Tigger has a half-day off work today and we of course want to make the most of it.

Aboard the 153

Tigger went off to work early and I followed later, first catching a 153 in St John Street and then…

All Hallows, London

…changing in London Wall to a 100. (You can just see it approaching behind other vehicles.

East Dock, St Katharine Docks

As usual, I went down to look at St Katharine Docks and the ships (“boats”?) moored there.

Walking round the dock

When Tigger came out at 11:30, we set off round the docks.

Bridge over the lock

We passed, but did not cross, the bridge that carries pedestrians and vehicles over the lock.

The lock

The lock connects the docks to the Thames and is necessary to preserve the water level in the docks because the Thames is tidal at this point and rises and falls twice a day.

The Thames and Tower Bridge

From the river end of the lock, there is a view of Tower Bridge.

Downstream Thames

Here is the view looking downstream. As a working river with a long history, the Thames is cluttered with all sorts of structures, some still in use, others long abandoned.

Thames Tigers

I had to photograph these speedboats because of their name – Thames Tigers – although I know nothing about them.

Tower Bridge

When you are close to it, you realise how big and powerful Tower Bridge is. Its image appears here, there and everywhere, and it’s easy to forget what it is in reality. It wears the disguise of a medieval fortress to match the nearby Tower of London (see below) but it is a working bridge whose spans can be raised to let tall ships pass through. It was opened ceremonially in June 1894 and who can now imagine a London without a Tower Bridge?

Lunch at Côte
Photo by Tigger

For lunch, we went to a nearby branch of Côte Brasserie. We ordered vegan French onion soup and vegetarian mushroom and camembert tart. What was amusing was the waiter’s excited reaction when we ordered the soup: he declared that he too was vegan and was happy to meet others.

Passing under Tower Bridge

After lunch, we passed through this archway under part of Tower Bridge.

The grounds of The Tower

This led us into the outer grounds of the Tower of London. This part, beside the river, is open to the public whereas you need to buy a ticket to enter inner parts of the Tower.

A glimpse inside

Above is a glimpse inside and below are a two more views from our walk along the outside.

Outside views of the Tower

From the Tower, we continued along the Thames. Here are some of the views.

Views along the Thames

I don’t know what the purpose of these stanchions was but we always observe them carefully because they are a favourite perch for cormorants for drying their wings. Strangely, today we saw only one cormorant and it wasn’t hanging out its wings to dry so hadn’t been fishing. Perhaps their fishing routine is determined by the tide and now was not a propitious moment for that.

Old Billingsgate Fish Market

We passed by this striking building, Old Billingsgate Fish Market for long London’s main fish market. In 1982, its business was moved to Poplar and the building now seems oddly silent compared with the bustle of times past.

London Bridge

Here we are approaching London Bridge. The first, and for a long time only, Thames Bridge in London was sited near here. Many bridges were built in the varying styles of their historical periods. The present, plain but functional, bridge was opened in 1973. Will it too be succeeded by others?

Fish symbol

At a particular moment, we passed between gateposts each of which was embellished by by a fish symbol.

Entrance to Fishmongers’ Hall

The fish on the gate was a sign that we were approaching Fishmongers’ Hall, the headquarters of the Fishmongers’ Company, one of London’s original Livery Companies.

Cousin Lane Stairs

Along both sides of the Thames, one comes across many such flights of steps whose role is to provide access to the river, whether for embarking or disembarking from boats. They are referred to as “stairs” and all are named. Some are more famous than others and many have a tale to tell.

Ornate tunnel-

One of the picture panels

There are many quaint passages and tunnels along the Thames. This one must have a name but I don’t know what it is which is a pity because it is one if the most elegantly decorated with picture panels and subdued lighting.

Leaving the Thanes

We left the riverside by climbing this flight of steps. It was so narrow that we had to wait until people descending had left it clear for us.

Black Sheep Coffee
Photo by Tigger

We found a branch of Black SheepCoffee and went in for a rest and refreshments.

St Mary Aldermary

Opposite Black Sheep we saw a church and, not knowing what church it was, went in to take a look. It turned out to be St Mary Aldermary. Thought to be the City’s oldest church, its name may derive from “Elder Mary”. The church also seems to host the orthodox church of St Nicholas, though how that works, I don’t know.

Impressive ceiling

The church has a rather impressive ceiling.

St Paul’s Cathedral

We now walked to St Paul’s Cathedral and then to a nearby bus stop where…

Aboard the 4

…we caught a number 4 bus that carried us home.

We have the prospect of a relaxed evening ahead and, as I often say on a Friday evening: “The weekend starts here!”

