Marmora Man

London Freewheel Are any EDF cyclists attending this event? Peckham Rye is a designated starting point for a mass "bike in". I will be in the slow but steady group right at the back, wearing a Marmora Man T shirt.

Ladygooner Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thanks Jah - good to be back. Season not even > started yet and we already have two trophies! > Looks like the young strikers will do well out of > the shadow of Henry. As much as I love Freddie > (indeed a picture of him in his Calvin Klein > advert graces the wall in my downstairs loo) we > had the best of him. Roll on noon on Sunday - > Lawrie Sanchez watch out! Ladygooner - you know I don't understand the game, I have to rely on 15 year old son to brief on what's good, bad or fabulous. Still maintain cricket beats football - 90 minutes versus 8 hours of entertainment. You know it makes sense!

Jah Lush Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > At last a new football season is upon us this > coming Saturday. I have been suffering serious > withdrawal symptoms without my regular dose of the > fitba or soccer as a certain former England > captain has taken to calling it. > Being a life-long Spurs fan I have very high hopes > this season. I want qualification for the > Champions League and of course it would be great > if we could nick that by finishing above the > Arsenal. I also want to us to win the UEFA Cup and > if not then maybe one of the domestic ones like > the FA Cup or League Cup. Not much to ask is it? > Or is it? > > How will your team do? What expectations to you > have? > Will Steve McLaren's England qualify for the World > Cup? > Post here for all your football related thoughts > and stories. I find it disappointing that we seem to be barely into the cricket season and certainly only just out of the last football season and it's back already. There's one Test match, an international 20/20 game and seven one day internationals and countless county games to go yet - let's enjoy the summer game for as long as possible. Long days in the sun, picnics, cold beer / wine, female fans in skimpy clothing, the odd streaker or two, fans and supporters discussing the finer points of the game and clapping a fine shot / catch / peice of fielding regardless of side. Long live cricket - at it's best the finest pastime - to play, watch, listen to or read about.

I've also heard about them resembling battleships - was also told that they won an architecural award when built - any truth in that? On the whole, despite certain brutalist tendency I like them - tho' better at night. Don't know if anyone has watched the programme "The Tower" on BBC2 (I think). Old council tower block in Deptford with fabulous views across and up / down the Thames taken over by private company, tarted up and sold on to private leaseholders. Could this be the plan for Dawson Heights?

Mark Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Let's not forget that the East Dulwich Postcards > showed the view from up there: > > http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/images/eas > t-dulwich-postcards.jpg Nor that these great cards are being distributed around East Dulwich by my son (only 150 to go Mark, last post tomorrow) to publicise EDF.

pablogrande Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > How much longer do you think we'll be calling them > video shops? doesn't make much sense now they > don't rent videos. > > What a lovely all emcompassing word video is/was > "I'm just going to put a video in the video > because I want to video some videos on MTV" Just like another all purpose Englis word. "This f******, f***** is f*****. F*** it", often used when the video fails to work.

Brendan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Wasn?t JD Weatherspoon?s original model based on > George Orwell?s ?Moon Under Water? article? I think you're right but it's gone off track now. The ideal pub - returning to Scor46's point is owner occupied, or at least tenanted on the old fashioned basis. The need to create chains and economies of scale b****** up good pub ethos. Keep it small, keep it simple, keep it local. On reflection all the pubs I listed, bat one, were independents.

I would echo others - pubs in ED are not too bad, the collective average quality is higher and better than it was three years when I arrived in the area. I frequent the Bishop and the Herne mostly, dislike the Uplands, have always meant to try the CPT but so far not made it, sipping a cool beer in the Rye garden on a sunny day is worthwhile too. What makes a good pub - many things but it should reflect its community / clients. Where you feel at home on entering, where the landlord understands beer, where there is decent grub but is not a restaurant. Thinking back to those I have loved - The Crown Inn at Elsenham (Essex) - playing darts and sneaking half pints of mild when just 16 after a Scout meeting (well social life in Essex in the 60's was pretty dire) - knowing that the village elders were next door in the snug playing crib. The Trengilly Wartha (Cornwall) where the cricket club meets to pick the team and several years worth of Wisden's are on the shelf and the landlord keeps a great wine list. The Bush Inn, Morwenstow (Devon) - where the beer just slides down a treat after a stretching walk along the cliff tops and past Hawkers Hut. RThe Border Hotel - Kirk Yetholm (Scotland) at the end of the Pennine Way. One, the name of which escapes me, beside the Grand Union Canal in Islington - an early convert to real ale in Camra's start up days where I'd while away afternoons that should have been spent studying for a degree. In the end pubs depend on people, place and time - if all these work well you have a great pub. The best description of the best pub is, of course, in the attachment - George Orwell's Moon Under Water.

