After a rest, we decided to go out for lunch. Cafes and restaurants are still closed or providing only takeaway food and we therefore needed to decide, firstly, where to buy our meal and, secondly, where to eat it.

The answers to these two questions were Chapel Market and Culpeper Park, respectively.

Chapel Market, wet with rain

It had been raining, as you can see from the above photo, but was not actually raining when we set out so we hoped for the best.

While Tigger went to the Crown Fish & Chips Bar to order chips for us both, I went to Greggs to see what they had that was both hot and vegetarian. The only thing available was a sort of roast vegetable pasty so it had to do.

Then I returned to the chippie to wait with Tigger for the chips to be cooked. (It always takes longer than you think.)

“My friends” at Culpeper Park

We took our lunch to Culpeper Park as this was fairly near and we hoped the food would still be hot when we arrived there. I photographed the pigeons (“my friends”, according to Tigger) because at that moment, the sun was shining and this group looked relaxed and contented.

Culpeper Park

The problem was going to be that of finding seats that weren’t wet with rain.

Culpeper Park is a dual structure: there is the public park which is open during daylight hours and, adjacent to it, the Culpeper Community Garden. This may or may not be open on particular days. It was open today so we went in.

A pleasant place to sit

The garden is quite big and its structure complex, with pathways to follow between different types of habitat. Near the entrance is a lawn in which there is a bench and three chairs in fixed positions together. We chose these chairs as our place to have lunch.

The pond

There is a pleasant pond nearby. It is at present protected by a light barrier and notices asking people not to touch it as it is the breeding season. By now, it was beginning to rain again, as you can see from the picture.

Flowers

After lunch, we went for a look around the garden. There are flower beds, trees and shrubs, a pond and several areas where cultivation is taking place. It would be worth going back for a longer look when the weather is more propitious.

Flower beds

There are winding paths, some of which are quite narrow. They lead you through the many different habitats. These include flower beds like the above.

Cultivation of plants

There are areas like the above where cultivation is taking place. These have a very professional look to them.

Loggia or covered path

We walked along this loggia or covered path which, I imagine, will eventually be covered with greenery.

It was raining fairly insistently and so we decided to go straight home. However, we had some chips left. What should we do with them? Yes, we gave them to “my friends”.

Feeding the pigeons

Some people may deprecate feeding the pigeons but the alternative would have been to put them in a bin which is likely to attract the attention of rats and other denizens of the park, perhaps including pigeons. It made “my friends” happy and shared a little birthday spirit with them.

We made our way home via Chapel Market. On the way, we called in at Mercer’s for coffee to take home.

We shall spend the rest of Tigger’s birthday at home relaxing.

Happy birthday, Tigger!

I mentioned previously (see To Exmouth Market) that Thursday was an exception to the other days this week but did not explain why. The reason is that today is Tigger’s birthday and she has the day off from work.

Accordingly, we decided to start off by having coffee in Percy Circus though the weather was less than ideal, being grey with occasional moments of sun or rain.

The reservoir

As we left the house, Tigger received a video call on her phone from a friend, which she attended to as we walked.

Tree stump as table
Photo by Tigger

I mentioned the other day how sorry I was to see that this tree had had to be cut down. At least one person has found a use for it: as a table or work bench.

St Mark’s Church

We passed by St Mark’s Church, still closed, of course. The sky was promising rain, as you can see.

Your slip is showing

We noticed that the house number of this door had slipped. Or are they trying to make it into a pound sign (£)?

Approaching our first goal

Here we are in Amwell Street, approaching our first goal. Ssh! You know where!

So much choice
Photo by Tigger

At Myddelton’s deli, we bought our usual coffees and Tigger proposed cake as well. (Well, it is her birthday!) There was a lot of choice, both cakes and savoury items. We eventually made our selection.

Flowers
Photo by Tigger

As it wasn’t actually raining, we decided to make for Percy Circus and consume our coffee and cake there. Tigger photographed these flowers along the way and…

Camellias

…I photographed these beauties that a reader kindly told me are camellias.

Prideaux Place

We passed along Prideaux Place which seems a very quiet and pleasant residential street with a mixture of houses and 1930s apartment blocks.

Percy Circus Garden

Thus we reached Percy Circus with its central garden where we like to sit and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. “Our” bench was occupied but we didn’t mind choosing another one for a change.

A peaceful garden

We drank our coffee and ate our cakes and looked around at the trees and flowers. Many of the trees are very old and bear marks recording their history.

An inhabitant of the garden

This is one of the inhabitants of the garden. What stories could it tell of the times through which it has lived?