As is our wont on Sunday mornings, we went off to dance the Retail Shuffle, that is…

Dancing the Retail Shuffle

…to perform the weekly shopping run at Sainsbury’s. The shop was quite busy, calling for some nifty footwork round the more popular shelves. That done, we returned home, on the way calling in at Mercer’s for takeaway coffee.

I read recently that the pandemic has had a lasting effect on shopping habits. It seems that many people now go to the shops several times a week for smaller amounts rather than doing a big weekly shop. All I can say is that we have not changed our habits and still prefer a weekly run to Sainsbury’s to get it over and done with.

Amwell Street from the deli

After lunch, we went down to the deli in Amwell Street (having made sure yesterday that they were intending to open today) and sat outside in the sun with our coffee. Quiet though Amwell Street is, there are usually things going in to watch, whether people acting oddly or, as today, pigeons flying about in groups for reasons not immediately apparent.

Sunlit Wharton Street

After our coffee break we set off down Wharton Street. We had ideas of going for a walk though without definite notions as to where,

King’s Cross Road

We walked along King’s Cross Road towards King’s Cross. It was very quiet and all the shops were closed. (I suspect that the present bad economic situation will persuade many businesses that might have previously opened on Sundays to no longer do so.)

The old Police Station

The police station has been closed for some time now without any signs of it being used for some other purpose. The plants in front of it have grown up and spread without anyone to keep them tidy. This adds to the station’s air of neglect.

King’s Cross Road and Dim Sum Duck

When we came to this part of King’s Cross Road we saw the restaurant Dim Sum Duck. There were people queueing waiting for tables. That’s something I avoid doing as you don’t know how long you’re going to have to wait and perhaps, too, because I always feel a bit silly standing there like a lemon. That’s just me, though: your take on this might be different.

We continued on for a bit but our heart wasn’t in it. The sun was shining, making the air quite warm and we were still a bit tired from our exertions during the week. I think we both came to the conclusion at the same time that it would be a good idea to catch a bus up the hill to home. So we did just that!

Working properly – so far

My dratted PC has worked correctly since its last repair (see Frustration at Curry’s). Not that that means much as it behaved for a while last time until it started playing up again. (I suspect that when Dell releases updates, this sets it misbehaving again though that may be coincidental.)

Tomorrow is Monday which means that Tigger goes back to work and I am not looking forward to it. We have had nine days together, for which I am duly grateful, but I could do with a few more (like every day from now on!). I will do my best to keep myself occupied until the evening when Tigger returns.

For our first day back in London, it’s cloudy with occasional bursts of sunshine but it may improve later.

Cloudy day in River Street

We went to the deli for our usual coffee and sat outside to drink it.

Will the shadow stay?

We kept watching the this shadow from the lamppost. It appeared when the sun shone and disappeared when the clouds returned. We hoped it would make up its mind to stay. (It didn’t.)

Tigger had collected many photos of historic buildings while we were away and wanted to look them up in the wonderfully detailed series of books covering the architecture of the whole of the British Isles published under the editorship of Niklaus Pevsner and known to initiates simply as “Pevsner”. Where would we gain access to these books?

The pub vine, Myddelton Passage

We started by walking to Finsbury Public Library to see whether they possessed copies of the volumes of Pevsner that we wanted. On the way we of course said hello to the pub vine which is still flourishing.

The old HQ of the New River Company

We crossed Rosebury Avenue where the above turreted building always claims my attention, and…

Spa Green

…passed through Spa Green, taking care not to disturb a group of pigeons relaxing on the grass.

Finsbury Library

We reached Finsbury Library and looked around for the Pevsners, but without success. We sought help but it turned out that that didn’t keep any of the volumes in this library. Nor did they have the ones we wanted (Dorset and South Hampshire) in other branches of Islington Libraries.

Aboard the 153

Our next plan was to take a number 153 bus to Liverpool Street Station and visit the Bishopsgate Institute which we thought may hold copies of Pevsner.

Liverpool Street Station

We walked through Liverpool Street Station and…

Exchange Square

…crossed Exchange Square.

Black Sheep, Bishopsgate

We stopped off at Black Sheep Coffee in Bishopsgate and were lucky enough to catch one of the comfy sofas.

When we eventually looked across the street at the Institute, we saw it was closed. (Maybe we should have checked before going! 🙂 )

Aboard the 205

Our next attempt was to go to the British Library and seek membership, as we were sure they must keep copies of the Pevsners. To that end, we boarded a number 205 bus to the BL.

Arriving at the British Library

We reached the British Library and enquired about membership only to find that our ID items were not sufficient.

