Rule Britannia

Had an England-in-New-York day on Tuesday. Walked down to Greenwich Avenue to Tea and Sympathy Nicky Perry's wonderfully tiny ode to English tea shops. I'm not sure this was ever a very accurate portrait of the Queen, but it's a charming picture.

Regard the decor: Sanderson table cloths --same as our drawing room loose covers, except smaller--teapots galore, Toby Jugs (upper right).

A William and Kate plate! Finger sandwiches (Coronation chicken, egg salad, cream cheese and cucumber.)

Frances had summer pudding

I had sticky toffee with Bird's Custard.....

Gosh, how well I remember all the knicknacks and geegaws of my childhood.....the coronation mug I broke on the very day I was given it...

Then on to buy staples at Myers of Keswick on Hudson Street: Marmite and Branson Pickle.

The cold case has sausages and pies (the best is pork and stilton). And look at all those sweeties: Crunchies and Flakes....

Saturday Night Downtown Melange

Canal Street and all those souvenirs of New York. None made here, I'm pretty sure. 

Africans selling 'designer' handbags from cotton containers which can be removed in an instant if the police appear. Saw exactly the same thing in Milan.

A very excellent dumpling from Excellent Dumpling. Lafayette and Canal. Outstanding scallion pancakes.

Serious bling...

It happened on Mulberry Street. A party like atmosphere with people eating in the street at casual places

and more upmarket ones.

Warning! Smoking cigars will turn your face yellow.

I'm not sure what eating nougat from Vinny's Nut House will do to your teeth, but am not about to risk it.

Better to ponder which gelato to try.

The designer bag! the cell phone!

Glad to see that Balthazaar got an 'A'.

Beach Day

Suffolk County recedes into the distance as we head to Robert Moses Beach

flops, shovel, blanket

lifeguard not yet arrived

start building a little fortification

at lunch time we buy French fries and put one on top of the castle

where it proves very popular

and the seagull hangs around until the tide washes the castle away

Blue Shirts and Other Attire

Penn Station early in the morning. Everyone rushing about. I see three blue shirts at least.

Two here. Blue is an excellent uniform color --think French workmen's smocks and the Navy everywhere.

I think this chap this morning on 23rd Street was trying to color co-ordinate with the dumpster and the scaffolding. 

Henry yesterday in ideal small person attire.

This woman caught my attention the other day. I think I liked her bandana and bold bag.

Photo from this morning of a woman I have noticed quite often before. She is always very clean and neat, but everything she possesses is speckled with white paint.

The character on the left is quite the dandy with one baggy pant leg and one snug. I always remember our friend Billy saying he would much rather be a blendy than a trendy. I rather agree with him. Maybe time to buy a blue shirt?

Deli Fire (No one Hurt!)

We arrived home from the beach on Monday to find 23rd Street blocked off. The boiler in the deli next to the diner had caught on fire. You could tell from the attitude of the fire fighters that, other than the fire, nothing awful had happened. 

Lots and lots of firefighters

 How stifling hot the uniforms must be on a sunny day!

Lots of onlookers of course (including me).

How impressive a firetruck is!

Packing up kit when all the fuss was dying down. All New Yorkers are very proud of the fire department.

Wednesday

A sticky, sultry day.

Went up to Broadway on the bus, then walked to Union Square.

A really super time of year there. Lots and lots of multi-colored heirloom tomatoes. Somehow I mostly stick to red --though apparently the others taste wonderful too.

Plums. I always think of the wonderful love poem

This Is Just To Say
by William Carlos Williams
I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold

The sort of plums you pour cake batter on and pop in the oven.

The usual sort of green-ish customers.....

and a summer hat.

The beets were so pretty they got their portrait done (think Dutch still lives)...

not to mention the roses and the peaches

and the beets again.....

The afternoon was a mix of sun and storms.

I mostly hate salad unless the tomatoes are actually ripe. The pink things are chick peas turned pink from being in beet salad. Happy summer eating!