It was a little warmer today – only by a couple of degrees, but with the sun shining, that made all the difference.

Today’s first victim

We spotted a few more discarded Christmas trees on our way to Myddelton’s deli, where we sought our coffee today. The increase in the number of trees is matched by the decline in the number of wreaths on front doors. In a word, Christmas and its manifestations are fading rapidly from the scene.

A glimpse of the sun

I said the sun was shining – and it was – but not continuously. It would appear and then fade away behind clouds. I grabbed this shot of it while I could!

Cat in the window

The cat that we saw for the first time a few days ago and that I referred to as “the new cat on the block” (see Brave new Tier 4 world), was visible again today. S/he is quite pretty and is perhaps a Russian Blue, as Tigger suggested. We received a hard stare but no other sign of interest!

Discarded and trashed to boot

This poor tree has not only been cast out but has also been broken up, perhaps by the wheels of cars. We humans are capable of making much of something – or someone – one moment and then treating it as rubbish the next. Not an enviable characteristic.

A denizen of Cruikshank Street

In Cruikshank Street we encountered one of the inhabitants. He was very nervous, however, and not disposed to make friends. We assured him of our best intentions and let him be.

The ghost of a wreath

I said that the wreaths are disappearing, and they are, but in some cases they have left reminders of themselves behind, as on this door where you can see a pale ghost of the departed wreath.

This house is notable also for the two little ornamental dogs on the front step.

Doorstep plant and flower

This plant has a sheltered corner on the front steps of a house and has flowered – a harbinger of spring but perhaps also a mute witness to climate change.

Flowering window-box

The “accidental” plant above is prettily echoed by the flowering window-box in another house nearby. The Georgian style houses have broad windowsills (sometimes with ironwork on them) that lend themselves to window-boxes.

A fox passes by
Live photo by Tigger

Our attention was suddenly caught by this urban fox trotting across the road and entering the garden of Lloyd Square. I managed three photos but Tigger went one better by obtaining this live photo.

Ckerkenwell Parochial School

We had business in Naoroji Street and passed the school, tucked into the join of that street with St Helena Street. This is really the rear of the Clerkenwell Parochial School whose front is in Amwell Street and that I have already photographed. There is a question mark over whether schools will reopen in January – with all the risks to health that this implies – or whether they will remain closed – to the detriment of education. In addition, this school is in any case under threat of closure owing to a fall in the number of pupils.

Parakeets

Hearing an excited chatter of birds, we looked up and saw parakeets in a tree. This species, originally derived from escapees from aviaries, has bred prolifically and colonised most of the country, so much so that it is now to all intents and purposes endemic. They are quite noisy birds but also very fast moving, not remaining still for very long and therefore hard to photograph. Whatever was keeping them busy here – berries, perhaps – gave us a chance to photograph them.

Nameless passage

Our way next took us along this pleasant but unnamed passage between gardens. It is so narrow that we had to wait while a couple of people came along it towards us. The gardens are community gardens and not open to the public but we can at least enjoy the scenery.

Traffic calming in Lloyd Square

As we walked along Lloyd Square to the deli, we discovered a change since our last visit. Sharp eyes might be able to see what I am talking about: the posts set in the roadway.

For some time, there has been a campaign under way of local councils applying changes to the layout of residential streets with the intention of reducing the amount of traffic passing through neighbourhood areas by “encouraging” drivers to use main roads instead. These changes have brought complaints, even from some residents – those who own motor vehicles and find their usual path blocked.

In this street, posts have been installed to allow access to either end but prevent vehicles driving through. Large bicycle icons have been painted on the road to indicate passage for cyclists.

Another glimpse of the sun

Before making for the deli, I snapped the sun which had again peeped out from behind the clouds, playing celestial hide and seek.

Another rejected tree
Photo by Tigger

We made our way home from the deli, I carrying the coffee. Tigger photographed another victim of post-Christmas disaffection. The dull foliage of the tree makes a sad contrast with the bright green of the bag for garden recycling.

The Curvaceous Tree
Photo by Tigger

Tigger has taken to heart my affection for the Curvaceous Tree and, as I was carrying the coffee, proposed taking a photo of it for me. Well, I couldn’t refuse, could I? 🙂

Happy New Year Curvaceous Tree!

♫ 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.