COVID-19 – Page 4 – slightly weird

6th August 202016th August 2020

A bit of Dalston in a pandemic

Thursday, 6 August, 2020

There are up days and there are down days. Days I have big hope and days I despair. The worst thing is fear, followed by lethargy, or maybe lethargy is the worst thing. I’ve had to face the dilemma of being an already fearful person in a genuinely fearful situation. Knowing others are in it too can be comforting but adds a layer of reality. Phobias are defined as fear out of proportion to the threat. So, yes, I find my phobic self reasserting itself more these days but ‘out of proportion’? Hmm, not sure.

I’ve heard that we agoraphobics have ‘an advantage.’ That’s because we’re already familiar with panic and the symptoms of generalised anxiety, but we’ve gathered an enormous toolkit of coping techniques that help us navigate and live our lives more fully. Well, yes and no. So I’m trying to push aside the ‘what if’ thinking and ride over the waves of fear and helplessness, because there are so many things I can still enjoy and experience. It’s just different now.

It’s Thursday and I haven’t been out since Sunday. On that day I was feeling wobbly but I went anyway. My phone and my camera were there to keep me company, and I wasn’t going very far. I did a bit more and a bit less than expected. I’d count that as a success.

My goal was to visit Gillett Square, Bradbury Street, Winchester Place and Marks and Spencer – a short itinerary on an increasingly warm day!

The little garden they built opposite my flat is looking a bit messy but it’s really grown

Another view of St Marks — Passing St Marks church on my way to Kingsland Road

Bradbury Street was a bit of a bust since I’d forgotten that places were closed on a Sunday. With so many shuttered fronts, I wasn’t sure if they were closed for Sunday or closed for good. I’ll have to go back and find out. For some reason, despite living in Hackney for so long and just a very short walk from Kingsland Road, Dalston, we discovered Bradbury Street only about a year ago. It’s not hidden – it’s a step away from Dalston Kingsland Station and has its back to Gillett Square – but for some reason we hadn’t wandered along it.

Bradbury Street is a short – 110 metres long – street which is lined with restaurants either side. They’re all small and unpretentious, and only one is a chain – Honest Burgers. There’s more than a hint of the Caribbean here, and jazz, and doing your own thing. And I’ve never eaten here! I’ll come back to see what’s surviving soon, take more photos, and perhaps try the home made patty I’d seen advertised in one window a year or so ago.

Banke's Kitchen — Banke’s Kitchen was open, with one customer. It’s described variously as West African and Nigerian, and has apparently been here 26 years

House of Momo. I took a quick look. Momos weren’t on my list, though. It’s on the corner of Bradbury Street and Boleyn Road

Peeking down a mews at the top of Bradbury Street. The new round building is behind Dalston Kingsland Station overground station

I went in from Boleyn Road to Gillett Square. The square was created as part of a plan to develop the Bradbury and Gillett Street by Hackney Co-operative Development and others. Started in 1998, it opened in November 2006 as the first of 100 new public spaces for London.

Stamford Works yard with a few restaurants — Stamford Works yard is at the Boleyn Road end of Gillett Square. There are a few cafes in here and the large Jones and Sons restaurant

Remants of demolition, Gillett Square — The remnants of whatever building was here. If this were a Roman wall, I’d be feeling differently. As it is, it’s a reminder that people were displaced while the developers profited

A mosaic of mirrors in Gillett Square — This mosaic of mirrors, reflecting at different angles, is a highlight in Gillett Square

Gillett Square from Boleyn Road — My back is to Boleyn Road, looking towards Kingsland Road. The square is large and there aren’t nearly as many people as you’d have seen pre-pandemic

The market pod kiosks of Gillett Square — In 1999 HCD built ten market pod kiosks along the south side, to lend it the air of a new town square here. These are normally all open

The Dalston Culture House contains the Vortex Jazz Club. The ground floor cafe is usually busy, serving burgers. The club is struggling to survive but there are live events online. I’ve always wanted to attend a klezmer performance. Maybe now?

