Baron Street

Today is sunny again though not quite as warm as yesterday (around 6°C).

Farmers’ Market

The Farmers’ Market seemed up to its usual strength today after a couple of weeks of low attendance.

Not open yet

We usually aim to reach Sainsbury’s after they have opened at 11 am but today we were early and found ourselves waiting in a queue for the doors to open.

In Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s was averagely busy for early on Sunday and it didn’t take us long to collect our shopping and join a mercifully short checkout queue.

Mobile snack bar

I passed through the main market on my way to Mercer’s and photographed the mobile snack bar. It seems to have a regular turnover of customers without ever being crowded.

Electronics stall

These days, the market includes electronics stalls offering repairs to phones and computers along with more traditional stalls selling food or household wares.

Carrying the coffee home

As usual, we called in at Mercer’s to collect our coffees to take home, one of life’s simple pleasures!

Aboard the 341

We didn’t wait to have lunch at home but, having put away our shopping, we walked to St John Street and boarded a number 341 bus.

Finsbury Park

We left the bus at Finsbury Park. We were going to meet a friend for lunch and as we were early, we went for a stroll in the park.

“Sculpted lace” of branches
Photo by Tigger

There are many ancient trees in the park, all interesting and beautiful, even in their winter bareness. I was fascinated by the “sculpted lace” of their interlaced branches.

Park View Cafe

We were going to have lunch actually in the park: the venue was the Park View Cafe that is inside the park.

Inside Park View Cafe

The cafe has seating outside and inside. We made no bones about preferring to be inside, given how cold it was in the open air.

Out friend joined us and we ordered lunch. The cafe was busy and the service was consequently very slow. Fortunately, there was a lot to talk about and keep us occupied while waiting.

Walking in the park

After lunch, we went for a walk, strolling through the park and then accompanying our friend to a stop where she could catch her bus for home. By now the clouds were thicker and the sun had disappeared.

The New River

I photographed the New River that runs through the park.

Aboard the 341

Having seen our friend onto her bus, we caught a 341 bus back to the Angel. We look forward to an evening at home to conclude our weekend.

When we started out this morning, the sun was shining in a blue sky and it was relatively warm (13°C). It was a pleasant change from the recent cold.

Amwell Street, the George & Monkey

We made our way to Amwell Street and a certain delicatessen.

Yes! Coffee outside!

At Myddelton’s, the tables on the sunny side were free and so, for the first time this year, we sat outside to drink our coffee. A notable moment!

Aboard the 214

Afterwards, we caught a single-deck 214 and later changed to a number 46. There followed quite a long journey because the 46 runs on a complicated route with many twists and turns.

Passing through West Hampstead
Photo by Tigger

I do remember that we passed through Hampstead and, later, St John’s Wood.

Paddington Station from the street

We left the bus near Paddington Station and I took this photo over a wall.

Steps to the canal

We looked for a way into the station and eventually found a staircase leading down to the canal that runs beside the station. There is a colourful barge in the centre of the photo.

Costa Coffee

Just inside the station precinct is this locale of Costa Coffee.

Coffee and muffins

We ordered coffee and muffins. This was served in cardboard cups and paper bags, as us common in these days of Covid.

Walking through the station

Afterwards, we walked through the station precinct, making for Praed Street (pronounced praid) where we could catch a bus for home.

At the bus stop in Praed Street

Having reached the bus stop, we had a while to wait for a 205.

Aboard the 205

We wanted the 205 bus because it would carry us all the way home. We could have taken an earlier bus part of the way and, as things turned out, it would have been better to do so.

Changing buses

As we reached the stop in the above photo, there was a sudden panic on the bus and shouts to stop the bus. Someone had fallen ill and an ambulance had to be called. The bus was taken out of service. We had a long wait before the next 205 would arrive.

A famous figure at Baker Street

Instead of waiting, we caught a number 18 bus which would carry us to Euston Station. The first stop was at Baker Street Station and you might be able, in the above photo, to spot the statue of a famous, though fictitious, “consulting detective” associated with Baker Street.

Aboard the 73

We changed to a number 73 bus. It was fairly full and we found seats at the front upstairs. We could enjoy a good view of the road as we bowled along.

