It was a sunny day today though chilly as…

Tolpuddle Street and Culpeper Park

…this picture perhaps indicates. We walked along Cloudesley Road beside the park and then cut through Cloudesley Place into Liverpool Road.

Old Royal Free Hospital

We came to the Old Royal Free Hospital, now a residential estate.

Passing through the estate

We passed through the estate. It contains buildings of several different periods though, I think, with fairly happy results.

Caffè Nero

This brought us to Islington Green in whose branch of Caffè Nero we spent some time, drinking coffee and chatting.

Cass Art

Afterwards, we crossed Essex Road into Colebrooke Row where we paid a visit to the Islington branch of Cass Art, where Tigger had some purchases to make.

Inside Cass Art

It is an impressive store on two floors with everything that an artist night need.

Aboard the 38

We next boarded a number 38 bus for the first stage of our journey.

Piccadilly at Green Park

This took us along Piccadilly to the bus stop at Green Park.

Le Pain Quotidien

From Green Park, a number 14 bus brought us to Kensington where we started prospecting for lunch. Everywhere was crowded (perhaps the sunshine had encouraged people to come out) but we eventually tried our luck at the local branch of Le Pain Quotidien, though we had to wait a few minutes for a table to become free.

Inside Le Pain Quotidien
Photo by Tigger

We had seats at the restaurant’s long, multi-place table – this “communal table” is a feature of this Belgian firm’s restaurants though they have conventional smaller tables as well. Le Pain Quotidien used to be one of our favourite restaurants and we breakfasted often at the St Pancras branch until the pandemic curtailed our activities so it was interesting to renew our acquaintance over lunch.

Walking in Kensington

We walked a while in Kensington which I think used to be considered a fairly posh area but it seems rather more cosmopolitan these days. Because the French Consulate, the French Institute and the Lycée Français are here, the area has a number of French (real or imitation) shops and cafes.

Inside Page’s French bookshop

One of these is La Page French bookshop. We went in for a look round. The shop is quite big with a huge array of books in French on all subjects. It would take quite a while to become familiar with it all.

Aboard the 39

We started our journey back by catching a number 39 bus.

Kensington Arcade

We made a brief pause at Kensington Arcade. We had vague ideas of having a coffee break but everywhere was crowded so we continued on.

Burlington Arcade

A couple of buses later, we arrived back in Piccadilly and exited the bus near the famous Burlington Arcade.

Burlington House

Here too is Burlington House, home to the Royal Academy of Arts and to several important learned societies.

Church of St James Piccadilly

We passed in front of the 17th-century (designed by Christopher Wren) Church of St James. It was damaged in the Second World War and restored in the 1950s.

Kahve Dünyasi

Our destination was another of our favourites, the Turkish coffee house, Kahve Dünyasi. As was only to be expected, it was very busy but we were lucky and found a table.

Inside Kahve Dünyasi
Photo by Tigger

Everything served is Turkish, as you would expect.

Turkish ice cream with chocolate sauce

Tigger chose Turkish ice cream with chocolate sauce.

Turkish coffee

I chose Turkish coffee. It is served with a glass of water and a chocolate, which is a product of the firm. Turkish coffee has a unique taste and comes with a thick layer of coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup. If you don’t know this, it provides an interesting surprise the first time you order Turkish coffee!

Aboard the 38

After this agreeable interlude, we crossed the road to the bus stop and caught a number 38 bus.

Back at the Angel

The bus carried us through the busy streets back to the Angel. Although the sun was still shining, it was by now low in the sky, giving the scene a distinct “evening” feel. It was good to return home and relax.

Having tried the laundry service at three separate businesses and having suffered losses of items at all of them, we have decided to go back to doing the job ourselves at the launderette.

Queueing at Sainsbury’s

First, though, we needed to do our usual Sunday shopping. When we reached Sainsbury’s, they had not managed to open on time (this branch is particularly bad at that, for some reason), and we joined a queue of waiting customers.

Inside Sainsbury’s

Once admitted, we sped round the shelves, each having a list of items to deal with. We had soon finished and carted our purchases home, picking up coffee from Mercer’s on the way past.

Sunshine

After lunch, having emptied the shopping trolley, we filled it up again – this time with laundry! As we went to the bus stop, we were cheered by the sun shining though the air was quite chilly.

Aboard the 30

We heaved the trolley onto a number 30 bus. It was fairly full and I stayed with the trolley in the wheelchair area, hoping that no wheelchair passengers would want to board the bus. In that, I was lucky as none did.

The British Library stop

We unloaded the trolley and ourselves at the stop near the British Library.

Mabledon Place

From the bus stop, we set off up Mabledon Place, then…

Cartwright Gardens

…through Cartwright Gardens, where some brave people were playing tennis, and thence…

The launderette

…into Marchmont Street where we find the launderette. We had not been here since before the Covid pandemic struck and so we were not surprised to find a few changes.

Machines of three sizes

The main change, of course, was that prices had increased. There are three sizes of washing machines and we used a large and a medium at £10 and £8, respectively.

Costa

We set the machines going and then, as the wash cycle takes about 40 minutes, we went along the road to Costa and had coffee. (It’s safe to leave the machines because they cannot be opened while they are running.)

