Despite the dull weather, we set off with good heart. At least it was not cold and not raining.

Ladybirds

Along the way we met a pair of ladybirds on the railings.

Today’s freebies

In Claremont Square, a tiny table and an electric kettle were going for free.

The Curvaceous Tree

I stopped to say hello to the Curvaceous Tree as I had not done so for a while. It is gradually divesting itself of its summer leaves.

Changing colours

There is still plenty of foliage in the gardens but it is changing colours and thinning out.

Coffee in Amwell Street

We stopped off at the deli for coffee in the peaceful atmosphere of Amwell Street.

The sun trying to break through
Photo by Tigger

Tigger took a photo of the sun trying to break through.

Waiting for the bus

Afterwards, we walked down to King’s Cross Road to catch a bus,

Aboard the 63

We boarded a 63 bus which then proved to be on diversion, provoking the question of the title: where are we going?

Crossing Waterloo Bridge

The bus took us across Waterloo Bridge.

A friendly cat

We left the bus in Blackfriars Road and started walking. On the way we met a friendly cat.

The White Hart

We passed the Victorian pub called the White Hart, a survival of a past age among brash modern buildings.

Brightly coloured tree

We stopped to admire this startlingly brightly coloured tree.

The Tate Modern

We entered the Tate Modern art gallery that impresses with its size as well as with its art.

We had a look at the art, of course, though contemporary art usually doesn’t do much for me. Here are s few samples:

I’m sorry but I couldn’t be bothered to find out the artists’ names. They know who they are.

Floating objects

I did quite like these floating objects that rose and descended and moved back and forth, presumably computer controlled,

Neon tiger

I also liked the neon tiger, spotted through a window as we were leaving.

A view from a window

There are interesting views from the windows of upper floors though they make me feel a little queasy. Tigger stood right in this window to take photos and I had to look away as it made me nervous despite the thick window glass!

Stairwell
Photo by Tigger

Looking down a stairwell.

Looking back at the Tate Modern

We went back out into the streets from where I took this “retrospective” of the gallery.

Almshouses
Photo by Tigger

We passed these old almshouses, pretty buildings ensconced among ugly modern architecture.

Black Sheep Coffee

In the streets I had no idea where we were (as usual) but Tigger knew, of course, and led us the a branch of Black Sheep Coffee.

Coffee and waffles
Photo by Tigger

Here we had coffee and waffles to tide us over until lunch. We also plotted our next move.

Hatfields Green

Our next move took us out into the streets once more. As we were passing this small garden or park called Hatfields Green, we spotted a squirrel sitting up eating something. Perhaps you can see it, perched on the back of the bench.

Street art portraits

These three street art-style portraits were on the wall of what looked a tyre depot. Identifying the faces is left as an exercise for the reader 🙂

Borough High Street

We at last arrived at Borough High Street where we could catch the first of our buses to return home.

Aboard the 21

We boarded a number 21 bus. The road diversions were still in force. The reason was the closure of a number of important roads so the streets that were open were congested and progress was painfully slow.

Bishopsgate, Liverool Street Station

The bus brought us to Liverpool Street Station where we changed to another bus for the last leg of the journey.

In the shadow of tall buildings

We stood and waited in the shadow of tall buildings. A dozen or so buses call at this stop and lots of people were waiting for theirs. When our bus came, it arrived second behind another bus but we made a dash for it and were the first aboard.

Aboard the 205

Our bus, a 205, was almost full but we found seats right at the back downstairs. It was too crowded to take my usual bus photo so I had to make do with a view from the side window!

The recorded voice kept telling us the bus was on diversion but the details were unclear. We couldn’t tell whether it would take us to our stop or not. We hung on, hoping for the best. And yes! It went right to our stop! Thus ended today’s outing, happily without too much disruption.