Friday January 27th

January 27, Friday evening

On the way to the overland train from Hampstead Heath to the Jubilee line, I took a detour to walk around the edge of the heath.  Such a beautiful, warm morning urged me into the heath knowing that snow is forecast on Sunday and Monday. What a treat.  It is impossible to capture the scale of this park; I really appreciate that the cycle paths are separate from the walking ones.

Here are a couple snapshots of the ponds at the edge of the heath.

And one of the signs that I find amusing.

The sign indicates that the swans are breeding and can be aggressive--so keep dogs out of the water.  

The train was a different experience.  Very clean and mellow.  The Jubilee tube line was jammed with people, but the walk from there to Borough Market was easy.  The market had a big meat story going on: pork, beef, chicken and hundreds of stalls selling lunch in a paper boats/dishes. It is very much like a farmers market with an international flare.  Lots of middle eastern, eastern EU and Indian stalls.

The meat was rather in your face and this carnivore was sickened by seeing so much flesh sitting out in open air with hundreds of people walking by.  The odor was a bit too ripe, too.

I did not see anything that appealed to me, so I set off on foot to explore the neighborhood. Took the Northern Line back to the Bloomsbury District and walked around there until it was time for a 3pm meeting.  I was very pleased to find the location at St. Giles again from another direction; it is a 20 minute walk from my office.

I have determined to try taking new routes wherever I go--come home a different route and via a different mode of transport.  My mental map of the city is getting internalized pretty well.

I set out on this splendid morning with a light rain coat thinking the wool one would be too warm.  That was a good call until about 2 pm when the afternoon chill took over with a nasty wind.  I managed to get home by 6pm with some salmon fillet to poach and greens for a salad. Had a heck of time finding ground coffee beans on High Street.  

If I have energy after supper, I plan to walk down to a restaurant with an outdoor chalkboard advertising "Live Music Friday 9pm."  It is worth a walk to investigate.