Sunday

It feels odd not having to make plans to dash along to Safestore to either deposit or retrieve bags and boxes. It takes a while to become used to the idea!

Farmers’ Market

As usual on a Sunday, we performed our usual weekly shopping run to Sainsbury’s, passing through Chapel Market where the Farmers’ Market was in progress.

In Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s was its usual self except that they seem to be reorganising their shelves which meant we had to hunt around for some items that were no longer where they used to be.

Chapel Market in the rain

The weather forecast was cloudy but dry but guess what? As we left Sainsbury’s it began to rain and not gently. I hurried through the main market to Mercer’s to pick up our coffee, conscious while I was in the shop that Tigger was waiting outside in the rain.

Having returned home, we stayed there for the rest of the day. Though all our property has been brought back from store, the work goes on. Tigger is determined to go through everything – the accumulation of years – and weed out everything that can be disposed of whether as junk or as items that can be donated to charity.

Another job was to prepare this month’s stack of laundry for me to take to the cleaners’. She counts all the items and keeps an account of them. That way we know whether it has all come back or whether anything has been lost. So far, the cleaners we use at present have not lost anything.

Monday

Today, Tigger returned to work and it was my task to deliver the laundry to Angelz in Arlington Way.

A bumper load

I cut through Myddelton Square Garden where I photographed what turned out to be a bumper load.

Blue sky through branches

The sun was shining and the sky was a pretty shade of blue so I photographed it through the branches of the Curvaceous Tree.

Chadwell Street

My path then led through Chadwell Street, named with Amwell Street after the villages near the source of the New River.

Pausing in Myddelton Square Garden

On the way back, the sunshine was pleasant enough for me to sit a while on a bench and enjoy the calm atmosphere.

Books for Oxfam

Having returned home and had a little rest, my next job was to take a bag of books to the Oxfam Bookshop.

Pretending to be an ordinary street

My way took me down Chapel Market. The market does not operate on Mondays and so today, Chapel Market was pretending to be an ordinary street with traffic as well as pedestrians. Tomorrow, it will resume its usual persona.

Angel Central

I passed through Angel Central Shopping Centre whose astro-turfed courtyard had attracted people to sit on benches or stroll about in the sunshine.

Oxfam Bookshop, Upper Street

I reached my destination, the Oxfam Bookshop in Upper Street, where the bag of books was gratefully received. The bag was not big but books are surprisingly heavy and I was glad to let go of it at last. There will no doubt be more to follow as Tigger continues to sort through her bags and boxes.

Snow? No, shreds!

In Berners Road, in front of a doorway, I saw what at first sight looked like snow. It wasn’t snow but paper that had been passed through a shredder. The bag of shreds has been put outside and something or someone has burst it open. A nice tidying job for somebody!

It is a day of clouds and sunny intervals though with a chilly wind. Our task today is to finally clear our lock-up at Safestore.

Clouds and sunshine

As before, we went along to Safestore just after 9 am, bringing our shopping trolley (minus bag) with us.

Empty!
Photo by Tigger

We needed to make two journeys. The photo shows the trolley loaded for the second and last run. The storage space is finally empty! We closed the door for the last time, remembering not to lock it but to take with us the heavy-duty padlock that we had bought for the purpose.

We now had to formally terminate our contract and hand over the electronic fob used for opening the shutter and internal doors (see yesterday’s post). That done, we made our way home to unload the trolley, adding to the familiar clutter at home.

Cloudy skies over Claremont Square

Afterwards, we set out again, heading for Amwell Street, Myddelton’s deli and coffee! The clouds had for the time being, blotted out the sun.

Cruikshank Street

I had told Tigger about the fallen tree in Percy Circus and she wanted to see it for herself. We therefore diverted down Cruikshank Street towards Bevin Court.

Garden, Bevin Court

I photographed the garden at Bevin Court where the spring flowers were growing up prettily among the grass.

A previous casualty

We visited a previous casualty, the “Leaning Tree” that I had often photographed until the day when it fell. The branches have been trimmed off and the trunk left for wood-loving creatures to enjoy.

