Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning

On Tuesday evening I went for my first meal out since last summer. It was a slightly surreal experience, as the streets were pretty empty of people, but the outdoor tables of all the restaurants and pubs that were open were busy (we’ll be allowed to eat/drink indoors from Monday next week). There were no shoppers or people leaving work, something I wouldn’t pay any attention pre-Covid, but their absence was very noticeable. Walking across Waterloo Bridge towards the restaurant looking eastwards felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

I had dinner with my dearest G & D, my old work colleagues who’ve I now known for exactly 20 years. We were too busy talking, laughing, eating and drinking for me to take any pics, but I took this as we were walking back across Waterloo Bridge, seeing them match each other with their accessories.

We stopped to look at the Shard framed by the National Theatre, and felt our love of London swell. It was nice to be back in the centre of it.

G showed us a picture of these carriages that he’d taken on his way over to meet us, and we walked back briskly to see if they were still there. Luckily they were still there. There was a night shoot about to start, either a movie or a TV-series, obviously set in pre-car times. We stood looking at them agog, feeling like we’d travelled back in time.

Nothing like a selfie to bring you back to the present though. Loved the contrast of it all.

Had to crop in here, I mean look at that expression! Brilliant.

We chatted to one of the guys in a top hat, who opened one of the carriages up for us so we could have a look inside. I wanted to take a picture, but I also wanted to take it in. Sometimes it’s difficult to do both. It was a four seater, and clearly people were smaller then - it would be a really tight squeeze these days. Apparently half of the carriages were over 150 years old, and the other half were new builds. Not sure what this one was (did the real ones have mudguards I wonder?). Sadly the guy didn’t know what they were filming, but maybe he was fibbing.

Trust G to show us this old gas street light around the corner. He’s a fountain of knowledge, and knows so much about London and its history (like a true Liverpudlian - haha). He told us that it ran on the fumes of the sewers below which sounded a bit bonkers.

He was absolutely right of course. I mean, wow, just wow! I need to show this to Oomoo, I don’t think he’d ever believe me if I told him that there’s a street light in town that is powered by poo.

On Wednesday morning my friend M took me on a 28k bike ride along the River Lea, somewhere not that far from where we live, but somewhere I’ve never been before.

We hadn’t established beforehand whether the bike ride was to be a workout or a pleasure ride, so M was all kitted out for exercise and I was in my jeans and jumper. Also, my bike is a 6 speed step through with a basket on the front.

It’s a bit strange how I haven’t explored the east part of London that much, considering I’ve lived in the city for 28 years, and don’t actually live that far away from it. It’s probably because it became the place to be just as I stopped going out. As a result, being there feels like being in a different city. Handy in these times.

We stopped for a hot drink on top of the neighbouring Dutch barge to this boat. This area is heaving on the weekends and evenings normally, but at 10am it was really nice and quiet.

Funky details on a house boat.

We continued on to Stratford and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, but as I’ve said before, cycling and taking pictures is tricky, and I feel bad about wanting to stop all the time to take pictures. I had to take one here though, as it felt like we were suddenly in the countryside. We cycled along the other split of the River Lea on the way back home, where you could sense huge industrial estates beyond the tree lines and the water, but they were hidden well enough that we could pretend we were somewhere much further out.

I did make an exception at one point and made us stop to have a look at these guys for a little while. So ridiculously sweet.

I’m definitely going back here soon; I want to show the guys what we have so near us. Thanks London for constantly surprising me! It’s nice to know that I still have so much here to discover.

Leaving the lockdown cave

I’m finally coming out of my lockdown funk, and last weekend I went for a walk around Bloomsbury with my friend H. I’d been craving a trip to the area for a few weeks, as I really wanted to have a look at the Georgian architecture there. It’s also pretty empty of people, so it was a perfect warm-up for getting back out into the world again.

This hotel was little further along the street from the first picture. About half of the buildings there were hotels.

I really liked the contrast between the colours radiating away from these windows.

Sticking with a window theme: we walked past this one and couldn’t really figure out whether it was someone’s front room or a book shop, as there was only a residential door next to it. The room itself was my perfect idea of a living room, full of book shelves and quirky framed prints hung on wooden walls, like in a rustic ski chalet. You can see a bit of the pine wood to the right hand side of the window. So cosy.

Another window with what has to be the best looking blind I’ve ever seen.

