After lunch, we decided to go for a ramble but, first, there was an important duty to perform. Elections are taking place for the Mayor of London and members of the London Assembly. We vote by postal ballot so we filled in our voting forms, inserted them in the official envelope and set out.

Democracy in action
Photo by Tigger

We posted them in the pillar box in White Lion Street. That duty performed, the rest of the afternoon was ours.

One of the neighbours

We began making our way down towards King’s Cross but, in Collier Street, stopped to say hello to one of the neighbours. He was uncertain of our intentions so we did not disturb him further.

King’s Cross Station

On arrival at King’s Cross Station, we put on our masks and stepped inside. One of the problems of taking rambles during lockdown, with pubs and cafes closed, was the lack of public toilets. Though not in need at this moment, we wanted to check whether the station toilets were open, should we need them. And, yes, they were. Good to know.

Overlooked by cranes

With the decline in freight traffic on the railways, a large swathe of buildings around the station has fallen into disuse and has been redeveloped as a mixture of entertainment venues, offices and residential blocks. We went for a wander in this strange, but not unpleasant, landscape.

Cafe terrace

This cafe terrace looked inviting so we chose a table, comfortably distant from the crowd, and sat down.

Coffee and cinnamon bun

I guarded the table while Tigger went inside to order. She chose coffee and a large cinnamon bun which was enough to share.

Central Garden and water feature

Running up the centre of this area is a strip garden with a long water feature. We rather liked this view with the tower of St Pancras Station reflected in the water.

Looking “upstream”

Looking in the opposite direction, you can see that the garden is on a gentle slope so that the water flows gently downstream.

Google’s offices

Yes, well, they’re everywhere, aren’t they?

Dozing ducks

The gardens are not always peaceful but today they were quiet enough for this pair of ducks to take a no doubt deserved snooze.

Granary Square and the canal

The Regent’s Canal runs along the edge of Granary Square (so called because its main building was once the warehouse where grain arriving by train was stored). As you can see, the sunny weather has brought people out in droves. Not that I am complaining because we ourselves were part of the crowd, after all.

Barges moored along the canal

Barges on the canal would once have carried merchandise but with the aforementioned decline in freight traffic, they are now mainly houseboats, with a few service vessels.

Home, sweet home…

…and home, sweet home.

We watched this pair of coots for a while. One (we assume the female) remained on the nest while the other paddled about looking for sticks and straws to add to the nest. We wondered whether she was protecting eggs.

Eggs revealed
Photo by Tigger

At last, the coot moved enough to reveal that there were indeed eggs on the nest. Tigger counted four.

The book barge

This barge is a fixture in these waters. It is a floating bookshop and, if the notice on the side is to be believed, also sells coal! Today there was a man standing on the barge playing a saxophone to background music.

Mackerel sky over York Way

We made our way back to King’s Cross Station by York Way where I photographed the pretty mackerel sky that we have enjoyed today.

Joint self-portrait
Photo by Tigger

As we went, Tigger took this joint self-portrait of us.

King’s Cross and lighthouse

At King’s Cross, I stopped long enough to take this photo of the famous scene of the crossroads with the “lighthouse”, and then we ran to catch a bus back to the Angel.

In the event, we did not use the “facilities” at the station but it was good to know that they were available in case of need.

Sunny Baron Street

It is another warm and sunny day today as you can see from this view of Baron Street.

Farmers’ Market and pub tables

The Farmers’ Market was even busier than before, if that is possible, and the pub’s tables were adding to the crowded look of the scene.

Cafe tables outside

The cafes in Chapel Market also had tables outside and these had attracted their fill of customers. Did I feel envious? Noooo. Well, maybe, just a little 🙂

Surfing the shelves at Sainbury’s

We donned our masks and protective spectacles and dived into Sainsbury’s. It was crowded in some parts, less so in others. We performed our usual run round the shelves (paying attention to the “Points Game“), and made a home run to the checkout. Job done!

The market – busier than ever

The market was also much busier than on previous Sundays. Many of the stalls that we had not seen throughout lockdown were making a triumphant return. Standing among the stalls, I had a feeling of being “immersed” in the market that I had not felt for a long time.

“Inessentials” are back

One reason for the crowding was, of course, that stalls selling stock not considered “essential” during lockdown were now back in action, such as this luggage stall.