Fallen tree, Percy Circus

In Percy Circus Garden, we found that the fallen tree had been trimmed. There was no sign of the branches which must have been carted away. I wonder whether they will remove the trunk as well or leave it for wild life to use.

Prideaux Place

We left Percy Circus by Prideaux Place, remembering how we had often roamed these calm streets during lock-down.

Hedge blooms

In Prideaux Place, we photographed a hedge with pretty white and yellow flowers.

Flowers in Wharton Street

On our way up Wharton Street, we encountered a tree in bloom beside a garden full of beautiful flowers.

Beautiful flowers

These beautiful red flowers seemed to glow with their own interior light.

Outside Myddelton’s deli

Despite the chill on the air, we decided to take our coffee sitting outside Myddelton’s deli. The sun decided to play along and shine for us.

Coffee and Victoria sponge
Photo by Tigger

As a treat for successfully bringing everything back from storage, we had Victoria sponge cake with our coffee.

Sunshine in Amwell Street

We walked home via Amwell Street, softly lit with sunshine.

As I mentioned yesterday, Tigger has taken today off from work in order to continue moving our property back home from the store.

We got up bright and early, had breakfast and reached Safestore just after they opened at 9 am. There were other customers on site using trolleys to move loads and around but everyone was polite and considerate and we worked around one another without friction.

We chose a four-wheel trolley and took it, and ourselves, to the third floor and our lock-up.

First load
Photo by Tigger

The first consideration was in what order to move things. We preferred to start with the heaviest items because, once they were shifted, the rest would be easy. The trolley may not look very full but experience had taught us how difficult it is to transport it over uneven pavements and it’s better not to overload it.

Second load
Photo by Tigger

It may not look it but this was a very heavy load. The storage space is definitely looking emptier. So it should, after all our efforts!

When we reached home with this load, Tigger declared a rest period and I was happy to concur. After this lull, we started out again.

Third load
Photo by Tigger

The third load comprised the last of the trunks and a couple of lighter articles. I was pleasantly surprised that, with this load, we would have shifted all the trunks, as these had presented themselves in my mind as a big problem. In the event, they almost seemed to melt away! That, I must say, is thanks to Tigger’s natural organising ability.

Having reached home and taken the items indoors, we decided to call it a day. Moving the remainder tomorrow will be an easy job. The trolley, parked in front of the house, had to be returned to Safestore. I volunteered to take it as there was no need for both of us to shift an empty trolley.

Taking the trolley back

The trolley’s wheels are not very big and so catch on uneven features like misaligned paving stones, sending the shocks of collision up your arms. Still, an empty trolley is easier to move than a loaded one!

Goodbye for today-

Having parked the trolley in Safestore, I returned home, taking this backwards glance as I went.

When I reached home, I checked the time. Guess what time it was. 11 am! We had done it all, including a rest, in two hours! My pessimistic mind had expected it to take much longer. I feel relieved that it has all gone so well.

Cafe Sizzles

We decided that we deserved a treat or reward for doing the work so quickly and well. The reward was lunch at Cafe Sizzles. I was surprised to find the place almost full but it was lunchtime and by the time we had finished our own lunch, the place had become almost empty.

Costa Coffee

Although we had had tea with our lunch (at Cafe Sizzles, they bring us tea without us asking for it) we rounded off the occasion by walking down Chapel Market to Costa Coffee.

Coffee for two
Photo by Tigger

At Costa, we placed our usual order – a vanilla latte for Tigger and a black americano for me – and sat for a while, enjoying our coffee and chatting about this and that.

Tomorrow, we must finish the job of moving our property back home. So little is left that we should be able to do it with two trips or perhaps even one.

Electronic fob

Then I must hand back this small device, an electronic fob, which I have on my keyring and which opens the big shutter and the interior doors at Safestore. Handing it back will mark the end of our relationship with the company… at least, for now!

The title provides a synopsis of my day. Tigger is again on the early shift which means she returns to the Angel in time to access Safestore before they close.

