London has been promised a “white Christmas” but so far, I’m glad to say, the snow has not appeared. It’s even a little warmer today with the temperature nudging up to 10°C. Tigger is at work as usual, but her office is due to close at 1 pm in honour of the festive occasion. We have a couple of things in mind to do when she arrives back at the Angel – more of that in due course.

The GP surgery rang me out of the blue the other day to say that I was overdue for a blood test. The caller proposed making an appointment for me and I agreed to this. That appointment was for 9:30 am today.

Amwell Street

According to the Google Maps app on my phone, it would take me 13 minutes to walk to Finsbury Health Centre whose phlebotomy department was to take my blood. I left home at 9:05, allowing for a margin of error, and set off down Amwell Street.

Finsbury Health Centre

The Finsbury Health Centre is in Pine Street. I didn’t know what Covid formalities might be in force there – one reason for leaving extra time – but it turned out that there were none. When I approached, the automatic door sprang open obediently to admit me. Though I was early, I was sent straight to the room where I sat in a big chair while my arm was punctured, blood drawn and a cotton wool swab taped over the puncture. I will presumably hear about the results some time after Christmas.

Exmouth Market

On the way back, I walked through Exmouth Market. There were no market stalls present and very few shops were open. Perhaps the others will open later in the day or will stay closed now until next week. The Italianate tower in the right belongs to the Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer.

Two shops open

These two shops had hopefully opened their doors but so far there were no customers anywhere in view.

Myddelton Square Gardens and St Mark’s Church

I crossed Amwell Street into River Street and thence to Myddelton Square. The church is fully visible now, bereft of its modesty screen of summer foliage.

Deserted playground

I peered over the hedge at the playground. There are usually at least a few children here but today it too was deserted.

The Curvaceous Tree

I stared up at my favourite, the Curvaceous Tree, now divested of its leaves and revealed in all its curvilinear glory. Then I headed home to make tea and wait for Tigger to arrive back from the City. We keep in touch by text, enabling me to follow her journey home and reach the stop as her bus arrives.

Tigger left work at 1 pm, as planned, and let me know she had boarded a number 43 bus at Old Street. This was my signal to put on my coat and hurry to the bus stop at the clock tower. I boarded the bus and found a seat beside Tigger. Together again! Now for the two activities I mentioned at the beginning.

Bellanger

For the first, we left the bus at Islington Green and came to Bellanger. This French-style restaurant is one of our favourites. We use it sparingly so as not to lose the feeling of it being special. We wondered whether there would be a table free, though, as they were quite busy.

Dining room

Yes, they could find us a table if we could please be finished by 3 pm. That left us plenty of time so we were happy to agree.

Bellanger does not have, as some restaurants do, a separate vegetarian menu, and there are just a few such items on the main menu so that we tend to have the same selection each time – another reason for coming here infrequently. The food is very good, though, and the staff courteously friendly, so that a visit here is always a pleasure.

Islington Green

Leaving Bellanger (at 2:58!), we walked through Islington Green on our way to our second assignment. The media have been reporting that London’s streets are “deserted”. Like much reporting on the subject of Covid, this is a silly exaggeration. There were indeed few people on the Green but this, I think, has more to do with the cold and the season than with Covid.

Upper Street

We made our way along Upper Street which was quite busy (and not at all “deserted”) with pedestrians and traffic. All the shops and cafes were open.

The Cutting Bar

Thus we came to White Lion Street and the “Cutting Bar”, where we both had our hair cut. When this no-frills barber’s first opened, a few years ago, a haircut cost £5. It now costs £9 but that’s still a darn sight cheaper than the outrageous prices charged today in the average “salon”.

I often finish a Friday post by saying “the weekend starts here!” It does so this time as well but it’s a longer than usual “weekend” because Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, and so Monday and Tuesday have been made bank holidays to compensate. Just how we will spend the time remains to be seen but I’m sure it will include a few more treats along the way!