We then returned and went through the drying process. This is slow and the more items you put in a dryer, the less likely they are to dry. Drying is therefore a tedious process on running the dryer, taking out any items that are dry and running the dryer again, repeating the process until everything has been dried. The whole performance of washing and drying previously cost us £17. Today, owing to the price increases, it cost £30.

Darkness in Marchmont Street

By the time we emerged from the launderette, darkness had fallen. We followed the road back to the British Library bus stop where we heaved our trolley onto a number 73 bus.

Aboard the 73

This time, we had seats adjacent to the wheelchair area so we could sit down with our trolley beside us. The bus carried us up the hill to the Angel.

St Mark’s Church

We deposited the trolley at home and then, because Tigger needed to walk a little bit more to “close the ring”, we went for a stroll round Myddelton Square. The lights were on in the church but the outside was not illuminated. Maybe they need to economise in these times of high energy costs.

The Curvaceous Tree

Before turning for home, I took a photo of my favourite, the Curvaceous Tree. Well, I don’t want it to think I have forgotten it! Just now it is winter-bare and I am looking forward to seeing it produce new green leaves in spring.

We returned home to put away the laundry and enjoy a cosy evening at home.

It’s a rather wet day but not too cold (around 11°C).

Angel Crossroads

This photo taken at the Angel crossroads will give you an idea of the conditions.

Walking down St John Street

We could have caught a bus but as the object was to walk (and “close the ring” on Tigger’s walk app), we set off on foot down St John Street.

Islington Museum

Reaching Finsbury Library, we went down the steps to the basement where Islington Museum is found.

Figure of Joseph Grimaldi
Photo by Tigger

Among the exhibits, we found this charming miniature representation of famous Islingtonian, Joseph Grimaldi, known as “the father of clowning”. It was probably made in Staffordshire in the 1840s or 1850s.

Lloyd’s Milk Cart

Lloyd’s set up business in Amwell Street in 1914 and continued trading until 2007. They used this cart to supply milk to customers around the neighbourhood from their beginnings until 1947 when bottled milk delivered to the doorstep superseded milk ladled from churns into customers’ jugs.

Bust of Lenin
Berthold Lubetkin

As I moved around the museum, I was aware of a Paddington-Bearesque “hard stare” from Vladimir Lenin. The bust, by Berthold Lubetkin, was part of a monument erected by the now defunct Finsbury Council in 1942. Lenin occupied premises in Clerkenwell Green that today house the Marx Memorial Library.

Continuing down St John Street

Leaving the museum, we braved the rain once more, continuing down St John Street.

Crossing through Brewhouse Yard

We crossed through Brewhouse Yard. The rain was now so heavy that we sought shelter in a doorway until it eased off somewhat.

Into Goswell Road

Our path led us into Goswell Road where we decided to take temporary refuge from the wet weather in…

Costa

…a branch of Costa Coffee. We hung our dripping coats on the backs of our chairs to dry off.

Near the Barbican Estate
Photo by Tigger

We passed along one edge of the Barbican Estate, that icon of “Brutalist” architecture, where…

Relief

…I paused to photograph this artwork in relief, though I’m sure I’ve photographed it before.

St Bartholomew the Great

We entered the precinct of the Church of St Bartholomew the Great, originally a Medieval priory church but much altered and rebuilt since.

Main gate

We left by the picturesque main gate.

Grounds of St Bartholomew’s Hospital

While walking, we had be prospecting for lunch but all the cafes seemed to be shut. We entered the grounds of St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the hope that there would be a cafe. However, our search proved fruitless.

Aboard the 56

We decided to try our luck elsewhere and as Tigger had “closed the ring” on her walking app (in fact, it was a quarter of the way round the second loop!), we felt it was legitimate to take the bus. We caught a 56 and then a 63 to Upper Street.

The Workers Cafe

We planned to have lunch in the Workers Cafe in Upper Street. This is a good cafe and one of our favourites but we found it was full and people were queueing for tables. So we walked on, looking for an alternative.

Le Mercury

Most places were crowded until we reached Le Mercury where we had eaten once before. There was a table free so in we went. We chose one of the two fixed-price menus. The main course was Cauliflower Steak (vegetarian). Unfortunately, it was heavily laced with chilli and Tigger couldn’t eat it. Being of a tougher constitution (or less sensitive – take your pick), I ate both. We had crème brûlée to finish, which also helped calm the chilli fire. (On the way home, we bought a little something from Wenzel’s Bakery to make up for Tigger’s missed main course.)

Diverting through “Islington Square”

Upper Street was unpleasantly crowded so we diverted through the complex with the ridiculous name of “Islington Square”, which is a combination of residential properties with retail outlets and restaurants. Not a “square” by any stretch of the imagination.

Old Royal Free Hispital

We emerged into Liverpool Road and passed the picturesque Old Royal Free Hospital, now a residential estate.

Chapel Market

We walked through Chapel Market from where we were soon home. It was a relief to be in the dry once more and to relax with a nice cup of tea.

