With the sun shining and the temperature up at 13°C, it certainly felt as if spring was on its way in today.

Daffodils in the window

The occupants of this house added to the impression by displaying daffodils in their window.

St Mark’s Church

St Mark’s Church seemed to be cheerfully basking in the warm sunshine.

“Don’t knock – ring!”

We were amused by this front door or, rather, by the shocking pink notices. They instruct callers not to bang on the door with the knocker but to ring the bell. I don’t whether this is because they don’t hear the knocker or because they prefer the more euphonious sound of the bell.

Preparing the coffee

Today, we went straight to Myddelton’s deli because Tigger had proposed that, instead of going home with our coffee as we usually do, we take it to Percy Circus and drink it there, sitting in the sun. It sounded like a good idea to me.

Flower
Photo by Tigger

On the way, we saw some flowers making a pretty display in a garden. As I was carrying the coffee, Tigger took the photo for me. The flowers added to the spring feeling un the air.

In Percy Circus Gardens

I thought the coffee might go cold while we were walking to the gardens but I need not have worried. It was still hot when we arrived. We found a bench in the sun and enjoyed our coffee!

There were other people in the gardens so I preferred to be discreet and not include them in any pictures.

Another view of Percy Circus Gardens

Although it is situated among houses, Percy Circus is one of our favourite local places. It is very quiet and peaceful and there are rarely more than one or two people beside ourselves in the garden and, more often than not, we are the only ones there.

The old Police Station

To continue our walk, we went down to the main Kings Cross Road where we stopped to photograph the old Police Station. The notice indicates that it is now a centre for traffic wardens and that anyone requiring the police should go to the next nearest station which is in Tolpuddle Street. That’s bad news for anyone in a hurry because that street is quite a walk away, near our branch of Sainsbury’s. This is an example of how government saves money by cutting precisely those services which should least be cut. Likewise, fire stations are being closed in many districts. Too bad if you house or workplace catches fire and you need rescuing.

An optician with a sense of humour

I noticed this optician’s shop. The owner obviously has a sense of humour and has come up with a pun as a name for his shop. Trying to make a spectacle of himself, perhaps…

St Andrew’s Gardens

We went for a stroll in St Andrew’s Gardens. If the name doesn’t betray the park’s origins, the gravestones placed along the wall certainly do. This was once the burial ground of St Andrew’s Church but has been landscaped as a public park, as have many old cemeteries in town. Others have been left as they are with minimal upkeep so that they have entered a new existence as wildlife refuges.

In St Andrew’s Gardens

This burial ground is now a tidy park with walks and benches. Though not everyone approves of this rearranging of old burial grounds they add to the number of green spaces in town and are generally popular.

Tombs left in place

A few of the larger tombs have been left in place. I don’t know whether this is to add atmosphere or provide points o interest or whether it is because these tombs are big and have complex structure below the surface, making them difficult to remove.

Pigeons enjoying food

Some of the resident pigeons were tucking into food left for them by some kind-hearted person. They looked happy and that made me feel happy too.

Victorian drinking fountain

We found this broken and sad-looking drinking fountain. There was originally something on the top which has been broken off and there is now no way to know what it might have been. We eventually found an inscription on the column (on the side away from the photo) but it was so weathered as to be virtually impossible to read though I managed to make out a date that I think is 1883.

Curious structure

Walking around the outside of the garden, we found this curious structure inside the garden, closed off from the street by railings. There is a gate but it was chained up long ago.

What was it?

Leaning the camera over the railings provides this view of what almost looks like a pathway between railings except that the “pathway” is closed off by railings at the end. Could this possibly have once been an underground toilet? The “pathway” then would have been steps going down to the toilets. If so, it has been filled in and covered over.

In London, there are many such old toilets that have been closed or reassigned to other duties such as subterranean bars or clubs. This could be one that has simply been blocked up or filled in.

Once the Fakenham Arms

According to the sign that is still in place, this is, or was, the Fakenham Arms Ale and Cider House. It looks as if it is now closed as a pub and has been converted to residential use. It must have been a substantial establishment in its day. Was it missed by its regulars?

Islington is quite a hilly borough though the slopes are, for the most part, gentle. Our walk had been consistently down-slope and for the return, we had, like yesterday, a long uphill drag. Though not as tiring as yesterday, it still conjured up pleasant thoughts of sitting down at home with a nice cup of tea!

Lloyd Square Gardens

We reached Lloyd Square, one of the few whose central garden is still private and accessible only to residents of the square. It is well looked after and I took this picture, somewhat enviously, from one of the gates.

Recharging the car

Vehicles parked connected to an electrical charging point are becoming a common sight in the UK. The typical arrangement consists of special posts with lights on top showing green for available, blue for in use and red for out of order. At some point, in addition to these dedicated charging points, street lamps have been modified in some places to also allow charging. Electric only and hybrid vehicles are also more and more common, including vans, cars and the famous London black cabs.

Looking around me in today’s world, I sometimes feel like an inadvertent time-traveller who, without knowing how, has been thrust forward into an unexpected future! It is sometimes puzzling but also fascinating!