On a chilly, wet day it would have been tempting to stay indoors eating toast accompanied by pots of tea. Fortunately, the need to go shopping overcame our torpor.

In Sainsbury’s

As usual, we surfed the shelves at Sainsbury’s and had soon collected our purchases and passed through the checkout.

Encouraging you to walk

After a slow lunch, we went out again. If you have an iPhone and have updated it to iOs 16, you may have noticed that it comes with a fitness app that looks like the above. This is quite good in that it encourages you to walk a chosen distance each day and to “close the ring”. It was useful today as it tempted us out into the wet and windy weather.

Visiting the goldfish

We set off down Pentonville Road where, in front of a block of flats is a pond with goldfish in it. We paid them a visit. There is a sort of horrid fascination about watching fish and imagining being with them in the cold water! (We incurred suspicious looks from the caretaker who probably wondered why we were photographing goldfish! Well, why not…? 🙂 )

Pentonville Road in the rain

After this momentary diversion, we continued down the road towards King’s Cross and St Pancras.

The clock tower of St Pancras Station

We arrived at the two stations that sit looking at one another across a narrow road, a legacy if the days when the then new railway companies were trying to steal a march on one another and corner the lucrative routes.

Hurrying to their train

We walked through King’s Cross Station departures and watched a line of people hurrying to their train. Did I wish that I too was going on a trip? Actually, no, but perhaps that will change when the weather improves in spring and summer.

The departures hall

We entered the departures hall, whose roof is supported by the remarkable and innovative tree structure which provides a maximum of open space by avoiding the need for pillars.

A view from the terrace

We ascended to the terrace where you have a view of the hall and, in particular, the the station Christmas tree.

Neon Christmas decoration

We crossed from King’s Cross Station into St Pancras and on the way we encountered this decoration made of neon lights. Is it supposed to represent something? I couldn’t make out anything, whether pictorially or in text.

St Pancras Station

We entered St Pancras Station which was fairly busy though not as much as we have known it on some occasions. In particular, the usual slow-moving queue for the Eurostar was missing.

In EL & N

Amusingly, the same thought occurred to us both independently: to go to EL & N for coffee as we had not been there for a while. Through the window we saw that one of the booths (the one called Brussels) was free. Tigger went in to secure it while I went to the counter to order the coffees.

The station “Christmas Tree”

St Pancras Station has in own unique version of a Christmas Tree. This is a tree-shaped collection of elements suggesting the architecture of the station itself, topped with a representation of its famous click tower.

The “tree” (detail)

This close-up of part of the “tree” shows how it is constituted.

Midland Riad in the rain

We walked out into Midland Road and the rain. A glance at the fitness app showed that we had “closed the ring” for today and that we could therefore take the bus home with an easy conscience!

Aboard the 214

Six minutes later, a number 214 bus arrived at the stop. We went aboard and were carried up the hill back to the Angel.

It’s a sunny-cloudy day but supposedly dry. We have no definite plan except for the usual starting point:

Myddelton’s delicatessen

We went to the deli for coffee and, though it was a little chilly, we were able to sit outside.

Aboard the 341

Afterwards, we walked down to Rosebury Avenue and caught a number 341 bus. This wasn’t planned: we simply took the first bus to arrive.

Crossing Waterloo Bridge
Photo by Tigger

We crossed Waterloo Bridge and arrived at the bus’s terminus in front of Waterloo Station.

Waterloo Station

We walked through the station but did not tarry there as our goal was elsewhere.

Christmas Trees on sale

We entered Lower Marsh where I saw Christmas trees on sale – the first time this year.

Marie’s Cafe

We were heading for Marie’s Cafe in Lower Marsh where we thought to have lunch,

In Marie’s

The cafe seems popular but the service is efficient and we were soon served.

Walking along Lower Marsh

After lunch, we walked along Lower Marsh. Strangely, despite it being Saturday and Christmas being in the offing, the street was not busy.

Passage down

When we came to this downward-sloping passage, we followed it down.

Leake Street

It brought us into Leake Street, known popularly as the graffiti tunnel. It was once a normal road carrying traffic under Waterloo Station but is now closed to traffic and turned over the street artists to paint the walls and ceiling (and perhaps even the floor sometimes) without penalty.

Artists at work

There were several artists at work. Down here they don’t mind being photographed whereas if they are working in the street they don’t like to be identified as they may be painting without permission.

Ouroboros tiger

This painting struck us particularly, partly because it was well done but also because it seems to marry a tiger with the concept of the Ouroboros. (A tiger is always going to capture my interest, of course!)

Paintings in Leake Street

There are a couple more of the paintings we saw. Interpret them as you will.

York Road

We emerged from Leake Street into York Road..

Aboard the 77

…where we caught a number 77 bus.

Mitcham Road, Tooting

Though we managed to find seats, the bus was very crowded and was a relief to leave it in Mitcham Road in Tooting.

In Wilko

We visited the local branch of Wilko for Tigger to find materials for a project she is involved in at work.

Victorian street lamp

We admired this Victorian street lamp which also doubles as a signpost.

