This is where we spent an hour or two this morning:

It was laundry time once again and we loaded the shopping trolley and carted it round to the poetically named “Golden Launderette” in Marchmont Street. We commandeered two of the largest machines (at far right in the photo) and set them merrily spinning.

The wash cycle takes about 40 minutes and as the machines cannot be opened when they are running (a sensible safety precaution) we felt free to leave the launderette and stroll down the road to visit the local Costa Coffee.

Washing is easy because you just leave the machine to get on with it. But then comes the drying which is a different story as you have to keep feeding money into the dryers and checking their contents to see whether they are dry yet. At last everything was dry, folded and packed into the trolley. We could then walk through Cartwright Gardens down to the main road and catch a bus for home.

Our bus stop is opposite the pub called The Euston Flyer, no doubt named after a famous train but, if so, one that I have not so far managed to find out about.

We had to check the buses before going aboard to make sure there was room for us and our trolley. The second bus, a number 30, met the conditions.

We still had the weekly shopping to do, of course, and so, after a modest rest, we set out again. We decided we deserved lunch out and for this went to the Chapel Cafe in Chapel Market. This has now become our regular cafe because, unaccountably, our favourite, Cafe Sizzles, is closed on Sundays.

As we usually do after shopping, we called in at Mercer’s for takeaway coffees to drink at home.

In order to do the shopping, we had to discharge the trolley which left a large and unprepossessing heap on the bed. This needed to be sorted and put away but before we did that, another small matter had to be attended to: Tigger had not yet completed her daily walking schedule as recorded by the walk app on her phone. A further walk was required to “close the ring”.

We put on our shoes and coats and set out bravely. We headed for Myddelton Square which is a pleasant enough place for a quiet stroll.

The sky was cloudy but the sun seemed to be struggling to break through. It made a bright point of light. I tried to photograph it but the camera frustrated my efforts by evening out the light and suppressing the bright sunshine. There’s possibly a way round this but I have yet to discover it.

We didn’t go into the garden and so I made do with a photo taken over the railings. I have happy memories of our visits to the garden in warmer weather. I look forward to doing so again when the weather improves.

Our little stroll round this pleasant and peaceful neighbourhood was enough to satisfy the walk app on Tigger’s phone that she had met the daily target. Before turning for home, however, I photographed my beloved Curvaceous Tree, its twisting branches dramatically silhouetted against the sky.

I often wonder about other species, whether they are conscious and perhaps aware of themselves and of the other inhabitants of their environment. Is there any chance that trees are aware of our passing presence and even of our interest in them? Probably not – at least, not in any way that we can understand – but every day science makes new discoveries and perhaps some magical surprise awaits us in the future.

The day started, unpromisingly, with rain. By the time we set out, the rain had eased but a few drops were still falling. Would we be able to sit outside at the deli or would the weather be too wet?

Outside the deli

We decided it was dry enough for us to sit out. The sky looked rather gloomy but the rain had stopped.

Lloyd Square

Afterwards, we walked along Lloyd Baker Street into Lloyd Square.

Lloyd Square Garden

Lloyd Square is one of the few garden squares whose central garden is reserved for residents of the square. I often peer enviously over the railings as the garden looks well kept and peaceful.

Granville Square

By and by, we came to Granville Square, a quiet garden square immortalised as Riceyman Square in Arnold Benett’s famous novel.

Riceyman Steps

We crossed the top of the famous steps but did bot venture down them today. The steps are part of what is called Gwynne Place but they are now known by the name given them in the novel.

An onion tree

This house in Wharton Street stands out from the others, firstly, by a number of colourful objects in the front garden but, more particularly, because onions have been hung from the branches of the shrubs to create a (fictitious) “onion tree”.

Kings Cross Eyes

We walked down to Kings Cross Road where this optician’s shop always amuses me with its name – Kings Cross Eyes.