Mercer’s for coffee

As usual, I hurried ahead to Mercer’s to buy our coffee. It was quite busy and I had to wait. If you look carefully, you can perhaps see that there are new pale blue tiles either side of the door. Installing these has been a slow process and each time we came here, the tiling had risen a few inches higher. Perhaps the job will be complete at our next visit!

Preparing the coffee

My turn came at last and our coffee was made. Our loyalty card entitled us to a free one today. This is not to be despised because even small mercies are welcome 🙂

Today’s errand was to collect a parcel that the Royal Mail had failed to deliver.

Waiting for the bus at the Angel

Happily, there is a bus that takes us fairly near to the parcels office. Accordingly, we went off to the Angel bus stop to meet it.

Aboard the 294

Appropriately masked, we boarded the 294 bus, which we call the “Homerton Flyer”. Its ultimate destination is Homerton Hospital but it is a small one-door bus the follows a tortuous route through the backstreets in fits and starts with many a pause at awkward corners and traffic hold-ups. It reaches the goal eventually but does anything but “fly”.

Bye bye, bus

Having left the bus we cast about to orient ourselves. I left this work to Tigger as I knew her inner pigeon would find the way faster than I could by looking at maps.

Cropley Street

We go up here (Cropley Street) and…

Eagle Wharf Road

…along here (Eagle Wharf Road), until…

Royal Mail parcels office

…we come to the Royal Mail sorting and parcels office. There was a queue outside (no surprises there) and so I waited outside while Tigger queued and then was admitted to claim her parcel.

Shoreditch Park

Afterwards, we went for a ramble, which we started by crossing through Shoreditch Park. It was just the weather for a stroll in the park, sunny and warm (as long as you ignored the chilly breeze) and there were a lot of people in the park, including those who, singly or in groups, were doing gymnastics and martial arts.

The beaten track

This path between the trees seemed popular with runners and joggers.

Old Gainsborough Studios

A nearby landmark is the building that was first a warehouse and then became the Gainsborough Studios of Alfred Hitchcock fame. It has now been sold for “redevelopment”.

Lamps of unusual design

Our attention was drawn by these lamps of unusual design. The ironwork decoration suggests that they are quite old but more than that I do not know. The crossbar ladder support suggests that they might once have been lit by gas.

Hoxton Street Market sign

We eventually reached Hoxton Street which, since 1687, had been the site of a well known market, as the above sign declares.

Hoxton is also the name of the district. Popular etymology suggests that the name derives from an ancient farm where pigs (or hogs) were kept but it is considered more likely that the name derives from Anglo-Saxon Hocs (possessive case of the name Hoc) and tun (“farm”), that is, Hoc’s Farm was once to be found here.

Busy market

Since Monday, all market stalls are once again allowed to trade and the market was crowded with both tightly packed rows of stalls and potential customers.

Man with parrot
Photo by Tigger

One of the more colourful of the latter was this gentleman with a parrot in his shoulder.

Hoxton Hall

This relatively modest-looking premises, called Hoxton Hall, started in1863 as Macdonald’s Music Hall and today it is a Grade II* listed building. You will find more about it in my previous post on the topic, A hall in Hoxton.

First World War Memorial to North London Railway Men

Near Hoxton Station, which these days is served by the Overground, stands this simple but dignified memorial to “North London Railway Men” who lost their lived in the First World War.

A glimpse of the Museum of the Home

In this area is to be found a very fine museum, now called the Museum of the Home. It is based on a row of almshouses endowed by Sir Robert Geffrye and the museum originally bore his name. However, recent concerns about racism and the involvement in the slave trade of hitherto celebrated figures, have led to the museum’s rebranding. I took this view of the rear of the main building through the railings of the garden.

We had deliberately more or less followed the bus route so that, when we felt ready to return, we could easily board a bus. Here we are waiting at a bus stop in Kingsland Road. Through the trees you can catch sight of the minaret of the Suleymaniye Mosque.

On the “Flyer” once more

We boarded the “Flyer” once more and were carried, through many a twist and turn back home to the Angel.

Yesterday’s rain showers (which provided me with an excuse to stay at home) today gave way to dry weather and sunny intervals. I set out to see how the world was faring now that some restrictions have been lifted.

Traffic crawls in Pentonville Road

Reaching Pentonville Road, I found it busy, with traffic reduced to a crawl. I walked through to Chapel Market and found – unusually for a weekday – that the top end had been closed completely to vehicles.