King Edward VII

We sympathised with King Edward VII for being continually on duty in front of Tooting Broadway tube station, albeit only as a bronze statue.

Caffè Nero

We then retired to Caffè Nero for refreshments.

Aboard the 44

Tooting is an interesting district but on a dull, chilly day, walking the streets was not an attractive proposition and so we caught a number 44 bus to Victoria. The journey was rather long and the bus was crowded so it wasn’t the most enjoyable of trips.

Crossing Battersea Bridge
Photo by Tigger

It was some relief to cross Battersea Bridge as it indicated that we were approaching the end of the ride.

Victoria Bus Station

On reaching Victoria, we went straight to the bus station and the platform for the 38 buses.

Aboard the 38

The 38 carried us through the busy streets where Christmas shopping seems to be in full swing among the brightly decorated shops.

The Angel Crossroads

We bus deposited us in familiar territory and I took a last photo as we crossed through the Angel Crossroads from where a short stroll brought us home. I am now looking forward to a quiet evening at home with Tigger.

On Friday, we usually eat out or order a takeaway. Today we have arranged to meet out and have supper at Côte in Chiswell Street. As Tigger is on the early shift today, that means eating around 5 pm. I dare say we can manage it, though!

Aboard the 214

There is supposed to be a bus strike today but, despite this, there are in fact buses running as not all routes are on strike. I decided to take a 214 to Moorgate.

Finsbury Square

The bus brought me to Finsbury Square, Moorgate. I imagine it must have been a pleasant square with a garden when first built but now the garden is spoilt by buildings. There is also a subterranean car park underneath it.

Martha Smith drinking fountain

In one corner there still stands the Victorian (1898) drinking fountain dedicated to Martha Smith by her sons. If they could see it now, they would no doubt be distressed to see how dirty and unkempt it is.

The lawn

The garden still has a grassy area where in summer, office workers eat their lunch and sunbathe.

Chiswell Street

From Finsbury Square I walked along Chiswell Street. It was now 4 pm and the sun was sinking behind the buildings.

The Barbican

My walk brought me to the Barbican. I find the brutalist style ugly and depressing but I must admit to a certain fondness for the Barbican Estate.

Barbican Cinemas

We have agreed to meet in the cafe of the Barbican Cinemas. That way, the first to arrive could wait in the warm.

The cinema cafe

I was first to arrive and found a seat where I would be easily visible to Tigger when she arrived.

Tea (no milk)

I ordered a tea without milk and settled down to await the arrival of my beloved.

Côte Brasserie

When Tigger arrived, we went straight to Côte Brasserie which is conveniently sited in the same building.

(Vegan) French Onion Soup

For a starter, we had French Onion Soup because, unusually, this restaurant has a Vegan version.

Mushroom and egg galette

The main course was a vegetarian mushroom and egg galette.

Night had fallen

Earlier, as I had walked along the cold street to the cafe, I had been looking forward to being in the warm. In the restaurant, though, it was so warm – too warm – that I found myself looking forward to going out into the street to cool down!

Chiswell Street

Darkness had fallen now and the scene was lit with electric lights. We walked along Chiswell Street to the bus stop.

Aboard the 153

We had just a few minutes to wait and then we were able to board a 153 which carried us home to the Angel. (In the photo, we are passing through the tunnel under the Barbican)

When we arrived home it was not yet 7 pm so we have the rest of the evening to enjoy. And, to quote myself 🙂 – “the weekend starts here!”

The weather is clear today, even sunny at moments. This encouraged me to make a foray into town.

The reason for my trip was that I had run out of books in French to read and had found nothing new to interest me in either the local Oxfam bookshop or the public library. The remaining alternative was to buy a new book at one of the bookshops that stocks books in foreign languages. As the title indicates, I decided to try Foyles.

The bus stop in St John Street

The easy way to reach Foyles bookshop in Charing Cross Road is to take a number 19 or number 38 bus to the stop at Cambridge Circus. I went to the bus stop in St John Street and waited.

The wait seemed rather long. Usually, there are 19s and 38s every few minutes… but not today. Stranger still, the bus app on my phone showed no buses, just the sulky message “Nothing expected”.

Then came that light bulb moment: could today be a day when bus crews are on strike? A quick look on the Internet (whatever would we do now if our mobile phones no longer worked!?) showed that today was indeed a strike day.

I was about to give up and go for a local walk instead when… I saw a number 19 bus! So, at least some buses are running. I hesitated to board the bus in case, having reached Foyles, I couldn’t find a bus to take me home. I decided to risk it and jumped aboard.

Aboard the 19

The journey into town was annoyingly slow. London’s streets are narrow and congested and have traffic lights every few yards. Adding to the misery are road works which close lanes and cause buses to divert, adding to the misery. I have a theory that if you recorded how much time the average London bus spends moving and not moving, you would find that it spends the greater part of its time standing still.

Charing Cross Road

The main branch of Foyles is in Charing Cross Road, a street that is famous for, among other things, its bookshops, particularly those selling vintage and secondhand books.

