Hello
Thanks for popping in.
Finally, with the shops back open, I've been on a train to Reading to drop off all the blankets I've made over Lockdown with my friends donated wool. They can now go off on their way and hopefully keep someone cosy.
What a treat to be back to Reading! People on the train were well spaced with masks and I avoided all the shopping areas apart from the one shop I needed.
Bluebells were out next to the church.
It was good to see all the old buildings again, The George Hotel . . .
. . . The old Barclays Bank building, now housing The Botanist bar . . .
. . . Jackson Corner, where I used to buy my school uniform, now empty.
The church of St Laurence had some scaffolding, getting a few repairs done and the Town Hall and Museum towers looked great against the blue sky, the leaves of a whitebeam in front just beginning to unfurl.
The marketplace itself was emptier than usual, no street food on sale. I reminisced about my hen night nearly 40 years ago that took place quietly in an Italian restaurant in one of these buildings, sadly it has not stood the test of time!
Reading does a great job with its floral displays, we'll visit Forbury Gardens next time but now it's time for a hot chocolate and pain au chocolat outside a nice and empty Carluccio's. With Covid and their recent takeover, they are no longer able to sell their fantastic hot chocolate with that thick chocolate custard and frothy white milky top. It will be missed.
Nearby, the Roseate Reading, a hotel within the old Shire Hall Council building, has a secret garden for outdoor eating and a pop-up champagne bar.
I'll leave you there with your bubbly, if you made a booking and are socially distanced, and collect you next time.