The day was cloudy with a threat of rain, which did not encourage us to venture far afield. We thought it best to stay local.

Cloudy with a threat of rain

As usual, we crossed through the square to Amwell Street and the deli.

At the deli

We sat for a while outside the deli with our coffee, watching the world go by. Though Amwell Street has little to attract outsiders, it is often busy with vehicles and pedestrians using it as a cut-through between main roads.

Hand feeding

After our coffee break, we retired to Myddelton Square Gardens where I kept the pigeons busy for Tigger to concentrate on the squirrels. I know two foot-damaged pigeons living in the square and tend to give them extra attention as they find it harder to compete in scrambles for food. They recognise me now and it wasn’t long before this one perched on my knee to take food from my hand.

Squirrel feeding
Photo by Tigger

Tigger also managed to attract some squirrels by wedging nuts in the bark of their trees. Notice the interloper trying to creep up on the feeding squirrel!

Eating from my hand
Photo by Tigger

Pigeons are understandably nervous of humans and any sudden movement on our part – even the gesture of throwing food – causes them to fly up in alarm. On the other hand, once they have dared to taken food from your hand, they gain confidence and will go on taking it. It takes them longer to dare to perch on your knee or your hand but, again, once they have done so, they will continue.

“Are you sure there’s no more?”

The hardest part is convincing your pigeon friend that there’s no more food once they’ve eaten it all. Verbally asserting this cuts no ice with a pigeon! You just have to walk away.

Queueing for the butcher’s

Leaving the square and the ever-hungry pigeons, we walked through to St John Street. I remember showing you the long queues at the butcher’s shop during the first lockdown. Lockdown has ended but still there are queues here. This is one thing I don’t have to worry about, happily.

The sun shines at last

The sun now put in an appearance, making everything look more cheerful. Unfortunately, it was not to last because the sky was thick with cloudsh so that the sun could be seen only occasionally between the gaps.

Waiting at the bus stop

We went to the bus stop and waited for the 153 to appear. For some reason, this service is rarely on time and you learn to wait, patiently or otherwise.

Aboard the 153

We travelled on this bus to the Barbican, though we did not enter the Barbican estate itself this time.

A tunnel under the Barbican

The stop where we left the bus is in a tunnel which carries the road, Beech Street, under the Barbican estate. It looks more dramatic than it is in reality.

Barbican Cinemas 2.& 3

The Barbican has several cinemas and this building houses Cinemas 2 & 3 but we had not come to see a film. The building also includes a rather nice bar-cafe. We came in search of coffee and cake!

The cafe was empty

The cafe was empty of customers. Not everybody likes to be in an empty venue, apparently, but that suits me just fine. Tigger is all the crowd I need. We settled in comfy armchairs and enjoyed our coffee and cake in peace.

Another tunnel

Afterwards, we continued our walk, starting with another road through a tunnel. It no doubt has a name but I don’t know what it is.

A Barbican Tower block

We came out in Whitecross Street where we had a view of one of the tower blocks of the Barbican estate. The Barbican is an early example of post-war Brutalist architecture. (So called because the structures are made of raw, or “brute”, concrete.) I find such buildings ugly and inhuman but, despite not liking the Barbican’s architecture, I have become quite fond of the place and fascinated by it.

Fortune Street

Then we followed the leafy Fortune Street.

Hire scooters

This led out into Golden Lane, though I cannot say I found anything “golden” about this very ordinary street. The one point of interest was a stand of electric scooters for hire.

I wonder how many deaths and serious injuries there have to be before it is realised that allowing these dangerous contraptions on public roads is a very bad idea. They are currently allowed in use as an experiment but I doubt whether the government will change its mind at the end of the trial period, especially as they have been allowed in other countries of Europe. We wouldn’t want to be seen to be less stupid than our cousins in Europe, would we?

Golden Lane Estate

We passed through a housing development called the Golden Lane Estate. I often wonder what it is like to live in one of these. I imagine it depends critically on what your neighbours are like. As Sartre put it, “Hell is other people”, a proposition I carry close to my heart.

A cat in the window
Photo by Tigger

At a window high up, we spotted a cat. The reflection of the sky on the glass made it hard to see. He gave us that noncommittal stare that cats are so good at.

Goswell Road

We eventually debouched in Goswell Road. I hadn’t had any idea where we were heading though Tigger knew all along. My motto is “Just follow Tigger and all will be well”. It usually works.