Later on we walked through the Brunswick Centre as it’s been years since I’d looked up at the flats there. I love how white it all is apart from plants and other balcony paraphernalia.

I did a little research beforehand and made sure we went to St George’s Square, which was the first burial place in London that was located away from a church in 1714 (the graveyards in London itself were getting too full at the time). Back then this area would have been the countryside, which is hard to imagine as it’s in central London now. It was still very quiet and peaceful; I imagine it’s a great place to go on your lunch break if you work nearby.

The brick letters caught my eye here. Don’t think I’ve ever seen it before, but such a simple way to add a bit of spice to a building.

At one point we came across a narrow street that led down to this mews. We simply had to check it out.

Mews houses usually don’t have gardens, so you have to make your own any way you can.

I bet you get to know your neighbours reeeeeeeeeally well as a result.

Sigh. Georgian houses are just so lovely, aren’t they? I don’t know anyone who lives in one. I need to befriend someone who does so I can see if they’re as great on the inside. Shallow, I know.

Charles Dickens lived in one - this one in fact. And it’s now a museum, so actually, I CAN go and see what one looks like on the inside. And funnily enough I’m reading ‘Great Expectations’ at the moment, so it would be extra interesting right now.

This office building is definitely not Georgian, but probably Art Deco. It’s also a house that looks like it’s coated in caramel. Yum.

This place looked really interesting, and caught my eye because I’m a sucker for green. I just had a look at their website, and once they’re up and running again I hope I can go to one of their events and have a look around. For the past month I’ve gone from feeling slightly anxious about the lockdown rules easing to feeling ok about it, and realising that I just have to start booking tickets to different exhibitions and try to recover my former sense of self that way. This last winter lockdown we had was pretty scarring, so coming out of it feels very different from the first one. Anyway, I promise I’ll bring you guys with me on my arty excursions, but maybe with a wider lens on the camera next time 🤪

Resting in peace

Let’s get away from the here and now, shall we? I’m so glad I have so many pictures from last year that I haven’t posted yet, as the days at the moment are so same-y and uneventful. On a balmy late September Sunday, my friend D and I walked over to Highgate Cemetery to go exploring. It’s so odd to think back just a few months back during the pandemic, when compared to now everything felt so relaxed, even though we still had to socially distance. One perk due to Covid was that you were allowed to walk around on the west side of the cemetery on your own, which you otherwise only can visit on a guided tour. D, who seems to have been to most of the interesting places in London retold me the facts she could remember from having walked the tour years ago.

The west side is more hilly and wild, and is the oldest part, opened in 1839. It’s also the most prestigious part to be buried in. If you want to read more about the cemetery’s interesting history, click here.

We walked around with a map, and decided on a route. I’m posting the order of what we saw on the way.

It was so interesting to see the difference in styles of the grave stones. I found Lucian Freud’s very understated and elegant.

The Egyptian Style was very popular in the 1800’s, and walking up Egyptian Avenue felt like something straight out of Indiana Jones or Tombraider. Not surprisingly lots of films have been shot here.

Loved the font and the colours on this tomb.

And how apt are these words for EXACTLY RIGHT NOW?! It’s a bastardised stanza from Lord Tennyson’s In Memoriam A.H.H. 54. I’m not even sure I read what it said when I took the picture, I just liked the font and the placing of the text. Kind of nicer to see the words now, and take them in properly.

This circular vault area is called the Circle of Lebanon, as when the cemetery was built, there was an old Lebanese cedar tree in situ already, and they decided to keep and build around it.

Sadly it was deemed unsafe to keep in place as it had completely rotted inside, so it came down in 2019, and a new one was planted in its place, which you can see in the middle of this picture. Not quite the same, but give it time.

The catacombs section was closed which was a shame. It would have been very interesting to have seen inside.

Different styles of headstones. Patrick Caulfield’s DEAD one has to be the best one ever. Straight to the point, no messing about.

Crossing the road and entering the east side, the atmosphere changed significantly. Less wild and more tightly packed.

And much flatter with wider avenues. Felt a bit like a car park compared to the west side.

No cemetery is complete without a cat, right? Looking at these pictures I’m transported back to what was such a chill and interesting afternoon, and I can feel the summer heat from that day all over again. It’s actually still open, even in lockdown, and it would be cool to see what the atmosphere there is like in the middle of winter. Let’s see if I can can get my lazy arse over there before spring.

