In yesterday’s post I remarked that I had an appointment today “that I am not looking forward to.”

Pickering Dental Surgery

The appointment was at the practice of Pickering Dental at 11:20 am. According to the Apple Maps app on my phone, it takes around 15 minutes to walk there from home. What Apple Maps didn’t know was that my dentist has her surgery on the third floor, at the top of a steep staircase of 49 steps. I deliberately arrived early so that I could sit in the tiny waiting room and recover my breath.

My last appointment had involved root canal work and had lasted well over an hour. Today’s appointment was for the dentist to finish the job by installing a crown on the tooth. I didn’t know how long this would take and how much discomfort would be involved. In fact, it took about 10 minutes and there was no discomfort at all.

(The only “ouch factor” was the price. Dentistry is the one branch of medicine in the UK for which the patient is required to pay part of the cost. I chose a ceramic crown, which is the most expensive option, so there was a considerable “ouch”!)

St Mary’s Church

According to my dentist, I must wait a couple of hours before having hot drinks or chewing in order to let the crown’s adhesive set. To help me avoid temptation, I decided to take a walk before going home. Pickering Dental is almost opposite St Mary’s Church and I decided to start with a stroll in the church garden.

St Mary’s Vicarage

Beside the church stands this large house. A plaque beside the front door identifies it as the vicarage.

Dansk Florist

A section of the house that looks as if it might have been the garage, or even a stable, has been given over to a florist’s called Dansk Flowers.

St Mary’s Church Garden

I walked through the church garden (originally the burial ground until London’s cemeteries were closed in the 1850s). A couple of hardy citizens were sitting on benches, otherwise it was deserted.

Squirrel

There I met a squirrel but he preferred to play it safe and take refuge in a tree.

Waterstones Bookshop

Arriving at Islington Green, I thought I would take a look inside Waterstones bookshop. It occupies a building dated 1897 on the site of the once famous Collins Music-hall, sadly destroyed by fire.

No shortage of books

Though bookshops are becoming ever rarer, no doubt because they find it hard to compete with online sellers such as Amazon, there seems to be no shortage of books. The place was piled high with new books, both fiction and non-fiction. I vaguely hoped I might find some books in French but was not surprised to find none. Too often, the shelf label “Foreign Languages” means only bilingual dictionaries and language tutorials, not books in foreign languages.

Islington Green

I walked onto the Green which was nearly as deserted as St Mary’s Church Garden.

Street Cat Bob

While I was there, I paid a visit to the statue of Street Cat Bob. We last took a look at him on Boxing Day (see Boxing Day brunch), when he had been dressed in Christmas finery. Today he was unadorned.

Oxfam Bookshop

As my visit to Waterstones had not produced a result, I thought I would try my luck at the Oxfam Bookshop where I bought three books recently. Having climbed to the first floor, I found that the French books, which are in a narrow part of the shop, were blocked from access by a stand. I tried pushing it but couldn’t move it, so I gave up.

Angel Central

I walked through the mall called Angel Central, with its lights that continually change colour.

Empty once more

The courtyard with its artificial lawn has been restored to its open aspect. Over Christmas it was cluttered with decorations and figures such as reindeer but these have now been removed. In summer they sometimes put out deckchairs for people to lounge in the sun. (For a couple of pictures of its Christmas appearance see Eros and Zédel.

Saved – the Angel Wings

The present management of Angel Central, which has carried out an expensive remodelling if the site, wanted the Council to remove the famous Angel Wings (sculpted by Wolfgang Buttress, 2003) but a “Save our Wings” campaign was successful in having them retained. (See here for the story.)

An ordinary street on Mondays

I passed along Chapel Market which, on Mondays, becomes an ordinary road which motor vehicles can use. There are no stalls and no tables and chairs in front of cafes. I do notice, though, that because it is pedestrian-only on 6 days a week, even on Mondays people tend to walk in the road, something they wouldn’t do on normal roads. Motorists beware! (The new Highway Code privileges pedestrians over cycles and motor vehicles and requires these users to pay careful attention to their safety.)

I now have to be patient for a little while longer to give my crown a chance to “set”, then I can have lunch, including a nice hot cup of tea!