The pattern of age

The bark of this tree bears a complex pattern like an inscription in an ancient unknown language. Would that I could read it!

Daffodils around a tree

We started back by walking through Bevin Court. There are daffodils everywhere and I photographed these growing around the base of one of the trees.

Flowers in the grass

I made this gif of flowers in the grass because their movement seemed to add to their lively beauty. They seem to say that, despite the weather, the spring is really here!

We returned home but with the intention of going out again later. If the weather permits, we will have lunch outside. Will the weather co-operate?

Today I had to wait in for a phone call. It eventually came at 10:30am for which I was glad as it left the rest of the day free.

The caller was one of the doctors at our local surgery, checking on my progress. I mentioned (see Just around the square to the deli) that I was suffering from an ailment and though I haven’t referred to it in the meantime, it has been there in the background. Today’s phone call was to confirm that I was now officially well again and ready to be dismissed from care.

This, it seems, is how we practise medicine in a time of Covid: consultations are conducted by phone and prescriptions sent electronically to a pharmacy of your choice.

What if you need your blood pressure checking? Well, then you repair to the surgery where there is a machine for that purpose in the waiting room. It disgorges a paper slip which is eventually seen by the doctor.

To be fair, though, I did have a face-to-face meeting with a doctor at the beginning and was examined appropriately.

I have already remarked more on a phenomenon of our pre-Covid times that puzzled me. This was the proliferation of barbershops. There suddenly seemed to be one, and sometimes several, is every shopping area. I wondered then whether they could all make a living with so much competition and I imagine the long weeks of enforced closure can only have made survival more difficult for them. Today, then, I set out to do a quick survey of the barbershops in the immediate area.

Chapel Market

I think this one is called “Vibe”. It’s name is hard to read and illegible signage is a pet hate of mine. This one follows the modern trend of barbershops in claiming that what it provides is “grooming”. I think grooming is something you do to dogs and horses and I would avoid any establishment wanting to groom me, thank you very much.

White Lion Street

This is not, strictly speaking, a barbershop. You can’t have a shave here or have you hair shampooed. All they do is cut your your hair, as the name of the establishment – Cutting Bar – suggests. The service is quick (they usually have up to six hair-cutters working) and cheap. This is where Tigger and I go to have our hair cut. Usually, at least half the staff are female. In a world where male haircuts now start at £25, a haircut for £9 is not to be sniffed at.

Anwell Street (1)

This one, ELT, is the first of three barbers in Amwell Street. Amwell Street is a very quiet street, some of whose shops open by appointment only, if at all. I think that one barber would have a hard time making a living but three is simply absurd. This is the one that offers customers a free beer with their haircut.

Amwell Street (2)

Turkish barbers seem to enjoy a special reputation and many barbers on London describe themselves as Turkish or hint that they are by their choice of name. This one is following that trend. I notice that outside it is a house agent’s sign advertising a property for rent. Whether the refers to the shop or to an apartment in the building is not clear. Time will tell.

Amwell Street (3)

This is the third barber’s in Amwell Street. Before the pandemic struck, it seemed fairly successful and again, briefly, when shops were allowed to open before lockdown was reimposed. It remains to be seen whether it can recover its success again.

Rosebery Avenue

This barbershop, at the top end of Rosebery Avenue, is an old established business. It’s been here a long, long time though I don’t know how long. In my time, it was always decorated in red and blue but, to my surprise, the decor has been changed when I wasn’t looking! I used to come here myself before we adopted the Cutting Bar but often found it closed so gave up on it. Perhaps the new decor indicates new owners with a more energetic approach. I hope so as it deserves to survive.

St John Street (1)

This is the barber’s that, during the first lockdown, left its red and white sign rotating, possibly as a sign of hope. Since then there has been a change of name and, presumably, of owner. It is still wearing its Christmas costume which is a bad sign as it suggests neglect. Time will tell whether it can been roused from its slumber and its sign set spinning again.

St John Street (2)

Yes, this one is a bit of a cheat because, at the moment, it’s not a barber’s or, indeed, anything else. But it was a barber’s, albeit for a very short time. Perhaps it was edged out by competition.

That by no means exhausts the list of barbers in the neighbourhood and as you expand your area so you discover more and more. Whether they will all survives remains to be seen, especially with “cutting bars” popping up like mushrooms in response to the price-inflation in men’s “grooming rooms”.

And now, here, for your delectation, is a self-portrait.

