annaj

Legalbeagle, it was ages ago, so please don't give everyone a telling off on my account! I'm reassured by you and will try again and feedback....

legalbeagle, I think it's great that you're on here engaging with people and being the public face of the business, but I have to say the only time MrJ and I ever asked for wine advice in G&B it was a horrible experience. It was a while ago, so things may have changed, but we were in the wine bar side and asked the waiter for more information about the wines on the board. Neither of us know a great deal about wine, and his initial brief explanation (essentially just reading the board) left us none the wiser, so we very poiltely asked if he might be able to give us an idea of what type of wines they were (what they were like or what they were similar to that we might have heard of). After much eye rolling and sighing (yes, really, he actually rolled his eyes) he grudgingly gave us a tiny bit more information and, very embarrassed, we chose something, which was nice enough, but more expensive than we'd planned. It was a most uncomfortable experience and has put me off buying wine from the off-licence side, although I do still like coming into the cafe side for lunch. Can you reassure me that I won't encounter the same unpleasantness if I give it another go?

Lenk, we cross posted, but no I don't think you should've been locked up for your fertisiler bomb and I don't think these boys should be locked up for their bin stabbing antics. I never said they should. No-one mentioned locking up except you. I think it should be reported so they can be warned that their behaviour is out of order. Or to put it another way, given a telling off so they don't do it again.

I would agree that it's worth making a report. Hal, you don't need to call 999, which you're right would be inappropriate, you can use the non-emergency report number or report online Lenk, perhaps surprsingly (given that I'm probably everything you hate) I often agree with you (I certainly like "lenk" better than all the previous four letter incarnations), but honestly I think you're wrong on this one. As has already been pointed out an offence was being committed (and the arguement that small offences don't matter simply doesn't hold water, but that's a different debate) but also their behaviour could be, and was, perceived as threatening and intimidating. Reporting it isn't a middle class, busybody, overreaction, it's the responsible act of a person who cares about his community and wants everyone to feel safe living there.

Moos, I have to know, was it the Belle bottom or the Carnell bottom you slapped?

The OP said the cone is placed on the road outside his property, not in front of his drive. So, my understanding was that the neighbour puts one car on the driveway (which I'm assuming has a dropped kerb so no-one is allowed to park in front of it) and uses the cone to save a whole different space for the second car. Which seems unfair and annoying. If I've misunderstood and the cone is in front of the driveway to remind people not to block the first car in, that's different.

Most unlikely as I'm not on Facebook, but I'm sure whichever Anna you have been admiring is terribly flattered.

Hello, what happened to my post (and one of Charliecharlie's and one of dazie's) on the drinks thread this morning? Sinister, shadowy moderator types up to no good? Or did my post accidental invoke satan if you read it backwards?

Hang on.... where has my first post gone? The ps post was a ps to a whole other post and I think one of Charliecharlies has vanished too. Nothing contraversial in either. Weird. Don't have the energy to post it all again, but the short version is.... CC, sorry, we just missed you. Mr & Mrs digitalronin charming and inspiring. Regulars all on fine form. Lady Mac looking gorgeous Amusing moment when SeanMac was spotted by possible lurkers across the room. It's those sinsiter moderators at work again no doubt. Oh and BBW, do you really think it's chance that you just missed me? You've made no secret of your facebook stalking and since you can't find me there I'm doing my best to be as elusive as possible in real life too...

Whilst her behaviour doesn't sound that safe or sensible, do you really think that shouting at her, thereby distracting her and frightening the children, was helpful or constructive? We can't control other road users behaviour, but we can moderate our own. Surely just slowing down and giving them a wide berth would've been the safe option?

ps dazie, we cross posted, so to answer your question, it's never really been a problem before, because the venue has always been a quietish place on a Friday night and so the forum has been the only big group and easy to spot. Since we all came to our first drink once ourselves, we all remember the hovering-and-looking-feeling and usually everyone keeps a lookout for people who look like they're doing that and invites them over. At a few there have been signs on the table I think (the Gowlett?) but it hasn't made much difference. The problem last night was that there was a gap between the day drinking and the afternoon drinking when there simply wasn't a group to identify, and it was much busier than previous drinks so there were lots of other groups around. You really should come along to one and find out for yourself that it's actually very friendly and inclusive, but a guess it's just more fun to grumble about cliques whenever you get the chance.