This new mural has appeared, begun in the last week of July — ‘Gestures of a Square’ Mural by Li-Hill. Begun near the end of July. ‘Photos of people during this process, frequenters of the square, became the subjects of the mural.’

A few people lingered. Usually there are a lot more.

If you cross Kingsland Road from Gillett Square, you hit Ridley Road Market. It’s not open on Sundays right now and is still on my list to look at more closely. However, my brother John had told me that on his Google Streetview explorations, he’d seen the Hip Hop Raised Me mural in Winchester Place. As soon as I saw it, I knew I’d seen it many times – it’s not on my Favourites List, but it’s a large piece off the main road.

Hip Hop Raised Me mural in Winchester Place

Hip Hop Raised Me - from Ridley Road Market — The mural wraps around from Winchester Place

John had also noticed Colveston Primary School. It’s on Colveston Crescent, just off Ridley Road. It’s described as ‘a close-knit and friendly one-form entry primary’ and it looks like a little village school. It has a focus on creative arts – music, drama, art and it’s housed in a grade II listed building – I’m still chasing what makes it so, although it’s obviously a remarkable building. The railings are especially noted online but I didn’t discover this until later so missed the point.

It isn’t easy to see the whole school in one go. From across the road I’d be able to get an interrupted view, with all the fencing and railings from the market, but there was no way through, so that will have to be another day – I hope next week.

What followed was a quick trip into the not-too-busy Marks and Spencer for fruit, vegetables and a pork pie! Nothing too exciting to report. I walked through the back streets to my bus stop and then home.

Back Streets to my bus stop on Balls Pond Road

Back on my Street — My favourite doors along my street. A chaotic and colourful welcome home

In the UK, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak came up with a scheme to help restaurants and encourage people to ‘dine in.’ It’s called Eat Out to Help Out. On any Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday during August you can eat in a restaurant for 50% off to a maximum of £10 a person. We’ve talked about taking advantage of this and waver between being very interested and not interested at all. I’m still not sure we will do it. I suspect not but the month has just begun.

30th July 202030th July 2020

One of those everyday walks to Dalston?

Thursday, 30 July 2020

I have a plan to take little corners of the local area and explore them with my camera. They aren’t likely to be things or places I’ve never blogged about before, but this is my exploration radius now.

Yesterday I was meeting two friends outside in Dalston, so I gathered a list of things I needed to do and buy and off I went.

Route — My route. If anyone knows how to just draw a line without all the external stuff, let me know!

Sandringham Road is opposite my flat and goes up to Dalston, where it stops. Along the way there are historical and older parts, and the council buildings – houses mostly but some flats. It’s residential until you reach the top, where there are a few cafes and you are facing the Rio Cinema.

First stop - the Donk — My first stop was to see the Donk wall art again. I like the idea it’s in my neighbourhood on a wall that was crying out for something

St Mark’s Rise is an interesting point along Sandringham Road. Its name is taken from the very large church at the corner, St Mark’s.

From Wikipedia – St. Mark’s Church: St. Mark’s is a large Victorian church primarily built in the period 1864–66 to a design by Chester Cheston. It is reputedly the largest parish church in London, larger than Southwark Cathedral, capable of hosting congregations of 1800-2000 people[12] and its great size has earned it the nickname, the “Cathedral of the East End””. The residential area around the church is also of high architectural quality and has accordingly been designated the “St. Mark’s Conservation Area”.

This seems to be another spot where there’s a lot to be learned, just a couple of minutes’ walk away.

The Vicarage — St Mark’s Vicarage. Romantically, I’ve dreamed of living in such a warren of a house – at least that’s how I think of it

St Mark's Church — St Mark’s Church, constructed in the Early English Gothic style between 1864 and 1880. This very large church has a unique feature on the tower – a turret barometer, the only one in England and perhaps the only working one in Europe.

