Sue

Thanks Cassius, but it's a pity nobody was apparently consulted - or even told - about the colour of the new bins before they were ordered. As it is, as virtually everybody who wants one now has their bin, and presumably the council has some spare ones, plus they last for years, the only real effect is that maybe now the council will take aesthetics into account in other similar areas of their work, because it's too late for my representation to make much practical difference at this point :-S

Terry Pratchett is brilliant :)-D

titch juicy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- >Status Quo - Pictures of Matchstick Men xxxxxx I saw them do this live - eat your heart out :)) (Down the Dustpipe is much better though :)) )

HAL9000 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > According to the BBC: 'He was once forced to make > a public apology after describing The Spice Girls > as "three dogs and a blackbird".' xxxxxxx :)):)):))

womanofdulwich Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > no, no freeview signal in north norfolk. he'll > have to get a new tv and he's 86 so anything new > is a bit of an ordeal. xxxxxx But if there's no Freeview signal, how is he going to get digital TV at all? Forgive my ignorance :-$

DaveR Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > If you want to drink your wine (a) in a pub and > (b) out of a wine glass, then that pub will not be > the Actress. Simple. No value judgments > necessary. xxxxxx :)-D

civilservant Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Trick or treating is an American updating of old > Scottish Hallowe'en customs. xxxxx When I lived in Dundee, the kids called it guising. Just looked it up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating ETA: Shame it's all become so commercialised now

flapjackdavey Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- Taco Donkey. xxxxxxxx I had to look that up. I wish I hadn't :))

I don't know what to do with myself - Dusty Springfield ETA: Oh no sorry, that's the don't and not the honey. AARRGGGHH I knew I should never have come onto this thread. And I've only had two cans of Red Stripe! Ok honey. HONEY - BOBBY GOLDSBORO Yes I cheated, I googled :-$

Bloody hell, FJD, you're not entering into the spirit of the thing at all, you're supposed to NAME THE SONG AND NAME THE BAND! Anyway, surely you're thinking of Sugar Sugar by the Archies, no?? ETA: Except that was in 1969 and they weren't a soul band, so maybe not. OK sorry, as you were :))

binary_star Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- I think historically, it > has been a lot easier to buy a house for first > time buyers than it is now, which is why the > market is saturated with renters...? xxxxxx This probably isn't at all helpful, but in many areas of the UK house prices are actually relatively low. You just have to read the Guardian colour supplement on Saturdays which has a feature each week about houses in various parts of the country. I guess salaries are probably equally low in those areas, however. Maybe the best option is to do work where you can work from home, at London rates and then move to a cheap area? Probably not at all helpful, as I said. The upside of being as ancient as me is that I bought my first place for ?650 in Dundee (no bathroom, shared bog with the flat next door - honestly) and now have a house in ED which I could never afford to buy now. The downside is - well, most things really :))

binary_star Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- Private renting is a fecking laugh. xxxxxxx I've been on both sides of it, as a landlord (sexist term but hey) and as a tenant. I've had very good experiences as both, but also absolutely appalling experiences as both. I don't think you can tar everybody with the same brush, on either side. I just think you have to be extremely careful, whether you're the landlord or the tenant. And even then, things can go very very wrong. It made me realise (bit like employing tradespeople) that I'm an absolutely crap judge of people :-$

AlanMedic, there's another recent thread about this somewhere, but try changing your email password, for a start. ETA: And if you are receiving emails supposedly from a friend but you know they're not actually from them, get them to change their email passwords as well. And do a search, the other thread was very recent and had some good advice from people like DulwichFox who are technological geniuses (you owe me a pint now, Fox :)) )

Annette Curtain Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What were the dildos like? > xxxxxxx Quite pretty and very expensive. But they wouldn't let her sell them, because "we're a family store, how will people explain them to their kids?" :)) ETA: Bit bizarre selling dildos in a dress shop, no?

Salsaboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The dangers of facebook..... xxxxx The dangers of any form of communication where you're not face to face ...... especially anything written ......

maxxi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Trick or Treat? We innocent tots were always too > busy trying to mug those exiting the local pub > with boozy beatific smiles by shoving our 'guy' > under their noses. > > > "Gimme some money so I can blow stuff up!" > http://www.teenagerockopera.com/imgs/aug08/bonf2.j > pg > > > > So todays tots collect sweets not cash?! > Amateurs! xxxxxx That's a bloody scary guy, maxxi :))

Subtitles?