Heading for Sizzles

In view of this, we returned home to pick up what was needed and to have lunch. We tried Cafe Sizzles which had been closed the last two times we tried to go there, leaving us worried that it had closed down.

Cafe Sizzles – open

We were relieved to find the cafe open. Although it was busy there was a table free and were soon served. (They always bring us tea without us having to ask for it!)

Inside the British Library

We returned to the British Library and this time we were successful, though we nearly were not. Tigger was asked for a bank statement as proof of address but didn’t have one. I suggested they might accept the proof provided by the banking app on her phone. Would they? Yes, they would! Problem solved by lateral thinking!

Books stack, British Library

So now we were both members and could consult the books available.

The locker room

But there was one thing more to do first: bags are not allowed in the reading room so we had to go down to the locker room and stuff our bags into a shared locker. Then, at last, we were ready to go to the reading room and ask for our Pevsners.

Pevsner for Dorset

That turned out to be even easier than we had expected: when we enquired at the desk for the books, they had them them right there in a cupboard! We asked for the two we wanted and went to find seats in the reading room.

General view, reading room

We chose two seats as far away as possible from other readers so that we could discuss what we were doing without disturbing others. It didn’t take us long because Tigger photographed the pages she wanted to work on at home. (Another example of how modern technology can be helpful in all kinds of ways.)

We now caught a bus home to make tea and pore over our precious pages from the “Pevsners”. After a couple of frustrations, the day ended successfully after all.

Note: In case you are wondering about the legality of Tigger’s photos of text from the Pevsners, the law permits one to make single (not multiple) copies of one chapter or 5% of a copyrighted text. Tigger’s copies were well within those limits.

Today is our last day in Poole. Our train leaves for London (strikes and other unknowns permitting) at 14:40. We must pack and be ready to leave the apartment by 10 am.

Leaving the apartment

We in fact left at 8:50, having deposited our door keys in the key-store in the entrance hall. As we cannot leave our bags for safekeeping, we have to take them with us.

The Museum

To help pass the time, we thought to visit the museum but when we arrived, it had not yet opened.

The Custom House

We walked round the block and passed the old Custom House.

The Fisherman Cafe

We discovered the Fisherman Cafe and went in.

Inside the Fisherman Cafe

We ordered a fried breakfast, which made a change from our usual croissants and coffee.

Sunshine

We returned to the museum and the sun began to shine but for how long?

Examples of Poole Pottery

The museum opened at 10 am and we went in. They kindly locked away our bags during our visit. Poole Pottery is famous but, sadly, is no longer made in Poole.

Cushioned beams

The museum has ceilings supported by beams low enough to hit your head. Over passageways, the beams are cushioned. And, yes, I did hit my head – several times.

Binnacle

Poole is a seafaring town and many exhibits reflect this, such as the above binnacle from the 19th-century brigantine Lady of Avenel.

Footage of wild birds

There was looping film footage of the local wild birds, particularly waterfowl.

A starling visits

Reclaiming our bags, we walked down to the quay and had refreshments at Oriel. We sat outside and there were starlings about, one of which visited us at our table, albeit briefly.

Aboard the 1

It started to rain and so Tigger came up with a Plan: we would take the bus to the bus station, walk to the nearby Dolphin shopping centre and sit in the public library which is in the centre. What could possibly go wrong?

Costa Coffee

What went wrong was that the library was closed! We had to fallback on Plan B which was to come to Costa Coffee instead.

The Delfino Lounge

At 1 pm we thought we had better see about lunch. Not wanting to traipse far in the rain dragging our suitcases, we returned to the Delfino Lounge where we had lunched on our first day in Poole (see To Poole).

Lunch at the Delfino
Photo by Tigger

We both had vegetarian macaroni cheese. Tigger had a veggie sausage with hers and I had green vegetables.

At the station

After lunch, we walked to the station and, because it was raining (despite intermittent sunshine), we took refuge in one of the shelters on the platform.

Forbidden territory

Our train arrived on time and we went aboard. We found seats at a table. This carriage has both first-class and “standard” (i.e. not first-class) accommodation. Our seats are next to the first-class section. (On British trains these days, there is very little difference between standard and first-class seating. I suspect that people who pay extra for first-class do so, not hoping for luxurious accommodation but merely to be segregated from us, the common herd.)

Running through the countryside
Photo by Tigger

The train runs through open fields, woodland, villages and towns, rolling an ever-changing landscape across the windows.

Waterloo Station

More or less on time, our train pulls into Waterloo Station and the familiarity of the place is almost like a welcome-home kiss.