Foyles used to have the reputation of being quirkily unfriendly from the customer’s point of view. For example, they shelved their books by publisher rather than by subject, making it hard to find books on a specific topic. Next, having found your book, you had to engage with the arcane payment system. First you presented your book at the nearby desk. Here, the assistant issued you with an invoice and carefully put the book away under the desk. Next, you went to one of the payment booths where you tendered the invoice and your money. In return, the assistant stamped your invoice “Paid” and gave it back to you. Thirdly, you would take your invoice back to the first assistant who would give you your receipt and – yes, at last! – your book! I’m glad to say that all that has changed and Foyles is today like – well, almost like – a normal bookshop.

Foyles, Charing Cross Road

I left the bus at its stop at Cambridge Circus and walked back along Charing Cross Road to what must surely be that street’s most famous inhabitant. (Actually, although Foyles has always been in Charing Cross Road, it was not always at this address. Some years ago, it moved here from what I am tempted to call its historic premises for reasons unknown to me.)

Part of the French language section

Foreign languages are on the fourth floor of Foyles. I was lazy and took the lift, promising myself to walk down the stairs afterwards!

There is an impressive display of books in French and it would be very easy to go a little mad and spend a small fortune. If you compare the publisher’s price in euros with the sterling price, the latter is significantly higher. No surprises there, then.

Books by Georges Simenon

I could have spent all day here without being able to make a choice but, fortunately, I had an idea in mind. I wanted a book or books by Belgian novelist Georges Simenon, writer of the Maigret detective books. I had checked what was available on Foyles’s website but it turned out that they didn’t have any of the books I had picked out.

The staircase at Foyles

I made my choice and paid, glad to be able to do this as one single operation, unlike in the old days. Then, keeping my promise to myself, I walked down the staircase to the exit.

Usefully, there is a bus stop just outside Foyles but would there be any buses on this, supposedly a strike day?

Aboard the 19

Yes, there would! I had not too long to wait before a number 19 bus appeared and I clambered aboard. All that remained now was the tedious journey of delays back to the Angel.

Road works

We made the usual halting progress through the streets, at one point stopping beside these road works which narrowed the carriageway, causing holdups.

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

As I had ridden the buses instead of taking my daily walk, I left the bus at Sadler’s Wells Theatre and walked home from there. It may not have been far but it was at uphill which must count for something, surely 🙂

The vine

I visited the pub vine in Myddelton Passage and it is looking very sparse now. It still has green foliage but for how long?

Myddelton Square and St Marks

I walked up through Myddelton Square, keeping to the sunny side of the street, and was soon home.

Tout Maigret, vol 10

In case you are wondering what book I bought, here it is: volume 10 of Tout Maigret, the collected stories of Simenon’s famous detective.

Simenon’s Maigret stroies comprise both full-length novels and ahorter pieces classed as nouvelles (short stories). This volume,costing £39.99 contains 28 nouvelles which works out at about £1.43 each. Well worth it, in my view.

Revised and reformatted on November 24th 2022.

Chapel Market

It was sunny when we set out this morning, though Chapel Market, owing to its east-west orientation, was caught in a trough of shadow.

St Mark’s Church

It was still sunny when we went out after lunch and passed through Myddelton Square where St Mark’s Church was cheerfully illuminated.

Exmouth Market

We found the deli closed and so we continued on down to Exmouth Market. I was not too sorry as it was rather chilly to sit outside with our coffee.

Caffè Nero

We entered Caffè Nero in Exmouth Market and had our coffee there, comfortably seated in the warm.

At the bus stop

Afterwards, we went to the nearby bus stop. It was still dry at this point and I was hoping it would stay dry as I hate both the cold and the wet.

Aboard the 19

We caught a number 19 bus and sat in the rear-facing seats at the back.

Hyde Park Corner

As our journey progressed, I began to notice through the bus window people with open umbrellas – yes, it had started to rain. We left the bus at Hyde Park Corner.

The Wellington Arch

Here, a large island, surrounded by roads, has been chosen as a site for war memorials. What is probably the oldest item there is the Wellington Arch. It was built in 1826-30 and moved here half a century later. Looking at it, you may wonder why it is associated with Wellington. The answer is that originally, there was an equestrian statue of the Duke atop the arch and this prompted the name. That statue is now elsewhere – in Aldershot, I believe.

Royal Artillery Memorial

There are a lot of memorials on this site and we toured them all though I only photographed the Wellington Arch and this one, the Royal Artillery Memorial, which refers to the First World and was unveiled in 1925.

I find war memorials depressing at the best of times and doubly so at the moment in view of the horrible war of aggression being waged by Russia in the Ukraine. All wars are as stupid as they are wicked and as long as nations maintain armies and stockpile weapons any praise of humanity’s supposed achievements must have a hollow ring.

The bus stop for home

It was a relief to make our way across the road to the return bus stop. Happily, we had only a couple of minutes to wait for our bus.

Aboard the 19

We boarded a number 19 bus and sat in the middle, but still rear-facing, seats this time and were carried through the gloomy rain-swept city back to the Angel.

Our weekend is nearly over, unfortunately, and tomorrow Tigger returns to work. At least we still have the evening ahead of us and will make the most of it.