These are some of yesterday’s glimpses, in a grimly blustering afternoon, of an otherwise nondescript area of London with both good and bad points intertwined.

No longer a low-rise capital in the suburbs with rising executive tower blocks overpowering thirties semis:

The boarded-up pubs by the canals:

Still by the canals, mini-libraries where I picked up a rare volume by Stefan Zweig:

Quirky front gardens (where they have not been paved over for car space):

Colourful zebras:

Pioneering thirties modernist underground stations by Charles Holden:

and much else including lovely wild flowers in open spaces

street (and towpath) art,

and children’s play areas finally re-opened.