It’s a cold, wet day today which doesn’t invite us to long rambles. It was more of a “once round the square and take the coffee home” sort of expedition.

Repair complete

The repair to the water leak in Claremont Square has been completed and they’ll no doubt be along one day to take away the barriers. I must say that they’ve made a good job of it.

Claremont Square and reservoir

This picture shows how dull and grey the conditions are but doesn’t tell you how cold it felt. You have to take my word for that!

Myddelton Square

Following an oft-trodden path, we entered Myddelton Square. We didn’t see the Circling Cyclist today but…

Family on wheels
Photo by Tigger

…saw this family on wheels. What amused us was that, while the front two riders were pedalling away as though their lives depended in it, the third member was apparently asleep!

Vine beginning to flower

Tigger’s sharp eyes noticed that the vine on the façade of this house had begun to flower. I couldn’t see it – perhaps you can.

Flowers in the vine

This close-up shows the flowers better though their colours don’t stand out very strongly against the brickwork.

Window boxes

On several windows in the square, the window boxes were beginning to flower nicely. I took photos of just two of them to be going on with.

Myddelton Square/River Street

It had begun to rain while we were walking round the square and so we now made for the deli.

The deli

Reaching the deli, We ordered coffee as usual and then saw an interesting-looking box with a cake inside. It was labelled as an Easter cake – whatever that is – but looked delicious. So Tigger bought it.

Oddly-behaving crow
Photo by Tigger

On the way home, we encountered a crow that was behaving oddly. Usually, they give humans a wide berth but this one walked about near us, emitting guttural crow sounds. This seemed quite anomalous behaviour to us but we did not understand it, unfortunately. Each time it bobs its head it is cawing.

Briefly on a car
Photo by Tigger

The crow perched briefly on a car, still emitting the noises. We decided there was nothing we could do and so walked on.

As I mentioned, it was quite chilly and I was quite glad to reach home.

Easter Cake
Photo by Tigger

The Easter Cake was ceremoniously liberated from the box. It was sealed in a plastic wrapper and was quite fresh.

Coffee and cake

We had our coffee and a good lump of cake each with it. It was as delicious as it looked in the shop.

Just in case you are wondering why I have lowered my standards so far as to drink my coffee out of a cardboard cup, it is because the cup I used before – my favourite – has been reassigned to tea duty. I shall have to think about acquiring a “proper” cup for my takeaway coffee!

The tiny beetle whom I call “the small visitor” (see yesterday’s post) returned this evening and remained on my computer screen long enough for me to take some photos, of which here is one:

The small visitor

The photo was taken with my iPhone 8 and cropped in order to “enlarge” it. There is naturally some loss of detail. Remember, too, that this small creature is about 2 millimetres long. Just imagine how thin the kegs are and yet they are perfectly articulated, allowing the beetle to walk without slipping on the smooth surface of the screen and even when upside down under the computer.

It also has wings enabling it to fly and can fold the wings away under the wing-cases. A true marvel.

Why does it visit my computer? I have no idea but something seems to draw it there. Nor do I have any idea where it comes from or where it goes between visits.

I say “it”, as though it is always the same but, for all I know, there may be many of them and each visitor may be a different individual. For now, though, I will assume it is always the same one and refer to it as “the small visitor”.

My walk today did not work out as planned but, rather than waste time on that, I will show you a few of the photos I took along the way.

White Lion, 1898

At the bottom end of White Lion Street (that joins the High Street), there are two plaques representing the eponymous White Lion. They are not vestiges of the original tavern, however, as the included date of 1898 testifies. That was the date when this building was erected.

Junction of Liverpool Road and the High Street

This is the busy junction where Islington High Street meets Liverpool Road (coming in from the left). The High Street actually veer off to the right to become a quiet side street but the roadway continues uninterrupted as Upper Street.

People may wonder why, if there is an Upper Street, there is no Lower Street. In Elizabethan times there was indeed a Lower Street, and the two, Upper and Lower, formed boundaries to the then village of Islington. Lower Street was later obscured, partly by the present Essex Road. There is some indication that its nether end may be what is now known as the High Street.

Sunny interval in Upper Street

The morning had been sunny but in the afternoon, the sun gave way to clouds. There was one sunny interval and I grabbed a photo to record it!

Islington Green

I decided to walk across Islington Green, which provides a welcome green oasis between busy main roads. Despite the name, this patch was never the village green though it is the remainder of a much larger piece if common land where local inhabitants could graze their cattle. There is a rumour that a plague pit lies beneath the green but I am uncertain of the truth of this.

Bellanger, cafe and brasserie

I stopped to take a look at Bellanger’s, a French cuisine restaurant and one of our favourites for special occasions. At one point it looked as though the pandemic had killed it off but then came the good news that it is after all reopening. They were installing machines, possibly heaters, because when restaurants open again on April 12th, they will be permitted to serve customers outside only.

Waterstones Bookshop

I couldn’t see any lights or movement inside the neighbouring Waterstone’s, but I imagine they too are preparing for the great day of reopening.

Essex Road

My route took me along Essex Road, a road I would describe as useful rather than pleasant to walk in.

