The weather forecast for today is cloudy in the morning with rain in the afternoon, not ideal weekend conditions, especially as it’s the last day of Tigger’s holiday. Either way, the shopping must needs be done, so off we go!

Grey skies over Baron Street

Despite the greyness, it’s fairly warm (17°C) though with a gusty cool breeze.

The Farmers’ Market

The Farmers‘ Market was taking but there were fewer customers than usual both here and in the main market. Perhaps the dull weather was having an inhibiting effect.

Business is slow

In the main market, business was slow and the cafe had no takers for its outside tables. Perhaps trade will pick up later.

Sainsbury’s – fairly busy

In contrast, Sainsbury’s was fairly busy. Does that mean that people had come here instead of the market? I doubt it as I suspect that those who shop at the supermarket and those who prefer the market form two distinct groups. I could of course be wrong about that.

The mobile snack bar

The mobile snack bar is usually here on Sundays. It intrigues me as there are usually plenty of customers, even on a slow day like today. Yet one thing that Chapel Market has in abundance is cafes and take-away food shops. What determines that some people prefer the snack bar? Easy access, perhaps, or maybe it charges less than the sedentary businesses?

More people but not much trade

By the time I sped through Chapel Market in search of coffee, there were more people but there was a desultory atmosphere. People seemed to be walking through the market rather than stopping to make purchases.

Mercer’s for coffee

Mercer’s is now serving people sitting inside and at tables outside, making them less dependant on sporadic customers like us. This is good in the sense that it helps them survive so that they are there when we need them. As far as my preferences go, however, my favourite coffee place is still Myddelton’s deli in Amwell Street where they are unfailingly cheerful and courteous and treat us as valued customers.

That, of course, is where the small shops score over the impersonal attitude of the supermarkets. Some of us remember when such small shops where the norm and “supermarkets” were yet to be invented. The relationship between the local shop and its customers could, of course, be fragile. I remember my mother making me wait outside our local bakery with the shopping bag. This was because she had bought a loaf in another shop and wanted to avoid the repercussions that would result from the baker seeing that she had shopped for “his” products elsewhere!

Shops like Myddelton’s deli are rare these days and exist only where they manage to create a niche for themselves. In the deli’s case, they can supply meals to local offices and conference centres. This enables them to stock a range of fine foods for which there is a demand in the surrounding affluent neighbourhood. Their success is the result of hard work, long hours, knowing the needs of their customers and providing efficient service. The courtesy that they display is an added attraction in a world where this too is becoming rare.

Today, Saturday, I had a clinic appointment at 4 pm which, though not ideal, is better than no appointment at all. Moreover, we could make a walk out of it so that it would serve two purposes.

A fine morning in Myddelton Square

As we had put in a good few miles yesterday, we wanted to take things relatively easy today and so this morning we just went for coffee at the deli, passing round Myddelton Square on the way.

Myddelton’s deli in Amwell Street

We decided to sit at one of the tables at the deli and found one free in Amwell Street (hidden by the van in the photo).

Coffee!
Photo by Tigger

This is Tigger’s coffee as it has milk in it. I drink mine black. There was a new design of coffee cup in use today, meant, I think, to make it easier to handle when hot.

No number 19

After lunch, we set out for Highbury Corner, which is where the clinic is, intending to go for a walk before my appointment. The sign board showef every bus running except the 19, the exact one we needed. Is that garage on strike?

Bus stop at the clock tower

So we went to the clock tower, where we could catch a 43 which would do just as well.

Aboard the 43

The bus took us to Highbury Corner and then round the corner into Holloway Road, where we disembarked to start our walk.

The Central Library

We had a look at the Central Library which was built in 1906. It also now has quite large modern extensions which, though not as pretty as the original, no doubt provide valuable services.

Church of St Mary Magdalen

Across the road is a large church originally dedicated to St Mary Magdalen, though now apparently calling itself Hope Church. It is set in extensive grounds called St Mary Magdalen Church and Gardens. The church is hard to photograph at this time of year as it is screened by mature trees.

