After lunch, we decided to go for a ramble but, first, there was an important duty to perform. Elections are taking place for the Mayor of London and members of the London Assembly. We vote by postal ballot so we filled in our voting forms, inserted them in the official envelope and set out.

Democracy in action
Photo by Tigger

We posted them in the pillar box in White Lion Street. That duty performed, the rest of the afternoon was ours.

One of the neighbours

We began making our way down towards King’s Cross but, in Collier Street, stopped to say hello to one of the neighbours. He was uncertain of our intentions so we did not disturb him further.

King’s Cross Station

On arrival at King’s Cross Station, we put on our masks and stepped inside. One of the problems of taking rambles during lockdown, with pubs and cafes closed, was the lack of public toilets. Though not in need at this moment, we wanted to check whether the station toilets were open, should we need them. And, yes, they were. Good to know.

Overlooked by cranes

With the decline in freight traffic on the railways, a large swathe of buildings around the station has fallen into disuse and has been redeveloped as a mixture of entertainment venues, offices and residential blocks. We went for a wander in this strange, but not unpleasant, landscape.

Cafe terrace

This cafe terrace looked inviting so we chose a table, comfortably distant from the crowd, and sat down.

Coffee and cinnamon bun

I guarded the table while Tigger went inside to order. She chose coffee and a large cinnamon bun which was enough to share.

Central Garden and water feature

Running up the centre of this area is a strip garden with a long water feature. We rather liked this view with the tower of St Pancras Station reflected in the water.

Looking “upstream”

Looking in the opposite direction, you can see that the garden is on a gentle slope so that the water flows gently downstream.

Google’s offices

Yes, well, they’re everywhere, aren’t they?

Dozing ducks

The gardens are not always peaceful but today they were quiet enough for this pair of ducks to take a no doubt deserved snooze.

Granary Square and the canal

The Regent’s Canal runs along the edge of Granary Square (so called because its main building was once the warehouse where grain arriving by train was stored). As you can see, the sunny weather has brought people out in droves. Not that I am complaining because we ourselves were part of the crowd, after all.

Barges moored along the canal

Barges on the canal would once have carried merchandise but with the aforementioned decline in freight traffic, they are now mainly houseboats, with a few service vessels.

Home, sweet home…

…and home, sweet home.

We watched this pair of coots for a while. One (we assume the female) remained on the nest while the other paddled about looking for sticks and straws to add to the nest. We wondered whether she was protecting eggs.

Eggs revealed
Photo by Tigger

At last, the coot moved enough to reveal that there were indeed eggs on the nest. Tigger counted four.

The book barge

This barge is a fixture in these waters. It is a floating bookshop and, if the notice on the side is to be believed, also sells coal! Today there was a man standing on the barge playing a saxophone to background music.

Mackerel sky over York Way

We made our way back to King’s Cross Station by York Way where I photographed the pretty mackerel sky that we have enjoyed today.

Joint self-portrait
Photo by Tigger

As we went, Tigger took this joint self-portrait of us.

King’s Cross and lighthouse

At King’s Cross, I stopped long enough to take this photo of the famous scene of the crossroads with the “lighthouse”, and then we ran to catch a bus back to the Angel.

In the event, we did not use the “facilities” at the station but it was good to know that they were available in case of need.

Sunny Baron Street

It is another warm and sunny day today as you can see from this view of Baron Street.

Farmers’ Market and pub tables

The Farmers’ Market was even busier than before, if that is possible, and the pub’s tables were adding to the crowded look of the scene.

Cafe tables outside

The cafes in Chapel Market also had tables outside and these had attracted their fill of customers. Did I feel envious? Noooo. Well, maybe, just a little 🙂

Surfing the shelves at Sainbury’s

We donned our masks and protective spectacles and dived into Sainsbury’s. It was crowded in some parts, less so in others. We performed our usual run round the shelves (paying attention to the “Points Game“), and made a home run to the checkout. Job done!

The market – busier than ever

The market was also much busier than on previous Sundays. Many of the stalls that we had not seen throughout lockdown were making a triumphant return. Standing among the stalls, I had a feeling of being “immersed” in the market that I had not felt for a long time.

“Inessentials” are back

One reason for the crowding was, of course, that stalls selling stock not considered “essential” during lockdown were now back in action, such as this luggage stall.

Mercer’s for coffee

As usual, I hurried ahead to Mercer’s to buy our coffee. It was quite busy and I had to wait. If you look carefully, you can perhaps see that there are new pale blue tiles either side of the door. Installing these has been a slow process and each time we came here, the tiling had risen a few inches higher. Perhaps the job will be complete at our next visit!

Preparing the coffee

My turn came at last and our coffee was made. Our loyalty card entitled us to a free one today. This is not to be despised because even small mercies are welcome 🙂