This road, incidentally, was known in Elizabethan times and takes its name from a spring, now apparently lost, that was called Godewell, meaning “good well/spring”.

City of London griffin

In Goswell Road we waited for a bus to take us back to the Angel. While waiting, I crossed the road to take a photo of a griffin on a pillar. I have mentioned these before. The City of London, also known euphemistically as the Square Mile, is the banking and financial centre of London, famous throughout the world as its tentacles reach to every corner of the globe. On every road entering the City there stands a griffin holding a shield with the City’s coat of arms. When you pass such a griffin, you know you are now in the City of London.

Chapel Market

The bus dropped us outside Sainsbury’s and we crossed the car park into Chapel Market as I had a couple of items to buy in Superdrug there. The market was as busy as you would expect on a Saturday though some stallholders were already closing down. I did my shopping and we walked back through the market, heading for home. Tigger, however, spotted a curious sight and took a photo of it.

Taking his ease on a mattress
Photo by Tigger

On the pavement was a mattress, presumably dumped, and on the mattress lay a man, smoking a cigarette and apparently taking his ease. Serendipity in action.

This afternoon I had another clinic appointment (yes, another one), this time in Holloway. We started in traditional fashion with a stroll to Amwell Street and our friends at Myddelton’s deli

The kitten in the window

In Claremont Square we enjoyed a rare sighting of the “kitten in the window”. We hadn’t seen him for quite a while and he rewarded our attention with an eye-blink.

Sunshine in Amwell Street

It is a pleasant sunny day today, not too warm, although there were large clouds that hid the sun from time to time. We sat outside the deli with our coffee, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

Waiting for the bus in St John Street

After this pleasant interlude, we made our way to the bus stop in St John Street. As I had never been to this particular clinic before, I used Apple Maps to provide a route. This proposed taking the 153 to Holloway and reaching the clinic via a short walk through the back streets. We left with plenty of time to spare in case of errors or hold-ups.

Aboard the 153

The 153 arrived and carried us along its complicated route to the stop where we changed to Shanks’ Pony.

Is this really the way?

Apple Maps is often excellent at finding the route and plotting it on the map, indicating the buses to take and naming the streets to walk along. Occasionally, however, it fails badly. I think this is because it hasn’t caught up with such things as recent changes to bus routes or changes in the built topography. Today was a case in point: the pedestrian part of the route was not as shown and I ended up asking people the way. It turned out that we had almost reached our destination and would have found it if we had walked a few more yards. Score 8/10 to Apple Maps, perhaps.

Pret A Manger

As we were still quite early, we needed somewhere where we could sit and wait as long as necessary. A branch of Pret A Manger filled the bill perfectly. We bought coffee and settled at a table. I set my phone’s alarm for 15 minutes before appointment time and we could relax till it rang.

In the waiting room

I presented my letter at the reception and was instructed to take a seat until I was called. It’s fortunate that Tigger was with me because when I was eventually called, it was from the other end of a large waiting room and, with my attenuated hearing, I didn’t hear my name called.

“That’s you,” said Tigger and off I went.

Tower Block, Metropolitan University

Afterwards, we walked to Holloway Road, where, for old times’ sake, I photographed the tower of what is now the Metropolitan University. In times past, it was the Polytechnic of North London where I lectured on Computer Science for a number of years, quite happy years, as it happens.

The old building

This is the old building, dating, I think, from the beginning of last century when it was created as a technical college. My office and the lecture rooms I frequented were in a nearby side street and I came to the main building infrequently. “My” building has since fallen victim to redevelopment and is unrecognisable.

Holloway Road

We walked along the busy, rather unlovely Holloway Road. We had agreed to have lunch in a cafe after my appointment and were looking for a suitable place.

The Central Library

Along the way, we passed the handsome building that houses Islington’s Central Public Library. We didn’t visit it today as our thoughts were on lunch. We’ll come back another time.

Inside Hope Cafe

We found the Hope Cafe and went in. It is a simple straightforward no-frills cafe in the English tradition, serving a range of basic dishes at moderate prices. Perfect for our purposes.

The art shop

Afterwards, we crossed the road to visit the art shop thoughTigger did not find what she was looking for.

St Mary Magdalen Gardens

We crossed back across the road and entered St Mary Magdalen Gardens, a pleasant park that was originally the burial ground of the church, landscaped as a public amenity after the London burial grounds were closed in the mid-19th century.

