Weds, 2 June, 2021
I really am getting out more. I’m more relaxed about how much my knee hurts while I’m out there and how much it will hurt later! That doesn’t mean I’m actually relaxed, but compared to a month ago, yes. As well, the rain and very dreary weather has pretty much eased up. We even have a sort of intermittent heatwave (which is actually a paradox). Standard moan – yeah, the flipping mask, the crutch, the bag or two, the camera, the phone, the juggling of the whole damned thing makes walking a challenge, and taking photos even more so. I take my photos in a hurry, I see things I just know stopping for to do my juggling act won’t cut it…I think to myself, if only I could just take these photos with my eyes, with my voice…and, you know what, there probably is an easier way and perhaps I need to explore that – or at least figure out why my Huawei phone doesn’t allow me to voice-activate with ‘Smile’ or ‘Cheese’ like my LG phone did. And that’s that! Krish bought me a Gimble, look it up. I know there are great opportunities with it, but I fret about how to use it and how to hold it and how to carry it around. Hmm.
I’d love to get out of my comfort zone a bit with these journeys, see somewhere or something new. At the same time, this is what I can manage, so accept the same old territory. I really do see new things, or old things with new eyes. It helps. For now, at least, I’m treading the same ground.
Anyway, I finally saw the Afghan dresses – fewer of them were displayed than I expected, but I saw them last Wednesday on the hottest day of 2021, at 27C. I went with my friend, Christine.
Inside Townhouse at last, we asked to see the dresses and went through to the small gallery building at the back – it’s the size of a small living room. The exhibition was smaller than expected, but the dresses were lovely. You can read what inspired the exhibit and the dresses’ owner here. I enjoyed seeing the ideas the dresses’ creators had. The mirrors, embroidery, extra braiding and stitching. I mentioned to Chris, it reminded me of the shirts I’d made Jimmy (my first real boyfriend) when I had no idea how to make clothes, but pieced them together in shapes, creating curves with my stitches and not my scissors. You could buy these pieces. They ranged around £250-350.
Chris went towards Liverpool Street Station and I walked away towards Bethnal Green Road, turning left at Wilkes Street, down Princelet Street and up to Brick Lane to my bus.
The streets close to Brick Lane closest to Commercial Street are so interesting. Many haven’t been changed much over the decades, apart from some spit and polish. Slowly, I see signs of improvements and modernisation and I’m aware that they won’t stay protected forever. Every time I see them, I wonder if they will look the same when I come back. Wilkes and Princelet Streets are definitely my favourites, but then Fashion, Fournier, and Hanbury Streets all hold their charms – you just have to be a bit more selective there.
Walking along Brick Lane was strange. Until I reached Truman’s Brewery, it was very quiet, with the curry house touters chatting to each other and even sitting. Usually they are calling to the pedestrians to come in. However, there wasn’t much foot traffic. There were barriers set up for outdoor dining too, no seats taken where there were any. Then, as I reached Hanbury Street and the Brewery buildings, pedestrians appeared. The closer I got to Bethnal Green Road, the more people there were – yes, fewer than usual, but far more than in previous visits. Some of the shops and cafes were shuttered, who knew for how long, but there are always takers for vintage fashions.
You can’t walk along these streets without seeing a lot of street art. Installations like the bough at the edge of the Brewery buildings, stick ups, paste ups, little models, paintings – all levels from scrawls to great artistic endeavours. So here are a few, a mere glimpse of what I saw – a fraction of the familiar and the new art in the area.
I went into the oldest bagel shop, Beigel Shop, and bought a salt beef bagel, with mustard and pickles. It cost around £5 and I’d been curious to know if it would be tasty – I haven’t had one for years, but from the more popular Beigel Bake, and I hadn’t think much of that one. This one, I will add, I ate later at home and thought it a waste of money. I also bought cheesecake from the Beigel Bake, the better version for sure – Ive tried both. This cheesecake is baked in the European style, is not too sweet, and has a lovely sour note. I realise now I took no photos in the bakeries, but again camera, phone, mask, glasses, bank cards, coins, crutch… (Mini review of beigel with salt beef – not a fan of untoasted Brick Lane bagels, beef in huge too-dry gristly chunks… Won’t buy again but love the drama, as they slice and prepare the thing by the window.)
Bethnal Green Road these days is a mix of the old and the new. Close to Shoreditch High Street it’s a modern city blended with the old arches and old houses. I walked towards my bus, but made a quick detour onto Redchurch Street when I spotted some more art.
Maybe my knee exercises are paying off, although since then I’ve had some very painful journeys, or maybe it was ‘a random good day,’ or I went slowly at my own speed, or any number of other things…but this was a successful walk. I can think about what I didn’t or couldn’t manage, but yes.
Lights, tunnels…