It has remained warm all day and we have stayed at home relaxing like sheep under a tree. We waited until 7 pm to go out again when, we hoped, it would be cooler.

The crossroads at evening

We passed through the Angel crossroads which is a busy junction at most times of day.

St John Street, sunlight and shadow

We walked down St John Street, keeping to the shady side of the street.

Chadwell Street

We entered Chadwell Street which is rather oddly arranged. The picture shows the end where it enters St John Street. Note the cycle track on the left. Just behind me, Arlington Way branches off to the left (over my right shoulder as I take the photo). Thus, motor vehicles can enter Chadwell Street and then turn left into Arlington Way. Beyond that point, however, Chadwell Street is blocked by a line of hire cycle posts, preventing vehicles (but not bicycles) from proceeding and entering Myddelton Square. This has possibly been done to prevent the square being used a rat run by motor vehicles. If so, then I approve, as it keeps the square as a quiet oasis.

Window box

I photographed this pretty window box in Chadwell Street. I have admired it several times in passing and thought I had better photograph it though the lighting conditions may not be perfect. Each year, the Amwell Society organises a window box competition and I’m sure that this encourages people to create beautiful displays.

Myddelton Square Garden

We entered Myddelton Square Gardens. There were a few people sitting on benches enjoying the evening. We did not stop but continued across.

Another view of the gardens

We wondered whether we would see my friend, the one-footed pigeon, but there were few pigeons to be seen. I think most were already roosting in the trees.

Guess who?

We left the gardens by the lower gate and walked round the Square. We wanted to visit the tree where we had seen the stag beetle (a reader kindly confirmed that it was a stag beetle). We thought it unlikely that it would still be there but it was worth a look. Adult stag beetles live at most from May to August and die after mating. The stag beetle was not there which meant it might well still be alive. Now that we have seen one, perhaps we will see others. As we were looking for the stag beetle, Electra flashed by. She had obviously put off her exercise period till later, like us.

Evening sunlight in the square

We continued round the square taking in all the details and noting any changes. We turned the corner and…

A speeding Electra

…saw Electra go speeding past. That was her last circuit because we did not see her again. We continued through the square to Mylne Street, though I stopped on the corner for one last photo:

The Curvaceous Tree

Then we continued on our way home to spend a quiet evening.

That’s the end of the weekend for us this time around as Tigger will be working Monday, Tuesday and Thursday this week, an awkward arrangement but only temporary. We will have an extra long “weekend”, Friday to Tuesday, to make up for it.

Today bids fair to be the hottest so far this year. Anyone sensible knows that the best thing to do with the heat is to stay out of it but, equally, the shopping needs to be done and so, with due reluctance, we set forth into the sunshine.

Sunlight and shadow in Baron Street

Discounting the heat, the sunshine does at least make everything look cheerful and lift your mood, something that we denizens of this damp and cloudy island duly appreciate.

The Farmers’ Market

The Farmers’ Market was open and busy as usual. There seem to be three categories of shoppers: those who shop in the market; those who shop at Waitrose; and those who, like us, shop at Sainsbury’s, though there are no doubt some who visit more than one of these sources.

The crockery stall

The crockery stall is usually here on a Sunday. They have an impressive range of items from mugs and cups, through jugs and plates to teapots. I once bought a mug here and usually have a look to see whether anything catches my fancy.

Cafe al fresco

The cafes in the upper part of the street are prevented by the Farmers’ Market from putting tables in the road today but further down, they still can. This is Cafe Millennium and it has attracted some customers for open-air service.

The plant stall

This stall selling plants is another stalwart of the market. It takes up position in White Conduit Street and has a wide range of plants, the selection changing with the seasons. You may recall that it continued to be present all through the pandemic. I hope their assiduity has been duly rewarded.

Sainsbury’s was busy and…

Sainsbury’s was busy in some parts and…

…not busy

…less busy in others. It didn’t take us too long to tour the usual shelves and pick up the usual selection of goodies.

I remember, as a child, going shopping with my mother. We did not enjoy the luxury of a fridge and had to shop for fresh goods several times a week. Milk was delivered to the doorstep daily but in summer inevitably went sour during the day. I was used to drinking tea with white “floaters” on it. I did at least learn how to make “cottage cheese” by passing sour milk through a muslin to catch the residue. Unsurprisingly, I have maintained a love-hate relationship with milk ever since! To this day, I take my tea and coffee black.

Hurrying through Chapel Market

As usual, I hurried through the market to Mercer’s, leaving Tigger to follow in due course with the loaded trolley. The main market forms two distinct groups of stalls with an empty space between them. I have yet to work out the reason for this. It does seem rather curious.

Carrying the coffee

Having bought the coffee, we made for home. Strange, isn’t it, that on a hot day we still find hot coffee a delectable treat? Yes, I know some people have iced coffee in summer but this is a fad that I have never even been tempted to try. For me, tea and coffee are beverages to be consumed hot and that’s that! You can’t teach an old tiger new tricks 🙂

At 5 pm we set foot outside again although it was still very warm 24°C). We went for a stroll around the neighbourhood with a destination in view.

