Sue

But the casuals don't get sick pay or a pension or many employment rights - surely casuals/agency staff are always paid more than permanent staff, for those reasons?

Yes - hurrah! Two deliveries a day! And you could even predict when they were going to arrive! But "once over the ground" was a continually talked-about theme even back in the seventies. As was moving to a system like they have in some other countries where you collect your mail from the post office, or some other central point. Maybe you're right and people don't want efficiencies - on the other hand, nor do they want to pay double the price for their stamps, and as I understand it the main reason for bringing in one delivery a day was to save costs. Edited to say: I seem to be lucky as I've had very good service from the posties lately, which hasn't always been the case in ED in the past, and all in all I think we should be grateful we do actually get our post delivered to the door.

Mark Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sue, all we're asking for is for suggestions about > categories, don't worry about the how, what and > why etc etc that's for us to sort out. Here's an > example of what we're after: > > I would like to suggest Best Entertainment in East > Dulwich > This could cover comedy nights, folk nights, open > mike nights etc etc. I know this doesn't really > tick the customer service box but it would give > recognition to the hard working people who put on > those nights and give enjoyment to the people of > East Dulwich. xxxxxx Probably shooting myself (or rather the Goose) in the foot here, but it's like comparing chalk and cheese .... But hey, if you think it would work, go for it! I think the awards are a great idea :)

RosieH Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > According to the news this morning, there's > currently something of a dispute between the > postal workers / their union and the managers. > The report said that posties are obliged to > complete their rounds at a rate of 4mph, and if > they don't are risking getting into trouble with > management, and one guy complained of bullying. > Upshot - some of them aren't stopping to collect > signatures etc in order to make the rounds in the > allotted time. > > Management dispute their story and say the actual > required rate is slower (think it was 2.5mph). > > So in a nutshell, that could be your answer right > there. Appalling state of affairs, not > necessarily the posties' fault perhaps. xxxxx Back in the day, whenever the managers were timing the posties' rounds, the union used to instruct the posties to walk as slowly as possible. I think there was a "finish and go" policy at the sorting office, so it was in the posties' interests that their round appeared to take as long as possible to complete. And then of course when they actually did the round in real life, it took much less time so they all got to go home early.

SeanMacGabhann Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > heh heh - we too were waiting for well over 30 > mins for a 176 outside Somerset House this week - > at least 2 or 3 of every other route passed by. > I'm in agreement about the service going downhill > really - I'm just not sure what the reason is. > Seems a bit to easy to blame it on Boris... xxxx It's bad in the mornings as well. Soon I'm going to be ending up walking several stops further up the route - I've already moved up one, and still the buses arrive full when they eventually arrive! :-$

annaj Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sean, I've tried to grow a small potted tree > outside after Chritsmas before and it doesn't work > very well. > Apparently, it's to do with them having got used > to being all warm in the central heating and not > liking the shock of the cold when they go outside > again. Or at least that's what my mum said. > Whatever the reason it went brown and died pretty > quickly. xxxxxx I worked in a plant centre once which sold Christmas trees at Christmas. There is a difference between trees which are a) grown in the pot b) dug up with all or most of their roots intact and potted up for Christmas sale. What they are potted in may not be decent compost, in fact I have known trees potted up in sand. c) dug up with most of their roots cut off to fit in the pot and potted up for Christmas sale. If you got one of the b) kind, it would survive for a while but then die because the potting medium would not keep the tree going for any length of time. If you got one of the c) kind, it died because it couldn't sustain itself, having insufficient roots left to take up water and nutrients. Also, you shouldn't just shove a potted tree outside in one fell swoop, you need to acclimatise it gradually, so for example put it outside during the day and bring it inside in the evening for a while. Bit like hardening off bedding plants which have been grown inside.