Crowded tables at the pub

The reason was to make room for tables outside the pub, necessary because they can still serve customers only outside.

Busy market

The market was more or less back to its pre-Covid state and crowded.

Having become used to the quiet and peaceful lockdown world, I will admit that the new busy and crowded world came as an unpleasant contrast.

This looks better

I found a quieter environment by crossing through Sainsbury’s car park into Cloudesley Road. This is a residential area with at most one corner shop and no pubs.

Cloudesley Road

Though it is a fairly wide street, Cloudesley Road is quiet and lined with trees. It is composed mainly of Georgian style houses, most with their basement “area” still intact.

Georgian style houses

These mid-19th-century houses are typical of the street and, more generally, of the district that I have come to think of as home.

H. Wyld’s French Milinery

I have photographed this old millinery shop before but it’s good to see that it is still here, a placeholder for the neighbourhood’s history.

Holy Trinity Church

From here too, we have a view of Holy Trinity Church in Cloudesley Square. It is still undergoing restoration work and I shall be interested to take a look when it is finally finished.

Open space and bench

There are at least two benches in this street and both are situated, as here, in an open space made by expanding the pavement. I wonder whether any of the neighbours ever do sit here and pass the time of time with one another.

Thornhill Road Garden

Cloudesley Road led me to Thornhill Road Garden. Like many such, it was originally reserved for the use of local residents but in 1946, I think it was, it passed into the care of the Council. All the signs are that it is being actively maintained by the local community.

Thornhill Street Gardens

I sat on a bench for a while and admired the beautiful old trees.

Beautiful old trees

Then I walked slowly round the garden, noticing all the details and points of interest.

A pond in the making

In a sheltered corner, a pond is being constructed. It looks a bit rough now but I am sure it will come into its own eventually.

Wild flower garden – eventually

A notice tells us that this corner, which also contains the pond-to-be, is to be a space for wild flowers. I look forward to its completion.

Memorial to the First World War

The garden possesses its own memorial to the First World War.

Decorative false balconies

On the way back, I stopped to photograph these houses, all of which have decorative iron-work false balconies. Although Georgian style houses looked deceptively similar at a quick glance, there is in fact a lot of variety in the details. It’s almost as though the architects had added them to see whether we would notice them! Along the whole street there are variations in the design of ironwork in railings and window decorations.

Old Royal Agricultural Hall

Looking along Batchelor Street, we have a tantalising glimpse of the old Royal Agricultural Hall in Liverpool Road.

I was nearly home now but there was one last photo to take: today’s photo of pigeons! (You knew there would be one!)

Culpeper Park pigeons

Tigger is working Wednesday to Friday this week. I suppose i should not complain too much about that as we have the other four days of the week to ourselves.

I made myself busy at home with various things and went out only for a brief solo walk.

London’s smallest public garden?

I have previously photographed this miniature garden built round the base of a tree in Claremont Square. I have no idea who created it.

Miniature garden close-up

I don’t know whether it is being actively maintained but it has survived for quite a while.

In Cruikshank Street I met a tortoiseshell cat. She came to greet me amiably. We saw her once before, a long time ago. I wonder whether she remembers me.

Tortoiseshell cats are special. I discovered this from my first cat who was a member of this tribe. 99% or more of tortoiseshell cats are female so if you meet one, you can safely assume she’s female.

Tortoiseshell cats can be difficult because you have to accept them on their own terms. They can be affectionate but only when they want to be. Mine was very intelligent and understood a lot of words in both English and French. (I define “understand” to mean responding appropriately and consistently to a word or phrase). She also found ways to communicate her wants and needs to us slow-witted humans by using gestures and her very striking yellow eyes.

Goodbye!

This one is so much like my own cat (who died aged 21 at the turn of the century) that I found it hard to walk on. Perhaps we shall meet again soon.

Do-it-yourself wardrobe

This demolished wardrobe has been languishing outside a house for several days. The attached paper apprises us that it is awaiting collection by the Council but I imagine if someone wants a wardrobe and is ready to accept on in kit form, there would be no objection to them taking it.

And so to home to await the welcome news that Tigger has left the office and is on her way.

As I was writing the above words, a text arrived from Tigger saying she is on the bus bound for home. I’ll go and make the tea!