Frederick Street

We walked up Frederick Street into…

Gray’s Inn Road

…Gray’s Inn Road. The threat of rain had lifted and there were even intervals of pale sunshine which pleasantly lightened our mood.

Argyle Square

We passed through Argyle Square, another of the local garden squares though this one is rather bare.

St Pancras Station

We now found ourselves approaching George Gilbert Scott’s Gothic wonder, St Pancras Station, opened in 1868 and now deservedly Grade I listed.

Courtyard, British Library

We passed the British Library in whose courtyard Eduardo Paolozzi’s Newton (1988) still sits measuring out the universe.

Housing estate

We crossed through this housing estate, whose name escapes me, in search of a particular premises.

Kings Cafe

Our goal was Kings Cafe where we had lunched once before and thought to do so again today. I couldn’t have found it by myself but Tigger’s “inner pigeon” led us there unerringly.

Decorated window arch

Setting out again, we passed a building whose window arches were, unusually, decorated with pictures.

Gate, St Pancras Old Church

Through the gates with gilded decorations, we entered what is now called St Pancras Garden and was once the churchyard and burial ground of St Pancras Old Church.

St Pancras Old Church

The Grade II* listed church, founded in the 11th century but rebuilt in 1847, is still extant and remains in use but most of the gravestones have been removed and the churchyard turned into. public garden.

Gasholder Park

We now followed the path that leads to the area behind King’s Cross Station now called Gasholdet Park. You can perhaps see why.

Residences within a gasholder

This area used to be industrial but has been turned into a new residential, shopping, entertainments and arts neighbourhood. Several gasholders were built here during the Victorian era and although they no longer serve their original purpose, they, or at least their metal supports, have been preserved. Inside one is a garden and inside another pair, apartment blocks have been built.

Each leg bears the construction date

On each leg is a plate showing the construction date and modification date, a potted history of the structures.

St Pancras Lock

We crossed over the Regent’s Canal by the foot bridge which gives one a good view of the St Pancras Lock though no barges were passing through at the moment.

Gail’s

We felt it was time for a pit stop and so we made our way to a branch of Gail’s that we had visited before.

Order at the counter

Like most coffee places these days, you order at the counter. It helps if there are two of you as one can grab a table while the other negotiates the purchases.

Aboard the 390

We now took the first of two buses for the homeward run. We boarded a 390 which was actually running off-route but we didn’t care about that as long as it was going our way!

Gloomy sky, Midland Road

The first bus brought us to Midland Road behind St Pancras Station. The sky was looking rather ominous but as we were heading home we were not concerned.

Aboard the 214

At the bus stop in Midland Road we caught a 214 which was crowded but which carried us up the hill to the Angel and home.

A pleasant surprise was awaiting us today: the temperature had risen to double figures – 13°C no less! Does this mean that spring is coming at last? I hope so.

The checkout

We went to Sainsbury’s as usual this morning and found it unusually busy. I have no idea why. There was a long queue at the door (this branch has a bad record of opening late) which worked its way in slowly in fits and starts.

Aboard the 30

After lunch, we went out and caught a number 30 bus. This took us on a slow journey through busy streets.

Marylebone Road

The 30 brought us to Marylebone Road, near Madame Tussaud’s where we had caught a bus for home yesterday (see yesterday’s post).

Marylebone Parish Church

We walked along to the imposing mass of Marylebone Parish Church.

Walking beside the church

We followed the path beside the church.

Marylebone churchyard

This leads to an open area that was once the churchyard but is now paved with a few old trees are still in place. It is used for open-air activities such as markets though none were present today.

The Conran Shop

This led us into the street called Marylebone High Street. This contains a lot of “high-end” shops, shops that sell pricey goods that you may, or may not, consider worth the inflated prices. We went into one of these, The Conran Shop, not because we intended to buy anything but just to marvel at the goods in display.

Marylebone High Street

Leaving Conran appropriately marvelled at, we continued along Marylebone High Street, now only looking at the shops from outside.

