genwilliams

I haven't seen any yet, though I keep looking out for them. Brilliant birds.

Good thing he doesn't know he's so famous, or he'd probably be even more of a flirt, and then none of us would ever get any work done!

They are often rammed, yes. You'll be able to get on (I've never not been able to), but unless you're lucky, don't expect the most comfortable journey.

It's all over the place around Copleston Road and Avondale Rise. Really unpleasant. As others have said, if a person is responsible enough to own a dog, they should take responsibility for its mess.

I can understand people getting annoyed about other people feeding their cats, I guess. The Hayes Grove cat gets nothing from me except affection. :)

I am doing this tonight - AEROSMITH at the O2. I am that excited.

The Forest Hill to Canada Water route - when you say it's cheaper than going via London Bridge, does that include getting the bus to Forest Hill? (I'm at the Peckham end of ED).

Though I must say I like the sound of the Thames Clipper, never done that before...

Yeah I've seen the one on ED station occasionally - seems to have a preference for the southwest-bound platform.

I'm not sure if it's the same one though? The wee fella in Hayes Grove seems to have a very definite stamping ground - he hangs out at the quiet end of Vale End, where it turns into Hayes Grove, or next to a tree near the main parking courtyard, and in between these two points. Never seems to venture beyond these boundaries, so I would be very surprised if he tried to cross the road to the station.

Saw one of those today - excellent!

I've found Melbourne Grove alright. Doctors so far have been decent and kindly... a couple of occasions where they've cancelled appointments on me, and the other day they rang me, then when I rang back, they couldn't tell me why they rang me (I get the impression the admin side isn't the hottest). But the doctors & nurses there have been way better than anyone I dealt with at my old clinic (not in East Dulwich).

Is he stray? I think I know the one, he has a squeaky meow and he's an absolute darling - he's been there for months. I always detour past there to say hello to him as he seems to like friendly attention. He seems to have a couple of favourite spots and can be found there at regular times - I always assumed he lived in one of the surrounding houses and was just a bit of an outdoors fellow...

Aha!

I never said it wasn't!

Cuh....

We thought we saw the Picture Gallery!

The place with the display cabinets; I thought that was part of a gallery along Camberwell Road as I have been somewhere similar. (Another reason why it seemed likely they also used St Giles when they filmed John.)

Last night's one.. was Oliver the aforementioned grandpa? He seemed like a sweet old gent! I quite liked all of yesterday's diners, except the joyless arty young fella who did that annoying "apologetic" face every time he moaned about what everyone else was doing. Couldn't spot any local landmarks - except maybe St Giles' churchyard in Camberwell?

I'm also a bit lost, career-wise - left my last long-term job at Xmas and decided I didn't want to work in that industry any more, after 3 yrs working in it (and 6 years trying to get into it!). Long hours, night work, much commuting, and I just didn't enjoy it anymore. And now I have to find a viable replacement.

I have no idea what I want to do in the long term - I'm not looking for the dream job because I know I change my mind a lot - I just want something tolerable with reasonable job security that will allow me to maintain my current living situation. I guess I'm trying to find a balance. Temping as much as possible, mainly PA/admin stuff, and starting to think about little creative side ventures I can pursue that make use of what I studied at uni and might at least give me some pocket money if nothing else.

Meanwhile a friend has offered me a job that on the one hand could be really fun and a great learning curve, with pretty good job security; on the other it would mean a pay cut (though a regular income would be still better than what I have right now), a long commute and put me at the bottom of the ladder again (effectively a paid apprenticeship, abandoning the experience I've spent this year trying to build up) - it would be a total change of tack. I'm tempted by it but not sure if I'd be doing the right thing.

I could really do with talking to a career adviser of some kind, to get an idea of how realistic my options are and what on earth I do next!

I had a play with the iPad the other day, as a friend of mine is a devoted Apple acolyte and bought one from the States.

I was surprised by how charmed I was by it. I actually really want one, even though I know for my purposes a proper drawing tablet might be a better idea. It's basically a big iPod Touch, but the graphics really benefit from the big screen, as does the functionality (photo viewing, drawing, playing games), and the speakers are good. I don't need it (I have a Macbook Pro) and I don't buy everything Apple (I don't have an iPhone f'rinstance), but it really is very lovely. Convenient and pretty and shiny. Less cumbersome than I expected. Right now I would feel like a tit using it on public transport, mind.

It isn't something everyone needs in their life, but I think those who just want one anyway won't be disappointed by it, it's very functional and clever.

V. good range of pubs & bars.

Good transport.

Dead pretty, even on a grim grey day.

No cinema - boo. But the multiplex in Peckham is a walk away, and cheap as chips.