The weather continues cold and grey. Whatever the thermometer may say, the air feels freezing cold. After a busy week at work, even the intrepid Tigger feels disinclined to face the inclement conditions.

Saturday

After lunch we went for a short walk with a predictable goal.

The Curvaceous Tree

We did at least walk round Myddelton Square where I photographed (yes, again!) the Curvaceous Tree.

The cat in the window
Photo by Tigger

As usual, we looked for the two cats who live in the square. We hadn’t seen either of them for quite some time but today we were lucky. One of the cats was visible, perched on furniture near a window. We merited a blank feline stare.

Arboreal filigree

I was struck by the filigree pattern made by the unadorned branches of the winter-bare trees in Myddelton Square Gardens.

River Street

We walked along River Street, named, as you perhaps remember, after the New River whose course runs along behind it. At the end of the road, in Amwell Street, our goal is visible: the red awning of Myddelton’s deli.

We have to wait

When we reach the deli, we found that there were other customers ahead of us and we had to wait a while. When our turn cane, we were greeted in friendly fashion, as always.

We returned quickly home with our coffee and stayed indoors for the rest of the day. The warmer days will return, I am sure, when we will feel more disposed to go out and about.

Sunday

Sunday is of course shopping day but today we enjoyed an added pleasure: a cooked brunch!

Grey skies over Pentonville Road

As we crossed over Pentonville Road, I stopped to take a quick photo while there was a gap in the traffic.

The Farmers’ Market

We reached Chapel Market and I noted that there were relatively few stalls active today. I had to walk some way along the street to take a photo.

Cafe Sizzles

Our first destination was here, a friendly, small cafe in Chapel Market called Sizzles.

Inside Sizzles

We were soon served and enjoyed our cooked brunch.

Stall belonging to a shop

The regular market was also thinly attended. Some of the shops also have stalls outside, perhaps as a way to compete with the market.

Many regulars missing

The market presented something of its usual appearance but a number of stalls we are used to seeing on Sundays were not present. Are stallholders taking a post-New Year holiday?

At the checkout

We entered Sainsbury’s and with two of us collecting the needed items we had soon finished our shopping. We then had a bit of a wait at the checkouts.

Walking through the market

When I walked through the market on the way to Mercer’s I found it much less busy than usual with fewer stalls and fewer customers at the stalls.

At Mercer’s

Mercer’s was not very busy either and I was served straightaway. We then returned straight home to put away the shopping and enjoy our coffee. We will spend the rest of the day at home. Tomorrow Tigger returns to work and I have an appointment that I am not looking forward to. Let’s hope we can relax for the rest of today.

We performed our usual shopping run this morning and returned home to put away the spoils.

The clock tower in reflected light

After lunch, we set out again, starting our journey at the clock tower where we boarded a 394 single-deck bus. This threads its way along a complicated route, terminating at Homerton Hospital. We, however, did not travel quite that far.

Almshouses now Museum of the Home

We came here, to this impressive three-wing set of almshouses founded in the early 18th century as a bequest of the will of Sir Robert Jeffrye. Today, the building is part of a complex constituting the Museum of the Home. It was until fairly recently called the Jeffrye Museum but then the founder’s reputation suffered an eclipse owing to his connections with slavery. His name was removed from the museum’s name though his statue, with an inscription, still stands above the main entrance.

Entrance hall

We have visited this museum many times but this was the first visit since the complex was enlarged and remodelled. Admission is free but thanks to Covid, you need to book a time for your visit. Our time was 3 pm.

Take a seat

I appreciated the old museum for its display of room settings from Tudor times to the modern day. They are still present but the enlarged museum displays much more than it used to with examples of the furniture and other contents of the home through the ages.

Cleaning implements

As well as a broad range of objects found in the home, there were videos to watch and information boards to read. I, though, was impatient to see my favourites, the room settings. I will show you just a few of these, so as not to bore you.

A hall of 1630

A parlour of 1695

A parlour of 1790

A parlour of 1870

Loft style apartment of 1998

The Chapel

In the centre of the main wing, accessed through the main door, lies the chapel. It was a condition of being admitted as an occupant of an almshouse, that one attended Sunday services in the chapel.

Molly’s Cafe

As you might expect, there is a cafe attached to the museum. You have to leave the museum building and walk to what was once an independent pub but has been acquired by the museum and converted into its cafe.