How we dress for Covid
(Hat optional)

We now inhabit a strange world where face masks, far from being an eccentricity, are standard dress. We read that research showed that the eyes are an important vector for the Covid virus and that people who wore spectacles were less likely to become infected than non-spectacle wearers. This inspired Tigger to buy us protective spectacles of the sort worn in laboratories. The interesting thing is that they provoke absolutely no reaction from other people. We do, after all, live in peculiar times when eccentricity comes almost as standard.

The only problem with these spectacles is that, in combination with a face mask, they tend to steam up in cold weather (so do ordinary spectacles, of course). I have found that putting washing-up liquid on the inside surface of the lenses and then wiping them clean with a clean tissue seems to help. So would a demister cloth also, no doubt.

As I was writing those last few words, Tigger arrived home from work and I am off to make tea for us both. Cheers!

As it is warmer today and the sun is shining, I thought I would take a longer walk and opted to start along Upper Street, despite the crowds I knew I would find there.

Monument to Sir Hugh Myddelton

I started with a visit to the monument to Sir Hugh Myddelton, instigator of the New River, at Islington Green.

Islington Green

There were plenty of people on the green, some on benches, others sitting on the grass. A typical spring day in the park, one might say.

Islington War Memorial

I took a photo of the Islington War Memorial from the street, for a change of view. From whichever angle you view it, it is a most unusual design for the purpose.

Not the Collins Music Hall

While I was there, I took this not very good photo of the 1897 façade (modified since) behind which stood the premises of Collins Music Hall. The hall burnt down in 1958 and everything behind the façade today is modern. The memory of Collins and his music hall, however, lingers on.

Screen on the Green

Nearby is another famous place of entertainment, extant this one. It is the cinema called Screen on the Green which opened in 1913 and has run continuously ever since.

St Mary’s Church

My next port of call was St Mary’s Church or, rather, the church garden, the church itself being closed and undergoing building works. The church has a long history but much of it was destroyed by bombs in WWII, though the spire survived.

St Mary’s Church Garden

As is the case with most churches in the metropolis, what was originally the burial ground is now a public garden. It contains a number of impressively large old trees and is, all in all, a very pleasant spot on a sunny day.

Old tomb

As is usual, while the smaller gravestones have been uprooted and stacked around the perimeter, a few of the larger tombs have been left in place, like this one. I don’t know how old it is because the inscription has all but eroded away. Missing also are the iron railings that once surrounded it and whose traces remain. I don’t know whether they were stolen by metal thieves or taken for armaments during WWII as were most iron railings and gates.

Squirrel

Almost inevitably, my path was crossed by a squirrel. Sensibly, he didn’t waste time on me but ascended into a tree.

Old Post Office

Opposite the church stands this impressive early 20th-century building that was once our main post office. It fronted an extensive site containing sorting and parcels offices. It has been replaced by a smaller modern shop-front post office and the site here has been redeveloped.

Caryatids

I like these four Classical- style caryatids, seemingly supporting the balcony above them. They add a focal point to the the design of the façade.

Waterloo House

I usually photograph this handsome building which I believe is called Waterloo House, though I know nothing about it.

Waterloo Terrace

Beside the building, I spied a street called Waterloo Terrace and, as I had never walked up it before, I decided to do so now.

Battishill Street Gardens

It wasn’t too much of a surprise when it led me to Battishill Street Gardens. Now, I’n sure you remember what notable artwork is to be found here. As I was here, I went to visit it.

Frieze by Musgrave Watson 1842

It is a frieze sculpted by Musgrave Watson in 1842. More about it and how it came to be here is set out in my post Visiting Musgrave Watson’s sculpture. Battishill Street, incidentally, is named after British composer Jonathan Battishill (1738-1801).

Moon Street

Continuing on, I found another street that was new to me, Moon Street, and entered it. Further on, it makes a right-angled turn to the left which led me into Almeida Street, where the post office’s parcels office used to be. I entered the precinct there and found myself on a broad roadway, part of the redevelopment of the old post office site.

Esther Anne Place

This new road is apparently called Esther Anne Place (no, I don’t know who Esther Anne is, either). It had a new, unlived-in feel to it, almost like a film set.

Back on Upper Street

I eventually emerged once more onto the familiar territory of Upper Street.

Business Design Centre

By now, I was looking forward to sitting down with a nice cup of tea (lockdowns have played havoc with my stamina) and so taking the shortest route home seemed best. I decided to go along beside the Business Design Centre into the Angel Centre opposite Sainsbury’s.

Entering the Angel Centre

I mentioned the Angel Centre and the building work going on in it in a previous post. Unlike then, the decorative lights were not lit today and it was looking dowdy. I hurried on through.

The Angel Wings

I passed by the famous Angel’s Wings into Liverpool Road and thence into Chapel Market.