Le Pain Quotidien

When we reached the local branch of the Belgian chain Le Pain Quotidien (still with us, despite Brexit), we went in.

It was busy

It was quite busy but they found us a small table in a corner. At least we were out of the way of people coming and going.

Patisserie & Hot Drink
Photo by Tigger

We chose the menu item “Patisserie & Hot Drink”, a little extravagant, perhaps, but enjoyable. We chose black coffee, latte, cream and strawberry tart and cheesecake. I leave it to you to guess who had what. (Clue: the photo is the view from Tigger’s side.)

Daunt Books

Out in the street once more, we came to independent bookseller Daunt Books and went in for a look. It’s an impressive bookshop but it was crowded and we had difficulty moving about so we didn’t stay long.

Oxfam Shop

A little further along, we found an Oxfam Shop and took a look inside. This one had books as well as general goods and I went to see the French language books. They were mixed in with other languages, which didn’t help, but in any case nothing took my fancy.

Looking back along the high street

We continued along Marylebone High Street without finding anything else of particular interest.

Wigmore Street

Walking on, we passed through several streets, including this one, Wigmore Street, and by now were both thinking that it would be good to catch a bus for home.

The bus stop in Portman Street

We came at last to Portman Street where there is a stop for the number 30 bus.

Aboard the 30

We had a little wait for our bus but it arrived at last and carried us with stops and starts (the roads were still busy and in places narrowed by road works) but we eventually arrived home. A new working week starts tomorrow but we will worry about that when it arrives and enjoy this evening relaxing at home.

The sun is shining

Today at last there has come a change in the weather: the sun is shining and the air feels warmer. The sunshine is rather pale but it is at least sunshine and makes us feel more cheerful.

Myddelton’s deli

We felt it was warm enough to have coffee at the deli, sitting outside on their new red chairs.

Aboard the 214

After our pleasant coffee break, we walked up to the main road and caught a number 214 bus.

Camden Town Underground Station

The bus deposited us in Camden High Street near the tube station. For years, I arrived daily at this station and then walked along the road to the polytechnic in Kentish Town where I worked as a lecturer.

In the craft shop

We went first to the craft shop where Tigger bought some needed items.

Parkway

Afterwards, we walked up this long and busy street called Parkway.

Palmer’s Pet Stores

One of the inhabitants of this street is the Grade II listed Palmer’s Pet Stores. The shopfront has been preserved but I am glad to say that the original business – selling exotic animals – is long gone. The premises has been used by various businesses ever the years and the current occupant is Gail’s bakery.

The Dublin Castle

Shining cheerfully in the sunshine was the pub called The Dublin Castle. Now describing itself as a music venue, it originally opened in 1856, its name chosen to attract the Irish labourers working in the nearby railway. Next door to it is the curiously named music charity shop Rock ‘n’ Roll Rescue.

A survivor

This building also caught our eye, contrasting with its newer and less elegant neighbours. The relief above the door is hard to read but seems to indicate a late 19th-century date for the building.

One Shot Coffee Bar

We made a pause in a coffee bar called One Shot though, this time around, I had tea in preference to coffee.

Houses in Park Village West

We came upon a crescent with the intriguing name of Park Village West. It is not really a village as such but contains some large and impressive houses.

St Katherine’s Danish Church

Returning to the main road, we passed what turned out to be the Grade II* listed Danish Church, dedicated to St Katherine. We did not visit it this time.

St George’s Cathedral

Further along the road we found this striking Classical-style church. In fact, it is St George’s Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, originally consecrated in 1837 as an Anglican church. It is currently closed to the public as it is in a dangerous condition.

Entering Regent’s Park

We came at last to the Royal Park called (The) Regent’s Park and went in. It presented a lively scene with strollers like us, dog walkers, football practice and, not least, birds and water fowl to observe.

A glimpse of water

The park has open areas, including soccer and rugby pitches, stands of trees and a large lake which has a number of river-like branches.