The old coroner’s court

This time, we spotted something we had not noticed on our previous visit: the old coroner’s court, dated, according to the lettering in the arch, to 1852. Apparently, coroner’s courts were often situated in, or close to, burial grounds. I suppose there were practical reasons for this, not least that the body was close to where it would be buried after the court hearing.

A glimpse of the church

The church was almost hidden from sight by the abundant foliage of the trees but every now and then a glimpse of it appeared.

One of the fine old trees

There were a number of fine very old trees in the park, such as the one in the photo. How old are they, I wonder?

Westbourne Road

We passed through some back streets (none interesting enough to be worth photographing). Tigger was following her Inner Pigeon and I was following Tigger. That way, we reached a stop in Westbourne Road where we could catch a 153 back to the Angel.

Aboard the 153

We did not have long to wait but all seats were occupied except right at the back which provides an uncomfortably bumpy ride along the minor roads where this bus passes. Finally, though, we were delivered back to the Angel and home.

Tomorrow, Tigger returns to work but then comes the weekend and four days when we can do as we please, always assuming no sudden changes to her work schedule.

I was wrong when I said Tigger was not returning to work until Wednesday (today): unbeknownst to me they had changed her hours so that she ended up working Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday this week. Confusing? It certainly is, but you learn to live with it and it’s still better than working 5 days a week, though I expect we shall return to that pattern soon when “furlough” arrangements finally end.

Yesterday, I was lazy and stayed at home all day. I read and pottered about and did nothing of any great moment. Still, the occasional downtime doesn’t hurt and may even be good for one. Today, however, I had something I wanted to do.

The “Cutting Bar”

First on today’s agenda was a visit to the “Cutting Bar” in White Lion Street. I don’t remember when we had our hair cut last but it was some weeks ago and mine was now uncomfortably long. As Tigger wasn’t ready yet for a meeting with the shears, I went on my own.

In an age when barbers charge £25 before even picking up the scissors, basic hair-cutting establishments like this are a godsend. For £8, you receive a perfectly good haircut, done to your specifications. Why do people pay the exorbitant prices at what are increasingly called “Grooming Parlours”? Vanity, perhaps. My purse has no vanity and both it and I are happy with the service provided by the men and women at the “cutting bar”. (Yes, they have male and female “cutters”, both equally expert.)

Colourful bunting at Angel Central

Freshly shorn, I decided to go for a little walk before returning home. I started by walking along Upper Street. This is not my favourite place to walk but it’s as well to keep tabs on it and the changes that are going on all the time. The pandemic has led to the closure of shops and businesses at a faster rate than ever before and many premises are standing empty. I passed by the entrance to Angel Central and saw it was decorated with coloured bunting. This is presumably to do with their “Summer Fête”, about which we have received flyers through the door.

Public call box, modern style

It’s a long time since I last used a public phone – probably a couple of decades or more – and though I have noticed that the traditional red kiosks have given way more modern versions, I haven’t paid close attention to the changes. I was therefore somewhat bemused to see in this open-fronted kiosk a notice in large print beneath the handset:

Free phone calls only
No cash accepted

Apart from the emergency services, who else can you call for free in this day and age? I can’t imagine there are many or that this phone sees much use.

Mountain Warehouse

The name of this shop always gives me pause for thought . It’s a perfectly good shop and I have bought things here myself, but the name seems infelicitous somehow. Every time I pass, a voice in my head says “Whoa, having bought your mountain, how do you carry it home?” A silly joke, yes, but I suppose little things please little minds.

Monument to Sir Hugh Myddelton

Prominently sited beside Islington Green is the Grade II listed monument to Sir Hugh Myddelton, financier of the New River Project. The Historic England listing reads “Statue of Sir Hugh Myddelton. 1862 by John Thomas. Standing figure in Sicilian marble on a pedestal of grey granite, flanked by putti with urns forming part of a fountain. The statue presented jointly by Sir Samuel Morton Peto, the New River Company, and the people of Islington.”

Showing signs of damage

While time has dealt lightly with the figure of Sir Hugh, the same cannot be said for the accompanying figures. Both they and the urns they are handling shows wear and damage.

Sir Hugh’s name occurs often in street and park names in the borough and for the very good reason that his famous project, meritorious in its own right, has greatly influenced the layout of streets and other features of the neighbourhood. There is a sense in which Sir Hugh’s presence is felt right up to the present.

