It is a rather dull day today, cloudy, windy and promising rain.

The first duty of the day was to phone the council’s repairs department to report a leak. The pipe leading into the toilet cistern had begun to drip from a joint, slowly but determinedly, and we had placed a jug underneath it to catch the water. I was expecting the usual “there are no appointments for this week..” so imagine my surprise when I was told “I can send someone this morning. Will you be in?” I would indeed be in.

An hour later not one but two young men appeared on the doorstep. They were not wearing masks and did not offer any ID but did speak the magic phrase “You have a leaking toilet?” and so I reckoned one out of three was good enough.

After a brief intermission – “We’re just going to fetch our tools and a ballcock in case we need one” – the job was done. (And apparently they did need a ballcock, as they indicated by waving the old one at me as they left.) I did wonder why plumbers would turn up for a job without their tools but it didn’t seem a matter worth pursuing.

I then tried calling my doctor’s surgery as I will need an appointment sometime soon. I knew that ringing on a Monday was a bad idea because on Monday people are panic calling about all the things that have gone wrong over the weekend, though I did wait until after 11, thinking things might have calmed down a bit by then. They hadn’t. I had first to listen to two long recorded messages relating to the Covid-19 crisis and was then allowed to listen to the awful music interrupted periodically by a voice telling me that the lines were still busy but someone will answer if I just hold on…

In the end, I gave up, thinking I would try again this afternoon but – you know what? – I can’t face the recorded messages and awful music again just yet.

Win one, lose one. That’s a kind of success, I suppose.

The weather was not conducive to a long ramble so we went out for a short one, just there and back, really, “there” being Myddelton’s deli for our daily coffee.

Chadwell Street

This view along Chadwell Street shows the dull snd cloudy conditions. Happily, it did not actually rain while we were out.

People had put out their recycling ready for tomorrow’s collection and, given the windy conditions, we were accompanied everywhere by the rattle of plastic containers blown out of the bins and rolled along the street by the stiff breeze.

Feeding the pigeons

I spotted this man in the park feeding the pigeons. Being fond of pigeons myself, I understand why people do this even though they are not supposed to. The incident reminded me of our pigeon-fancier neighbour whose death I recounted in Death of a pigeon-fancier and who inspired the short story Pigeons. In a world in which there is so much cruelty, a little kindness does not come amiss.

Although we did most of our travelling yesterday by train and car, we still felt a little tired today (perhaps a hangover from our long walk on on Thursday). Also, the weather forecast was promising rain and thunder storms. In view of all this, we decided that a “once round the church to Myddelton’s” would do for today. (Like in the good old days of lockdown!)

For some reason, despite already seeing it a number if times, this greenery-festooned façade caught our attention today, perhaps because it looked so green and fresh. It’s not ivy, but what is it? (My botanical ignorance again). Tigger suggests it is budleia.

Myddelton Square Garden was deserted today, in contrast to the busy scenes there on previous visits. Small changes in weather can cause big changes in human behaviour, it seems. Or perhaps, with the easing of restrictions, people are going further afield and no longer staying in the neighbourhood. Possibly irrationally, I feel a little sad about that as I have grown love our neighbourhood rambles.

Here (as you may recognise) we are looking along River Street, named after the nearby but now invisible New River. Right at the end, you might be able to descry Myddelton’s, our modest destination for today.

Some time ago ( see Clouds and cushions), I remarked on the cushions in the window of the shop opposite Myddelton’s which had bees as their patterns. Today, there was a completely new set.

These cushions also have on them a creature of some sort though I was at a loss to identify it. Did they sell all the bees? Or do they have a warehouse full of cushions somewhere?

Now that masks are supposedly required to be worn in shops (a rule that observation suggests is commonly ignored), we donned ours as we entered Myddelton’s. Tigger enquired of the proprietor whether he would prefer us to wear them but he said no.

Finally, if you are wondering about the meaning of the title, here is the explanation:

Tigger took this photo of the contents of someone’s recycling bin. Her quick eye and taste for the ironic had spotted something. Note the object at top left. It is letter bearing the sender address of 10 Downing Street. It seems that the householder has consigned a letter from the Prime Minister to the bin.

That sounds about right to me.

Today’s trip takes us to Sittingbourne in Kent. This will be our first train ride since lockdown.

