According to the Met Office, even though the sun is peering out shyly between clouds, the air temperature stands at -3°C. My use of the word “freezing” is therefore justified.

Notwithstanding the balmy conditions, we must go out, be it only to make a dash to Amwell Street for the purposes of buying coffee and collecting the laundry which we deposited on Tuesday (see The laundry goes to Amwell Street).

When I awoke this morning, the central heating thermostat was indicating a temperature of 15°C in the living room. I turned on the heating and made sure the flat was good and warm by the time we were preparing to go out. You probably know this but it’s perhaps worth mentioning, that it’s a good idea to warm yourself well before going out in the cold. If you’re cold already, you will quickly become even colder out in the street. Whereas if you are warm to start with, this will last you quite a while.

New gloves

Despite the cold, the snow has disappeared, except in the odd sheltered corner, and so I will not be taking the walking stick with me but I will be road testing my new gloves (see yesterday’s post). Will they be as effective as I hope?

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Pentonville Road – busy, as ever

When we set out, the sun was shining brightly and, as a result, it the cold was less than I feared… until the wind blew! The wind had an icy edge to it.

Sunshine in Claremont Square

The sunshine made it feel warmer than it was. I was wearing my new gloves and found that I could handle the camera perfectly well with them. The non-slip palms and fingers served their purpose perfectly. The only problem with handling the iPhone while wearing gloves is that these obviously prevent fingerprint recognition and if you want to open the phone you have to revert to using the PIN. I can live with that as long as they keep my hands warm!

Water leak

We noticed this water leak some weeks ago and so far nothing has been done about it. It is not a trivial leak, either, as this close-up shows:

Not a trivial leak

In 2017, this Guardian article stated that 20% of the water supply was being lost through leakage. We are being told that Britain faces water shortages in the near future. In view of this, this loss of one fifth of water through leaks is scandalous. Perhaps the situation has improved since 2017 but long-term leaks such as this one suggest otherwise.

The Reservoir – green not white

On Tuesday, this slope of the reservoir was white with snow. Today, lit by the sun, it has reverted to its more usual green. I hope it stays that way and that we have seen the last of winter snow.

The George and Monkey

The George and Monkey pub was looking cheerful in the sunshine but the tables, upended against the wall, tell their own story. There is still no definite date for pubs to reopen and in the meantime they must struggle to survive as best they can – if they can.

Reaching the shops in Amwell Street, we put on our masks and Tigger took the coffee tray across the street to Myddelton’s deli while I entered the dry cleaners’. I paid with Apple Pay, using fingerprint recognition. I have found this this does not respond well if my fingers are cold. I may have to huff on my finger tips to warm them.

We met up at the deli and started our walk home. It was my turn to drag the trolley.

Trolley loaded with laundry

Here is the object of our attentions. We’ll have to sort the laundry when we return home. Since our misadventures with the previous launderette, Tigger keeps a list of what we give them. We have then to check the returned items against the list. Will everything be present and correct this time?

If you wonder what’s in the white plastic bag that Tigger is carrying, here is a partial answer!

Coffee and custard tart

To reward ourselves for braving the cold, we bought some extras with the coffee. Tigger again had a “cruffin” but I preferred a Portuguese custard tart. Because of the cold, we needed to pop the coffee in the microwave for a little boost but, with that, it was fine.

What about the new gloves? My finger were stinging a bit from cold when I reached home but not as painfully as they have on other occasions without gloves. I think they performed well and – most importantly – didn’t cramp my style when using the iPhone’s camera. They will see a lot if use until the warmer weather returns!

Update at 4 pm

We have now checked the returned laundry against Tigger’s list. We found it all present and correct. This means that we can continue using this service for the foreseeable future.