Cruikshank Street

The low evening sun was producing areas of brightness alternating with long shadows. It was easy to be dazzled by the sun shining into your eyes. We went down Cruikshank Street to…

Flowers in Bevin Court

…the housing estate at the bottom called Bevin Court, where these flowers were making a pretty display.

Looking up Great Percy Street

We crossed Great Percy Street which, though residential, is quite wide and descends, straight as an arrow, to Kings Cross Road, interrupted at one point by one of our favourite places, the garden of Percy Circus.

Lloyd Baker Street

We passed down Lloyd Street, through Lloyd Square, into Lloyd Baker Street. (Do you see a pattern forming? 🙂 ) Myddelton’s deli is at the end on the left and we might have been tempted to tarry a while there but for the fact they were closed for the day…

Amwell Street shops

We crossed Amwell Street where these shops were glowing in the evening sun. They too were closed and shuttered.

Trees in River Street

We continued along River Street where my attention was caught by the roadside trees and how green they were. They seem to be thriving despite the little rain we have had.

Flowers on the doorstep

Many houses around here have flowers growing on their doorsteps and I wonder whether they are cultivated or have sprung up spontaneously. Either way, they are pretty and I like them.

Myddelton Square Gardens

Into Myddelton Square we went. I wondered whether the pigeons would recognise us and come begging for food! (No, not really, and anyway, they were busy with another person feeding them.)

Squirrel observing us

I managed to snap this squirrel hanging on a tree and observing us hopefully before disappearing again.

Stag beetle (I think)
Photo by Tigger

Tigger spotted this big beetle resting on a tree at the edge of the garden. We think it is a stag beetle, though we are not sure.

Chadwell Street

From the square we crossed into Chadwell Street, named, like Amwell Street, after one of the springs which are the source of the New River.

Roses in Chadwell Street

I photographed these roses in Chadwell Street, growing in the same garden that produced roses that I admired when we started our local rambles during the very first lockdown. How long ago that now seems to be!

Houses in Chadwell Street

The stepped arrangement of houses in Chadwell Street always claims my attention as it is so unusual amidst the usual regularity of Georgian-style houses.

The Banana Tree

And so to St John Street and our aforementioned destination: the Banana Tree restaurant.

Inside the Banana Tree

At this early hour, the restaurant was not busy and as the air conditioning was on, we chose to eat there rather than order a takeaway. That way, we could have jasmin tea as well!

Evening at the Angel Crossroads

Afterwards, we passed by the Angel crossroads on our way to spend a peaceful evening at home. ‘Night, all!

We went for a early outing this morning in order to avoid the expected heat later in the day.

A cloudy-sunny day

The sky was quite cloudy, as this photo shows. Sunny intervals alternated with shady ones.

Myddelton Square Gardens

We bought our coffee at the deli and carried it to the garden in Myddelton Square where we found s bench free.

Free for all

I mentioned the other day that we had bought a bag of bird seed in the pet shop. Today was a chance to try it out. Tigger was hoping to feed the crows but, inevitably, the square’s pigeons claimed their share.

One to one
Photo by Tigger

I noticed that one of the pigeons was missing a foot and wanted to be sure that he had his share. I started by hand-feeding him on the ground but eventually he found the courage to fly onto my knee and I fed him there.

Eating out of my hand
Photo by Tigger

He became brave enough to eat out of my cupped hand.

Using his wings to steady himself
Photo by Tigger

My denim trousers are somewhat slippery for a pigeon and he kept sliding off until he learned to land further up on the flat. When he found himself slipping, he used his wings to steady himself but still fell off several times first.

Interloper!
Photo by Tigger

Another pigeon, a younger one, tried to muscle in. His technique was to perch on my hand. Having two healthy feet, he could get a grip. I accepted him as it was easier just to feed both of them than try to avoid one while feeding the other.

Pigeons in stereo
Photo by Tigger

Once they had gained confidence in me, the pigeons were happy to sit on my knees… as long as they thought there might be food in the offing!

Stroking the pigeon
Photo by Tigger

The pigeon grew confident enough to allow me to stroke his chest with my finger. I’m not claiming that he enjoyed it but that he probably tolerated it in the hope of receiving more food. In the picture, the interloper pigeon arrives, landing on “my” pigeon’s back.

Crows – less ready to approach
Photo by Tigger

In the meantime, Tigger was tossing larger items to a pair of crows. Crows are a lot more suspicious of humans (with good reason) than pigeons are. They would not come closer than a couple of yards or more. We also noticed that they hid much of what we gave them by poking it down among the grass and putting blades of grass on top. I don’t doubt that foraging squirrels and pigeons will find it.

A sunny moment

When the sun shone, the garden looked cheerfully pretty. On the other hand, the cloudy intervals helped to keep the air cool which we appreciated too.

Finishing off the bird seed

We had brought a ration of seed in a screw-top jar and, to finish off, put the remainder in the lid so that the pigeons could enjoy a final feast.