We started out at about 7:30 and took the 214 to St Pancras. We found only one place open for croissants and coffee so bought breakfast there. How do you eat breakfast while wearing a face-mask (obligatory in stations and on trains )? With extreme difficulty!

Our train is scheduled for 8:25.

Having bought tickets, we went up to upper level from which the HS1 departs. (See above.) The train left on time. As it was so early there were relatively few people on board. It remains to be seen what conditions are like on the return journey.

The weather is warm but the sky is cloudy, as you can see in the above window-shot by Tigger.

We reached Sittingbourne at about 9:30 and were picked up by a relative in his car.

We were taken to the Isle of Sheppey. As you would expect on an island, there are sea views everywhere. (Actually, some of these views are of the estuary rather than the sea. I look at a map will clarify this.)

We went first to Shellness which is a small and fairly remote hamlet. Among its amenities are a nudist beach.

Entrance to the private estate of Shellness.

Another drive along narrow, bumpy roads took us to Harty Ferry. The ferry is long gone but there are landscape views and a pub called Harty Ferry House.

To be served we had to wait in the porch and give our order which was served to our table outside.

This is the lion door knocker of Harty Ferry House.

Looking across the estuary. The tide goes out a long way.

We visited St Thomas’ Church, standing serenely in its landscaped churchyard. You can see some of the removed gravestones on the right. The church is reckoned to date from the 11th and 12th centuries.

Inside the church.

A closer view of the altar area.

The village where this church stands is called Eastchurch but the church is called All Souls.

We parked the car at Minster where there are wide open views of the estuary and its beach.

At Queenborough, we visited the Flying Dutchman pub for refreshments. They required a minimum order of £5 if we wished to pay by contactless. Eh? What century are they living in?

Possibly the century in which this pretty Guildhall was built. It dates from 1784 when it replaced an earlier guildhall.

As you can see, this was rather a whirlwind tour. Tigger knew the island from holidays spent here in her youth and enjoyed revisiting it.

The Guildhall was (for me, at least) a pleasant note on which to end the tour.

We were driven back to our arrival point, Sittingbourne, where we soon had a train to St Pancras.

This was our first post-lockdown outing by train. It went off smoothly, I’m glad to say. The small numbers of people at stations and on trains made it easy to maintain social distancing.

I wrote this post “on the hoof”, that is, as we travelled around. That will explain the rough edges!

It was very warm today, with hardly any breeze, so we kept to the shade as much as possible. Our outing took us to one of London’s most famous parks.

Sainsbury’s, Camden Town

To start, we took the 214 bus to Camden Town and visited the Sainsbury’s store there. This is another “first” for us: the first time we have been shopping together since lockdown began.

We picked up a couple of items we needed at home and the makings of a picnic lunch to eat in the park.

Upper deck, 274 bus

Then we boarded a 274 bus that would take us to Regent’s Park. This too was a first in one sense, namely that because there were no seats left downstairs, we went to the upper deck – the first time we had done so since lockdown.

Entrance to Regent’s Park

We left the bus here, at one of the entrances to the park. It also leads to another famous institution.

Regent’s Canal

The path leads to a bridge over the Regent’s Canal. The above mentioned institution is of course ZSL, the Zoological Society of London’s zoo. In the above photo, if you follow the line of the right-hand tow path, you might be able to make out the aviary, designed by Lord Snowdon and now a Grade II* listed building.

Into the park

We entered the park along this broad avenue. It was pleasantly shaded under the foliage. Just as well, because the park is large and we had some way to go to our chosen picnic spot.

Big trees

I was very taken by the tall and stout old trees in the park. I don’t know how old they are but they will have lived through (and survived) a consuderable slice of history.

Drinking fountain

This drinking fountain, dating from 1869, was installed as a gift by Sir Cowasjee Jehangir. I have written about it previously and you will find more details there: Around Regent’s Park.

Pleasant under the trees

We wandered under the trees where it was pleasantly cool and shady.

Acorns but still green

Tigger pointed out these still green acorns sprouting on the oak trees. I hope there is a good crop to help the squirrels through the winter!

Another beautiful old tree

I was impressed by the handsome shape and the large size of this tree.