Approaching King’s Cross Station

Here we are approaching King’s Cross Station. From here we were soon home where we enjoyed a late lunch and settled in for a cosy evening à deux.

It has seemed a long tedious week with more frustrations than solutions. To give you just one example: my new computer has fits when the mouse cursor darts about like a mad thing and I have to reboot to cure it. On Thursday morning it played up again so I quickly shoved it in a bag and took it to Curry’s where I bought it. Guess what happened next: yep, at Curry’s it behaved perfectly and refused to show the fault. All they could suggest was that next time it misbehaves I should video it so they have something to go on.

To celebrate the end of a week that has been equally tedious for both of us, we decided to have supper out. We chose Wagamama in Angel Central as our venue.

Co-operative Bank, High Street
Photo by Tigger

Accordingly, I met Tigger off a 205 bus at the clock tower and we walked through a busy High Street on our way to Angel Central.

Upper Level, Angel Central
Photo by Tigger

We made our way to the upper level of Angel Central and found Wagamama very busy. This restaurant is very popular and, in fact, there was a queue at the door. We joined it, uncertain how long we would have to wait to be admitted.

Quite crowded

We were admitted eventually and shown to a table in the crowded restaurant.

No duck donburi

We both chose the same Vegan dish, called “No duck donburi”. What looks like an egg in the middle isn’t an actual egg but a looky-likey made of vegetable matter. And yes, I am not too proud to ask for a fork rather than let the food go cold while I struggle with chopsticks.

When it came to paying the bill, I noticed that this contained only the cost of the items we had consumed: there was no service charge – almost unheard of in today’s world. Instead, we left them a tip on the table.

That was a pleasant end to a tedious week and I am hoping that the weekend will have more such pleasures in store.

In yesterday’s post I remarked that I had an appointment today “that I am not looking forward to.”

Pickering Dental Surgery

The appointment was at the practice of Pickering Dental at 11:20 am. According to the Apple Maps app on my phone, it takes around 15 minutes to walk there from home. What Apple Maps didn’t know was that my dentist has her surgery on the third floor, at the top of a steep staircase of 49 steps. I deliberately arrived early so that I could sit in the tiny waiting room and recover my breath.

My last appointment had involved root canal work and had lasted well over an hour. Today’s appointment was for the dentist to finish the job by installing a crown on the tooth. I didn’t know how long this would take and how much discomfort would be involved. In fact, it took about 10 minutes and there was no discomfort at all.

(The only “ouch factor” was the price. Dentistry is the one branch of medicine in the UK for which the patient is required to pay part of the cost. I chose a ceramic crown, which is the most expensive option, so there was a considerable “ouch”!)

St Mary’s Church

According to my dentist, I must wait a couple of hours before having hot drinks or chewing in order to let the crown’s adhesive set. To help me avoid temptation, I decided to take a walk before going home. Pickering Dental is almost opposite St Mary’s Church and I decided to start with a stroll in the church garden.

St Mary’s Vicarage

Beside the church stands this large house. A plaque beside the front door identifies it as the vicarage.

Dansk Florist

A section of the house that looks as if it might have been the garage, or even a stable, has been given over to a florist’s called Dansk Flowers.

St Mary’s Church Garden

I walked through the church garden (originally the burial ground until London’s cemeteries were closed in the 1850s). A couple of hardy citizens were sitting on benches, otherwise it was deserted.

Squirrel

There I met a squirrel but he preferred to play it safe and take refuge in a tree.

Waterstones Bookshop

Arriving at Islington Green, I thought I would take a look inside Waterstones bookshop. It occupies a building dated 1897 on the site of the once famous Collins Music-hall, sadly destroyed by fire.

No shortage of books

Though bookshops are becoming ever rarer, no doubt because they find it hard to compete with online sellers such as Amazon, there seems to be no shortage of books. The place was piled high with new books, both fiction and non-fiction. I vaguely hoped I might find some books in French but was not surprised to find none. Too often, the shelf label “Foreign Languages” means only bilingual dictionaries and language tutorials, not books in foreign languages.

Islington Green

I walked onto the Green which was nearly as deserted as St Mary’s Church Garden.

Street Cat Bob

While I was there, I paid a visit to the statue of Street Cat Bob. We last took a look at him on Boxing Day (see Boxing Day brunch), when he had been dressed in Christmas finery. Today he was unadorned.

