Maybe one day we will buy a new couch but so far every attempt has failed. The couch is either too short, too long, too uncomfortable, too expensive… There have been five failed tries – the Ikea couch was too big, so too was the couch at Sofa Workshop, one that was advertised online was too short, the couch at a floor model sale wasn’t comfortable enough, and the Conran couch wasn’t sturdy enough. So I’m stuck with a couch that I can’t stretch out on and that sags in the middle. We think an interim step we can live with is to replace the foam inside the cushions. Soon! We did need to make two visits to Westfield, though.
The prosecco truck at Westfield, StratfordTake a photo, Krish the Lego fan demandedNachos at lunch, Giraffe. Brits aren’t so good at themNot sure they quite understand ‘tacos’ either
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
I’ve been making two dolls in sarees for Shahanaz. It was a real challenge but I now know how to wrap a saree, not that I’d like that headache too often! And to be really honest, after making so many cute dolls, I didn’t like them very much at all by the time I’d finished. So I asked Shahanaz to meet me so that we could rip out a few stitches and re-sew until they were right.
The saree sisters!
We were meeting on Hackney Downs since it’s halfway between us. I don’t go there so often these days.
Tennis courts at the Bodney Street entranceMosaic, a mental health social enterprise inside the parkSeating at the centreIt’s a big park!
Luckily, Shahanaz didn’t want too much to change. We changed the position of the shoulder areas and pleated the back a little and then we took a photo of them on the bench with their optional head scarves. Usually, we go for coffee – She’s discovering coffee! – but it’s Ramadan so I hope our next visit together is a bit more delicious.
The finished dolls ready for delivery, and my feet!
Krish has had a bad back ache for about a week. This is from an old injury that every now and again flares up. The usual announcement is a loud yell from the bed when he can’t move or get up from lying down. He’s reluctant to talk to doctors about anything and it might take a while to book an appointment, attend it, and get attention. So I suggested he try the Osteopaths at Core Clapton, where I went last year for a nagging shoulder pain. You can book online and there are often same-day appointments. I booked one for him for Wednesday, when I could go with him.
It’s a ten-minute bus ride away in Upper Clapton on Northwold Road so we headed up there and went inside.
Reception area at Core ClaptonSomewhat minimal but flexible space at Core Clapton
Several squinty minutes with the registration form later, he was in there while I waited and wandered around a little. Core Clapton is designed for accessibility. They have a range of pay what you can services and the atmosphere is casual but definitely not amateur. The fact that a smiling Krish emerged 45 minutes later and booked another visit was a huge relief! And it was a lovely day so we walked home.
Ghost sign on Northworld RoadNorthwold Road outside Core ClaptonThe Crooked Billet Pub, Upper Clapton RoadClapton Station, one stop away from my nearest stationSlice of a building – looks flat from the front!Heavy Jewish population in ClaptonTram Store, cafe and shopAt the Lea Bridge roundaboutClapton Pond – not sure why it’s called a pond!Heading along to Lower Clapton Road
Along Upper Clapton Road is The Round Chapel. The impressive building as we know it today opened in 1871 but it began in 1804 when it was a nonconformist, congregationalist church in 1804 at the nearby Old Gravel Pit Chapel. The Gravel Pit Chapel was in turn a breakaway group from the Ram’s Chapel in Homerton.
Hackney has had a lot of groupings and regroupings since the 17th century, since it was always a nonconformist area. These churches didn’t conform to the rules of the Church of England. Abney Park and Bunhill cemeteries, for example, were nonconformist burial grounds – both within Hackney. There were also three nonconformist academies – Homerton, Newington Green and Hoxton – which produced nonconformist figures like Daniel Defoe, and hymn writer Isaac Watts.
By 1868 the population had more than tripled and the much bigger Clapton Park (“Round”) Chapel was built. The population of the area grew massively and more houses sprang up.Then at the turn of the century, the congregation dwindled as people moved away to the outer suburbs.
The Chapel is a Grade II building, in the top 4% of protected buildings in the UK. This is in part due to its architecture – the unique round shape and its cast iron columns, controversial since they were typically used only in music halls and railway stations. Today the Hackney Building Trust has taken over the main auditorium and some rooms, while the adjoining Old School Rooms are kept by the church. The building was refurbished and is used as an event and workshop venue.
It’s been a while since I’ve been to Chatsworth Road Market. It’s not one I go to very often since it’s a bit out of the way, is quite small, and is increasingly becoming one of those “food court markets.” Still, it’s a nice road and, besides, I had run out of peanut butter.
A few years ago, when visiting the One Change shopping area, I found a stall selling peanut butter from New Zealand. I wasn’t keen to try the sample I was offered but, after being promised there was no sugar, I did try it. It’s amazingly good. The flavour is perfect, the level of roast works really well, and there’s no sugar or palm oil or anything other than peanuts (and salt in some versions). I sound like an ad but there’s no going back now. Anyway, it’s Pic’s – I sound like an ad!
Chatsworth Road Market is in Homerton (originally Humberton) east of Upper Clapton. Homerton used to be a very rundown area and it’s probably still one of the least desirable parts of Hackney. I’ve seen photos of Homerton High Street at the beginning of the 1900s and it was a bustling shopping area then. Now there’s not much going on at all.
I took the bus to Homerton Hospital. This is our local hospital and serves a large community. I was shocked some years ago to hear that there are 5,000 births there every year – this is as many as my big city hospital, Women’s College, in Toronto. More about the hospital another day, when I have to visit, but for now – it’s a sprawling low-rise hospital across several buildings and annexes. I’ve been treated very well there.
A small glimpse of Homerton University Hospital across its car park
At the end of the road before I head up to the peanut butter and the market, is Brooksby’s Walk. I can’t find out who Brooksby was so the search continues. Right at the junction is Chat’s Palace, which has been an arts centre and music venue for thirty years. It’s housed in the impressive former Homerton Library.
Chat’s Palace
The peanut butter is in a Spar supermarket. Spar is a huge chain in Europe but here in the UK it’s pretty minor. It’s a high-end market with lots of independent branded groups. Here in Hackney it tends to bring in a lot of local businesses too – bakeries, florists, and food that’s ready to go.
Spar and the Castle Cinema
The Castle Cinema is a recent (yet old) addition to Brooksby’s Walk. It was originally the Castle Electric Theatre, built in 1913 opened on 8th September 1913 as an independent single-screen cinema., seating less than 700. It became a bingo hall, then a warehouse, then a snooker hall. And it got pretty run down in there. Then a few years ago Spar was opened and it seemed a shame to ignore the upstairs cinema. The cinema was actually restored and opened after a very successful Kickstarter project. Over 650 people raised 120% of the target! I’ve never been inside but I hear it’s gorgeous, including a very lovely original bar, with velvet, beads and some gorgeous bar lamps. I hear you can even eat dinner here. I’ll have to go to one of its movies one day to check it all out.
Meanwhile, the Spar isn’t too shabby either. You just have to get past some of the prices in here!