In the City

Went for an epic five hour bike ride on New Year’s Eve with my friend H to the City of London, to look at the buildings there, recommended by my friend D who’d walked around there a lot in lockdown 2. On the way we cycled past these residential towers on City Road which made me laugh. They looked what I imagine people in the 1920’s thought all buildings would look like in the year 2000. Luckily they don’t, as these are pretty horrible.

Most people think the same of the Barbican, built on a former WW2 bomb site between 1963 and 1982, but I love it. We stopped here to eat our packed lunches in the freezing cold; we and the seagulls were the only ones there. Staying in one of the flats here (I’m counting on Airbnb still being around for this) for a weekend is on my bucket list, and I’m looking forward to the day when that can happen.

I’d love to know why the water there is this colour. I’m sure there’s a really simple explanation.

After lunch we headed down to Wood Street where this tree, which is possibly one of the oldest plane trees in London can be found. The general consensus is that it was planted around 1760! It’s quite something standing under it. I must make sure I go back there in the spring/summer to see the full canopy.

Hello St Paul’s! If you ever find yourself in London in the future, when lockdowns and social distancing is a distant memory, I can really recommend going there and going full metal tourist. It’s one of my favourite touristy experiences I’ve had here. I’ll never forget the Whispering Gallery (it works!), and climbing up all the narrow stairs to the top circular outside balcony and taking in the view of London. It would never have occurred to me to go there if it hadn’t been for my cousin coming to visit years and years ago, and wanting to check it out. Tack M-Fe!

The architecture in the City is a real hodge podge of old buildings and boring as hell new glass box offices. This building really stood out though. We guessed that it was built in the 60’s, but we were a decade off. 30 Cannon St was built between 1974 and 1977, and has received listed status, so it can’t ever be pulled down in the future.

Speaking about pulling down a building; here’s Temple Bar, now placed at Paternoster Square. It was built between 1669 and 1672 by Christoper Wren (who also re-built St Paul’s Cathedral after the Great Fire in 1666, and built most of the grand buildings and churches in London still here today), and was originally at the junction of The Strand and Fleet Street. It had to be taken down in the 1878 as it was creating a bottle neck for traffic (horse driven - obvs). It was carefully dismantled by hand, to eventually be rebuilt in the grounds of a well to do couple’s country manor in Hertfordshire, who would have parties in the room inside the arch in the 1880’s. It eventually made its way back to the City in 2004.

Just around the corner towards St Paul’s is Chapter House, also built by Christopher Wren in 1712. Seriously crushing on this building. I seem to have something for houses with brown window frames… It looks pretty amazing on the inside too from what I can see online.

Around the corner from Paternoster Square in the other direction we stopped to have a look at these air vents by Thomas Heatherwick built in 2002. Pretty cool.

H really liked this building which looks like it was built in the 1960’s. It’s now a not very cool hotel .

We also stopped at Postman’s Park, to have a look at the memorial plaques there.

The artist George Frederic Watts wanted to commemorate people who had lost their lives trying to save others and put up four plaques in 1900. There are 54 up now with lots of space for more names to be added and the last one was put up in 2007. It was absolutely heartbreaking to read them.

Older London and newer London. Such a crazy and eccentric mix.

It’s everywhere I tell you.

I have a vague memory of sticking my head into St Bartholomew the Great to have a nosey a very long time ago, but seeing it up close again makes me want to go back and have a proper look inside when it re-opens.

This tower is all that remains of St Albans, which after having burnt down the in the Great Fire was rebuilt by our busy man Chrisopher Wren in 1682. It later got bombed in WW2, and it’s now a rather fancy traffic island.

This is the gatehouse leading into St Bartholomew the Great seen from the back. Pretty amazing, nay?

Slowly making our way home we cycled through Charterhouse Square past this Art Deco block. Looks amazing from the outside, but from what I’ve seen interiors-wise it looks bleurgh.

Cycling back, under the Barbican in the Beech Street tunnel. It’s hard to ride a bike and take pictures at the same time, but it won’t stop me from trying.

And finally, cycling above Regent’s Canal for a little bit in Islington, looking at the back of some Georgian terraced houses - and canalboats. I reeeeeeeeally want to go for a bike ride along Regent’s Canal one day, but it’ll have to wait as it gets way too busy at the moment. Don’t much fancy catching Covid or swerving into the canal… Am going out for another ride tomorrow with H, and I’ll suggest we head back here to look at the houses, and I’ll make sure to bring my camera.