Honey Don't - Beatles

Kalamiphile Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am in my sixties > with silver hair, part of the group targeted and > would not be seen out in most of them! xxxxxxx Hate to break this to you, but she has said that over sixties are not her target age group, you (and I) are too old :)) I haven't checked her shop out but from the clothes shown on the telly I don't think I want to - most of them looked vile and like something my mother would have worn, and that's not a compliment. Don't think she's a great advert for style either, tbh, in the first programme of the series she looked absolutely terrible in most of her outfits, looked like she'd visited one of those people who tell you to wear scarves with everything to "dress up" your outfit. Bitch over :))

SCSB79 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Didn't see or hear that thankfully but did hear > what seemed to be a moaning man circa 5am?! Anyone > else hear that? Very disturbing noise. xxxx Moaning man? Did you not investigate? It could have been somebody badly hurt and needing help :-S

James Barber Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Tonight Sue asked a public question at full > council assembly about why are the blue wheelie > bins so very blue and was the streets cape team > consulted. It transpires the streetscape team went > consulted. > Sue obtained commitment that future orders of blue > wheelie bins will consider the hue of blue and > hopefully choose a more subdued blue that. Doesn't > stick out so much. Well done Sue. xxxxxx Ooops sorry James, I must have been writing my post at the same time as yours and they crossed. Yours is very much more concise than mine :))

I'm not sure if this is the thread where I had a rant a few weeks ago about the hideous bright blue wheelie bins, but anyway, I attended Southwark Council's assembly tonight, having put a written question in beforehand. I think the final outcome was as good as I could have expected, and James Barber and I will be liaising to make sure it actually happens :) My Written Question Was an assessment made of the impact on the visual environment - particularly in streets of terraced houses - prior to introducing bright blue recycling bins rather than bins of a less obtrusive dark blue as used in other areas, and was the Southwark Streetscape team consulted? The Written Response (received a couple of hours before the meeting) We didn't carry out a specific assessment , however we have been using blue containers, currently boxes and bags, for our recycling collections for several years and we believe it is important to keep the colour theme consistent. Many of our residents know that green is for rubbish, brown is for garden (and now food waste) and blue is for recyclable materials. To maximise recycling it is vital that contamination, where the wrong materials end up in the containers, is minimised. We believe that changing the colour scheme that has been in use in Southwark since 2001 would lead to confusion and an increase in contamination levels. During the food waste pilot that we carried out last year, a number of residents and Ward Councillors specifically requested that the blue boxes were replaced with blue bins as they wanted additional storage capacity. The provision of these bins is in direct response to resident feedback. With respect to consultation with the Streetscape team, this team is represented in all senior decision making around this project, but also as bins are generally contained within the property boundary consideration of their design is not what we have envisaged to be the purpose of the streetscene design manual. The design manual is intended to relate to the design of fixed physical assets on the highway such as lamp columns, benches, guard rails etc. We do of course understand that the new blue bins won't be suitable for everybody, which is why we are still offering the old blue boxes as an alternative. This can be requested via the Council's Customer Contact Centre on 020 7525 2000. The Verbal Supplementary Question I asked at the meeting itself The blue recycling containers previously used in Southwark were an unobtrusive dark blue, whereas the blue wheelie bins are a very bright blue. As the effect on the visual street environment does NOT seem to have been taken into account in making this colour change, will less obtrusive dark blue bins be used in future for any new bins which may be required, now that this issue has been brought to your attention? Verbal answer Basically I received a commitment that yes, they will take aesthetics into account in future. Hooray! :)-D PS - I know there is a feeling amongst some on the forum that this is a very trivial matter, but I see these bins as offensive visual noise which is definitely detracting from the appearance of the area. Just to be clear - I'm all for recycling, but there are more aesthetically pleasing options than what we have had foisted upon us by the council ....

civilservant Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If you've got a pumpkin outside, a small witch and > I will come knocking on your door on Monday 31 Oct > evening hoping for a treat. > We haven't got a trick option sorted, though - > ideas welcome! xxxxxx I've never really understood this trick thing - is it like a sort of forfeit? Who does it? Do I do it if I'm too mean to give you a treat? Or do you do it? :-$

binary_star Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > We've been > evicted twice now in as many years. Both times > because the landlord wanted to do the place up and > sell on, both using the 6 month break clause > written into our contracts. xxxxxxx But isn't that what a break clause is for? It's so either side can end the contract at that point. So if you don't want to risk being kicked out after 6 months, you need to hold out for a 12 month contract at the outset? I used to let my house whilst I was working (and renting) out of London, and I once included a break clause before I thought I might want to sell the house and move permanently. As it turned out, my tenants used the clause to move out because one of them had got a job with free accommodation included. They had been such excellent tenants, as compared with some I'd had in the past, that I couldn't bear to let the house again and moved back into it :)

the-e-dealer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > So what; you leave him in the Hall while you go > and look? xxxxxx The first post says the guy asked if he could look in the garden .....