Leaving the garden

Having finished off the seed, we set off for home and lunch. I took the above retrospective photo of the pleasant gardens.

The church amid sunlit trees

After this backward glance, we climbed the hill to home where we had lunch. We may go out again later.

I have mentioned before that I like pigeons and so interacting with them today was very enjoyable. I hope we can repeat the experience again one day soon.

We saw the other day that our nearest branch of Islington’s public libraries, the Finsbury Library, had reopened. As I had not been to a library for a long, long time (since before the start of the pandemic), I thought I might pay a visit to the Finsbury Library today. I hoped I might find some French fiction to read as I haven’t read anything in French for a very long while.

St John Street

I set off down St John Street. This is the most direct route to the library, though not the prettiest. I would reserve a prettier path for the return journey.

The Dame Alice Owen pub

I passed by the Dame Alice Owen pub that I mentioned in yesterday’s post, and…

City University campus

…the St John Street campus of City University with its fine old clock.

Finsbury Library

The library seems coy about announcing its presence. You can tell it’s a library only by looking in the windows. The huge lettering above the door is simply the address. It’s called the Finsbury Library because this area was once within the old borough of Finsbury which was absorbed into the borough of Islington.

Widely spaced bookshelves

I found that the layout if the library had changed. There was more space between the shelves than there used to be. (A precaution against infection?) This means fewer shelves and therefore fewer books in what was already quite a small library.

I found the French books easily enough, roughly where they used to be, in a bookcase labelled “Community Languages”. That French is regarded as a “community language” struck me as ironic somehow. There are precious few of them too: a shelf and a half. I chose two novels without being convinced that I would want to read them.

Clutching my books and with my ticket at the ready, I approached the glass-fronted desk that I had noted when I came in.

“Do you require assistance?” enquired a staff member.

“Er, I just want to borrow these books,” said I.

“Ah, no, please use the machine there,” he replied pointing to the contraption you see below.

A mechanical library assistant

Rather like the self-checkouts in supermarkets, there is a display with the picture of a button labelled “Press to Begin”. Another image then appears with a flashing arrow indicating movement. This prompts you to place your library card in a slot. Then you are instructed to “Place your books in the space below”. Once you have done so, the screen displays details of the books, each ticked with a green tick. I assumed that meant the operation had been successfully completed, so I seized my books and card and made my escape. I wonder how often the process fails and books are not assigned to their correct borrower. There is also the fact that the books are not stamped with the return date. You have to remember this for yourself.

Coman House

For the return journey, I started by walking through the housing estate next to the library. I thought I knew where I would emerge.

Housing estate garden

In fact, I emerged somewhere where I had never been before! I found myself in this small but pleasant garden. If it has a name, I was unable to discover it.

Old Finsbury Town Hall

I soon found myself walking behind Old Finsbury Town Hall and so knew where I was.

Spa Green War Memorial

A few minutes’ walk brought me to where I had expected to arrive, at Spa Green Garden. I walked through the garden to the top end and the gate to Rosebery Avenue.

Flowers at last

I stopped to take a photo of this chestnut tree which was in flower at last. Every time we passed, we looked to see whether there were any flowers but there were none. Everywhere else, the trees had blossom but this tree remained flowerless. It has flowered at last and so I texted a picture of it to Tigger to announce the good news.

Flowers, Myddelton Square Garden

Passing through Myddelton Square, I saw these flowers poking through the railings and making a pretty display.

A view of the garden

I also took a quick photo of the garden as it’s a place I have come to appreciate and enjoy. Perhaps we will bring our coffee here one morning soon on a day when Tigger doesn’t have to go to work.

Mobile phone stall, Chapel Market

Another place I hadn’t visited since the onset of the pandemic was the Oxfam Bookshop in Upper Street. As I was not entirely happy with my selection of books from the library, I decided to see what I could find at Oxfam. I also had a big (and heavy) bag of books to give them. So off I went after lunch, passing through Chapel Market where I photographed the mobile phone stall.

Angel Central

I passed through the small shopping and entertainments mall called Angel Central. The building works are finished and all the barriers and screens have been removed.

The Business Design Centre

I went through Angel Central because one of its exits leads to the Business Design Centre and the Oxfam Bookshop is just round the corner from there, meaning I can reach it without walking along a busy main road.

The Oxfam Bookshop

I had not been sure the bookshop would be open and had therefore brought only a few books to give them. I was glad to find that they were open. The French books had been moved upstairs and, as at the library, there was only a smallish selection. Consequently, I found only one book that interested me. (More about that anon.)

I clambered down the staircase and presented my book… only to be told that the payments desk was now upstairs. Strange arrangement.

Back through Angel Central

I returned the way I had come, through Angel Central and…

Chapel Market

…Chapel Market.

Pentonville Road

I crossed a busy Pentonville Road and was soon home.

So what was the book I bought? It was this one:

Stupeur et tremblements
Amélie Nothomb

I have read several books by this author, Amélie Nothomb, and liked them all, so there’s every chance that I’ll like this one as well. She is Belgian and seems to have a penchant for wearing big hats. You will find more about her (in English) here.