All By Myself

Singing See-Saws

There was an art exhibition of singing see-saws called Impulse, that I wanted to see in Leicester Square, so I set off early.  London is lovely early in the morning with the possible exception of travelling on the tube.  It is a marvel of efficiency however I wouldn’t want to travel in peak hour every day.  

Street Art at the Broadway Market

 I arrived at Leicester Square and saw 15 see-saws spread out with couples enjoying playing on them.  Unfortunately, I had no one to counterbalance me so I couldn’t use a see-saw (obviously).  Sadly, I couldn’t hear them sing either as I couldn’t get near enough to hear the music coming from the see-saws that were in use.  They looked fun though.

I spent the rest of the day meandering through the streets and visiting past favourites.  I was the only person in the M & M store and it was amazing to walk around and actually see the merchandise instead of pushing my way through the crowds.  I visited some of my favourite paintings at the National Gallery although I was a little disappointed that the Water-Lily Pond by Monet was not on display however there were some other paintings by the artist that I hadn’t seen before.    I walked up to Fortnum & Mason, as there was an exhibition of sculptures taking place.  The sculptures were dotted throughout the store and whilst some of them were a little ”way out” for my taste, there were some truly beautiful gold animal masks that were well worth seeing.  The Christmas department was up and running and it was nice to look at all of the beautiful decorations as well as to see the amazing hampers for sale in the food hall.  I also visited the Prestat store to treat myself to some violet creams.  I walked absolutely everywhere, including my old haunts the Seven Dials, Covent Garden, Fleet Street, The Strand, Jermyn Street, Carnaby Street and Soho, not even stopping to sit down for lunch.  I enjoyed walking around so much that I walked from the city to home.  Time is such a luxury.

Dog enjoying a swim

James and Amber had told me about the Broadway Market & the Netil Market so I set off along the canal to find them on Saturday morning.  The weather was beautiful and the canal was picture perfect.  It was very peaceful walking next to the water and watching the swans and other water birds gliding along the canal.  The Broadway Market is one of the oldest chartered markets in London and includes a farmer’s market, food stalls, arts and crafts.  It has a really nice vibe and I had a great time looking at the various stalls and checking out all the local dogs that were enjoying the market with their owners.  Whippets and greyhounds seemed to be the dogs of choice however there were many other dogs out and about.  I enjoyed a coffee and picked up a scotch egg for my dinner from the gourmet scotch egg stall.  It is funny seeing a childhood favourite, described as being gourmet and I have never seen so many different varieties.  

Traditional cockney food

 I will definitely come back with Michael next time we are in London, as I know that he would love it and I also discovered one of the original East End pie and eel shops – F Cooke.  I won’t be trying the jellied eels however I will try one of their pies with mash and parsley liquor.  Next, I took a very short walk to the Netil Market, a small area with food sellers, vintage stalls and hand crafted goods.  I stopped for a cheese toastie, which James had assured me was the best in London, and I have to agree that it was delicious.  I also had a relaxing walk through London Fields where there were many dogs, walkers and children enjoying the sunshine.

A peaceful walk along the canal

Sunday was another market day for me.  I was able to walk along the canal again to reach the Columbia Road Flower Market.  I know I was only there the week before, however there is always something different and I love the little shops along the street.  Next was Brick Lane and the markets were in full throttle with crowds of people enjoying themselves and various musicians playing.  I spent considerable time looking at the stalls and marvelling at the variety of food for sale.  I finished with a visit to Old Spitalfields Market and there was a section that had been set up for The London Cocktail Week. The cocktails on offer looked fantastic however, I wasn’t going to drink alone.  Instead, I contented myself with checking out the clothing and jewellery stalls.  A stroll back along the canal was the perfect way to end a perfect day.