Islington Green from Essex Road

After greeting Sir Hugh, I started along Essex Road, pausing to take a photo of the green over the railings. The green is a pleasant area in which to sit although it tends to be crowded because of its proximity to busy roads. In the photo you can just make out the circular war memorial, a unique and somewhat curious design for its purpose. Sculpted by John Maine, it was installed in 2007, replacing an earlier, more conventional, memorial which the Council claimed had fallen into an irreparably poor condition. See here for an account of that old memorial.

A meadow on the Green

I also photographed this bed of long grasses and colourful flowers that resembled a spring meadow, a cheerful sight even on a dull day.

Old and new rub shoulders

Looking across the road, this pair of buildings struck me as typical of much of London today, where old buildings stand cheek by jowl with modern structures. They seem to co-exist but every year more of the elegantly styled old buildings are destroyed to make way for the new. Will these boring iron and glass heaps be valued, a hundred and fifty years from now, as we – well, some of us – value the lovely older buildings? Come to that, will these hurriedly built structures even exist a hundred and fifty years from now? From the way things are going, I have my doubts.

Am I being watched?

I now began to feel I was being watched. Yes! A face is peering at me through the glass of that door. It turns out to be a dummy, though why it is there, I have no idea.

Get Stuffed

The caption is not an imprecation but is the name of the shop, belonging to a taxidermist. It’s not a good photo because the screens over the windows make it hard to see what is within. In one sense, that is a blessing, because the shop is full of dead animals or, more accurately, their skins, preserved and padded to give a semblance of life. I do not approve of such businesses because it is quite wrong, in my opinion, to kill living creatures to make “exhibits”, especially just for decoration.

On the other hand, this shop reminds me of my childhood when I would drag my mother into the museum in Brighton “to see the animals”. In those days, Brighton Museum had an extensive collection of preserved animals and in my state of childhood innocence I loved to visit them. They have now all been done away with, except for those moved to the Booth Museum of Natural Science. So while I disapprove of collecting living creatures in this way, I have to admit the influence of those long ago in the museum that first began to shape my attitudes to nature and living creatures.

Astey’s Row and its rock garden

A few steps more brought me to these steps which lead to a narrow street called Astey’s Row (after one John Astey who, in the 18th century had a dwelling hereabouts). Beside is runs another of those “linear gardens”, as the Council calls them, narrow gardens hemmed in on either side by streets.

The path through the rock garden

I don’t know whether the rocks are real or artificial, though I suspect the latter. The “linear gardens“ owe their existence to – did you guess? – Sir Hugh’s New River. It still exists but in places has been covered over and gardens made on top of it. We thus owe Sir Hugh for his water and for some pleasant gardens in which to sit and stroll.

Flowering bushes

The path meanders along between rocks, trees and shrubs. I photographed two bushes covered with flowers.

Fallen tree, left in place

There was also a fallen tree that has been left in place, perhaps as a “feature” but also to serve as food and refuge for the smaller denizens of the gardens.

Nearing the end of the garden

Finding myself near the end of the linear garden, I decided to turn back. The weather forecast had predicted rain later this morning and, though I had my folding umbrella with me, I didn’t want to be caught out in the rain.

Aboard the 73

I decided to take the bus back and soon found a stop where I could catch a 73 bus. I sat at the back downstairs, as this photo shows.

I hope it is not vain of me to think you might be curious for a glimpse of my new coiffure. Here, then, is the shorn head for your delectation, courtesy of the bathroom mirror:

SilverTiger shorn

We went out for a short local walk this morning.

Ladybird without spots?
Photo by Tigger

We hadn’t gone far before Tigger noticed something unusual on a leaf. It appears to be a ladybird without spots and of a light orange colour rather than the usual red. Or does it belong to a quite different species altogether?

Sandwich board man

Our next sighting was of something I have not seen for quite a while: a sandwich board man, walking along the street, advertising a gym company. He stopped to make a phone call, providing the chance of a photo.

Cloudy weather

According to the forecast, it is cloudy-sunny today but so far we have seen only the cloudy fraction. It is warm, though, but humid, giving an unpleasant “close” feeling.

A bag on the door knob

We have noticed this bag hanging on a door knob before. What is its purpose? Is it to receive a delivery or does it contain something to be collected? Mystery.

Myddelton’s, all tables free

We passed by Myddelton’s deli and saw that all the tables were free. However, we had an errand to run before stopping for coffee and guessed that by the time we returned, the tables would be occupied. Were we right?

St Helena Street

We passed along here or our way back to the deli.

