As is our wont on Sunday mornings, we went off to dance the Retail Shuffle, that is…

Dancing the Retail Shuffle

…to perform the weekly shopping run at Sainsbury’s. The shop was quite busy, calling for some nifty footwork round the more popular shelves. That done, we returned home, on the way calling in at Mercer’s for takeaway coffee.

I read recently that the pandemic has had a lasting effect on shopping habits. It seems that many people now go to the shops several times a week for smaller amounts rather than doing a big weekly shop. All I can say is that we have not changed our habits and still prefer a weekly run to Sainsbury’s to get it over and done with.

Amwell Street from the deli

After lunch, we went down to the deli in Amwell Street (having made sure yesterday that they were intending to open today) and sat outside in the sun with our coffee. Quiet though Amwell Street is, there are usually things going in to watch, whether people acting oddly or, as today, pigeons flying about in groups for reasons not immediately apparent.

Sunlit Wharton Street

After our coffee break we set off down Wharton Street. We had ideas of going for a walk though without definite notions as to where,

King’s Cross Road

We walked along King’s Cross Road towards King’s Cross. It was very quiet and all the shops were closed. (I suspect that the present bad economic situation will persuade many businesses that might have previously opened on Sundays to no longer do so.)

The old Police Station

The police station has been closed for some time now without any signs of it being used for some other purpose. The plants in front of it have grown up and spread without anyone to keep them tidy. This adds to the station’s air of neglect.

King’s Cross Road and Dim Sum Duck

When we came to this part of King’s Cross Road we saw the restaurant Dim Sum Duck. There were people queueing waiting for tables. That’s something I avoid doing as you don’t know how long you’re going to have to wait and perhaps, too, because I always feel a bit silly standing there like a lemon. That’s just me, though: your take on this might be different.

We continued on for a bit but our heart wasn’t in it. The sun was shining, making the air quite warm and we were still a bit tired from our exertions during the week. I think we both came to the conclusion at the same time that it would be a good idea to catch a bus up the hill to home. So we did just that!

Working properly – so far

My dratted PC has worked correctly since its last repair (see Frustration at Curry’s). Not that that means much as it behaved for a while last time until it started playing up again. (I suspect that when Dell releases updates, this sets it misbehaving again though that may be coincidental.)

Tomorrow is Monday which means that Tigger goes back to work and I am not looking forward to it. We have had nine days together, for which I am duly grateful, but I could do with a few more (like every day from now on!). I will do my best to keep myself occupied until the evening when Tigger returns.

For our first day back in London, it’s cloudy with occasional bursts of sunshine but it may improve later.

Cloudy day in River Street

We went to the deli for our usual coffee and sat outside to drink it.

Will the shadow stay?

We kept watching the this shadow from the lamppost. It appeared when the sun shone and disappeared when the clouds returned. We hoped it would make up its mind to stay. (It didn’t.)

Tigger had collected many photos of historic buildings while we were away and wanted to look them up in the wonderfully detailed series of books covering the architecture of the whole of the British Isles published under the editorship of Niklaus Pevsner and known to initiates simply as “Pevsner”. Where would we gain access to these books?

The pub vine, Myddelton Passage

We started by walking to Finsbury Public Library to see whether they possessed copies of the volumes of Pevsner that we wanted. On the way we of course said hello to the pub vine which is still flourishing.

The old HQ of the New River Company

We crossed Rosebury Avenue where the above turreted building always claims my attention, and…

Spa Green

…passed through Spa Green, taking care not to disturb a group of pigeons relaxing on the grass.

Finsbury Library

We reached Finsbury Library and looked around for the Pevsners, but without success. We sought help but it turned out that that didn’t keep any of the volumes in this library. Nor did they have the ones we wanted (Dorset and South Hampshire) in other branches of Islington Libraries.

Aboard the 153

Our next plan was to take a number 153 bus to Liverpool Street Station and visit the Bishopsgate Institute which we thought may hold copies of Pevsner.

Liverpool Street Station

We walked through Liverpool Street Station and…

Exchange Square

…crossed Exchange Square.

Black Sheep, Bishopsgate

We stopped off at Black Sheep Coffee in Bishopsgate and were lucky enough to catch one of the comfy sofas.

When we eventually looked across the street at the Institute, we saw it was closed. (Maybe we should have checked before going! 🙂 )

Aboard the 205

Our next attempt was to go to the British Library and seek membership, as we were sure they must keep copies of the Pevsners. To that end, we boarded a number 205 bus to the BL.

