The Canal

I mentioned in my last post that I was not feeling well.  I didn't say what was actually wrong with me.  I have been very dizzy.  The kind of dizzy that doesn't let you move from the couch to the table without holding on to something.  It's incredibly disorienting and tiring, I have to say.  Sometimes I get dizzy in the springtime when the pollen is high, so I figured it was allergies, perhaps exacerbated by our walk in Hampstead Heath on Thursday.

The dizziness was less on Sunday, after Ceci left, but was still lingering and getting better then worse on Monday, so I decided I actually had to go to the doctor.  I Googled every phrase I could think of to get the answer as to whether I could just walk into a National Health Service Office here, and where they might be, but I could not figure it out.  So I went to some place nearby my flat called Same Day Doctor.  There was no one in the waiting room except the receptionist and I got right in.  I have to say, the doctor looked very much like Colin Firth and had that same diffident manner that is so attractive on him.  He did some examining and decided I had an ear infection, probably left over from the bad cold I had some weeks ago.  He gave me a prescription for antibiotics and vertigo and I was on my way, 100 pounds poorer, but much happier that I was actually going to be over this strangeness soon.

I went back to my flat only to find the cleaning lady there, so I took off again, this time to take a trip on one of the canals that run through London.  The London Waterbus starts at Little Venice, which is near Paddington Station....

Now you might think that getting on a boat when you feel dizzy might be a bit daft, but actually, you are sitting below the water line, so it feels stabilizing.

There are a lot of people who live on the river in these flat bottomed boats.  I'd like to find out how you get these berths and how expensive they are.

There is plenty of wildlife along the canal, including this large bird that I could not identify.

It's quite a calming feeling, gliding along the canal, except for the talking and laughing from the back of the boat, but I can't really fault them.  It was fun.

One ambitious boat owner put a rather large restaurant in his berth.

And remember, this is all right in Central London, right by Regency Park, in fact. And some people get to live right by the canal.

As we got closer to the end of the line, Camden Lock, it got a bit more crowded on the side of the canal, with amusements like this "Pirate Castle"

and some cafes and bars.

I had not been to Camden Lock  before, so I was quite surprised by the huge market there, even on a Monday afternoon.  And I really can't explain the African (?) standing guard over the place.

Camden High Street was packed

with the usual junk stores, low priced clothing and vintage apparel stores, but this may be more vintage than most people are looking for....

but then you never know.  Londoners wear what they want, when they want.

Went home and took my medicine and waited for it to work.