A heron

There are birds of all kinds in the park, including water fowl. We spotted this heron, seemingly in meditative mood.

Bridge across the lake

We crossed the lake by this bridge.

Coots and black-headed gulls

As we crossed, we saw that, as in St James’s Park (see To St James’s Park), black-headed gulls were present in large numbers, sometimes provoking a tetchy response from the resident coots.

The heron

As we crossed, we had seen the heron fly over the lake and, in reaching the other side, we found him there, as meditative as before.

Marylebone Parish Church

After a longish walk through the park, we reached Marylebone Road near the early 1800s Marylebone Parish Church.

Planetarium Dome, Madame Tussaud’s

A further walk brought us along Marylebone Road to Madame Tussaud’s and, thankfully, a bus stop.

Aboard the 205

We caught a very crowded number 205 bus and endured a not too comfortable journey back to the Angel.

Lunch in view

By happy chance, beside the bus stop where we left the 205 is a small, friendly cafe called L’Angelo. It is small but we found a table and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. After this, we walked home and rested from our long but interesting walk.

Angel Inn

For lunch today, we decided to pay a visit to the Angel Inn cafe in St John Street.

City Road bus stop

Afterwards, we walked down to the City Road bus stop opposite the clock tower.

Aboard the 205

We boarded a rather crowded number 205 bus and had to sit right at the back.

Shoreditch High Street

We left the bus in Shoreditch High Street.

Railway Tunnel

We set out on foot and a couple of turns later passed under the railway bridge in what I think is Braithwaite Street.

Shoreditch High Street Station

The aforementioned railway bridge carries the London Overground Railway and the Shoreditch High Street Station is nearby.

The platform

Unlike the Underground, where you usually have to descend to reach the platform, here we had to ascend.

Aboard the Overground
Photo by Tigger

The trains consist of five coaches which is quite long. In fact, the trains are longer than some station platforms and, as the train reaches such a station, you will hear an announcement warning passengers wishing to disembark to move to one of the first four coaches.

Arriving at Surrey Quays

Despite this railway being above ground, when leaving the station you may still have to climb a staircase if, as here, the exit is on the other side and you have to cross over the tracks to reach it.

Surrey Quays, as the name suggests, was once part of London’s docklands. As the docks closed long ago, new purposes have been found for the land they occupied.

Entering Surrey Quays Shopping Centre

Tigger had some shopping to do and so we went to the nearby Surrey Quays Shopping Centre.

The shopping centre

The shopping centre is quite large with several levels and corridors. We saw only a small part of it.

The gym

As well as shops and cafes, the centre has a gym. This one, along with the usual exercise equipment, has climbing walls and I sneaked a quick photo through the window.

Surrey Quays Station

We thought of having coffee but everywhere was crowded so we made our way back to the Overground Station.

The platform

We climbed the stairs once more and made our way to the platform. We didn’t have long to wait.

The train is walk-through

We had only two minutes to wait for our train. Even though the train consists of five coaches, there are no doors or partitions between them. You can walk the whole length of the train without obstruction. As it may not be obvious where you are in the train, a recorded voice tells you which coach you are in, in case you have to move to another to leave the train.

Ticket barriers, Whitechapel Station

On the return journey, we left the train at Whitechapel. We intended to go for coffee in a branch of Costa that we knew there.

Whitechapel Road

We had a longish walk along the busy Whitechapel Road to reach our goal.

Old Royal London Hospital

We passed the old Royal London Hospital, a grade II listed building dating from the 18th century which is now used as the Tower Hamlets Town Hall.

East London Mosque

Another landmark on this long road full of interesting sites is the East London Mosque.

Costa, Whitechapel

We at last arrived at Costa and enjoyed both a coffee and a warm.

Out into Whitchapel Road

We went back out into the busy road and crossed over to the bus stop.

Aboard the 205

We soon had a 205 and managed to find a seat near the front. It carried us back to the Angel and home, ending today’s little outing.