When we had finished lunch, the sun was shining and so we made haste to go out.

The charity shop

Tigger has given me some “tops” that she no longer needs and of which I can make use. (Yes we are sufficiently similar in girth to be able to wear one another’s shirts and jackets. Handy, eh?) In our small flat, to receive something new means getting rid of something old in order to make room. We each had a large bag of various stuff to take to the charity shop. So that’s where we went first.

The High Street

We then crossed over to the High Street which nowadays lies to one side of the busy main road.

A strange room

We went to Redemption Roaster, a coffee shop situated in the High Street. We were given a number and carried it downstairs into the garden, on the way passing this strange room.

In the garden

We found a table in the garden and settled there with our number displayed (number 7, as it happens).

Shhh, you know who…!

Tigger took a photo of me and I thought you might like to see it.

The coffee

The coffee duly arrived. I leave you to guess which coffee is for which person.

Laying fibre in Duncan Street

Afterwards we walked down Duncan Street. They have dug the road up, as it many parts of the borough to lay fibre for the Internet. I can’t help thinking that Internet by cable will soon be obsolete because wireless Wifi is coming on apace. Will all this cable turn out to be a massive white elephant?

Colebrooke Row Gardens

We entered Colebrooke Row Gardens which, you may recall, is one of a chain of gardens covering the course of the New River. It is a very pleasant place when the sun is shining. We found a bench to sit on.

A handsome fellow
Photo by Tigger

Tigger was busy photographing birds and insects and found this handsome fellow. While she was doing that…

A hoverfly on her hat

…a hoverfly landed briefly on her hat and I photographed it!

Duncan Terrace Gardens

To return home, we walked through Duncan Terrace Gardens which is a continuation of Colebrooke Row Gardens. There we found a festivity in progress!

Pigeon feast

Someone had left the remains of a pizza on a bench and the pigeons were making the most of it. As pigeons do, the ones on the bench were tossing pieces of pizza in the air in the hope of breaking them. Many of these were falling on the ground where another cohort of pigeons was ready to deal with them. Accidental co-operation!

With this happy sight in mind, we cheerfully made our way home.

The weather is still oscillating between sunshine, clouds and rain, possibly with thunderstorms. When we went out this morning, we were lucky to enjoy a sunny interval.

We enjoyed a sunny interval

Our first call was of course to the deli. We had a choice of tables and in addition to coffee, we ordered…

Toast!

…toast! Thinly sliced brown bread toasted and buttered while hot – delicious! The curious thing is that when I make toast at home, I always let it cool before putting anything on it. Perhaps I should consider changing my habits? 🙂

Amwell Street

After this agreeable second breakfast, we crossed our “village high street”, Amwell Street, and made our way to Myddelton Square.

Pigeons enjoying the sunshine

We entered the gardens where all was quiet. The resident pigeons were relaxing in the sunshine.

Tree “decorated” by Tigger

Tigger set about “decorating” a tree with nuts for the squirrels. The pigeons can’t take them from here but the squirrels can. They will discover them later.

Even though I was doing nothing but simply watching Tigger, I soon noticed a slow but distinct movement of pigeons in my direction. Pigeons definitely do recognise individual humans. Whether they recognise faces or general appearance, I don’t know, but they certainly recognise me. I’m now a marked man!

A pigeon on my knee

As soon as I sat down on a bench, the pigeons gathered around me. This one boldly landed on my knee. Another proof of pigeon intelligence is their ability to learn. When we first fed the pigeons in this garden, they would not take food from my hand, let alone perch on my knee, but as soon as one pigeon had dared to do so, others were quick to do the same. It is now difficult for me to sit on a bench without being mobbed by pigeons!

“My friend”

“My friend”, the one-footed pigeon, arrived and installed himself on my knee. He is now quite happy to sit there patiently while I break the shells to extricate the nuts. Other pigeons keep crashing the party and trying to grab a share. I notice that if another pigeon lands on my knee, “my” pigeon emits a cooing sound. I can only suppose this is a statement of ownership, meaning “Get off – he’s my human!”

“No more? Really? No more?”

As I said in a previous post, the difficult part is convincing the pigeon on my knee that there’s no more food. I have to stand up slowly and carefully so that “my friend” slides off my knee and flutters away. Such is the price of popularity!