There are paths and benches

There is a lot of grass and trees with paths to follow and benches to sit on, altogether a very pleasant place. A few gravestones remain but most were removed long ago.

The London Undeground

The gardens lead out onto Liverpool Road along which we now walked. This street crosses the Victoria Line of the London Underground. The wall is high and I had to hold the camera above my head to get this shot.

Laycock Green

We reached Laycock Street where the clinic resides. There is also a small park here called Laycock Green which we entered.

A bench with a view

We found a bench from which the clinic was visible (the blue building in the photo). We waited here until it was nearly time for my appointment and then entered the clinic.

The fish and chips shop

Afterwards, Tigger said she was hungry and asked if I fancied chips. I always fancy chips! We looked around and found a chip shop.

Chips!

The chip shop is also a restaurant so we asked what they could provide for vegetarians. “Chips,” was the answer. So we had chips!

Compton Terrace Garden

On the other side of the main road is a residential street called Compton Terrace that includes a small but pleasant public garden. We walked through it.

Bumblebee at work

I there photographed a bumblebee at work on a flower.

The Union Chapel

We left the garden by the gate in front of the Union Chapel built in the 1870s and still functioning as a church.

The bus stop nearby

Quite nearby is a bus stop and we went there to catch a bus for home.

Aboard a bus to the Angel

Here we are, aboard a number 30 bus, heading back to the Angel. If we did not exert ourselves hugely today, we had done so yesterday and so a day of lighter activity was in order. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

I am of course speaking of the Edmonton in Greater London, not the city in Canada. We are supposed to be meeting a friend who will pick us up in a borrowed car.

Pret A Manger

We started with a visit to Pret in St John Street for coffee and cake.

Aboard the 341

Then we caught a 341 bus for a very long ride to what felt like the end of the world.

Is this the end of the world?

It also looked like the end of the world but is really a district known as Upper Edmonton. To be fair, it is an area of warehouse-sized “superstores” and such places do tend to look bleak.

Inside IKEA

We were well ahead of time (journey times in London can be unpredictable) and so entered IKEA to wait in that store’s cafe. IKEA is not my favourite store but, then, I suspect it’s a lot of people’s unfavourite store. Still, we were only using their cafe, not intending to buy anything.

The IKEA cafe

IKEA has a well organised one-way system. When we reached the cafe, there was of course a one-way system there too but that’s not all. You are met by an employee who first makes sure that you use the track-and-trace app to record your presence and then indicates that you use a QR code to access a booking system to obtain a table. At last, when all this is done, he leads you to your table.

On the map

Just for fun, here is a screen grab from Apple Maps showing our location.

Nightmare landscapes

Curiously, the most difficult part was leaving the store. You would think that a huge premises like this would have clear indications for the exits, in case of fires and emergencies, but such an obvious policy has apparently not occurred to the management of IKEA. In the end we had to ask an employee to direct us.

Caption

At last we made it to the final stage, the moving footway, after which we could breathe the fresh air of freedom!

We located our friend in a nearby car park and took up position in his car. For some time – and miles – after this, there was nothing to do but watch various landscapes unroll across the windows.

After a rather long drive, we arrived at Tiptree in Essex. We had come to visit the Tiptree Jam Factory. I spotted the above roller though I don’t know whether it hss anything to do with the factory.

We were hoping to have tea in the tearoom but there was a queue and a long wait.

While waiting we paid a visit to the shop. Then it was back to the queue for a long, long wait.

We were eventually offered a table outside. As it was under cover, in case it rained, we were happy to accept rather than go on waiting.

We each had a cream tea with scones, clotted cream and, of course, Tiptree strawberry jam. There was a choice of teas and I chose Assam, though, being in tea bags, it tasted rather anonymous.

There was the inevitable one-way system in place and, to leave, we had to pass through the museum. I didn’t stop to look at the exhibits so cannot say whether it was interesting.

We now set off again, this time aiming for Harwich.

We reached Harwich and parked near Harwich Harbour.

Part of the Old Buoy Network, perhaps?

The old Low Lighthouse and…

…the old High Lighthouse, both dating from the early 1800s.