ED Leisure centre is OK if all you want / need is lane swimming in the morning. Avoid at all other times. Lido remains my favourite fun pool - and if it were heated might even use it for lane swimming year round.

I would like - my fantasy bookshop: Knowledgeable staff + selection of new publications + back catalogue of other books + ordering service + an exchange facility for 2nd hand paperbacks (of which I buy too many for bus / train / plane reading) + decent coffee / cakes / newspapers and a general comfortable, quiet lounge area where I can relax of an afternoon. Occasional poetry & book readings, book ignings and other entertainment would be good + maybe an associated reading group?

I used to do the ED journey to Waterloo - my route much as yours to Camberwell Green but then followed Camberwell Road / Walworth Road to Elephant & Castle. On return I would reverse trip to Camberwell Green and turn left onto Camberwell Church St (going is rough - does need resurfacing) but carry on past Camberwell Grove to turn right onto Lyndhurst Way, beside the Peckham Academy, then left & right thru' "Bellenden Village". From there you have a number of options to get you onto either Peckham Rye / Rye Lane. Advantage is that it misses the Camberwell Grove / DKH slog of too much up and a lot of down - this is mostly level.

Who's been reading "The God Delusion" then? A book I thoroughly enjoyed and the philosphy of which I endorse wholeheartedly. Bit off topic tho'. Atheism v religion culd be a good lounge debate

citizenED Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Mr D, any idea when the laid-back Lido opens? If > the've been rolling up perhaps they don't even > open by 12. > > citized It opens at 10.00am and cloes 6.00pm at weekends. 6.5am - 8.00pm weekdays. Strange timings for an open air pool over a weekend in the summer

bald marauder Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Thanks MM, > Do you think Brockwell Lido is OK for young > children (9 months)? > Is the water quite warm? > It certainly sounds nice to be in an outside pool > while we can enjoy it. > BM Son who is summer lifeguard there tells me it is quite warm now in the pool, certainly lots of little children - I can't recall a paddling pool but haven't been looking.

There's also an open air concert at Ctystal Palace on both Sat & Sun. I think this weekend is pop / classics.

We're heading for Brockwell Lido - swimming in the open air and sunshine, low chlorine levels and a great cafe. Cycling there and back from ED is easy (if you have baby seat for Baby BM). Opens 10.00am - can stay all day with your own picnic if you choose. You have all of Brockwell Park to explore as well. My family enjoyed both the County fair & Latin American carnival too. Know of no "events" locally tho'.

citizenED Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The great thing about Lordship Lane is the > diversity. The Sea Cow is next door to a Fried > Chicken outlet. Near le Chardin is a joint called > Speedo Pizza, near Mon P'tit Chou is a the Tulip > Cafe. Opposite William Rose is a Tyre Fitters for > gods sake. LL is not St. John's Wood High street. > A posh place this is not. Next time you are out > and about don't look for Crocs and Yummies - look > at the, how shall i put this, women of the older > generation. Notice what you see. > > citizen Citizen. I agree - have spent time this evening distributing EDF cards with my son (he earns the pocket money - I get to transport him to and fro). People caricature ED as a yuppie haven - designer buggies, kitchen upgrades, electric cars. It was marked today how many houses / flats were clearly unyuppified, homes to an older generation - lived in and cared for but not a recent buy to let or development property. Similarly the people returning home were ordinary, average people. Not wealthy young executives but mothers with prams, tired women with shopping, pensioners walking a dog, dads with children. It was good to see and be part of a very diverse community.

