Breakfast at the New Covent Garden Flower Market in London

The early morning light warms the upper deck of our bus -- No. 436 heading for Vauxhall.  The traffic crawls through the crowded streets of Southeast London.  We're grateful for the periodic Bus Lanes that allow public transit vehicles and cabbies to swoosh by the standing traffic.

The spectacular view from our upper front row seats reminds us, as any double decker bus ride does, how much we love living in London! We pass the Oval, home of Surrey County Cricket.  MI6 loom ahead...

visions of Daniel Craig and the building exploding in "Skyfall." 

We hop off at Vauxhall Bridge, turn toward Battersea, and stroll in the shadow of the highrise residences lining the Thames. Parliament and St Steven's Tower feature in the skyline behind us.

Our destination...the Village Cafe at the New Covent Garden Flower Market.  The cafe opens at 5:00 am, to feed those workers who start their day at the Flower Market at 4:00 am. (Flower Market hours are 4:00 - 10:00 am).

But first a sneak peek at the posies on parade in the Flower Market "where 75% of London's florist choose to buy."
Boxes, trays, cartons bursting with colour!
Easter lilies by the dozen.
Even a dinosaur skeleton for your garden or fancy-dress party!  Photo ops seem endless.

Out the side door of the main warehouse, but still within the Flower Garden walled perimeter, we find the Village Cafe.  Drab and modern on the outside, integral to the Flower Market architecture.

Sadly, this Flower Market, erected in the early 1970's, replaces the original flower market first laid out as the "Covent Garden" Piazza in 1631 by the architect Inigo Jones, further developed in 1829-30, and more recently refurbished in the late 20th century into a trendy tourist spot in the City Centre.  Such beauty housed within a framework reflecting the epitome of the 1970's--functionality without imagination.   The photo-history of the Flower Market lines the walls of the cafe.

We situate ourselves in the back corner, next to a box holding 30 dozen eggs for the day ahead.  We enjoy four of them fried "soft" (learning the lingo!) with runny yolks soaking into thick slabs of toast.
.    
Two crossword puzzles and a newspaper  later, we venture out, across the Vauxhall Bridge, gasping at the antics of daredevil window washers high above the River Thames.

We meander through the streets of Pimlico and Kensington. Spring flowers, these uncut and free for all to view, fill traffic islands and small park places.  The finale is the glorious spray of colour filling Hyde Park flower garden -- magnificent!

A Rainbow over Ladywell Village Cafe

This morning’s threat of rain keeps us close to home.  A bright half moon and street lights glow as we walk over the hill.  London’s morning skyline shimmers. 

We pass our local NHS (National Health Service) Clinic -- there are enough free public clinics throughout London that there's almost always one near enough to walk to!  What a concept...health care on your doorstep!  And if you're getting older (60 or over) and that walk seems to long, hop on a city bus for free with your Pensioners Pass. Seems like a no-brainer to us.

Washington, are you watching?

We hike down into Ladywell Village where the “Village Café” welcomes us with smiles and mugs of piping hot tea.  

Two years ago our hosts took over the café’s management, installed attractive white and black tiles, and started serving “tea concentrate” – tea brewed extra-strong in a large pot, then served with diluted water, the way we enjoyed it in Zimbabwe.  No tea ba, to figure out where to put.  Just dark hot tea.  With hot milk, this is a treat today.  

Another pleasure is the absence of food photos – just the menu board and the shiny tiles, all the way to the loo! 

There’s a TV high in one corner, but thankfully the volume remains soft until “Dancing with the Stars” comes on.   Then it fades again.

The poached eggs on brown toast make a pretty picture. Happy Husband gratefully digs in.

The main street of Ladywell Village has been recently redone.  We were expecting trees and benches and something to show for the price tag.  The main feature is flagstones instead of pavement, but nothing green and no benches that might invite passers-by to loiter….except the two picnic tables under the awning in front of our own Village Café! 

 The proprietors explain that they have had to postpone external improvements.  Because this is a Conservancy Area, regulations require they use only wood on the front exterior, and for now the cost is prohibitive.Today workmen paint road surface traffic signs, and the windows get a wash

I realize I’m in a serious men zone; no other female (other than the proprietor) enters the Café during our two hour meal. Lots of take outs.  A favourite dish seems to be Bubble, a large green patty made from yesterday’s over-cooked (my opinion) Brussels sprouts mixed with…I’ll need to look that up.

The bonus of the morning...a rainbow stretching across Ladywell!

On our way, we encounter people 

who remind us that we really are in London.  And a row of derelict sheds – might they be protected by royal edict? – add a Dickensonian flare. 

We pass the towers and spires of the old Lewisham court and police station, recently refurbished into numerous flats. 

Lewisham High Street entertains us with its daily market which has continued for close to 100 years except for a few occasions during WWII when the High Street was mostly flattened by bombings.  Only the clock tower remains.  Smells of fish, bread and fruit surround us.

We load up with fresh Brussels sprouts, mangos and garlic, a pound sterling for a bowl of each.  

So, next time you're in Lewisham, at Ladywell Village, drop in to the Village Cafe and enjoy a hot cup of brewed tea.  They're open at 6:30 am!