Probably does, but the service seemed to have got worse before the cold spell set in .... And in Oxford Street on Tuesday evening there were shedloads of other buses with two or three of the same number passing, and not a single 176 ..... I waited so long I thought maybe they were still only running to/from Tottenham Court Road, though it didn't say so on the bus stop, so I actually started walking up to TCR - luckily a 176 arrived at the next bus stop in Oxford Street about the same time as I did ...

TfL employ a market research company who send "mystery travellers" on the buses in London (I used to be one). The quality of driving is one of the things assessed. If a driver is actually considered to be dangerous, there is a fast-track reporting system, which I imagine could also be used for an incident like this. But it was essential to get the number plate and run number. And also obviously dependent on the rather slim chance of there being a mystery traveller on the bus at the time such an incident occurred .... We were told to be very careful about using it as obviously it would have potentially dire consequences for the driver concerned. I think I only used it once, when a driver was driving at a dangerous speed down side roads.

Best takeaway - how can you compare Indian, Chinese, fish and chips, kebabs etc.? Are we talking about delivered takeaways (a contradiction in terms I know, but don't most people get them delivered rather than collecting them?) And if so, are we talking about places which deliver to ED even if not actually based in ED? (For example my vote would be for Fujiyama, but it's in Brixton).

The 176 service seemed to have improved a while back, but recently it seems to have deteriorated again. Waiting for ages in bitter cold is not my idea of fun .....

Please someone tell me this isn't true .... I was passing the EDT on the top of a bus yesterday, and thought I saw outside amongst the bigger trees spindly little trees about 30cm high - and with about three tiny branches each - in pots with a sign saying ?10. I think they were on a table. ?10???? Did I see that right??? Are people in ED really paying ?10 for something that small? Should I be surprised?

If you need to identify a bus driver, it's easiest if you can try to get the run number/letter on the side of the bus, plus if possible the number on the numberplate. Not easy in the dark I know, but possible.

I agree with Muttley too. I think having too mamy categories is confusing and unsustainable in the longer term. I do agree that customer service should be key. How are you going to prevent lots of votes from "interested parties" connected to the nominees though?

The Heart Drops is a truly terrible name :))

I think the bags blow away quite easily unless they are wedged down with something after they are emptied.

jaybee82 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'd turn it into a drop in centre and name it > HoBo. xxxx :))

What would your preferred name be? :)

Let's be fair here - if she hadn't felt anything and neither of you could see any damage, why would she do anything other than walk off unconcerned? I once ran into the back of a car in a queue at a junction. It was a small bump, we both had a look, neither of us could see any damage but we exchanged details anyway. Weeks later I was somewhat surprised to receive a massive bill via her company (it was a company car). Can't remember exactly what damage there was supposed to have been now. My insurance company paid and luckily I have a protected no-claims discount so it wasn't a big deal. So two points: First, even if there doesn't seem to be any damage, it's a good idea to get the person's details anyway - while they are still there! Second - as Jeremy says, you can claim through your insurance. Though of course for various reasons you may prefer not to go down that route.

Southwark don't recycle food waste, as some boroughs do, and when I asked why they said they didn't have the facilities to do it. I don't have room for a compost bin. I did try a council wormery, but I was producing much too much stuff for the worms, and in the end I gave the wormery away. If anybody would like me to save stuff for their compost bin, I'm very happy to do so as I hate throwing it away :-$ Preferably someone in the North Cross Road area.

No, had bread and olives followed by a delicious steak sandwich, and was too full for the brownie, so good excuse to go back :)) Not that I need one, I like the Magnolia!

5-4-3-2-1 - Manfred Mann

Ulverscroft Road, stone's throw from North Cross Road :)

Chalk and cheese, both lovely in their own way but not easily comparable :)

The Goose has also contributed the business rate - hey, if it wasn't for the forum members who initially encouraged us in our drunken idea last January to start a folk club (yep - that was how we naively imagined it) in East Dulwich, we wouldn't now be spending 90% of our "spare" time putting on gigs and getting stressed out :)

Mont