Stepping outside this morning brought an agreeable surprise: the mercury was hovering around 13°C which, after the recent cold, seemed positively warm. Will it last, though?

A gathering

Arriving at Chapel Market, we encountered a gathering of people, clearly a group engaged in an event of some kind, the unifying characteristic being that most of them were wearing or carrying Santa hats. What was their purpose?

Christmas tree vendor

In White Conduit Street, where the florists usually set out their display, Christmas trees were on sale. All this week we have seen people in the streets carrying home Christmas trees both big and small. Am I alone in thinking what a terrible waste of living trees this is? Thousands, if not millions, of trees are cut down just to spend a few days covered with decorations before being cast out as rubbish. That seems morally, as well as economically, culpable to me.

The screens are back

Sainsbury’s was quite busy and will no doubt continue to be so until things calm down again after Christmas. At the checkout, we noticed that the screens have reappeared. Is this a concession to the much bruited “Plan B”?

A good turnout in the market

There was a good turnout at the market which was also fairly busy. I hurried through to Mercer’s to buy our coffee.

Singing with gestures

On the way home, we encountered the Santa-hatted group again. They were singing Christmas songs, accompanying the words with gestures. A crowd had gathered to watch and some people were joining in with the singing and gestures.

Aboard the 73

After lunch we ventured out again and caught a number 73 bus towards Stoke Newington.

Stoke Newington Town Hall

We left the bus near Stoke Newington Town Hall,

St Mary’s

Nearby is St Mary’s Church which has Christmas lights on the railings, perhaps to advertise the Christmas trees on sale in the grounds.

Stars among the graves

Opposite St Mary’s is old St Mary’s Church, repurposed as a Community Arts Centre. We walked through the burial ground where these stars had been set up.

Tree with strange fruit

From the burial ground we entered Clissold Park where this tree has produced strange fruit: discarded trainers!

Clissold Park

We walked through the park which was quite busy despite the weather.

Two St Mary’s Churches

From here you see both churches, old (nearest) and new, seemingly side by side.

Clissold House

In the middle of the park is Clissold House, once a family home but now owned by Hackney Council. You can see part of a rainbow produced by the combination of sunshine and wet air.

The New River

The New River runs through Clissold Park adding the interest of riverine scenery and waterfowl.

Fallow deer

Further interest was provided by the animal enclosures. This one was home to a herd of fallow deer.

Sapic Coffee

We left the park and went into the streets to look for somewhere to have coffee. We chanced on this place, called Sapid Coffee and went in.

Inside Sapid

It was a little crowded but we found a table so all was well.

Coffee and custard tarts
Photo by Tigger

We ordered coffee and, as a treat, Portuguese custard tarts.

Strings attached

Leaving the cafe, we passed this shop selling violins, cellos and other stringed instruments.

Winter sky

The light was beginning to fade from the winter sky above Stoke Newington. We were happy to make our way towards the nearby bus stop.

Aboard the 73

We didn’t have long to wait for a number 73 bus which sped us through the winter evening back home to the Angel.

I have previously written about tea and how particular (Obsessive? Surely not…) I am about the tea I buy. I usually obtain my tea by ordering online from The Howdah Tea & Coffee Company and did so again this time. Unfortunately, there seems to be some sort of problem within Royal Mail, meaning that the days pass and my parcel fails to appear. I am running low and so a stop-gap seems desirable.

St John Street

At Tigger’s suggestion, we betook ourselves to the bus stop in St John Street.

Aboard the 341

There we boarded a number 431 bus.

Fleet Street

The bus brought us to the famous thoroughfare called Fleet Street, once the centre of the nation’s newspaper industry before they all decamped to Wapping. The street has nothing to do with the navy, of course, being named after one of London’s “lost rivers”, the Fleet, “lost” in the sense of being buried under streets and buildings.

The historic emporium

We had come to visit Twining’s, possibly the world’s best known tea merchants. I hoped to find something here to tide me over until my errant package should appear.

Long and narrow

The only problem with Twining’s is that their shop is long and narrow. It is apt to become crowded with both locals and tourists, making it difficult to see the teas on display. Fortunately, it was not too busy during today’s visit.

I started by wandering along the shelves, looking at the teas on display. Tigger, more practical, cut to the chase and asked an assistant for Russian Caravan, my blend of choice. The assistant then made us some tes to taste as well as detailing what was in the blend. Every blend is different even when the name and ingredients are ostensibly the same so it’s useful to be able to try before you buy. This version seemed acceptable and as there was a three-for-two offer on at present, I bought three packets. I can come back and buy more if my parcel continues to be held up.