Chapel Market

Unlike Exmouth Market yesterday, Chapel Market did have some stalls open. I did not tarry, though, but continued on and was soon at home. And yes, I did make myself a cup if tea!

I have often said that I don’t know the names of plants and trees. So Tigger had bought me a present:

Trees

It is a little book for recognising trees. There are lots a pictures to help ignoramuses like me and the book is small – less than 8.5cm by 12cm – so it can be stowed in my handbag. My arboreal education starts here!

It was sunny today and quite a bit warmer (around 13°C) than recent days, just the sort of weather for a leisurely walk. The one sour note was that I was on my own because Tigger is working every day this week except one. (The reason for the exception, Thursday, will become apparent nearer the day itself.) This photo shows the conditions.

Sunshine in Myddelton Square

At this point, I had only a vague idea as to where I might be going. I had earlier made a plan but I had already departed from it!

Myddelton Square Gardens

I thought about going into Myddelton Square Gardens but decided against it.

The Shakespeare’s Head

I passed through Myddelton Passage and took a photo of the Shakespeare’s Head pub as I haven’t done so for a while. It is still locked up, of course, hibernating until April 12th, assuming that the proposed timetable for lifting restrictions holds.

Spa Green War Memorial

In Spa Green, I spotted 7 people sitting together on the grass having a picnic. In theory, that’s one more than is currently permitted but I don’t suppose anyone will make a fuss about it. Some of the resident pigeons were enjoying the sunshine from a perch on the war memorial’s angel figure. Others were in the ground finishing of some food that had been left for them.

Old offices of the New River Company

This handsome building, once offices of the New River Company and now residential (I think), is visible for now but soon the fine old trees in front of it will be in leaf and it will disappear behind the foliage.

Old Finsbury Town Hall

The Borough of Finsbury no longer exists, having been absorbed into the London Borough of Islington and its late Victorian (1895), Grade II* listed town hall has been assigned other roles but it continues to exist and charm us with its beautiful design.

Spa Fields Park

I found myself at Spa Fields Park and went inside. Spa Fields was once much more extensive but today only bits remain, the rest having been built on. In Tudor times, it was used for men to practise their archery skills as they were required to do by law. The park was crowded, every bench occupied, and I walked quickly through.

Pigeon feast

I did, however, pause to photograph this group of pigeons enjoying a feast that someone has left for them.

Exmouth Market

Leaving Spa Fields, I soon came to Exmouth Market. The name may seem ambiguous and there is indeed an Exmouth Market in the town of Exmouth but it is an upstart that has existed only since 1980. This is the original Exmouth Market, dating from Victorian times. Like Chapel Market, it is both a road and a street market, the latter operating Monday to Friday, though during the pandemic, the market has been closed.

Fast-food stalls

The only stalls I have seen here during the pandemic are these two selling fast food.

The Exmouth Arms

It is from this pub, the Exmouth Arms, that the street and the market take their name. There has been a pub here from at least the 1820s though the pub we see today is as it was rebuilt in 1915.

Church of the Holy Redeemer”

Opposite the pub is the Italianate style Church of the Holy Redeemer, built 1888. Like all churches – and pubs – it is currently closed.

Cafe Sport Bar, once called Cafe Kick

Walking along Exmouth Market, I encountered the Cafe Sport Bar. It must once have been known as Cafe Kick because, unusually for a cafe, this one has a clock outside, though unfortunately, not in working order. I wonder how a cafe came to have a clock. I speculate that the premises was once occupied by a clockmaker or jeweller and that Cafe Kick, in taking over the premises, had its own name put on the clock. That’s just a guess and it would be interesting to know whether it is correct.

One stall in the market

A little further along, I found one stall in the market, even if it is one belonging to a restaurant. Does that count? I don’t see why not!

My legs were telling me that I had walked a long way and so I entered Amwell Street whose lower end is close to the end of Exmouth Market,

Catholic Church of St Peter and St Paul

Here we find another Church, this one Catholic and dedicated to St Peter and St Paul and closed, like the others, owing to Covid-19. I wonder how many people, previously regular church-goers, are beginning to ask themselves “If we don’t have to go to church during a time of crisis such as this pandemic, do we really need to go the church the rest of the time?” It does rather seem to have made church attendance appear unnecessary.

From here, it was a question of putting my best foot forward (to quote a somewhat strange expression), and climbing the hill to home. I was glad to arrive and rewarded myself with a nice cup of tea.

As I was writing the above, Tigger texted me the glad news that she is on the way home and sent me this photo of the city sunset, taken from the number 100 bus.

City sunset
Photo by Tigger