Back in February, I recounted the purchase of a new teapot, made in Japan and rejoicing in the euphonious name of Hario Chacha Kyusu Maru – see my post A new teapot. I have been using it ever since and it has given good service.

I mentioned yesterday that it had been a strange week so far (see Strange week) and this has continued. This time it was the lid of my teapot that caught the bad luck: it slipped from my hand and broke into two pieces.

Coffee press as teapot

For the time being, I brought out my old coffee press which, well washed to remove any coffee aftertaste, makes a passable teapot for loose leaf tea. Next, I found the website of the UK suppliers of Hario products and emailed to ask whether they could send me a replacement lid. That was yesterday.

Today, I received a reply from Hario UK saying that they did not stock replacement parts and referring me to the Hario Parts Shop in Japan. I found the lid I needed and proceeded cautiously to the checkout – cautiously, because I wanted to check the price before committing myself. The final cost, stated in Japanese yen, looked rather large. I typed it into a currency converter which confirmed my suspicions: the price worked out at £22.11! Not only is that a lot of money for a lid but is almost as much as the cost of a new teapot bought from Hario UK (£25 + £2.99 p&p)!

The moment had come for some Edward de Bono-style Lateral thinking!

A while back, Tigger bought some cup covers, made of soft plastic with a novelty figure as handle. A conversation with Tigger via text secured permission to use one of these to make a replacement lid for my teapot. A pair of scissors was the only tool required. Et, voilà:

A new lid

One day, I shall get the itch to buy a new teapot but for now this sporty combination will do. The plastic lid (which is heat resistant) perfectly performs the role allotted to it and that’s all that is needed, not to mention that it saved me £22.11! 🙂

Yes, though the week is barely three days old, I can say that so far it has been rather strange. But let’s take the days in order.

The Farmers’ Market

On Sunday, we carried out our usual shopping run to Sainsbury’s, on the way passing by the Farmers’ Market.

Christmas trees

There was of course an impressive stock of Christmas trees awaiting buyers, together with the machine that packs them in netting for you to carry home.

Chapel Market

The main market was out in force, no doubt hoping for a Christmas bonanza. Were their hopes realised, I wonder?

The weather was cold and felt even colder than the advertised temperature and so, having arrived home and drunk the coffee I had bought from Mercer’s, we decided to stay at home for the rest of the day.

Upper Street and St Mary’s Church

On Monday, the day started with breakfast and breakfast started with an ouch! One of my teeth was painful whenever I put any pressure on it. I realised it needed attention and so I phoned Pickerings in Upper Street to see when they could fit me in.

Pickering, dentists

I was expecting to have to wait a while, possibly until after Christmas, but no, they could see me at midday. Near the appointed time, I went off on foot, this being the surest way of arriving on time.

Third-floor waiting room

Pickering occupies an old building and uses all of it. On arrival (having had my temperature checked and been asked whether I had any symptoms of Covid), I was sent up to the third floor, climbing up a narrow staircase of 45 steps, if I remember correctly. I’ll admit I was puffed by the time I reached the top.

The tooth was examined and X-rayed and, yes, it needs attention, possibly quite a lot of attention, and to start this I will return on January 10th. Something look forward to, eh? 🙂

Troubles, they say, don’t come singly. On Monday afternoon, various ongoing health issues and the stress of the morning combined to make me feel rather unwell. So much so that I rang the GP surgery and asked to speak to someone. The duty doctor phoned me back.

Knowing how stretched the NHS is at present (well, most of the time, actually), it always surprises me how kind and attentive the nurses and doctors are. If I had been this doctor’s only patient, she couldn’t have taken more time and trouble over me. She arranged for me to visit the surgery this morning for an examination.

Because Covid, and particularly the Omicron variant, is on the rise, the surgery no longer accepts people walking in. You are admitted only if you have an appointment. On arrival, I had to ring the doorbell and give my name over the speaker phone. The automatic doors then opened to admit me. Inside, my temperature was checked and I was told to apply gel to me hands.