Arriving at the British Library

We reached the British Library and enquired about membership only to find that our ID items were not sufficient.

Heading for Sizzles

In view of this, we returned home to pick up what was needed and to have lunch. We tried Cafe Sizzles which had been closed the last two times we tried to go there, leaving us worried that it had closed down.

Cafe Sizzles – open

We were relieved to find the cafe open. Although it was busy there was a table free and were soon served. (They always bring us tea without us having to ask for it!)

Inside the British Library

We returned to the British Library and this time we were successful, though we nearly were not. Tigger was asked for a bank statement as proof of address but didn’t have one. I suggested they might accept the proof provided by the banking app on her phone. Would they? Yes, they would! Problem solved by lateral thinking!

Books stack, British Library

So now we were both members and could consult the books available.

The locker room

But there was one thing more to do first: bags are not allowed in the reading room so we had to go down to the locker room and stuff our bags into a shared locker. Then, at last, we were ready to go to the reading room and ask for our Pevsners.

Pevsner for Dorset

That turned out to be even easier than we had expected: when we enquired at the desk for the books, they had them them right there in a cupboard! We asked for the two we wanted and went to find seats in the reading room.

General view, reading room

We chose two seats as far away as possible from other readers so that we could discuss what we were doing without disturbing others. It didn’t take us long because Tigger photographed the pages she wanted to work on at home. (Another example of how modern technology can be helpful in all kinds of ways.)

We now caught a bus home to make tea and pore over our precious pages from the “Pevsners”. After a couple of frustrations, the day ended successfully after all.

Note: In case you are wondering about the legality of Tigger’s photos of text from the Pevsners, the law permits one to make single (not multiple) copies of one chapter or 5% of a copyrighted text. Tigger’s copies were well within those limits.

Today is our last day in Poole. Our train leaves for London (strikes and other unknowns permitting) at 14:40. We must pack and be ready to leave the apartment by 10 am.

Leaving the apartment

We in fact left at 8:50, having deposited our door keys in the key-store in the entrance hall. As we cannot leave our bags for safekeeping, we have to take them with us.

The Museum

To help pass the time, we thought to visit the museum but when we arrived, it had not yet opened.

The Custom House

We walked round the block and passed the old Custom House.

The Fisherman Cafe

We discovered the Fisherman Cafe and went in.

Inside the Fisherman Cafe

We ordered a fried breakfast, which made a change from our usual croissants and coffee.

Sunshine

We returned to the museum and the sun began to shine but for how long?

Examples of Poole Pottery

The museum opened at 10 am and we went in. They kindly locked away our bags during our visit. Poole Pottery is famous but, sadly, is no longer made in Poole.

Cushioned beams

The museum has ceilings supported by beams low enough to hit your head. Over passageways, the beams are cushioned. And, yes, I did hit my head – several times.

Binnacle

Poole is a seafaring town and many exhibits reflect this, such as the above binnacle from the 19th-century brigantine Lady of Avenel.

Footage of wild birds

There was looping film footage of the local wild birds, particularly waterfowl.

A starling visits

Reclaiming our bags, we walked down to the quay and had refreshments at Oriel. We sat outside and there were starlings about, one of which visited us at our table, albeit briefly.

Aboard the 1

It started to rain and so Tigger came up with a Plan: we would take the bus to the bus station, walk to the nearby Dolphin shopping centre and sit in the public library which is in the centre. What could possibly go wrong?

Costa Coffee

What went wrong was that the library was closed! We had to fallback on Plan B which was to come to Costa Coffee instead.

The Delfino Lounge

At 1 pm we thought we had better see about lunch. Not wanting to traipse far in the rain dragging our suitcases, we returned to the Delfino Lounge where we had lunched on our first day in Poole (see To Poole).

Lunch at the Delfino
Photo by Tigger

We both had vegetarian macaroni cheese. Tigger had a veggie sausage with hers and I had green vegetables.

At the station

After lunch, we walked to the station and, because it was raining (despite intermittent sunshine), we took refuge in one of the shelters on the platform.

Forbidden territory

Our train arrived on time and we went aboard. We found seats at a table. This carriage has both first-class and “standard” (i.e. not first-class) accommodation. Our seats are next to the first-class section. (On British trains these days, there is very little difference between standard and first-class seating. I suspect that people who pay extra for first-class do so, not hoping for luxurious accommodation but merely to be segregated from us, the common herd.)

