The cold snap has ended and the temperature has risen to 12°C. The rain yesterday and again today has washed away the remsining snow.

Tigger has a clinic appointment this afternoon and is leaving the office at 12:30. I am to meet her from work to make the most of an extra half-day together.

Aboard the 205

Leaving plenty of time (traffic delays are frequent in London), I caught a number 205 bus to the City.

Aboard the 100

By the time we reached St Botolphe’s Street, where I changed to a 100, it was raining hard and there was a stiff breeze blowing. (I installed my hat lock but still nearly lost my hat a couple of times in blustery gusts.)

St Katharine Docks

On arrival at the office complex, despite the weather, I paid my ritual visit to St Katharine Docks, though I didn’t stay long.

Tea at Pret

Close to Tigger’s office is a branch of Pret A Manger. I went in and ordered a cup of black tea. I can hang out here in the warm and proceed across to the office nearer 12:30.

The atrium

Nearer the time, I went and sat in the atrium of the office block. It is as tall as the whole building (6 or 7 floors) and I’m glad I don’t have to pay their heating bill!

Aboard the 153

We started our journey on 100 and then changed to a 153.

Somewhere in Hornsey

We left the bus somewhere in Hornsey. Checking the clinic’s address, we found we had come to the wrong place. Then followed a mad rush (no time for photos) to reach the right place, preferably by the appointment time. Somehow we made it!

Reception

I waited in the reception/waiting area, getting my breath back, while Tigger went for her appointment.

Aboard the 63

The appointment concluded, we walked back to the Holloway Road and a bus stop (which happens to be in front of the polytechnic, now university, where I taught for two and a half decades) and boarded a number 63 bus. It was rather full but we found seats upstairs at the front from where I took this photo.

The Workers Cafe

We left the bus at the Town Hall in Upper Street and walked down to the Workers Cafe (no apostrophe).

Inside the Workers Cafe

We haven’t been here for a while and so it was good to renew our acquaintance with it. We had a pleasant and unhurried lunch.

A view of Upper Street

In the interest of meeting Tigger’s daily walking target, we did not take the bus but returned home on foot. It was raining, though not too heavily, and the temperature was quite pleasant compared with the cold of the last few days.

Approaching Almeida Passage

Rather than follow the busy main road, we turned off up Almeida Street. At the other end of this street is a quaint narrow passage through a row of houses. It is called, reasonably enough, Almeida Passage. You need to know it’s there as you would never spot it from the main road.

Gibson Square

The passage leads into Gibson Square (and even here is easy to miss as the entrance looks like just another of the doorways belonging to the terrace of houses), a quiet and rather secluded neighbourhood.

The “chalet”

I’ve written about Gibson Square before (type its name into the search box), see, for example, Three squares. The central garden contains a curious “feature”: what looks like a chalet but is in fact a disguised ventilation shaft for the Underground line running below it. There is a better photo of it in the post mentioned above.

The Royal Agricultural Hall

We walked down Liverpool Road, passing the old Royal Agricultural Hall (opened 1862) and now recast as the Business Design Centre.

Amwell Street

We came at last into Amwell Street. The light was fading fast by now and the rain was seemingly trying to persuade us to go home but we had one more call to make first.

Myddelton’s deli

We ended today’s outing where we so often start our outings, at Myddelton’s deli. It was not for coffee today, however, but for Tigger to order a Christmas gift to be sent to a friend.

After that, we made our way home and I, for one, was glad to arrive as my feet were reminding me that we had done a lot of walking today, despite the bus rides. Tigger managed to “close the ring” (see Dull Sunday for an explanation) and so all’s well that ends well.