It was raining insistently this morning when we set out for Sainsbury’s but we braved the weather to get the job done.

Chapel Market in the rain

Chapel Market was thinly attended both in terms of stalls and customers – open-air markets are vulnerable to bad weather.

Surfing the shelves in Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s wasn’t hugely busy, either, and we had soon collected all our purchases and checked out.

In Mercer’s

As usual, we called in at Mercer’s for our coffee on the way home.

Aboard the 73

Later, we caught a 73 bus. It wasn’t raining when we boarded but…

Oxford Street in the rain

…by the time we reached Oxford Street, it was pelting down again.

In John Lewis

We took refuge in John Lewis’s and ascended by the escalators to the top floor where their cafe is situated. I took this photo looking down four floors as the drop both makes me nervous and attracts me.

The queue for food

We joined the queue st the counter and selected items for lunch.

Lunch!
Photo by Tigger

We chose soup, a wrap and chips. The chips were not “proper chips” but potato composite fried. You’d think a store with JL’s reputation could do better.

The sun is shining!

When we emerged, the rain had stopped and the sun was actually shining. That had to be worth a photo! But would it last…?

Liberty’s

We had met a friend at John Lewis’s. He wanted to visit Liberty’s so thither we went.

A view from the fourth floor

We took the lift to the top, fourth, floor and worked our way down. The lifts are small and decorated with carved woodwork so it’s like going into a cupboard or wardrobe for your journey up or down.

Christmas lights and a reindeer

In some departments there were lights and sparkly decorations making it seem Christmasy.

Nothing Christmasy here

In other places, there were no lights, Christmas trees or decorations, nothing festive. Perhaps they are working their way through the store, decorating a bit at a time.

At the counter in Costa

Our friend went off and we paused a while over coffee in a branch of Costa.

Passing Carnaby Street

Afterwards, we made our way back to Oxford Street to take the bus home. On the way we passed the end of what I an tempted to call “the once-famous Carnaby Street”. Does anyone ever talk about this street now or has it sunk back into quasi oblivion?

Evening falls

By now, the sun was low in the sky, casting narrow streets into evening shadow.

Steps to the next street

The street we were following ends in a staircase up to the next street. This reminds us, if we need reminding, how uneven and hilly London is though it is only here and there that it is as noticeable as this.

The sunset from Oxford Street

We reached the bus stop in Oxford Street from where we had a view of the sunset. The rain was holding off though the ground was wet and there were huge puddles in some places where you had to be careful not to be splashed by passing traffic.

Aboard the 73

We caught a number 73 bus which carried us through the busy streets back to the Angel and home. The weekend is fast approaching its end but we still have this evening when we can relax and enjoy one one another’s company.