A Saturday in Hackney

Last night was a late one, thanks to our crazy HCD Halloween party at my classmate Emily's place in Clerkenwell.  So today I spent the morning cleaning (while listening to Fleet Foxes whom I love very much, and Yeasayer who I've started listening to recently and also love) and trying to drum up enough energy to actually do something with my day.  Then - laundry done, dishes washed and flat tidied - I decided that I should make my way to Stoke Newington Church Street in search of a nice coffee shop where I could get some reading done.

On my way I walked through Hackney Downs Park, which is right beside where we're living.  The air was nice and cool with a hint of fall but the sun was shining.  The giant sycamores, with their beautifully mottled bark, have turned golden and dropped some of their leaves along the footpath.  The joggers, cyclists and football players in their colourful jerseys were all out and about.  

There's even a newly-planted community orchard in this park!

Along Farleigh Road I stopped to take a photo of this house with its tree.  I love the beautiful row houses of London, especially when they have flower boxes with happy red flowers nodding to their reflections in the windows.

My first stop on Church Street was Of Cabbages and Kings, which is a store that I discovered a few weeks ago and have been meaning to revisit.  It's a sweet little store packed full of handmade everything, from screen prints to necklaces to little crocheted iphone holders, like the one here that I bought for myself today.  I especially love the little red flower button!

 

I asked the girl working the till if there was a particular coffee shop she would recommend for some reading, and she suggested I try out Lemon Monkey back on the High Street.  I followed her advice, and found it to be the sweetest, most welcoming space I could have hoped to find.  Here it is, with my pot of earl grey tea and delicious pistachio tarte with thick cream (and, um, readings).  Mmmmm.....

 Closeup of the tarte.  Anyone who knows me will know how much I appreciated their collection of eclectic, mismatched old wooden chairs.  A shelf full of cookbooks and a couch for lounging on all add to the comfortable, cozy ambience.  I will definitely be coming back here!

Having finished my tarte, tea and one article (yay!), I headed back home to wait for Freddy to get home.  Who has classes on Saturdays?!  Not me...hee hee...