Surgery waiting room and Christmas tree

I was then examined thoroughly, again the level of care was as though I were the only patient they had to deal with today.

“The garden path”

When I left the surgery, I felt I ought to make to most of the outing and go for a walk. I started by walking through this path between gardens that leads into Lloyd Square. I don’t know its name and call it the “garden path”.

Greek-style pediments in Lloyd Square

It’s been a while since I took a stroll round the neighbourhood, something we used to do a lot during the lockdowns.

Cumberland Gardens

I walked through Cumberland Gardens, a quiet residential cul-de-sac with a pedestrian-only path at one end. We came here often during lockdown and I wished Tigger were with me now as she was during our rambles then.

Percy Circus Gardens

I visited Percy Circus and promised myself that, when the warmer weather returns, we will come here with our coffee and perhaps a picnic lunch, as we did on several occasions before. I texted Tigger a photo of Percy Circus to let her know where I was.

The path through Bevin Court

To return home, I took the path through Bevin Court, still green despite the winter weather.

Holford Garden

The path passes by a small but pleasant park called Holford Garden. Originally, there was a public bowling green here but it has been a park since the 1930s. The tree trunk in the foreground is all that remains of the “leaning tree” that I photographed several times until it fell, whether under its own weight or by human agency, I do not know.

The path continues

The path continues between the buildings of Bevin Court and a row of fine old trees.

The “Cliff of apartments”

The path reaches the road and at the top provides a view of Bevin Court that I once described as a “cliff of apartments”. The meadow-like lawn in the foreground was a mass of long grass and flowers in summer. I hope it will flower again next year.

Cruikshank Street

From there I entered Cruikshank Street, named after artist and engraver George Cruikshank (1792-1878) who lived hereabouts though not in this street.

Christmas wreaths in Cruikshank Street

To end with, here are a couple of Christmas wreaths in Cruikshank Street. Let’s hope that Covid, and the probability of further restrictions being imposed, does not dampen the Christmas spirit too much.

The temperature has taken a downward turn and it was distinctly chilly outside this morning at an advertised 7°C with a “feels like” value 2 or 3 degrees cooler. (Yes, I know, that’s nothing compared with some parts of the world — my sister in Canada is enjoying snow and a temperature of -20°C — but we softy Brits are not used to such extremes of heat and cold!)

Grey Skies over St John Street

We had some shopping to do (boring stuff that didn’t merit any photos) and then set off the visit Myddelton’s deli.

Christmas ribbons

In Chadwell Street, this beauty shop has reinstalled its Christmas ribbons on its door, as it did last year.

Myddelton’s deli

We walked round Myddelton Square and then through River Street to the deli in Amwell Street. They were open but, unsurprisingly, no one was sitting at the tables outside. We bought our coffees and made straight for home to drink them in the warm.

During my last outing (see Library day), I photographed a single Christmas wreath in Myddelton Square. Today, the neighbourhood’s front doors have blossomed and there were wreaths all along our route. Interesting and varied as they may be, an endless catalogue would be boring so I will just give you a representative sample, some taken by me and some by Tigger.

By me…

By Tigger…

The alternative – Christmas ribbons

At least one householder preferred to be different by decorating the door with ribbons.

And today’s bonus, a tiny illuminated Christmas reindeer!

Illuminated reindeer

The weather continues mild, I am glad to say, and as my books are due back at the library soon, I decided to go today in case the cold returns as it is apt to do.

The new bike on the block

In Claremont Square I noticed these four bicycles parked side by side, suggesting that they had been placed here by the company that owns them. Ever since the “Boris Bikes”, the original hire bikes in London, first appeared, a number of companies have muscled in on the act and new ones seem to turn up every few weeks. I wonder that the market for hire bikes is not already over-subscribed as more and more bikes with new liveries are dumped in our streets.