Tea and lemon drizzle cake

We ordered tea and lemon drizzle cake for two. I was rather surprised at the price: more expensive than our cooked lunch at Cafe Sizzle yesterday. Still, I suppose that compensates for the free admission.

A park with ancient trees

In front of the almshouses, separating them from the road, is a broad garden or park with ancient trees. No doubt the occupants could sit out here on warm days without being troubled by the traffic on the road.

Moon over the museum
Photo by Tigger

The stop for the 394 bus to take us home stands conveniently in front of the museum. We had a 10-minute wait for the bus during which time Tigger photographed an almost full moon over the roof of the almshouses.

The bus duly arrived and carried us along its tortuous backstreet route back to the Angel and home. It was good to see the museum again, especially the room settings which always fascinate me and are for me the main attraction.

It’s cold today and feels even colder. Tigger has had a tiring week and so we stayed at home all morning like a pair of bears in torpor.

We roused ourselves around midday and decided to go for lunch. But where? Happily, we both had the same idea. Before the pandemic we often went to Sizzle Cafe in Chapel Market but hadn’t been there for a long time. Today seemed a good day to renew our acquaintance with this notable eatery.

Sizzle Cafe

The cafe was fairly full – unsurprisingly, because it’s a friendly place, the food is well cooked and the prices moderate.

Chapel Market

Afterwards, we walked along the “other end” of Chapel Market (the end where there are shops but no stalls).

Godson Street

We cut through into White Lion Street along this pedestrian-only lane called Godson Street.

Penton Street

We entered Penton Street and followed it down to cross Pentonville Road and enter Amwell Street. And you can guess where we were heading in Amwell Street:

Myddelon’s deli

Yes, we paid our usual visit to Myddelton’s deli where we bought coffee take home. I rather think that that’s it for today. We shall stay at home for now.

Tomorrow is another day and we will see what it brings.

It’s another sunny day today, though cold. We have arranged to meet in a street called Minories. Tigger will make her way there from the office while I travel in from the Angel.

Pentonville Road

I went to the bus stop in Pentonville Road to catch the 205 that the bus app on my phone told me would arrive in a few minutes. At 3:45 the sun is still shining but the streets are already filling with shadows.

Aboard the 205

The bus arrived early and off we went, heading into the City..

Passing Liverpool Street Station

We passed Liverpool Street Station.

St Boltolphe Street

I left the bus in St Botolphe Street, crossed the road and…

A narrow way

…passed along this narrow way, which led on to…

Minories

…the street called Minories.

St Botolphe without Aldgate

Behind me stands this church called St Botolphe without Aldgate which gives its name to the aforementioned street.

The Hilton

I found Tigger in front of this building, the local Hilton hotel. They were advertising free pastry with coffee so in we went.

Clean but lacking character

The decor was clean and bright and the furniture comfortable but it was lacking in character. We ordered coffee and were informed that they had “run out of free pastry”. I suppose we should have walked out, having been inveigled in under false pretences, but we ordered coffee, anyway.

We ordered coffee

The coffee was average and the price slightly above average but, then, it was the Hilton.

Duke’s Place

We walked a couple of hundred yards to a bus stop in this street, called Duke’s Place. I don’t know which duke it purports to honour – I’ll look it up later.

Aboard the 135

We boarded a 135 bus which took us to Old Street. We hoped to find supper there.

Pizza Union

Leaving the bus, we entered Pizza Union and ordered a Fiorentina each.

The pager

They hand you a pager and you take it with you as you choose a table. When the pager buzzes, you take it to the counter to collect your order.

Pizza Fiorentina
Photo by Tigger

I have to say that the pizzas that we had today were the driest, hardest pizzas I have ever encountered. We had difficulty cutting them even with the serrated knives provided and had to pull them apart. Maybe we should have returned them.

When we left Pizza Union, it was dark outside and we had a busy road to cross to reach our bus stop. Have you noticed how pedestrian crossings are never just where you want to cross the road? That must take special planning.

Aboard the 214

We made it across safely and reached the bus stop at the same time as a 214. We went aboard and it carried up up the hill to the Angel and home. As I often say in a Friday evening post, “The weekend starts here!”