CC, I think you really did leave just a few minutes before half a dozen of us arrived. We walked all round looking for the forum group, and you're right there were lots of groups in the garden, before deciding there wasn't one and settling down. As BN5 said, people then drifted in over the evening. We came to the conclusion that there had been a bit of a lull between the day drinkers and the evening drinkers and I guess a few people did exactly what you did Charlie, which is a shame. A great evening despite the small number and slow start. I was inspired by digitalronin and his totallly charming other half (whose username I can't remember either and I don't want to "real name" her) and their long and impressive list of hobbies. MrJ and I have vowed to learn to tango! Nice also to meet HAL and Matthew123. Great, as always, to have a giggle with all the usual suspects, particularly Lady MacGabhann looking gorgeous with her summer look. But I think my favourite moment was walking through the bar with SeanMac and hearing a table of girls in the corner say, slightly too loudly, "Look that's THAT Sean bloke". Tee hee. ps lenk, the festival-wristband-wearing, extremely-slow-moving, floppy-haired teenager behind the bar was a little frustrating, but why didn't you come and say hello if you were there anyway?

That's grim. Out of interest, do you report them? By sending inappropriate samples with inadequate or wrong labelling they are not just putting you at risk, but also their patients.

Or, sometimes samples break or leak in transit despite the best intentions. I realise as you must feel anxious about exposure and resent poorly packaged samples, but lets not forget that hospital samples will have already been through their own hospital labs (in my trust we send to our lab with our own paperwork and the samples are checked and posted on from there) so it might be a lab technician whose packaged it for postage. And that the "idiot doctors" are the ones dealing face to face with infected patients not to mention all the other contagious diseases, body fluids and violence we encounter daily. Back on topic... Cases are increasing, but there is no need to panic. Have a look at the HPA website for up to date information.

Andystar, none of us can imagine what your colleague must be suffering, it's too awful. As for what you say to him, in a way I don't think it matters as long as you don't say nothing or worse avoid him altogether. Nothing will bring his family back, but condolences are important and do bring some comfort. You could say, truthfully, that the whole community is thinking of him and his family.

Fabulously Happy Birthday Rosie x

*Bob* has been on good form generally, but this..... on the subject of Loose Women (the daytime show, not just loose women generally) was particularly good and gave me a much needed laugh at the end of an utterly crappy day. Thanks *Bob*

You're probably spotting the red HEMS chopper more often, because Kings is in the process of becoming a trauma centre like the Royal London. It's an ongoing process, but the ambulance service and HEMS having starting bringing trauma patients to Kings instead of the nearest hospital, because Kings has (or will soon have) the services set up to deal with major trauma. So, an increase in sightings of the helicopter doesn't necessarily mean an increase in accidents or crime in the area.

Yes. Definitely. I like the classics and read, and occasionally re-read, them between new finds, but nothing brings me joy like discovering a new writer that I love. Obviously, I avoid anything with a bright pink or purple cover, anything recommended by Heat or Cosmo, anything where the lead character has a daft name and is described as "beautiful, but sad" and anything in the "tragic life stories" section (yes, it does exist). The other day I spent a good choosing a book in Chener just picking things up and having a read of the first few pages and seeing what appealed. It's one of life's pleasures, surely? MM I wouldn't make lots of reccomendations, because I sense we'd have wildly different tastes and because it's not really the point, but The End of Mr Y, by Scarlett Thomas, that someone mentioned earlier (PeckhamRose?) is original and fascinating, although I felt a bit let down by the ending. Also, Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones, which PGC mentioned the other day on another thread is a beautiful and horrifying story that will make you glad people are still writing new novels.

What a perfectly timed return Dulwichmum. Welcome back. Been anywhere nice?

Now now people, envy is one of the seven deadly sins... But seriously, sionmcc, assuming this isn't a wind-up (which actually I don't think it is) I think you're unlikely to get many helpful responses. If you think about it, though, can you see why asking which is the "better" of probably the two most expensive roads in the area, during a recession, when most people can't afford to buy at all, might be a little unpopular?

This isn't a tiny thing, it's a huge thing, but there isn't a thread for those and this has caused me joy today... A couple of years ago when my sister was very ill with lymphoma (she's fine now) a close friend of mine went on the bone marrow register as a gesture of support. Now she has been found to be a match for someone who needs a stem cell transplant, the same treatment that saved my sister, and next week is going to donate her stem cells. She is going to give someone else the chance of life-saving treatment. I just thought that might add a little tiny bit of balance to all the "isn't the world a terrible place" threads. It's not. The world is full of amazing people, like my friend, doing amazing things, because they care about other people.

Oh, but Sean they're all modern and ugly and they don't look like bins did in the good old days.... You know, when your neighbours looked out for you and everything was cheap and there was on crime and you could leave your back door unlocked and young 'uns respected their elders...... If you can't see that wheelie bins are at the black heart of Broken Britain then I don't see how I can possibly reason with you.

Sean's right. Nothing clever just how many posts I've done divided by how many days I've been registered. Oh, blimey! Is that the time? Better get to work....

I am delighted to say that after two years and one week, and with a very poor average of only 1.36 posts per day, I have finally reached 1000 posts. Taa daa!