We started today’s activities by going out for brunch. It turned out that both of the cafes in Chapel Market that we favour – Cafe Sizzles and Chapel Cafe – were closed.

Millennium Cafe

Instead, we went to the Millennium Cafe. It was quite busy (partly, perhaps because the others were closed) but we were soon served.

Sainsbury’s

After this pleasant interval, we went round to Sainsbury’s (which was just opening its doors as we arrived) and carried out our usual shopping run. At the checkout, we used the remaining credit on our Nectar card (from the “points” carefully harvested during the year), giving us a £20 reduction on the bill. Now all we have to do is start saving again for next Christmas and New Year! (See also Early home for Christmas.)

Wet and gloomy

We were lucky this morning that it was not raining but after lunch the weather turned wet and gloomy.

Aboard the 56

We went to the clock tower and boarded a number 56 bus.

Near St Paul’s Cathedral

We left the bus near St Paul’s and walked in the rain, looking for somewhere open for coffee.

Damp and miserable

The scene was damp and miserable and most places were closed.

A small Starbuck’s

We eventually found a small Starbuck’s open. It wax busy but we managed to fit ourselves in.

Out into the rain

Then, regretfully, we went out into the rain again.

The Guildhall

Thus we came to the Guildhall. We went in and put our bags through the airport-style X-ray scanner. Fortunately, they contained nothing suspicious.

A gallery

A Guildhall ceremony of 1782
William Miller

The ‘Agas’ Map of London, c.1561

The Guildhall has several galleries in which exhibitions present art and also items of interest in London’s history.

Portraits by Sir Matthew Smith

One gallery contained an exhibition of portraits by Sir Matthew Smith.

Untitled
Joanna Price

My attention was caught by this strange artefact, unhelpfully called Untitled.

The Roman Amphitheatre
Photo by Tigger

In the basement of the Guildhall is a Roman amphitheatre. Though we have visited it in the past, we did not do so today but Tigger took this photo of it through a view-window.

Leaving the Guildhall

It was pleasant in the Guildhall, warm, dry and well-lit but all good things must end and we had to confront the cold, wet outside world once more.

Rain on the City

The City always has a deserted and somewhat forlorn look about it at weekends and this was doubled today by the cold rain and the fading light.

Beside the Bank of England

We went to a bus stop beside the Bank of England and started our journey home on a 141 bus.

Aboard the 214

At Finsbury Square we changed to a 214 which carried us the rest of the way to the Angel and home.

“Red sky at night…”

When we reached the Angel, we were treated to a pretty pink and blue evening sky. Perhaps the old rhyme “Red sky at night, Shepherd’s delight” will be proved true and we shall have fine weather tomorrow. We can but hope.

It’s a damp, grey December day but not too cold.

Aboard the 205

We caught a crowded 205 bus and had to go upstairs to find seats. The windows were fogged up so no photos!

Praed Street, Paddington

The bus brought us to its terminus in Paddington.

To the station

We walked down this alley to Paddington Station. (The alley probably has a name but I don’t know it.)

Not very busy

The station was not its usual busy self but was unusually quiet.

Hardly any trains

A clue to the reason for the unusual quietness is provided by this departures board: there are almost no trains running because there is a rail strike today (the latest in a series of stoppages about pay). Fortunately, we have no plans to travel, at least, not by rail.

A famous bear

We found a cafe and went in. Inside, a famous bear was seated beside his suitcase. You can guess that the cafe is called The Paddington Bear.

A cafe…

It’s really a hybrid establishment combining a cafe and…

A shop

…a shop. (The pillar box has no opening so you can’t post your wants to Santa.)

Exploring the station

To go for a walk in the dry, we explored the station.

Marks & Spencer

We toured the shops of which there were several in the station.

Parked trains

There were trains at several platforms but silent and still, as most were not going anywhere, stranded by the strike.

The station clock

Under the clock – this is where people used to meet before they had mobile phones!

Isambard Kingdom Brunel
John Doubleday

We visited Isambard Kingdom Brunel, sculpted by John Doubleday. He has a recorded message about his life and work (read the QR code on your phone to hear it).

Craven Road

Having exhausted the delights of the station, we continued in the street. This is Craven Road.

Gloucester Mews

Leading off the main road are side streets all called Something Mews. A mews contained stables for the houses behind them and, later, they were used as garages for the new-fangled motor cars. This one is called Gloucester Mews.

Bayswater Road

We arrived at Bayswater Road. Opposite was Kensington Gardens but it wasn’t weather for strolling in the park.

The Swan

We came across the pub called The Swan and went in to consult the lunch menu.

In The Swan

We found a table and had lunch.

Aboard the 274

After lunch, we caught a number 274 bus which carried us on a long and circuitous journey back to…

Familiar territory

…familiar territory at the Angel. Fortunately, the rain held off while we walked along Upper Street to…

Barista at work

…Caffè Nero where I queued and ordered while Tigger found us a table.

Quite busy

The place was quite busy but, then, it was the weekend when people are relaxing after a week of work.

Sunshine and rain

When we emerged, there was pale sunshine gilding some façades and reflecting off rain-wet surfaces while a breeze blew scattered raindrops in our faces as we made for home and ended our outing for today.