Running through the countryside
Photo by Tigger

The train runs through open fields, woodland, villages and towns, rolling an ever-changing landscape across the windows.

Waterloo Station

More or less on time, our train pulls into Waterloo Station and the familiarity of the place is almost like a welcome-home kiss.

The bus stop under the bridge

We leave the station and go to the bus stop under the railway bridge. There are already other people waiting: will the bus be full; will we find seats?

Aboard the 341

When the bus comes, there is plenty of room and we find seats with space for our suitcases. Breathe, relax, watch London – familiar London – unfurling to our gaze as the bus threads its way through the streets.

The Angel Crossroads

We arrive at the Angel and home. The scene is sunlit as if to welcome us. Poole is now a dream and London embraces us.

According to the forecasters, it will be a rainy, thundery day today and so we must choose our activities accordingly.

Rainy day

When we set out at about 9 am, the rain had stopped and a little while later, the sun put in an appearance but it’s unlikely to last.

Coffee #1

We went to Coffee #1 for breakfast. They had only two croissants left – both strawberry.

Breakfast

Tigger kindly let me have these and she chose alternatives.

It’s sunny now… Poole Station

In view of the likely bad weather, we chose a town visit for today’s outing. Tigger bought train tickets through the app on her phone and we walked to the station.

Aboard the Southampton train

There we boarded a train for Waterloo, though we are just going to Southampton.

Southampton Central

We left the train at Southampton Central and crossed the pedestrian bridge (from where I took this) to the exit.

Civic Centre clock tower

This unusually tall clock tower belongs to the Civic Centre, built in the 1930s.

Fountain and entrance

Beside the fountain is the entrance to the City Art Gallery and Central Library.

Art Gallery, General View

We visited the art gallery. Many of the exhibits are of course “modern art“ and non-figurative so said little or nothing to me.

Eve (1889)
Auguste Rodin

There were a few pieces of sculpture, including this one, Eve by Rodin.

Napoleon wearing coronation robes, 1805
Baron François Pascal Simon Gérard

This is one of the few figurative paintings and shows the Emperor Napoleon dressed in his coronation robes.

The Art House

Afterwards, we crossed the road to the Art House and…

A pot of Assam

…there enjoyed a pot of Assam tea.

Boxing Hares
Hamish Mackie

We saw this sculpture in the street.

Covering Letter
Jitish Kallat

We had a look in the John Hansard Gallery. Above is a glimpse of one of the animated exhibits. The text of a letter from Mahatma Gandhi is displayed over a waterfall, projecting the words onto the floor. The whole thing is of course longer than this brief snatch.

The rains came

It now started to rain heavily. We looked around for somewhere to have lunch and, not least, to shelter from the rain.

Bargate

We passed the historic Bargate but did not tarry because of the rain and also the wind which was gusting strongly and blowing rain into our faces.

Poppins Cafe

Seeing Poppins Cafe, we hurried there and ordered lunch.

Church and anchor

After lunch, the sun shone briefly and we took to the streets again. We passed this historic pair, a church fronted by an anchor. The anchor is from the QE2 which had a long association with the city.

Holy Rood Church

The church is Holy Rood, gutted by bombs in 1940 and never restored by left as a memorial to the war dead of the Merchant Navy.

Old Coaching Inn
Photo by Tigger

We continued walking though the rain was starting up again. We saw this old coaching inn which also has connections with Jane Austen, for what it’s worth. (Like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen seems to have been everywhere.)

Victorian-era Post Office

This handsome building wears the title “Post Office” with pride though it has not served as such for many years. Let’s hope it continues to survive in this age of vandal developers.

Harbour House

I also admired this building called Harbour House that has a fine clock tower.

The docks

We just about reached the docks but as it was still raining, it seemed a good idea to catch a bus back to the station.

Part of the city walls?

We waited at the bus stop opposite this venerable building. Again, I don’t know what it is unless it’s part of the old city walls.

Aboard the bus

The bus was not long in coming, fortunately, and carried us quickly to the station.

Aboard the train

We found seats on the train and took off our wet raincoats though we knew we would soon have to put them on again.

Taking refuge in Coffee #1

Arriving at Poole Station, we started for home but the rain came down so heavily thst we sought refuge in Coffee #1.

When the rain eased, we left the coffee shop and paid a visit to Sainsbury’s opposite. Here we bought things for our evening meal as we didn’t feel like coming out again into the wind and rain to look for a restaurant.