The Harwich Redoubt, 1810-1946, now a museum.

The Redoubt’s moat, now dry.

The Harwich Guild Hall.

The pier is s curious little L-shaped affair with the evocative name of Ha’penny Pier.

After this dip into the treasures of Harwich, we set off again. The phrase “whirlwind tour” springs to mind.

This is one of the seafront gardens at Clacton-on-Sea where we arrived next.

This is a panorama shot (and therefore slightly distorted) of Clacton Pier.

One of big wheels (there are two).

The War Memorial to the fallen in both World Wars.

This pretty bridge crosses Pier Avenue (I think).

Clacton beach (well, some of it).

We came here for supper which turned out to be quite good. Quick hint: to eat well, order whatever Tigger orders. Do that and you can’t go wrong 🙂

Our friend proposed to drive us back to the bus station at Edmonton, an offer we were happy to accept. After all the rushing about, I quite looked forward to a sedate ride home on s bus.

During the car ride, the rain came down with a vengeance. Visibility decreased alarmingly as did our speed for safety’s sake. Many drivers had turned on their hazard lights. It was a fraught time. Gradually, the rain eased though there remained pools and streams of water on the road so that at times our vehicle resembled a speedboat more than a car.

We reached Upper Edmonton at last. Having parted from our chauffeur, we made our way to the bus stop. The bus in the picture will shortly make its way to our stop and we will go aboard for that journey of an hour or so to home.

And here we are aboard our bus en route for the Angel.

Composed “on the hoof” while travelling.

Well, why not? It’s been a while since we were there and today’s warm sunny weather invites to rambling further afield. But first…

Black Sheep

But first, we stopped for coffee and croissants at the King’s Cross branch of Black Sheep.

Passing by King’s Cross Station

Continuing after our coffee break, we passed by King’s Cross Station and entered St Pancras, descending to the lower level for the services to the south.

Our train arrives

When the Brighton train arrived, we went aboard. It calls en route at Croydon.

Aboard the Brighton train

We went aboard and found that there were plenty of vacant seats. There was a mixed feeling of familiarity (we have travelled this route many times) and strangeness (we haven’t travelled this way for such a long time).

Disembarking at East Croydon Station.

This building is known to some as the Fifty-Pence Building because each level has facets like the eponymous coin.

The unusual name of this pub derives from the fact that it is virtually next door to the old post office and sorting office (now closed).

Croydon is a city of trams and we have been on many tram rides but are not doing so today.

This is East Croydon Station, not the prettiest building in Croydon, nor, unfortunately, the ugliest.

This purports to be the Church of Christian Science whatever that is. For my money, science and religion don’t mix.

This concrete bunker contains Croydon’s Crown Courts.

This view combines a mixture of old and new. No prizes for guessing which I prefer. Certainly not most of the new buildings that have less charm than the average cardboard box.

This is the Town Hall, the sort of building that pours balm on my spirit, rudely assaulted by ugly modernity.

This is the War Memorial, originally for World War I but, sadly, modified to include the Second. A monument to the sacrifice of many and to the stupidity of the human race.

One of the figures on the War Memorial. It speaks volumes if you let it.

The monument to Queen Victoria. The dates show that it was commissioned after her death.

This is a large scale work of “street” art by Otto Schade aka Osch. I imagine a work of this scale must have been done to commission.

This fine old department store seems to be slowly succumbing to less noble structures. The ground floor has alteady been vandalised.

These old almshouses are still in use as dwellings, I’m glad to see.

We walked some way along this pedestrian-only road called North End. I’m sure it’s a wonderful place to do your shopping but, personally, I was glad to leave it.

We spotted this old Burton’s store and looked for any foundation stones. We found none, no doubt because they have been obscured by the current ground-floor frontage.

When we had walked enough, we turned back towards the station and stopped off at Caffè Nero.

I queued for coffee while Tigger found us a table. In this peaceful environment, I composed much of this post.

Back at the station, we walked down the long, sloping ramp to the platforms.

We had to change platforms via a footbridge from where I took a photo looking over the track.