A Christmas Wreath

En route to the library, I walked round Middleton Square, for no better reason than that I like to do so, and here spotted a Christmas wreath, the first I’ve photographed this year. Christmas seems to have crept up on me by stealth this year and I’ll probably miss the last posting date for my Christmas cards (yes, again!).

Myddelton Square Gardens

I cut through the square’s central garden to see how it, and its inhabitants, were faring. Apart from two dog walkers, I was alone, so unlike the heady days of summer when it was hard to find an unoccupied bench. There was lively chatter in the tree tops among the birds. I made out magpies, parakeets and crows – especially one that we always recognise because he had an unusually low-pitched voice.

Myddelton Passage

I walked though Myddelton Passage, another favourite place. I expect you can guess what I was looking for!

The pub vine

Yes, I was looking for the pub vine. It looked very sad, all brown, except for a few green leaves still managing to survive, so different from its summer exuberance. All the bunches of grapes are long gone, of course, and not a trace of them remains. I look forward to seeing the vine burst into life again next year.

Winter tree

I crossed Rosebery Avenue and entered Spa Green, where this tree seemed to me to epitomise winter: standing naked with its withered robes of summer glory scattered on the ground at its feet. (Do trees have feet? Ed. Oh, shut up! ST)

Spa Green

This small park, first opened to the public in 1895, is pleasant even on a dull day like today.

War Memorial and pigeons

Even the pigeons were quiet, some of them perching on the statue of winged victory as is their wont.

Bench with flowers

I noticed that there were flowers attached to this bench. It is one of those dedicated in memoriam to a loved one and I guess the flowers must have been put there on the anniversary of the person’s death on November 17th.

From Spa Green, a gate opens into a cul de sac call Lloyd’s Row which, in turn, leads into St John Street and thence to Finsbury Library.

Finsbury Library

Finsbury Library is quite small but has a useful local history department that I have found helpful in the past. I suspect, too, that students from the local university come here as it offers a quiet place to work where they can use their computers.

“Community Languages”

As usual, I went to the Community Languages section and, in particular, the books in French. There aren’t many, just the top shelf to the right of the divider marked “French” and the first few in the second shelf. So I start at the beginning on the left and work my way through, skipping the books I’ve read, and checking the others, picking out “possibles” to take home. What will I do when I have read them all? Try the other libraries in the borough!

Northampton Square Gardens

On the way home, I paid a quick visit to Northampton Square, named after the Marquess of Northampton who originally owned the estate but presented it to the Vestry (forerunner of the modern borough) in 1886. It has a central garden with a bandstand.

Plaque to the Marquess of Northampton

On the wall of a nearby building is a plaque, dated 1904, to the memory of the Marquess who died in 1903. It reads “This tablet was erected in loving memory of William Compton, fifth Marquess of Northampton, KG, by his London tenants and friends.”

Hopeful squirrel

In the gardens, I was accosted by a hopeful squirrel. Unfortunately, I had nothing to give him which made me feel rather mean. I must remember to take nuts with me when I go out.

Lloyd’s Row

I returned the way I had come, walking back up Lloyd’s Row to Spa Green.

Old New River Head Offices

From Spa Green, I photographed this building with its neat little turret that you can also see in the previous photo. The building was once the headquarters of the New River Company but is now residential.

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

I crossed Rosebery Avenue and entered Arlington Way which runs beside Sadler’s Wells Theatre. I wonder what the original “Musick House” of 1683 looked like or, for that matter, the theatre in which Joseph Grimaldi performed.

The Curvaceous Tree

My last photo, before making for home, was of the Curvaceous Tree that I came to know and love from our local rambles during lockdown. Divested now of its summer regalia, it stands revealed in all its curvaceous intricacy. Do trees long for summer, as I do, or do they enjoy the restful months of winter as we enjoy rest at the end of a busy day? There is no way for me to know the answer unless by some quirk of fortune, I eventually come back to life as a tree!