CitizenED - I agree the vulnerable get a hard time at present but there must be better ways of helping than yet another raft of legislation, bureaucracy and government employees. Remember the Child Support Agency that was going to ensure absent Dads paid toward the costs of raising their child? Cost the country a fortune, added very little value to the average single mother's income and has been continually embarassed by IT and organisational cock ups. Unfortunately the people you describe are unlikely to have the opportunity / desire / knowledge to obtain the necessary bits of paper / evidence to support claims. Decent social services, citizen's advice and other existing agencies would, and do, do more for them than some "nearly marriage" rights that will require recourse to the courst to obtain.

Agree divorce - or whatever it might be called if an unmarried partnership breaks up is always painful but the more so if children involved. However, the moment new rules start to be written to cover the situation they will fail. Relationships are messy. Set a two year qualifying period for the new rights - how do you measure the start - the first date, the first coffee, the first overnight stay? Or the end - when you slammed the door, only to return three days later for clothes & books, or when yoiu finally split up that collection of CD and kitchen paraphanalia? What if it "ends" at one year and 51 weeks - surely that's almost two years and should qualify for rights. Leave such couples well alone to do their own thing. Even with children it's probably best to avoid lawyers if at all possible and settle not out of court but before court.

Unmarried couples who split up should have the right to claim financial support from their former partners, under new recommendations. The Law Commission has concluded that cohabiting couples with children or those who have lived together for a minimum period should have more protection if the relationship ends. This recommendation seems to me to be potentially another unnecessary imposition of rules and regulations. If two people freely enter into a relationship and decide not to take up the shackles of marriage it's up to them. From what I have read about this proposal such couples will, in the future, have to sign up to some form of semi formal recognition of their relationship - which given even average government bureaucracy will probably be more onerous than a wedding certificate. I therefore oppose the introduction of any such legislation on the grounds it restricts freedom of choice. However, I'm sure there are other views!

Where is Jack's - seems to be popular?

I don't do summer reading - I just read. Recent recommendations: Life Class - Pat Barker (WWI and artists), Restless - William Boyd (WWII - spies and families and lies), Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan (all a bit premature), Rogue Male - Geoffry Household (Assasination thriller first published 1940's I think), Anything by Patrick O'Brian (Master & Commander series - great series of novels about early 19th naval life in Napoleonic wars), Anything by Jane Austen - always worth returning to. I may return to The Magus - last read as a student in the 70's, thanks for the reminder Jah.

LuvPeckham Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > but alas as Peckham Rye > station is a high risk station from terrorist and > other attacks we can't have bins anywhere in the > station as a result. Peckham Rye station high risk? With suicide bombers the presence or lack of rubbish bins is unlikely to be a deciding factor in target selection. I disagree that lack of bins at Peckham Rye station is because it's a high risk terrorist target - as far as my experience goes every rail station has got rid of rubbish bins to the resultant detriment of quality of life everywhere. Buying a paper, sandwich, drink and then not having anywhere to dispose of the arising rubbish just encourages people to litter. That people want to be tidy is often evidenced by the neat pile of litter - but then the wind blows. To avoid a theoretical and in my view, unavoidable, terrorist risk - a risk which must be measurable in fractions of 1% we have made 100% of rail users life difficult. Of course with no rubbish bins there's no need to employ someone to empty them, just sweep up the litter once a week or so - so it's less costly for Southern Rail. On a final positive note - I've only used Peckham Rye once - but having made it through the tunnel to the entrance was enchanted by the design and history to be seen. Anything that can be done to restore even just some of its glory would be great, and would, I am sure, be a boost to Peckham itself.

dulwichmum Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You are all such darlings! I have indeed been to > Bedruthan Steps, in Cornwall. We try to holiday > before the state schools break up as then the > roads become positively congested then with > dreadful people carriers. My blonde au pair was > spotted by a reporter body boarding on Saturday > off the coast of Newquay and due to her expanding > waistline it has been claimed that a Great White > was frolicking in the area! It has been on the > news for the last couple of days. > > I strapped some chicken giblets to the under side > of her board this morning before we left just to > check for any "preditors" in the locality, so I > can safely say there are no sharks currently in > Cornwall. Though I must admit that Ana was badly > nibbled by a shoal of herring... Bedruthan Steps - very good but have you tried Watergate Bay Hotel - a surfing dude's paradise with Jamie Oliver's 15 resturant alongside it?

According to notices it's going to complete (that's the building as opposed to actually opening for business) in late July - so by my count they have about 9.5 hours left!