The view along St Marks Rise — I always look towards Independent Place, the complex where my sister rented while staying nearby. There must be history of this complex but I haven’t found it yet

Continue reading “One of those everyday walks to Dalston?”

22nd July 202023rd July 2020

Summer in the City

Sunday, 19 July 2020

On Sunday morning, Krish brought up the idea of getting on a bus and going somewhere. He said maybe it would be quiet on the buses and we could wander around The City on a peaceful day. The City is dead out of office hours as a rule but surely now it would be even deader. I thought about it for a little while and then said yes, let’s go.

We took the 242, which goes along Kingsland Road, then turns down Commercial Street at Shoreditch High Street Station. We sailed past a very splendid new Dan Kitchener geisha art piece but stayed on until we went one more stop, where the crowd – if there is one – will have dissipated. And out we got.

We walked back a little bit to Christ Church, where I’d seen a cattle trough. I’ve taken lots of photos of the church but this time it was the trough and drinking fountain that caught my eye. The church itself was the first of three that Hawksmoor built between 1714-1729 and for me, it’s the landmark that dominates the area.

The trough and fountain are lovely. They were put there by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association, set up in London during the 19th century to provide free drinking water.

a drinking fountain and cattle trough installed by the Metropolitan Cattle Trough and Drinking Fountain Association.

A drinking fountain and cattle trough outside Christ Church, Spitalfields — A drinking fountain and cattle trough installed by the Metropolitan Cattle Trough and Drinking Fountain Association outside Christ Church, Spitalfields

Red phone box — There aren’t so many red phone boxes left and most have no phones inside or are used by the homeless. This one is pretty derelict

Art at Christ Church, Spitalfields. These two have been here a long time undisturbed

We decided to get off the main street to head towards The Gherkin. I’ve walked along Toynbee Street many times but never past Middlesex Street. We saw very few people, but there were a few stalls set up at the top near Commercial Street.

Mambow facade on Toynbee Street — On the old and crumbling street, Mambow restaurant was a very pretty sight

Past Middlesex Street, Old Castle Street — Past Middlesex Street, Toynbee Street becomes Old Castle Street and the new is crowding out the Old. Along here are some buildings belonging to the London Metropolitan University

Old Wash Houses — I had somehow never seen the facade of these old wash houses. They were originally Whitechapel Public Baths, built in the 1850s, and now housing the Frederick Parker Collection

Continue reading “Summer in the City”

18th June 202019th June 2020

Signs of the times

Thursday, 18 June, 2020

This is a mostly pictorial view of today’s Hackney. Things look a little different and everyone seems mostly fine with it. Adjusting to the ‘new normal’ is going well, or so we hope.

Just remember to pee before you get here

Hebrew sign — If you’re Haredi, this may make it clearer

Continue reading “Signs of the times”

27th April 20202nd May 2020

It all goes Pete Tong – Day 41

Sunday, 26 April, 2020

Forty-first day of sheltering in place.

I was doing well for a long time. I was not feeling stir crazy, actually enjoying the pace of my days, like being on holiday and having the luxury of quiet afternoons to read, nap, write, or even make cookies. Then it all shattered. But first things first.

I made the vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies I learned to make at Cake or Death. I had enough for four nights of cookies. Each time I got a slightly different result. I think perhaps there was not enough flour or perhaps Krish mixed them too vigorously. But they were still delicious.

There were the usual casual dinners. This was the fish finger tacos we eat quite often. Help yourself to all the toppings!

And old favourites like matzo ball soup. So comforting.

I even had a go at chicken congee. It wasn’t too bad, considering I had the wrong rice and cooked it only ninety minutes. I’d like to try it again with short grain rice and cooking it for much longer.

It was interesting to watch people responding to social distancing. I had a lot of fun looking out of the window to see the spaced-out queues outside the Little Local, and people ‘meeting’ at safe distances in the houses opposite.

Continue reading “It all goes Pete Tong – Day 41”