Crow finding food
Photo by Tigger

In Lloyd Square we stopped to observe a crow who was finding food in the road, perhaps seeds fallen for the trees.

Sitting outside Myddelton’s

When we reached the deli, we found that our guess was right: most of the tables were now taken. There was just one left, however, which Tigger occupied while I went inside to order coffee.

Coffee!

We made the most of our opportunity and sat for quite a while, sipping coffee and watching activity in Amwell Street.

“Are we going soon?”

At the table next to ours was a man with a small dog. He engaged in a long phone call and his dog tried to keep occupied but sometimes, as here, seemed to ask whether they could leave now, please. His pleas passed in vain and we departed before there was any sign of movement from his man.

Myddelton Square Gardens

We walked along to Myddelton Square and sat in the gardens for a while. It was very quiet and there were few other people there.

A view from the bench

We found a bench looking across the gardens to the church. Despite the muggy conditions, it was pleasant sitting there.

They came in hope

It wasn’t long before we noticed a pair of pigeons walking determinedly towards us. When they reached our bench, they continually walked round and round us, looking hopefully at the ground in front of us, obviously expecting food.

“Got anything for us?”
Photo by Tigger

I’m sure they recognised us as people who have given them food in the past and were hoping we would repeat the exploit. Unfortunately, we had nothing for them today and their expectations were disappointed.

Raspberry treat
Photo by Tigger

We made our way home where a treat awaited: raspberries! We had bought them yesterday when doing our shopping at Sainsbury’s and forgotten we had them.

According to the weather forecast, this morning would be cloudy though dry but there would be thunderstorms and rain all afternoon. We thought we should at least be able to do our shopping before the rains came.

The Farmers’ Market

As usual, we passed through Chapel Market on the way to Sainsbury’s. It was as busy as expected and the Sunday Farmers’ Market was taking place.

The crockery stall

The crockery stall is one among many that are present only on Sunday. Where are they the rest of the week? Do they attend other markets or stay at home? Unless we happen on them by chance somewhere else, we will probably never know.

Sainsbury’s, averagely busy

Sainsbury’s was averagely busy but we had prepared in advance (including choosing our items in the points game) so we had finished fairly quickly. At the checkout, we saw that they are already beginning to remove some of the safety screens erected to protect from infection. The screens around the till operators remain but those between the queues of customers are disappearing. I can see no good reason for this as they do no harm and cause no hindrance so why not leave them in place for extra protection?

On my way through the market

Following tradition, on leaving Sainsbury’s, I took the cup holder and dashed through the market to Mercer’s.

Through the window at Mercer’s

These days, Mercer’s, like other coffee shops, allows customers to sit inside as well as at tables outside. They seem to have given up all pretence of providing for a degree of social distancing and none of the staff were wearings masks. I was the only one to do so. I won’t waste my time expressing my opinion of this as I expect you can guess what I think of it.

After lunch, Tigger wanted to go for a walk, taking in Myddelton’s deli on the way. By now, however, we could hear thunder rumbling and a glance through the window showed rain pelting down.

We waited a while, hoping the rain would stop. Optimistic or what? 🙂 But, actually, it did stop and so we hurried out because the deli closes at 3 pm on Sundays.

A wet world

We ventured into a wet world with puddles everywhere. London’s roads and pavements have been dug up so many times that any memory of them being flat and level has been lost. What drains exist are often blocked and the road and pavement surfaces no longer slope towards them in any case. This results in huge puddles forming.

Under the umbrella

As we progressed along, it began to rain again. I carry a folding umbrella in my handbag and, even though we were wearing rain jackets, it seemed a good idea to deploy it. As my hands were occupied, Tigger took this photo.

Church and Curvaceous Tree

I did relinquish control of the brolly to take the above photo, despite the rain, because the light seemed just right for photographing my Curvaceous Tree.

From the door of the deli

Having bought our coffee, we prepared to leave the deli. At this point, it was raining slightly, nothing to worry about, or so it seemed.

The heavens opened

But as we stepped into the street, the heavens opened, and a downpour began. We quickly took refuge under the shop’s canopy but even so, by the time we did so, the compressed paper cup holder had begun to disintegrate and we abandoned it, each carrying a cup of hot coffee. How long would we be stuck here like bedraggled sheep under a tree?

Happily, after a while, the rain eased somewhat and so we broke for home while we could.

Will tomorrow bring more clement conditions? Tigger returns to work only on Wednesday so we hope the next couple of days will bring kinder weather but in this country there are no guarantees!