Bus stop breakfast

Business takes me today, August 29, to Hoxton, by the old City. Assisting a client with some asset protection. I imagine any of my readers who are fellow writers or other creatives will appreciate the importance of protecting intellectual property.

By the ‘City’ I mean the old City of London, that square mile of premium real estate the Romans built a wall around in the second and third centuries, sections of which are still standing. Hoxton is, like Shoreditch or Dalston, one of the districts to the north east of the City. It was a miserable wet day and there was a sudden downpour as I walked out of Old Street underground station, heading east along Old Street.

Haven't visited this part of London in years but it doesn't look much different, any less shabby-chic, despite some new buildings appearing in recent years. London is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and is the one place in the world where you will find the widest range of the best food from around the world. But this is one of the places in London where you will encounter few tourists. You will find mostly people who live and work in London and the places they live in and work in.

I was, as I often am, far too early for any need to hurry so I stopped at the bus shelter shown, to escape the rain. Only then did I notice that the bus stop was out of service, which meant that nobody was waiting there for a bus. So I had sole occupancy. Having enjoyed some bus stop revelries on previous occasions, I thought: why not now? Not a bus stop boozing session but a bus stop breakfast. Here's an account of a lone nocturnal drinking session from the bus stop boozer:

By a stroke of good fortune, perhaps with a sprinke of foresight, I had some breakfast with me. Given the early hour I arose, 5.00 am, I could not have eaten any breakfast at home and so had hard boiled two eggs the night before, for a later repast. A cup of coffee would have been welcome but there was nothing much open, so I made do with some bottled water to wash down the al fresco food.

Say what you like about English weather, a rainy day can have its own charms, city or countryside. It has in any case been such a hot, dry summer, the gardens need a little drink, just like I do (most evenings) as my GP will attest. And, much as I may like pleasant company, a little solitude from time to time can be a balm to the soul.

Having broken my fast, the rain abating, I continued my leisurely walk along the near-deserted (apart from the four-wheel traffic) early morning Old Street. A short way past the bus stop is the 'Rodeo Doughnuts' bar, complete with redundant U-G-H, as used to be standard UK spelling for the fried sweet-stodge snack. Next up is the Fire Brigade depot.

I didn't take much notice of it on the way out but the yellow on red 'Love is...' banner hangs above the fire station. I only noticed it later, on the walk back to Old Street Station. 'Love is the running towards,' meaning running towards the fire, as fire fighters do. Likewise sailors but, then again, where else are you going to run on a ship aflame?

My route took me on a left turn heading north along Pitfield Street. This road takes the walker away from the main traffic route, A501, into a quieter residential and retail/leisure environment. I had to stop and take a photo of this now disused pub, as it reminded me so much of the history of English pub culture. The Hop Pole closed in 1985 and has since been converted to residential use. Truman's brewery was founded in the 17th century and grew to be the biggest brewery in the world in the 19th century (Wikipedia). A spate of mergers in the second half of the 20th century left the Truman's brand all but redundant before being revived this century.

• Shortly after this I reached my destination. Enough of strolling, musing and casual photography. Time to get back to business. I was still early but the venue's sole member of staff let me in, along with the client representatives I was meeting. He then kindly offered to make me a coffee, producing a steaming cup, just as I liked it. Strong, short, hot and black. The perfect end to a perfect bus stop breakfast.

Bus stop boozing

Beating the booze

Bus stop revisited

Best Beckenham secret walk

Thanks for reading

Ray