The title provides a synopsis of my day. Tigger is again on the early shift which means she returns to the Angel in time to access Safestore before they close.

Oxfam Charity Shop

My first action today was to take a bag of donations to our local Oxfam shop. I have been there so often recently that they now recognise me. A dubious fame! 🙂

The “Cutting Bar”

From the charity shop I went round the corner into White Lion Street and the “Cutting Bar”, as it is called, to have my hair cut. I went on my own because I have my hair cut twice as often as Tigger has hers cut. I ask for “A number 4 all over”. 4 refers to the blade used on the clippers which cuts my hair very short. I like this because short hair is easier to look after and the barbers like it because it’s a quick and easy job for them.

Sunshine and daffodils

After lunch I went for my daily walk though I made it a short one as I knew I would be going out again later to shift stuff from storage. I took the above photo through the railings of the reservoir in Claremont Square. I saw that daffodils had sprung up among the grass and were making a cheerful show. I hope this means that spring is on its way.

Great Percy Street

I walked down Great Percy Street which is a fairly wide but quiet residential street. The sun was shining, as you can see, warming the air and adding to the pleasure of the stroll.

A fallen tree in Percy Circus

I had ideas of going to the central garden in Percy Circus – one of our favourite places – and perhaps sitting on a bench for a while. When I arrived, however, a sorry sight was awaiting me: one of the trees had fallen, whether because of disease or the recent gales, I do not know.

Percy Circus Garden

I was glad to see that the other trees in the garden seemed healthy and sturdy. In the end, I didn’t stop but continued on my way though I hope to visit this lovely spot again, perhaps we will come with coffee or a picnic lunch, when the warmer weather returns.

The path through Bevin Court

As we usually do after visiting Percy Circus, I started back by taking the path through the housing estate called Bevin Court. Off to the left is a park called Holford Gardens and beside the path are trees and grass. In the trees there are bat boxes though I see no sign of bats using them.

Bevin Court “Meadow”

In front of that “cliff of apartments” that is Bevin Court, there is what I call the meadow. It is an open space that is mown down in winter and allowed to grow unmolested during the rest of the year. The grass grows quite tall but in it there are flowers, of all kinds and of all colours. It is a beautiful sight in spring and summer. Today, I saw that the process has already begun: there are already flowers among the green. I shall watch it develop.

Cruikshank Street

From Bevin Court, my way leads uphill along Cruikshank Street. The slope is an incentive to walk slowly and take in all the interesting points of the scene. From here, I returned home where I made tea and read a book (Sang Famille by Michel Bussi that I mentioned in Walking to Battishill Street) until Tigger announced that she was on the way home. I then prepared myself for this evening’s episode of shifting items back from storage.

First load
Photo by Tigger

I took our shopping trolley (minus bag) to meet Tigger at the bus stop and we went together to Safestore. We managed two trips this evening. Above is a view of the store and the trolley loaded for the first run.

Second Load
Photo by Tigger

Here we are about to depart with the second of today’s loads. I think you can now definitely see that we have reduced the amount of stuff in the storage area. (If in doubt, compare these pictures with those in previous posts!) Tomorrow, though, the real work begins because we have only two days left on our contract and don’t want to have to extend it. Tigger has taken tomorrow off from work for the purpose. Will we manage to complete the work in time? Watch this space to find out! 🙂