Heavy rain

As we made our way home, there was another heavy downpour – the above picture may give you some idea of it.

We took refuge in a shop doorway until it eased off and then make a final dash for the apartment. We will stay in now, having had enough rainy adventures for one day.

As I was finishing this post, news came in that Queen Elizabeth II has died, ending the longest reign in British history. Presumably, the throne is now occupied by King Charles III, unless he chooses a different reign name.

As mentioned in my previous post, today is a special day, namely my birthday. It is Wednesday which happens to be the day of the week on which I was born: a fact that may enable you to work out my age! (No, I’m not going to give you the answer!)

We awoke to heavy rain though, according to the weather forecast, we can expect drier conditions later.

Caffè Nero
Photo by Tigger

By the time we set out, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. For breakfast, we came to the rotunda-shaped Caffè Nero.

Breakfast
Photo by Tigger

We each had one plain croissant and one strawberry croissant with our coffee.

Bus station

We need two buses and a ferry to reach Swanage. For the first bus, we went to Poole bus station.

Open top deck

We chose to sit on the open top deck. Pray for fine weather!

The harbour

We passed by the harbour and reached a district called Sandbanks where this bus terminates.

Bus on the ferry

The second bus starts by boarding the ferry. Unfortunately, any view is blocked by the ferry’s superstructure either side of the bus.

The other side
Photo by Tigger

On other side, the bus leaves the ferry and engages in a fairly long run through varied countryside to Swanage.

Approaching Swanage
Photo by Tigger

First view – Station Road

We arrived in Swanage at last and left the bus to walk along Station Road.

The Brook Tea Room
Photo by Tigger

After being buffeted bu the wind on top of the bus, it was a relief enter a quiet venue, the Brook Tea Room.

Cream tea

For “lunch”, we had a cream tea. This also served the purpose of my birthday cake 🙂

Walking on the pier

We went onto the pier. There is a small admission charge.

Views from the pier

We walked to the end of the pier. There were people fishing and people strolling like us. We found seats and stayed for a while.

Pretty fish
Photo by Tigger

Tigger photographed this pretty little fish in a tank in the pier gift shop.

Tea and toasted tea cakes

It started to rain so we went into the pier cafe and ordered tea and toasted tea cakes. It worked: when we emerged, the rain had ceased!

Shopping arcade

We walked through this shopping arcade. I somehow neglected to note its name.

A view from the bus

When we went for the bus, because there was a likelihood of rain, I didn’t want to sit in an open section. Tigger, though, wanted to sit upstairs. We were lucky: we were able to grab a pair of upstairs front seats which have a measure of protection from wind and rain. Even luckier: it did not rain after all!

Boarding the ferry

After a drive through the countryside, we reached the ferry and the bus ran onto it. The ferry pulls itself across by running along a massive chain.

Reaching the opposite shore

The ferry hauls itself across the water and then runs onto the hard surface of the slipway. Vehicles then drive off the ferry onto terra firma.

Sandbanks and Poole Harbour

We stayed on the bus until it reached Sandbanks. This is on one side of Poole Harbour which is one of the largest natural harbours in the world. We sat beside the water and watched the gulls while we waited for our bus.

The hopper

From Sandbanks, we caught a bus to Poole bus station and from there, a hopper which pursued a roundabout course but eventually dropped us off near our apartment. Here, we made tea and had a little rest.

Prospecting for supper

While we were having our rest, there was a thunder storm with heavy rain but fortunately, by the time we thought about going out for a meal, it had cleared up. We went out looking for a restaurant fairly near our apartment.

The Quayside

We went as far as the quayside without deciding for anything. As I fancied a curry, though, we plumped for an Indian restaurant near where we are staying.

Quay Spice

It is called Quay Spice and when we first saw it, I was not sure that it was even open as it seemed dark. Perhaps because it was only 7:30 (is 7:30 early for dining?) we were the only customers.

Inside Quay Spice

It was rather dark in the restaurant and the music (pukka Indian, as far as I could tell) was a little loud.

Side dishes

Rather than a traditional main dish each, we chose three side dishes and two rice dishes to share. The food was quite good and the service as attentive as it needed to be. Would we go there again? Maybe, if we pass this way again another year.

We didn’t have far to go to return home. We made tea and relaxed. That was my birthday this year. I wonder what next year’s will be like?