The broad trunk

Its broad and gnarled trunk is also impressive. How many summers are recorded in its rings, I wonder?

The pond

For our picnic we came to the rose garden in the middle if Regent’s Park and beside it, a pond. I assume the pond has a name but, if so, I have not managed to discover it.

The waterfall

The pond is fed by a waterfall that is quite picturesque in its own right. We found a shaded bench and ate our picnic lunch there.

Sparkly fly
From a photo by Tigger

This fly came to join us for a while. His metallic green body sparkled in the sun. Tigger managed to photograph him on her own hand. “Like an emerald ring,” said Tigger.

Big fish

When we were on the point of leaving, I stopped to watch a coot and then saw something else: a large fish! It was swimming close to the surface in leisurely fashion. At a distance it was hard to estimate its size but I would guess it was about a foot (30cm) long.

A final view of the pond

We left the pond and walked towards the edge of the park. We had done a lot of walking and, despite having rested during the picnic, I was looking forward to finding a seat on a bus!

Marylebone Parish Church

We reached the road near Marylebone Parish Church (built 1813-17). From here we walked to the bus stop at Baker Street. There we caught a 205 bus for the Angel.

There remained one more thing to do before going home…

Saint Espresso

…buy coffee, of course! We were too tired to walk to either Jusaka or Myddelton’s but, happily, Saint Espresso was handy for the bus stop. Job done.

Tomorrow we are off on another jaunt, our most ambitious since lockdown. More about that, though, in due course.

As it was rather warm today we put off going out until nearly 4pm. Our first call then was to…

Jusaka

…yes, to Jusaka, where we drank our coffee on the premises – which I think will be our habit from now on, supposing no resurgence of the virus.

Next, we boarded a 431 bus which took us to Waterloo Bridge and to…

The Southbank Centre

…the Southbank Centre. This is accessed from the bridge by…

Staircase to the Thames

…a staircase. I don’t know how many steps there are, not many, but they are worn smooth and care is advised.

First view of the Thames

This was my first view of the Thames in I don’t know how many months. It gives you a wonderful feeling of openness after the confines of the city and the sky is mercifully clear of intrusive over-tall buildings.

Path beside the river

We set off along the walkway beside the river. There were lots of people walking and sitting but not too many for us all to keep our distance. The only nuisance was cyclists. Apparently, cyclists can’t read and therefore ignore the “No cycling” notice.

Riverside lamp

I love these ancient riverside lamps with their sensuous decorations. Curled around them are dolphins though you could be forgiven for not recognizing them as such. That is because they are heraldic dolphins, not realistic ones. They are distinguished from fish by their rounded heads and broad mouths.

A view of the Thames

I kept my eyes on the river most of time, enjoying its open aspect and watching boats of various sizes sailing past. It was high tide when we arrived and as we walked, the water began flowing noticeably downstream.

Black-headed gull

There were bLack-headed gulls being very active flying back and forth over the water and swooping to pick up food. This one was perched on the railings watching gulls and people. He seemed relatively unafraid of passers-by and I was able to come fairly close to take a photo.

Looking towards Blackfriars Bridge

We passed the famous OXO Tower from where I took this photo of the river and Blackfriars Bridge, behind which can be seen a line-up of familiar buildings, including the Dome of Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece towards the left.

Arms of London, Chatham and Dover Railway

There are actually two bridges at Blackfriars, the road bridge, seen in the previous photo, and the railway bridge. There have also been two railway bridges. The first was built in 1864 for the Londow, Chatham Railway Company and second and present one in 1886. Remains of the first bridge are still visible, including the supporting pillars and this rather splendid coat of arms with its foundation date of 1864.

St Paul’s Cathedral behind the bridge

What is now Blackfriars Station was originally called St Paul’s after the neighbouring Cathedral. A notable fact about the present station is that when the new longer trains were introduced, the old station was too small and could not be extended. A new station was therefore built on the bridge. The southbound train usually waits for a while in the station and during that time passengers can enjoy views of the Thames in both directions.

I took this photo from the road bridge where we were waiting for a bus to take us home. We had walked from Waterloo Bridge to Blackfriars Bridge along the south bank of the Thames and you can see that area on this map.

We caught a 63 bus and later changed to a 431 which brought us back to Angel and an evening relaxing at home.