Oxfam Charity Shop

My first action today was to take a bag of donations to our local Oxfam shop. I have been there so often recently that they now recognise me. A dubious fame! 🙂

The “Cutting Bar”

From the charity shop I went round the corner into White Lion Street and the “Cutting Bar”, as it is called, to have my hair cut. I went on my own because I have my hair cut twice as often as Tigger has hers cut. I ask for “A number 4 all over”. 4 refers to the blade used on the clippers which cuts my hair very short. I like this because short hair is easier to look after and the barbers like it because it’s a quick and easy job for them.

Sunshine and daffodils

After lunch I went for my daily walk though I made it a short one as I knew I would be going out again later to shift stuff from storage. I took the above photo through the railings of the reservoir in Claremont Square. I saw that daffodils had sprung up among the grass and were making a cheerful show. I hope this means that spring is on its way.

Great Percy Street

I walked down Great Percy Street which is a fairly wide but quiet residential street. The sun was shining, as you can see, warming the air and adding to the pleasure of the stroll.

A fallen tree in Percy Circus

I had ideas of going to the central garden in Percy Circus – one of our favourite places – and perhaps sitting on a bench for a while. When I arrived, however, a sorry sight was awaiting me: one of the trees had fallen, whether because of disease or the recent gales, I do not know.

Percy Circus Garden

I was glad to see that the other trees in the garden seemed healthy and sturdy. In the end, I didn’t stop but continued on my way though I hope to visit this lovely spot again, perhaps we will come with coffee or a picnic lunch, when the warmer weather returns.

The path through Bevin Court

As we usually do after visiting Percy Circus, I started back by taking the path through the housing estate called Bevin Court. Off to the left is a park called Holford Gardens and beside the path are trees and grass. In the trees there are bat boxes though I see no sign of bats using them.

Bevin Court “Meadow”

In front of that “cliff of apartments” that is Bevin Court, there is what I call the meadow. It is an open space that is mown down in winter and allowed to grow unmolested during the rest of the year. The grass grows quite tall but in it there are flowers, of all kinds and of all colours. It is a beautiful sight in spring and summer. Today, I saw that the process has already begun: there are already flowers among the green. I shall watch it develop.

Cruikshank Street

From Bevin Court, my way leads uphill along Cruikshank Street. The slope is an incentive to walk slowly and take in all the interesting points of the scene. From here, I returned home where I made tea and read a book (Sang Famille by Michel Bussi that I mentioned in Walking to Battishill Street) until Tigger announced that she was on the way home. I then prepared myself for this evening’s episode of shifting items back from storage.

First load
Photo by Tigger

I took our shopping trolley (minus bag) to meet Tigger at the bus stop and we went together to Safestore. We managed two trips this evening. Above is a view of the store and the trolley loaded for the first run.

Second Load
Photo by Tigger

Here we are about to depart with the second of today’s loads. I think you can now definitely see that we have reduced the amount of stuff in the storage area. (If in doubt, compare these pictures with those in previous posts!) Tomorrow, though, the real work begins because we have only two days left on our contract and don’t want to have to extend it. Tigger has taken tomorrow off from work for the purpose. Will we manage to complete the work in time? Watch this space to find out! 🙂

We still have some way to go in restoring our property from the store back to home and we are tackling the task bit by bit as time permits.

Tigger was working the early shift today and I met her off the bus at the stop nearest Safestore. I brought our shopping trolley with me – minus the bag. We were able to make three journeys this evening. As usual, Tigger took photos to document our progress.

Load one
Photo by Tigger

Load two
Photo by Tigger

In the lift, going down
Photo by Tigger

Third and final load for today
Photo by Tigger

Can you see any reduction in the amount remaining? Perhaps not, but you can be sure that we have reduced it somewhat. We will perhaps move some more small items again tomorrow, using the shopping trolley, as Tigger is again on the early shift.

On Friday and Saturday, we will have to borrow one of Safestore’s four-wheel trolleys to move the remaining heavy stuff. We need to clear it by end-of-business on Saturday or pay to extend our contract, something we would rather avoid.