Tigger was at work today and I had things to do at home. I did go out later, though, as the title hints and I shall explain shortly.

The main event was the Annual Gas Check. If you do not know what this is, I will briefly explain. In the UK all domestic properties are required by law to be inspected annually for gas safety. Every year, then, we receive a letter from the Council inviting us to phone to arrange an appointment. I arranged for this to be done today, when Tigger was at work, so as not to mess up a day when she was free. As they never tell you exactly when the engineer will call, you have to wait in until that felicitous event occurs. This year there was a bonus: not only did they check our installation for safety but also stuck a CO detector on the wall to warn of leaks. (Actually, we had already bought one ourselves but I suppose having two makes us doubly safe!)

The other matter keeping me at home was a couple of deliveries of online purchases. These were too big to post through the letterbox so I had to be on hand to receive them.

These tasks having duly been completed, Tigger suggested I meet her at Liverpool Street Station on her way home. Some time ago, we had bought a packet of pancakes and they had been languishing in the fridge ever since. As their best-before date was fast approaching, we needed to eat them soon. The plan was to buy takeaway coffees, find somewhere pleasant to sit and consume coffee and pancakes there. What could possibly go wrong?

The bus stop

Tigger left work at 6 pm and at the same time I left home and walked to the bus stop in St John Street.

Aboard the 153

Here I am, aboard the 153, heading towards Luverpool Street Station.

Entering Finsbury Avenue Square

At this time of day, many coffee outlets are closed but we made our way hopefully to Finsbury Avenue Square where we found Baraka still dispensing coffee. We now had to find somewhere where we could sit and eat our pancakes. I asked above “What could possibly go wrong?” The answer is: rain. It started spitting with rain.

Everyman’s terrace

We decided to be a little cheeky. The Everyman cinema has a terrace and it was currently empty, so we sat here and ate our pancakes, managing to dispatch them before the rain became too heavy.

Shopping arcade

We then retired to this covered shopping arcade adjacent to the bus station to finish our coffee sheltered from the rain.

A bus is lurking

We then went to the bus station where our bus was lurking during the driver’s rest period. We didn’t have long to wait, fortunately.

Back at the Angel

Here we are back home at the Angel, mission accomplished!

Tigger is not working tomorrow so let’s hope the weather allows us to make the most of the day.