Inside Pret

We retired to a nearby branch of Pret A Manger for refreshments before continuing on. I noticed that, apart from ourselves. No one in Pret, whether staff or customers, was wearing a face covering. So much for the government’s Plan B.

The Royal Courts of Justice

We crossed the road by the Royal Courts of Justice to the bus stop.

Aboard the 76

We caught a number 76 bus which carried us back along Fleet Street and then to Finsbury Square.

Triton Court, Finsbury Square

From the square, we walked along Chiswell Street towards the Barbican.

PC World

We were aiming for the computer and electronics store, PC World, where Tigger wanted to enquire about wifi-connected data storage devices.

What should we do next? Presumably, we should head home and think about lunch. Instead…

At the cafe bar

…we continued up the road to the Barbican Cinema where there is a nice cafe bar.

Coffee and croissants
Photo by Tigger

There we allowed ourselves to be wooed by coffee and croissants!

Cold and wet

When we emerged, it had started to rain. This did not bother us too much, though, as we were intending to return home anyway.

Aboard the 153

It was’t long before a 153 bus arrived and we went aboard.

Back at the Angel

The bus carried us safely back to the Angel and home where I think we shall stay, comfortably sheltered from the wet and the cold!

Today’s plan for supper out is to go to Pizza Union in City Road near Old Street Station.

Coming from different directions and with the heavy traffic at this time of day (6 pm), we obviously won’t both arrive at the same time. I expect to be the first and, while waiting, to shelter from the cold in a nearby branch of Pret A Manger.

Aboard the 214

I presented myself at a bus stop in Pentonville Road at about 6 pm, as Tigger was leaving the office in this City. The first bus to reach me was a 214 which I boarded.

Keeping in touch by text, Tigger lets me know that she is aboard the first of her two buses.

Pret A Manger

In about 10 minutes (at this time of day, traffic is less heavy heading into the City than out of it) I arrived at Old Street Station. I made straight for Pret. This branch stays open until 8 pm, providing a place where I could wait for Tigger in relative comfort.

Green tea

I chose a green as my “entry ticket” to Pret and found a table where I was able to sit and follow Tigger’s progress on my phone. The wonders of modern communications, eh?

When Tigger’s bus approached the stop I left Pret and we met near Pizza Union.

Pizza Union

At Pizza Union you order your food and drinks at the counter. They give you your drinks and an electronic pager. You then find a table and wait while the pizzas are baked.

Pager and green tea

Tigger had coffee but I continued with the green tea. The pager flashes intermittently so you know it’s still working and has a number to identify your order.

Pizza Union interior

How would you describe the style of Pizza Union’s dining area? “Functional”, perhaps. It has everything necessary but with no unnecessary frills.

Pizza!

The pager duly buzzed and I fetched the pizzas. They are served on a metal plate with a paper cover between it and the food.

Busy City Road

Afterwards, we went out into cold in City Road and walked to the nearest bus stop. We missed the first bus because the road was busy with traffic and we had to wait for the crossing lights to change in our favour.

Lights and tall buildings

I stopped to take a photo of the lights before hurrying to the stop. Our bus was just leaving the stop but Tigger waved at the driver and he stopped to let us board. Kind man, thanks!

Aboard the 205

The bus was fairly full but we found seats on one side. The traffic was running well now and we were soon arriving at the Angel and home.

This morning we performed our usual Sunday shopping run to Sainsbury’s and returned home for lunch.

Aboard the 476

Later – much later – we decided to go out again. It’s a cold and dull day, not very inviting to long walks. We started by catching a bus to King’s Cross Station.

It has rained

It has rained quite heavily, as witness the large cuddles, but the rain held of during our walk.

King’s Cross Station

We passed round the front of King’s Cross Station.

The Lighthouse

I stopped to photograph the Lighthouse. Long ago – I don’t when – the business occupying the building erected the figure of a lighthouse in the roof as an advertisement. Since then it has become a well loved landmark and when the block of buildings was refurbished recently, the lighthouse was reinstalled in its place of honour.

170 years of history

Inside the station, the figure 170 has been erected in lights in anticipation of the station’s 170th birthday in October next year.

Christmas Tree

The inevitable Christmas tree is also on display. This is the station’s departures hall and it was busier than I have seen it: where were all these people going, I wonder?

