Posted on

Hackney Road and agoraphobia

Tuesday, 16 January, 2018

Yesterday I had a plan – in my free time I wanted to go to Hoxton and along Great Eastern Street to check out any new street art. I also thought about having lunch and making the most of the three of four spare hours. But when I got out, the plan collapsed.

From the age of seven, I’ve had agoraphobia. I was twenty-seven before I had a name for it but it was instantly clear that’s what it was when I read a newspaper lifestyle article about it. This was me! It’s too long a story but the short version is that I pushed and pushed to get someone to agree to my self diagnosis, and then I found the doctor who knew how to assess and treat it. It was hard work but I now consider myself recovered. Recovered like an alcoholic is recovered, only one step away from relapsing!

I cope day to day and am generally proud of myself. Then every now and again I have one of those days. Like yesterday.

Standing at the bus stop to go to Hoxton, I faltered. Butterflies in my stomach (which I know now are ectopic heartbeats) lightheaded, shakiness, feeling of fear and doom. I wanted to turn back for home but, after a good talking to myself, I decided to jump on the bus anyway and see what happened.

Bus stop at Hackney Town Hall, with the Hackney Empire behind me
Bus stop at Hackney Town Hall, with the Hackney Empire across the road

I made a compromise with myself. I’d go to the Cambridge Heath station stop and walk along Hackney Road. Having a plan (and a parachute in the form of my bus pass, mobile phone, and friendly camera) off I went and off I got at the promised spot. Once out of the bus I knew what I wanted to do – walk down one side of the road as far as Hackney City Farm and then up the other.

It was a deal! And here follow the photos.

Loretto Queen and Corgi street art
I’ve seen this Loretto from the bus many times and this is the first time I’ve stood next to it and taken the photo
Cambridge Heath graffiti alley
This alley beside the railway tracks is rich in street art but today I was alone so didn’t go down

Hackney Road street art
Hackney Road has a huge amount of street art

Hackney Road oddities
Along the way some interesting things to look at. A florist specialising in cacti and a pawnbroker’s sign outside what is now a corner bar

Continue reading “Hackney Road and agoraphobia”

Posted on

London Street Art, Dennis Severs House, Rediscovering Artillery Passage

1 December 2017

Redundant Medical report: Last Friday I got a flu shot. I told the nurse I was feeling a bit ‘off’ but we went ahead with it anyway. ‘Off’ in this case was a shakey, anxious feeling that I often get in the morning – from anxiety, from my PVCs, from low blood sugar, who knows!

Friday I didn’t do much. My arm was sore and I felt a bit tired. All normal reactions. That night my feet and hands were crampy – again, seemed normal for the situation. Saturday I relaxed and let it wash over me. Sunday morning I was supposed to meet Caroiine for a flower market and museum visit but she cancelled because she was ill. I was disappointed but by just after lunch I too was feeling ill.

I doubt it was the flu shot. I think I was already sickening for something and I remember now that crampy or cold feelings in my feet can often be a signal for me – no idea why. Monday and Tuesday I just stayed on the couch, Netflixing!  And I made a doll for Esmeralda, who had requested one like her – olive skin, almond eyes and colourful, but smaller than my usual dolls. She actually wanted a few different ones with different moods but I was unprepared for how much longer the smaller ones take so she’s getting one!

Esmeralda's doll
Esmeralda’s doll

Continue reading “London Street Art, Dennis Severs House, Rediscovering Artillery Passage”

Posted on

Settimanale ticket, the rest of the Millos and Luci d’Artista

Thursday, 2 November (Day Forty-six)

Today, if we want to complete our Millo tour, we need to renew our BIP card so we walk over to the Tabaccheria where the man speaks English and we order a week’s travel. Simple!

On the tram, our cards don’t go BIP.  They make a hesitant warbling sound and a notice flashes up that might have read Not Valid. Not again! We carry on regardless but as we travel I read the receipt. It starts Monday! Apparently the settimanale is from Monday to Sunday and we weren’t aware. We make the decision to play dumb and work out the solutions but it does put a bit of a crimp in our plans to have unlimited travel for the remaining two weeks. Hmm.

Onward.

There are five Millos left and I’m pretty sure two of them were ones we have seen on our last visit. I even mentally locate them – on residential streets, with nothing much around them. Let’s see if I’m right.

In fact, I am. A bit of back and forth while we get our bearings on the map and find the Millos sometimes not quite where we imagined, but there they all are in the end. One is in a small children’s school playground. That’s the hardest to photograph. The last one is in a narrow street opposite some construction that makes it a little hard to photograph too.

Millo 9

Millo 10

Millo 11

Millo 13
The rest of the Millos

However, I find a nice cafe selling a slice of plain pizza and there behind the counter is Krish’s favourite Naples pastry -frolla. He’s been looking for one for quite a while and has even talked of making his own…some day. The frolla is made with sweet short pastry dough that surrounds a ricotta and dried fruit filling. (And no, it’s actually not too sweet!)

Video: How to make a frolla
Continue reading “Settimanale ticket, the rest of the Millos and Luci d’Artista”

Posted on

Pozzo Strada, Music Library, Corso Francia and HALLOWE’EN!

This morning I finally made my beef stew – with red wine, whole garlic, red onion wedges, thyme, and some young carrots. I taste it before we leave and am thrilled that it’s much more tender than the original too-lean meat promised.

On the way out we go along Via Milano. We used to be on this road a lot in ‘our’ old flat but haven’t gone along here too often this time. There are still things there that evoke the pure essence of Torino.

Torino Star
Torino Star
Via Milano and Piazza della Citta
Via Milano and Piazza della Citta

We went on the metro to Pozzo Strada. We had no idea what was there – we chose the station at random. Pozzo! Pozzo! Turns out it means ‘well.’ Nothing much around there – lots of low rise apartments. What was pretty cool, though, was how long and straight the road was (Roman roads here in Turin) and straight through to the Alps. Today we could see them.

Pozzo Strada
Pozzo Strada
Alps view
Alps view

Continue reading “Pozzo Strada, Music Library, Corso Francia and HALLOWE’EN!”

Posted on

More Millos and a visit to the supermarket

Monday, 30 October (Day Forty-three)

Now the clocks have changed, I’m waking up at 5am. Nothing new there but hopefully I’ll get used to it. I have another time change to grapple with when we get back to London so we’ll see!

Today we decided to go to see some more Millo and then pick up some groceries. We have a map that shows where all the Millos are so we pick off four to the west of us and set off to the bus.

They are all in the Barriera di Milano, a mostly deprived area to the north west of us. The map shows them really clearly and in the end  the four we’ve chosen are all within very close distance of each other. Excellent! I’m feeling lazy.

Milano is interesting. There are several ethnic communities. We find a market with many Africans selling. I buy some bits of lace and some white thread as it closes. I also find a Latin American store and come close to buying tamales but they are frozen and I don’t feel like carrying the large frozen package around.

I feel somewhat uncomfortable photographing neighbourhoods that are busy with people. Sometimes the camera is unwelcome, sometimes someone will get hostile and often I feel awkward and ugly photographing something that’s obviously downtrodden. Like a rich, disinterested voyeur/anthropologist.

Barriera di Milano market
Barriera di Milano market
Barriera di Milano neighbourhood
Barriera di Milano neighbourhood

Continue reading “More Millos and a visit to the supermarket”