After a rest and a late lunch, we went out for a walk. By now, the sun had put in an appearance but the temperature had not risen and, in addition, there was an icy breeze. It didn’t take me long to decide that I needed to wear my gloves!

Islington High Street

We set off along Islington High Street where it runs beside the tram shed. (Yes, that’s my shadow.)

Cats and rabbit tea party

In Camden Passage is a Japanese tea shop in whose window are a number of unusual ornaments, including this collection of miniature figures representing cats and a rabbit having a tea party.

Frederick’s

Nearby is what looks like an old pub, now called Frederick’s and advertising itself as a restaurant.

Is this Frederick?

Prominent on the façade is a portrait of a gentleman in Regency dress. Is this Frederick? I have no information about the history of this presumed old pub, unfortunately.

Butterfly

We progressed downhill to the canal where, in a tree, we spotted a butterfly. Not a real one, obviously, but perhaps intended as an artistic creation.

Tree absorbing railings

This tree, finding itself uncomfortably limited by the railings, has adopted the solution of growing around it and absorbing it.

Activity on the canal

There was a lot of activity on and around the the canal, on the water and the tow path. I was glad to remain in the street where it was quieter.

Strange fruit

This tree has produced strange fruit that looks very much like a pair of shoes to me!

Landscape with chimney

This landscape appealed to me because of its mixture of old an new buildings. The chimney belongs to Diespecker & Co. They were founded here in 1881 and are still going. How many of the modern buildings in the view will still be here 140 years from now?

City Road Lock

This is a view if the canal near the City Road Lock. It seems to provide a place where barges pause a while – and also people. Why there were so many people there, I did not care to enquire!

Absurdly tall building

We crossed City Road near this absurdly tall building, more a testimony to someone’s overweening lust for money than to utility, let alone beauty. When I see such a monstrosity, I wonder who would want to be living at the top when fire breaks out. No fire service in the world could rescue you from up there. I live on the ground floor and am grateful for it.

Church of St Clement with St Barnabas

We went to take a look at the Church of St Clement with St Barnabas. The name probably means that there was once a separate Church of St Barnabas that closed owing to reduced attendance and its parish was combined with that of St Clement.

Mosaic, probably of St Clement

Next to the church is the priest’s house which sports this mosaic of a saint. The fact that there is only one face – probably meant to be St Clement – supports my theory. The church, incidentally, dates from the 1820s and is Grade II listed.

Squirrel

The above picture of the church was taken from King Square Garden (which we visited yesterday) and we continued through to the main road. On the way, we met a squirrel who watched us carefully for a while. I was sorry to disappoint him!

We continued up Goswell Road towards the Angel and I was looking forward to reaching home, and enjoying a cup of tea in the warm. My last photo was of this “redacted” plaque.

“Redacted”

The plaque resides, with three others, on the façade of a building whose occupants were once a company engaged in overseas trade, of which the plaques represented aspects. This plaque, now painted uniformly blue, represented a black field worker picking cotton, presumably a slave. I remember seeing it in its pristine state. The current occupants, responding to today’s greater sensitivity to such matters as the role of black people and slavery, have felt it better to veil the picture though I am sure that one can make out the details if one wants to do so.

And, finally, here are some flowers from Tigger:

Flowers from Tigger

Just as we thought that spring was here, the temperature has slipped down a few points (9°C) and the sun has yet to put in an appearance. Then again, the path of British meteorology was never smooth and our weather can change from one minute to the next.

Crossing lights out of action
Photo by Tigger

It’s usually not too hard to cross the main road at 10:45 on a Sunday morning but it wasn’t helped today by the crossing lights being out of action. At least repairs are in hand.

A touch of mist

There was even a touch of mist in the air as I tried to show with this photo of White Lion Street, but the mist is so slight that you probably can’t see it.

We found a queue at Sainsbury’s

We had intended to reach Sainsbury’s somewhat after 11 am in order to avoid queueing but, guess what, we arrived earlier than we meant to and found ourselves in a queue.

Queueing outside shops used to be thought of as a quaint memory of wartime but, under the influence of Covid, it has returned. It is noticeable how calmly people queue, showing that it is now considered a normal everyday activity. There is no impatience, no pushing and shoving, just a kind of dull acceptance.

Happily, the queue began moving shortly after we reached it and we were soon inside the store.

I think we went round the shelves in record time today and found a checkout with no one waiting. So fast we went that, as we left, I almost expected to meet ourselves arriving!

Not many stalls but still busy

There were fewer stalls open in Chapel Market than is usual for a Sunday but it was quite busy even so.

Queueing for Marks & Spencer’s

As usual, I went in ahead of Tigger to buy the coffee but I stopped to take a photo of another queue, this one for Marks & Spencer’s.

When Covid is finally beaten (and I prefer to say “when” and not “if”, as some pessimists insist), will we look back on queues, masks, distancing and “bubbles” as a strange nightmare interval in our history, never to be repeated? I hope so but I also hope that what we have learned from this pandemic will enable us to meet any future repetition better organised, though I somehow doubt that the lessons have really been learned by those responsible for our safety and wellbeing.

Old market wagon

There are still a few of these old market wagons in use. They are no doubt as useful now as when they were first made though with passing time fewer and fewer of them remain outside of museums.

The world from inside Mercer’s

Yesterday, we heard the sad news that one of our favourite coffee places, Jusaka (mentioned often in my posts), will not open again. Like many businesses, it has fallen victim to the pandemic. Finding myself the only customer in Mercer’s today made me hope that that this is not a bad sign and that they will survive the crisis.

Life will be different after Covid, I think, perhaps in ways that we cannot quite see just yet. This, combined with the idiocy of Brexit, may mean that hard times lie ahead but what we cannot change we must perforce endure.