Flowers for a fiver

Upstairs, front window on the 47 to Shoreditch 

Another new area of London to explore

The first stall is amazing

One of the many flowers sellers with lots of
characters, ladies, ladies, ladies, I will
satisfy you.....with my flowers

Peonies only flower for 3 weeks
of the year, how lucky to see
so many colours

Hydrangeas were very popular

Cash only at many stalls

Jane and I trying to make it through the throng of people 

Checking out the street art
in Shoreditch

Mariage Freres,
a bit fancy and very nice

We are off on the 47 bus to Shoreditch and the top front seat is free, score. Lets sit back and enjoy the ride through the back streets to our chosen destination, the Columbia Road Flower Markets.

We must be getting closer there is a man with a shopping trolly full of sunflowers. Ok there is a hustle and bustle of people this must be it. Sunflowers galore, immense numbers of people (the markets are only on for a few hours each Sunday) let’s dive in. I don’t know where to look first, roses on the right, lavender on the left. But what I like best are the flower sellers screaming out, ‘Look what can you get for a fiver, love’ in a broad London accent. 

We are at the hydrangeas, a lady wants two blue and one pink. The flower man screws up his nose but selects the nicest ones with a flourish, then puts it together and shows her. You can tell he is not happy with this colour selection and she realises all is not right. He suggests a change to one pink, one blue, one purple and it looks divine. She is happy and he says, ‘you can only trust a man to pick your flowers’. It must be his standard line, but a very funny moment for the crowd. 

On we go, getting pushed and shoved by the crowd of flower buyers. The peonies are so colourful I want to eat them. We later learn that peonies only flower for 3 weeks of the year and we saw them at their peak. Another lucky encounter on the tourist trail.

This market is the best I have ever been to in London and gives a real slice of what life must have been like when everyone shopped at markets for most of their food and goods.

On we go now to the local shops dotted behind the market, more inside-outside cards. Score. What's this? A pet section at the back of Hiro and wolf, Rosco might like this collar, or a lead, or oh be still my beating heart he just has to have one of these scarves. Calm down there are many more shops to go. This gallery looks a bit funky, let's take a look, wow, hummingbirds, street art, political statements I feel like I am at the summer exhibition. We both like every piece in Nelly Duff.

Time for some sustenance, brie bagel and a mug of tea. Very Shoreditch. Now, lets check out the street art, new pieces by a Lewisham based artist, Nathan Bowen. Finally, its time to head back to the other side as someone has been promising me a chocolate eclair since last week. Well, maybe I have just been saying I want a chocolate eclair for the last 2 weeks after we poked our heads in Mariage Freres in Covent Garden.

Convent Garden has the usual fun going on there is a particularly good entertainer, painted in silver and dressed like Thor who is throwing his sword at all the ladies from 8 to 80 and getting selfies with them. He is amazing, the looks he can do on his face, sad, happy, sexy, all in a matter of seconds. But we must move on.

Ok, let's escape into this French tea emporium and see if it is as good as it looks. The verdict is a resounding YES.