This morning it’s raining. It’s been raining since yesterday mid-afternoon. It’s not the relentlessly heavy Turin rain but it’s a lot for London, along with the sometimes fierce wind. By 3:30pm it looks like twilight and the mornings are dark enough that I light candles rather than turn on the lamps. It must be November!
London feels nothing like Turin. The light, the architecture, the feel of the streets, the earthy smell here. It feels more mellow in Hackney.
It’s 3:30pm and the light is fading. I’m concerned for how much bark this tree has lostDuring the day the light is soft and the air smells of Autumn
On Wednesday we wanted to go out but it was another rainy day. So it was Thursday when I decided to take a trip to Kings Cross to check out some venues for a Christmas get together for some colleagues. Continue reading “Rediscovering London – reflections 2018”
One of the markers kept getting sideswiped Then on 26 July the work finally startedSo the new markers are up but the beacon was never replaced
And the tree. We were quite delighted with the new growth, to be honest. Everything looked great and then we noticed the bark cracking and falling off. Shortly after that the leaves started to get very white. Some leaves are completely white now and some have withered and falling off. We think perhaps the tools transmitted a tree disease. So after hundreds of years, the tree may have met its end. If so, tragic!
Tree being pruned – hardTree from the other side of the road – scene of slaughter
Although I stubbornly insist that it will be years before it’s back to its spreading and shading self, the rebirth has been interesting so I’ve been documenting it with one photo a week since we noticed the first sprouting leaves.
The tree is growing more leaves from the stumps daily. I’m taking a Monday photo each week to show its progress.
11 June18 June25 June
On Wednesday we walked to Shikumen in Aldgate. It was a long, meandering walk and sometimes it felt like we looped too much and came back not so far from our last point. I should try to map it. Just behind Broadway Market there are some interesting art pieces. I know I’ve seen this area before but not sure if the art is new. Probably not.
Repurposed phone booth
When we reached the top end of Brick Lane, we bumped into Rosie from Krish’s volunteering. We had a brief chat and then moved on.
The walk was a bit of a struggle and, at the end, our favourite dish at Shikumen the crispy prawn with garlic, chili and cashew.
Friday after the Falls Prevention exercise class, Lisa and I went to Palm Vaults, which is a vegetarian/vegan coffee shop. It’s so girly in there! I had an iced coffee and sweet-talked my way to getting half a salad. At Palm Vaults, which also has a Soho branch, there are absolutely no dairy milks for coffee and it’s card only. This is becoming more common – shops that don’t take cash. And the drinks are inventive and trendy – beetroot, lavender, rose, turmeric, teas I’ve never heard of….at a steep price!
When I was a teenager, my parents were in a supper club. In those days it meant that a group of friends, and friends of friends, got together in one person’s home once a month or so and that person would cook the meal. It seemed a great idea at the time. In London the concept of supper club is somewhat different. Continue reading “Shoreditch walks and Supper Clubs”
Nothing new and exciting last week but I did manage to get out.
We decided to attend the Dalston Pasta Festival. It had been advertised as having food, drink, music and demonstrations. So off we went.
Ridley Road MarketKingsland High Street, Dalston
Sadly, the festival didn’t look so good once we got there, although it was well attended. There were a couple of pastas on offer. One with a tomato and pork sauce, and one that was with ricotta and zucchini. Neither one looked very good. Krish asked if the pasta was homemade and was told it was, although we could clearly see the commercial packets stacked nearby. We decided not to have any. There was a small stage but no acts were up and no sign of any demonstrations.
Dalston Square Pasta festivalPasta festival
We left the pasta festival and headed off to Gillet Square.
Gillett Square has been 25 years in the making.The idea, which began in 1993, was to make a new town square. In fact, when you walk into the square, that’s exactly how it appears.
There’s an open area and several kiosks (added in 1999). There’s also a ‘culture house’ and the Vortex Jazz Club.
In November 2006 Gillett Square was opened as the first of the London Mayor’s programme of 100 new public spaces for London. It can be a very lively area and seldom empty.
Real community spirit at Gillet SquareA brunch place in a yard off Gillet Square
We were sitting here last week and heard a really loud thud/crush. A small car had somehow mounted onto the traffic island, knocked over one of the markers and the beacon had been completely laid flat. There the car sat, leaking petrol, while a woman and a small child were helped out of the car and onto a chair from one of the cafes. And there they sat.
The tow truck arrived but had a lot of difficulty getting the car up onto the flatbed truck. Eventually, they managed to move the car diagonally away from the markers and beacon, which were stopping it from moving. Almost immediately a crew arrived to start cutting and welding and putting things to rights as best they could. That was enough excitement.
The car knocked down the island. The driver is sitting on a chair looking onHard at work taking care of the beacon
There’s been quite a bit of sun and on one sunny day I remembered to photograph one very pretty house not too many lots away.
Along Amhurst Road, not so far away
Mostly, though, it’s been a homey week, not getting too far away. Next week might be a bit busier, but not as far as I know!
A lazy dim sum lunch with a good dish of kai lanTaken on 11 June. The tree coming back to life
