have come to know more intimately than ever before but which I never tire of visiting.

Parakeet in the tree

As we went along, the air was alive with the calls of parakeets. These birds are now everywhere in the UK, having found the place to their taste and settled in. They are surely the most vociferous of local birds, continually calling to one another, whether perched, as here, or flying about in small or large numbers. I know they are invaders and that if they continue to multiply, they will become a problem, but I am rather fond if them and I like to hear and see them, recognisable as they are by their long tail feathers.

Elastic bands

On the railings beside one of the front doors we spotted the unusually placed collection of elastic bands. Post(wo)men in the UK use elastic bands to group letters in convenient bundles and it’s not unusual to find dropped ones in the street or even on your very doorstep. This set is unusual, though. Who left them here and why?

Flat tyre

It’s a peculiarity of Myddelton Square that it has a large number of motorcycles and scooters parked in the corners. I am used to seeing them but in this case there is something slightly awry: the scooter in the middle has a flat tyre. I wonder whether the owner knows about it, otherwise s/he is in for an unpleasant surprise later.

Tree of pigeons

I noticed this tree of pigeons and it struck me as unusual. Feral pigeons seem to prefer flat surfaces like the ground or the heads of statues. Seeing so many gathered together in a tree was odd, especially in a park where there is plenty of open space. I speculate that someone had come by with a dog and this had caused the pigeons to take refuge momentarily in the tree. I don’t know that that is the case, of course, but from previous experience, it seems plausible.

Myddelton’s – our coffee oasis

We came at last to Myddelton’s, where we were of course heading all the time, and claimed our coffees. Once these were in hand, there was nothing for it but to hurry home!

Pennies – retro and “vintage”
Photo by Tigger

This shop, called Pennies, always fascinates me, though I have never been inside. It sells “vintage” items which, I imagine, means things that are of a past era but not quite antiques. Even though the shop is not currently open, because of lockdown, the window display has been rearranged and as I was carrying the coffee, Tigger took the photo for me.

We reached home without more ado and I, for one, was glad to be back in the warm. When I washed my hands, even mildly warm water felt boiling hot!

Sorry, moon, we missed you today. Perhaps we will catch up with you one day soon!