The Queen’s Head

Reaching the Queen’s Head pub (which I have photographed in a previous occasion, I know), I turned left into Gaskin Street.

Gaskin Street

A rather ordinary street, neither particularly pretty nor interesting, Gaskin Street once held a chapel which caused it to be called Church Street. It was renamed in 1937 after the Revd George Gaskin, D.D. (1797-1829) who was attached in some capacity to the nearby Church of St Mary.

Rothery Street

Leading off Gaskin Street is another nondescript street, this one called Rothery Street. Apparently, it is named after lawyer William Rothery (1775-1864). What is curious about that is that Rothery is listed as being an Admiralty referee on matters connected with the slave trade. I wonder how long before this connection is discovered and the street renamed.

St Mary’s Path

The foregoing street leads us to the picturesque St Mary’s Path that runs beside the once burial ground, now gardens, of St Mary’s Church.

St Mary’s Church

From here we have a semi-veiled view of the church or, at least, we do until the leaves return to the trees and veil the view completely.

St Mary’s Garden

I walked through the garden which was fairly crowded with both adults and children, in spite of the cloudy sky.

St Mary’s from the garden

I took this photo in the garden. Because there were so many people, discretion was necessary. The street photographer’s mantra is: Be quick, don’t make eye contact, move swiftly on!

It was my last photo and after taking it I returned home to await news from Tigger, on her way home from work.

The small visitor

From time to time, this tiny beetle (or others very much like it) pays a visit to my computer. Today, as usual, it appeared quite suddenly in the middle of the page I had just loaded in my browser and, for a moment, I thought it was a fault on the page! Then I recognised the small visitor.

It (or they) appears suddenly, from where I do not know. It then runs across the screen or stops and remains still for a couple of minutes. Then off it goes again, following an erratic path. It may spread its wings and fly down onto the keyboard.

Finally, it may spread its wings again and disappear or, as today, run to the edge and disappear behind or under the laptop.

I call it the small visitor and it is indeed small, perhaps 2-3 millimetres long.

I marvel at how something so small can not only run about but also fly and apparently decide where to go next.

The weather continues cold and, as Tigger is at work today, it was hard work persuading myself to go out. However, I had ordered a repeat prescription from the doctor’s last week and reckoned it should be ready for me at the pharmacy by now and that provided the necessary motive to venture into the cold.

Lights on in the Castle

Passing along Pentonville Road, I noticed that the lights were on inside the Castle pub. This is no doubt because they are preparing themselves for April 12th. On and after that date, pubs and restaurants will be permitted to serve food to diners but only outside (see their website). Presumably, for the Castle, that means using their terrace. It remains to be seen whether the weather will be suitable.

Work in progress

Repair work on the leak in Claremont Square continues. I do tend to be critical of the slow progress of such works (a little unfairly, perhaps?) so I will just note that…

Nearly finished

…this repair is nearly finished and only requires the making good of the surface around the access point.

Hello, tree

I had intended to go straight to the pharmacy but now I was out, I decided to visit the Curvaceous Tree and say hello because seeing it always cheers me up. I am waiting with interest to see it recover its green dress in due course.

Why not walk around the square?

And, seeing as I was there now, why not go for a walk round Myddelton Square, a place that I have become fond of through our lockdown outings?

The Circling Cyclist

Just then, guess who I saw speeding past – yes, none other than the Circling Cyclist doing her daily routine of powering round the square!

Sunny interval

I had gone but a little bit further when the sun came out and transformed the scene. I thought I should photograph it while I could and it was just as well that I did because it was the only sunshine I saw.

Myddelton Square Garden

I walked through Myddelton Square Garden and, although there were a few people there, it wasn’t as crowded as it has been recently – understandably, in view of the cold.

Myddelton Square pigeons

I almost convinced myself not to photograph the pigeons but when I saw them the “almost” evaporated. I am endlessly fascinated by pigeons and their communal activities. Perhaps I was a pigeon in a previous life. (No, I don’t really think so 🙂 )

Leaving the garden, I encountered another feathered personage.

Busy crow

It is unusual to be able to come so close to a crow because they are extremely wary of people – and with good reason because throughout history, people, including some who should know better, have treated them abominably and continue to so so. Perhaps it was because this crow had found something unusually good to eat that he was less cautious of me than he would normally be. I wish it were possible to wear a sign that birds can understand that says “Harmless” so that I could approach them. Eventually, some people emerged from the garden with a dog and that finally scared the crow away. Guess my uncharitable thoughts!

Flowers in the garden

Before leaving the gardens altogether, I took this photo of a flower bed. I have come to appreciate the garden more and more as I have come to know it. Perhaps when the weather improves we will come here again with our coffee, as we did once before.

I went to the pharmacy where I endured the “pharmacist’s twitch” and picked up my prescription. The “pharmacist’s twitch”? Ah, you observe that when they hand you the goods and, no matter how well they know you, they ask you to confirm the address on the prescription.

Someone’s missing a shoe

A small citizen is missing a shoe that some kind person has recovered and placed on the railings. Perhaps the owner (or the owner’s agents) will recover it. One shoe, after all, is almost as useless as no shoes at all.