We reached the platform just as a train for Bedford arrived. We went aboard and found seats. Once more, the train was comfortably uncrowded.

We arrived without incident at St Pancras and went to wait for our ride home. Within a few minutes, a 214 arrived and whisked us back to the Angel. This ended our expedition.

Composed “on the hoof” in Croydon and on the way there and back.

After lunch, we decided to pay a visit to Finsbury Library to return the two books I had borrowed, neither of which proved worth reading. Accordingly, we set off via Myddelton Square.

Myddelton Square cat
Photo by Tigger

We kept a lookout for the two cats who live in Myddelton Square and – yes! – one was visible. Cat score = 1.

Passing through Myddelton Square Gardens

We crossed the square by passing through the gardens and…

Myddelton Passage

…entered Myddelton Passage where, as we usually do, we checked…

The pub vine

…to see how the pub vine was doing. It was doing very well and…

A promise of grapes

…promising a fine crop of grapes later in. Even though these will probably be too small to eat, it is still exciting to watch them grow and develop.

Passing through Spa Green Gardens

We cut through Spa Green Gardens. Unfortunately, our passage coincided with the local primary school’s home time and the park and roads were full of children and parents, meaning that discretion made it unwise to take photos of the scene.

Arriving at the library

Tigger cleverly led us by a path that brought us out right beside the library. I was hoping to show Tigger the machine by using it to return my books but when we entered, we were met by a library staff member who, after inviting us to use the hand-gel dispenser, enquired what we wished to do in the library. When I said I was returning books, he told me to put them in the chute outside.

The returns chute

The notice on the chute clearly says to use it when the library is closed and the library was definitely open. However, I didn’t feel inclined to argue. Life’s too short.

Looking around the library

We had a cursory look around the library but the stock on display at present is very much less than it used to be and neither of us were inspired to borrow anything. Fortunately, I have the four books that I bought yesterday.

Colourful objects
Photo by Tigger

We had spotted some colourful objects in the garden on the other side of the road and went to take a look.

Table with chess board

They appear to be two tables with chess boards painted on them. Chess pieces not supplied. But do you notice something?

Only one seat

Each table has only one seat. In each case, the other person would have to sit on the low wall behind the table. That doesn’t seem very friendly or conducive to a long session of chess. I am unsure whether these objects are intended as a facility for public use or are perhaps intended as “art”. Both, perhaps.

Chestnut tree in flower

We returned via Spa Green Gardens but by a different path so I was able to show Tigger the chestnut tree that was finally in flower, having hung fire throughout spring.

We passed back through Myddelton Passage and went to the deli to buy coffee which we took to the gardens in Myddelton Square.

Feeding the squirrels
Photo by Tigger

We found a free bench and sat for a while. Tigger had brought a jar of food for the animals. While I kept the pigeons busy, Tigger courted the squirrels. They are very nervous but she succeeded in attracting them, selecting titbits that they like, such as slices of dried banana which they love.

Feeding from lids
Photo by Tigger

As I have mentioned, the squirrels seem nervous of the pigeons which do their best to grab any food you put out. Tigger had the idea of putting food for squirrels in the lid of the jar and the lid of one of the coffee cups. She managed to “train” the squirrels to eat from these. That made it more difficult for the pigeons to grab what was intended for the squirrels.

Keeping the pigeons busy

Meanwhile, as I said I kept most of the pigeons distracted by feeding them seeds and other small stuff that they can gobble up easily.

Walking back through the gardens

When the animal feed – and our coffee! – were finished, we made our way back through the gardens, enjoying the sunshine and peaceful surroundings.

As we had seen one of the Myddelton Square cats, we wondered whether we would also see the Claremont Square kitten.

The kitten in the window

And we did: in his favourite place in the window. Cat score = 2.

But then, sharp-eyed Tigger noticed something in the basement of another house:

The cat in the basement
Photo by Tigger

It was a cat we had not seen before, a bonus cat! Cat score = 3.

Yes, all right, we are cat fanatics but we know it and it’s all in fun.

Thus ended today’s adventures. Tigger, I’m glad to say, is still on holiday so we have a few more days together to look forward to.