The bus stop under the bridge

We leave the station and go to the bus stop under the railway bridge. There are already other people waiting: will the bus be full; will we find seats?

Aboard the 341

When the bus comes, there is plenty of room and we find seats with space for our suitcases. Breathe, relax, watch London – familiar London – unfurling to our gaze as the bus threads its way through the streets.

The Angel Crossroads

We arrive at the Angel and home. The scene is sunlit as if to welcome us. Poole is now a dream and London embraces us.

According to the forecasters, it will be a rainy, thundery day today and so we must choose our activities accordingly.

Rainy day

When we set out at about 9 am, the rain had stopped and a little while later, the sun put in an appearance but it’s unlikely to last.

Coffee #1

We went to Coffee #1 for breakfast. They had only two croissants left – both strawberry.

Breakfast

Tigger kindly let me have these and she chose alternatives.

It’s sunny now… Poole Station

In view of the likely bad weather, we chose a town visit for today’s outing. Tigger bought train tickets through the app on her phone and we walked to the station.

Aboard the Southampton train

There we boarded a train for Waterloo, though we are just going to Southampton.

Southampton Central

We left the train at Southampton Central and crossed the pedestrian bridge (from where I took this) to the exit.

Civic Centre clock tower

This unusually tall clock tower belongs to the Civic Centre, built in the 1930s.

Fountain and entrance

Beside the fountain is the entrance to the City Art Gallery and Central Library.

Art Gallery, General View

We visited the art gallery. Many of the exhibits are of course “modern art“ and non-figurative so said little or nothing to me.

Eve (1889)
Auguste Rodin

There were a few pieces of sculpture, including this one, Eve by Rodin.

Napoleon wearing coronation robes, 1805
Baron François Pascal Simon Gérard

This is one of the few figurative paintings and shows the Emperor Napoleon dressed in his coronation robes.

The Art House

Afterwards, we crossed the road to the Art House and…

A pot of Assam

…there enjoyed a pot of Assam tea.

Boxing Hares
Hamish Mackie

We saw this sculpture in the street.

Covering Letter
Jitish Kallat

We had a look in the John Hansard Gallery. Above is a glimpse of one of the animated exhibits. The text of a letter from Mahatma Gandhi is displayed over a waterfall, projecting the words onto the floor. The whole thing is of course longer than this brief snatch.

The rains came

It now started to rain heavily. We looked around for somewhere to have lunch and, not least, to shelter from the rain.

Bargate

We passed the historic Bargate but did not tarry because of the rain and also the wind which was gusting strongly and blowing rain into our faces.

Poppins Cafe

Seeing Poppins Cafe, we hurried there and ordered lunch.

Church and anchor

After lunch, the sun shone briefly and we took to the streets again. We passed this historic pair, a church fronted by an anchor. The anchor is from the QE2 which had a long association with the city.

Holy Rood Church

The church is Holy Rood, gutted by bombs in 1940 and never restored by left as a memorial to the war dead of the Merchant Navy.

Old Coaching Inn
Photo by Tigger

We continued walking though the rain was starting up again. We saw this old coaching inn which also has connections with Jane Austen, for what it’s worth. (Like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen seems to have been everywhere.)

Victorian-era Post Office

This handsome building wears the title “Post Office” with pride though it has not served as such for many years. Let’s hope it continues to survive in this age of vandal developers.

Harbour House

I also admired this building called Harbour House that has a fine clock tower.

The docks

We just about reached the docks but as it was still raining, it seemed a good idea to catch a bus back to the station.

Part of the city walls?

We waited at the bus stop opposite this venerable building. Again, I don’t know what it is unless it’s part of the old city walls.

Aboard the bus

The bus was not long in coming, fortunately, and carried us quickly to the station.

Aboard the train

We found seats on the train and took off our wet raincoats though we knew we would soon have to put them on again.

Taking refuge in Coffee #1

Arriving at Poole Station, we started for home but the rain came down so heavily thst we sought refuge in Coffee #1.

When the rain eased, we left the coffee shop and paid a visit to Sainsbury’s opposite. Here we bought things for our evening meal as we didn’t feel like coming out again into the wind and rain to look for a restaurant.

Heavy rain

As we made our way home, there was another heavy downpour – the above picture may give you some idea of it.

We took refuge in a shop doorway until it eased off and then make a final dash for the apartment. We will stay in now, having had enough rainy adventures for one day.

As I was finishing this post, news came in that Queen Elizabeth II has died, ending the longest reign in British history. Presumably, the throne is now occupied by King Charles III, unless he chooses a different reign name.