Granary Way

We exited the station and walked up this pedestrian road called Granary Way. The trees were lit up but don’t show up well in the photograph because the sky was still fairly bright.

Regent’s Canal and Granary Square

We reached the Regent’s Canal and, on its other side, Granary Square. This was where, in the heyday of freight trains, grain was unloaded and stored in warehouses before being distributed to feed London. Today, it is an arts and entertainment district.

Regent’s Canal

We crossed the canal by one of the bridges.

Illuminated pyramid

In the square, this illuminated pyramid with cyclically changing colour combinations was attracting attention as it’s accessible to the public to explore. Called Temenos (a Greek word indicating a sacred space or a region set aside for special purposes), it was made by Liliane Lijn and a typically self-indulgent piece of artspeak deacription will be found here.

Building continues

There is still plenty of building going on in the area but I very much doubt whether this is doing anything to supply London’s urgent need for affordable housing.

One of the sparkly trees

We walked back down towards the station, looking for somewhere to have coffee but everywhere was crowded. I tried to photograph one of the sparkly trees but was only partly successful.

Entering St Pancras Station

We reached St Pancras Station, which is just opposite King’s Cross, but our favourite coffee place there was also packed out.

Joe and the Juice

We ended up sitting at the back of Joe and the Juice – not as our first choice but faute de mieux.

Coffee and brownies
Photo by Tigger

We had coffee and chocolate brownies.

King’s Cross & St Pancras Station

Afterwards, we made our way back towards King’s Cross by walking through the tube station.

King’s Cross Station from St Pancras

By the time we emerged into the street, night had fallen and electric lights had taken over from daylight. It had also started to rain again.

The bus was crowded

We boarded a very crowded number 30 bus. (In case you are wondering, yes, that is me on the right – I took the photograph over my shoulder.)

Reaching our home stop

Here the bus is reaching our home stop. This was only a short outing but given the relatively late hour and the weather, it was enough. Never mind Christmas, I’m looking forward to spring and warmer conditions!

It’s a chilly day but at least the sun is shining (so far).

Aboard the 73

We started by catching a number 73 bus to Tottenham Court Road. The bus was fairly full but we found a seat at the rear.

Tottenham Court Road

Tottenham Court Road was unusually quiet. It turned out that this was because many of the shops were not yet open.

Black Sheep Coffee

As Tigger had some purchases to make, we went to a Black Sheep Coffee to wait for the shops to open.

Coffee and croissants
Photo by Tigger

We had a second breakfast of coffee and croissants!

Charing Cross Station

Afterwards, we made a hop to Charing Cross Station, where…

Christmas Tree

…we saw a rather artificial-looking Christmas tree and…

Aboard the train

…boarded a train to Blackheath where we expected to meet friends for a joint outing.

A view from the train

The train trundled slowly through the suburbs, the scene lit by a low winter sun.

Lee Road, Blackheath

We soon reached Blackheath and looked around for somewhere to wait for our friends to join us.

Downstairs at Gail’s

We went to Gail’s bakery, ordered drinks and found a table downstairs at the back.

The Heath

When our friends joined us, we walked up the hill to the heath from which Blackheath takes its name.

Côte

For lunch we went to a nearby branch of the pseudo-French Côte restaurants.

Afterwards, we boarded a number 108 bus. It was very crowded and we had to stand for much of the ride, thrown left and right by the movement of the bus, so no photos!

North Gteenwich

This brought us to North Gteenwich, a busy place of entertainments and cultural activities.

Your Ship Has Landed
Lydia Chan

We visited the Now art gallery where we saw the above work of art. Colourful, no doubt, but apart from that… More about it here.

Strange building

We took a look at this strange building which provides a home for takeaway food stalls, with an upper deck with seating. It looked like a collection of soap bubbles.

Emirates Air Line

These are the cable cars of the service called, by a deliberate pun, Emirates Air Line. We still haven’t taken a ride on it. One day, perhaps.

Costa Coffee

We then retired to a Costa Coffee for refreshments and a chat.

Inside Costa Coffee

It was quite busy but we found a table where we could be at our ease.

The Millennium Dome

We left Costa and went our separate ways, though I did stop to photograph this rather ridiculous piece of architecture built as the Millennium Dome and now an O2 centre.

Aboard the 108

We boarded the 108 again, this time in the opposite direction, passing under the Thames as shown in the picture.

Changing buses

We changed buses at Bow Church.

Aboard the 205

We caught a number 205 bus for a longish ride back to the Angel, bringing today’s outing to an end.