Oxfam Bookshop

As my visit to Waterstones had not produced a result, I thought I would try my luck at the Oxfam Bookshop where I bought three books recently. Having climbed to the first floor, I found that the French books, which are in a narrow part of the shop, were blocked from access by a stand. I tried pushing it but couldn’t move it, so I gave up.

Angel Central

I walked through the mall called Angel Central, with its lights that continually change colour.

Empty once more

The courtyard with its artificial lawn has been restored to its open aspect. Over Christmas it was cluttered with decorations and figures such as reindeer but these have now been removed. In summer they sometimes put out deckchairs for people to lounge in the sun. (For a couple of pictures of its Christmas appearance see Eros and Zédel.

Saved – the Angel Wings

The present management of Angel Central, which has carried out an expensive remodelling if the site, wanted the Council to remove the famous Angel Wings (sculpted by Wolfgang Buttress, 2003) but a “Save our Wings” campaign was successful in having them retained. (See here for the story.)

An ordinary street on Mondays

I passed along Chapel Market which, on Mondays, becomes an ordinary road which motor vehicles can use. There are no stalls and no tables and chairs in front of cafes. I do notice, though, that because it is pedestrian-only on 6 days a week, even on Mondays people tend to walk in the road, something they wouldn’t do on normal roads. Motorists beware! (The new Highway Code privileges pedestrians over cycles and motor vehicles and requires these users to pay careful attention to their safety.)

I now have to be patient for a little while longer to give my crown a chance to “set”, then I can have lunch, including a nice hot cup of tea!

The weather continues cold and grey. Whatever the thermometer may say, the air feels freezing cold. After a busy week at work, even the intrepid Tigger feels disinclined to face the inclement conditions.

Saturday

After lunch we went for a short walk with a predictable goal.

The Curvaceous Tree

We did at least walk round Myddelton Square where I photographed (yes, again!) the Curvaceous Tree.

The cat in the window
Photo by Tigger

As usual, we looked for the two cats who live in the square. We hadn’t seen either of them for quite some time but today we were lucky. One of the cats was visible, perched on furniture near a window. We merited a blank feline stare.

Arboreal filigree

I was struck by the filigree pattern made by the unadorned branches of the winter-bare trees in Myddelton Square Gardens.

River Street

We walked along River Street, named, as you perhaps remember, after the New River whose course runs along behind it. At the end of the road, in Amwell Street, our goal is visible: the red awning of Myddelton’s deli.

We have to wait

When we reach the deli, we found that there were other customers ahead of us and we had to wait a while. When our turn cane, we were greeted in friendly fashion, as always.

We returned quickly home with our coffee and stayed indoors for the rest of the day. The warmer days will return, I am sure, when we will feel more disposed to go out and about.

Sunday

Sunday is of course shopping day but today we enjoyed an added pleasure: a cooked brunch!

Grey skies over Pentonville Road

As we crossed over Pentonville Road, I stopped to take a quick photo while there was a gap in the traffic.

The Farmers’ Market

We reached Chapel Market and I noted that there were relatively few stalls active today. I had to walk some way along the street to take a photo.

Cafe Sizzles

Our first destination was here, a friendly, small cafe in Chapel Market called Sizzles.

Inside Sizzles

We were soon served and enjoyed our cooked brunch.

Stall belonging to a shop

The regular market was also thinly attended. Some of the shops also have stalls outside, perhaps as a way to compete with the market.

Many regulars missing

The market presented something of its usual appearance but a number of stalls we are used to seeing on Sundays were not present. Are stallholders taking a post-New Year holiday?

At the checkout

We entered Sainsbury’s and with two of us collecting the needed items we had soon finished our shopping. We then had a bit of a wait at the checkouts.

Walking through the market

When I walked through the market on the way to Mercer’s I found it much less busy than usual with fewer stalls and fewer customers at the stalls.

At Mercer’s

Mercer’s was not very busy either and I was served straightaway. We then returned straight home to put away the shopping and enjoy our coffee. We will spend the rest of the day at home. Tomorrow Tigger returns to work and I have an appointment that I am not looking forward to. Let’s hope we can relax for the rest of today.