As usual, we went round to Sainsbury’s this morning to do our weekly shopping. We were careful not to arrive too early as they open only at 11 am on Sundays.

Still queueing

We were annoyed, then, to find a static queue waiting outside the shop even though it was well after opening time. We waited… and we waited… and we waited. Eventually, some Sainsbury’s employees appeared, bearing a message: they could not open the the shop because the shutter over the doors was jammed and it would be at least an hour before the problem was resolved.

We decided, rather than going home and coming back later to a shop that might still be inaccessible, to give up on them for today. We will try again either tomorrow or Tuesday after work.

In Mercer’s

We made our way back home via Chapel Market and Mercer’s where we picked up our usual coffees.

Aboard the 205

Tigger had an idea of somewhere where could go for lunch. For this, we took a number 205 bus to Shoreditch. It was packed but we managed to find seats upstairs.

The Crown and Shuttle

We left the bus in Shoreditch High Street opposite this fine old pub, the Crown and Shuttle, dating, in its current form, from 1885.

Street artists at work

Nearby was a large building site with newly erected screens. We saw that street artists had already gathered and started work, decorating the screens with their own paintings.

Shoreditch High Street

It turned out that our intended lunch place was closed so we starting walking, looking for an alternative.

Church of St Leonard

We walked past the Church of St Leonard, half-hidden by its trees.

The railway bridge

We passed under the railway bridge.

We looked at several cafes and restaurants along the way but nothing appealed to us.

Paula’s Cafe

After a long walk, we found ourselves in Haggerston where we spotted Paula’s Cafe and decided to give it a try.

In Paula’s Cafe

The cafe was quite small and was busy so we had a while to wait but were served eventually.

Crondall Street

Afterwards, we went to a bus stop for the 394 in Crondall Street. We had to wait 23 minutes for the next bus.

Aboard the 394

Because of the long wait, when the bus arrived it quickly became crowded but as we were the first at the stop, we did manage to find seats. The bus follows a complicated route round the backstreets but it brings us at last back to the Angel.

This has been a strange day, what with Sainsbury’s not being able to open this morning. Happily, though, because of the bank holiday, we have another day to ourselves tomorrow. I don’t know yet how we will spend it but we will certainly think of something to do!