The shops/boutiques are a bit bland - it's all Terribly Nice (Oliver Bonas et al). Be nice to see a couple more unusual/cutting edge places open up - or even just some more adventurous stalls in the indoor market.

OVer in SE15 I've had very little in the way of leaflets... one LibDeb leaflet, one Green, one Labour.

One of the arguments that's been put forward (for the record, I've never worked in a financial situation, so [a] my knowledge on this may be shonky and I've no personal bias re: bankers' pay) is that many people who work in these institutions - not the high-flyers taking risks with people's pensions, but people doing more routine work - have a smaller salary based on the fact that they will get X bonus at the end of the year. Reduce that to ?2500 a year and their pay packet could be severely and unjustly diminished.

Anyone with a better understanding of that, by all means correct me if I'm wrong.

Clegg's idea about limiting the banker bonuses to ?2500 is the only LibDem policy so far this election that I disagree with - the banking system needs a shake up but I think they need a more rounded approach than that, and bonuses should be assessed on a meritorial basis, ensuring that hard work and success is rewarded but reckless gambling is not. With Cable's smarts I'm surprised he has anything to do with such a simplistic policy.

Other than that I liked Clegg last night. I'm a LibDem supporter who's never been particularly keen on Clegg (I originally wanted Chris Huhne for leader anyway) but I am increasingly impressed with him and I will be pleased to vote for him. Last night while Brown fearmongered and grumbled on about child tax credits, and Cameron reverted to charmless Daily Fail mode, Clegg actually seemed able to give quantitative and clear answers to questions, and was honest enough to admit when he didn't have a fix-all answer to something (e.g. admitting that you can't just close the borders to people immigrating from the EU). I am glad he stated a different position on Europe to the one Cameron is constantly trying to paint him with.

Cameron was repugnant last night. Sanctimoniously harping on about 'playing by the rules' and 'fairness', with not a jot of substance behind the sloganeering. His previous soundbite nonsense about 'mending broken Britain' illustrates just how little his policies translate into truly just government. (An interesting article on 'broken Britain' in the Economist, analysing crime and behaviour stats over the years, recently revealed just how inaccurate and opportunistic his pursuit of this issue is.)

Also: I really wish Brown would stop sneeringly calling them 'the Liberals'. It's starkly discourteous and just makes him look like a git.

I had to re-register, rendering my initial polling card invalid. I haven't had my new polling card yet - hoping it comes through!

hellosailor Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> ImpetuousVrouw Wrote:

> >

> > if people are homeless

> > and rich property owners have more homes than

> they

> > need or can be bothered to look after then I

> think

> > it's perfectly acceptable for homeless people

> to

> > satisfy their fundamental human need for

> shelter

> > by squatting the empty property.

>

>

> define homeless? A bunch of students with laptops

> and internet access does not scream 'homeless' at

> me. Not many homeless people are enrolled at

> college and spend their free time chatting in

> forums on the internet. Not wanting to work your

> arse off like most people in order to pay rent or

> to stay at your mums because it's like, waaaaay

> cooler maan to break into someone else's house

> does not equal homeless.

> do we really think that if the GGT weren't

> squatting in this house they would be sleeping

> rough? With their laptops tucked into their

> sleeping bags?

> And who said the owner 'can't be bothered to look

> after his property?' - they have only just bought

> it and are most likely assembling a crew/waiting

> for paperwork to be signed off to start renovating

> it! If you went abroad for a few weeks holiday and

> when you got back 7 students had broken in and

> decided your home was now theirs, would you think,

> 'fair play, I wasn't really looking after the

> place!'

Some of your points are valid, but I begin to disagree the minute you lapse into "Not wanting to work your arse off like most people in order to pay rent or to stay at your mums because it's like, waaaaay cooler maan to break into someone else's house does not equal homeless." What does 'coolness' have to do with it? What do you know of these people's home situations (are their parents even in London at all, or are these homes they can actually live in? We have no idea!) or what income they are able to make, what jobs they are able to secure in the present market?

It's such a typical and ignorant way of sniping at the other party and it only devalues your argument. You disagree with the idea that it's okay for people to move into someone else's property without permission - fair enough, and an argument that has much to back it up. But what do you actually know about these people, how they spend their day, what activities & work they're engaged in? Just because you disagree with their ethics doesn't validate any assumptions about their 'laziness' or otherwise, and letting your argument relate so heavily to these assumptions just makes you sound reactionary.

Phew!

And now I have started a new job in Catford I go past the Concrete House every day on the bus... and what a sad sight it is. I love peculiar buildings like that, but what a shame it's been neglected so badly. I hope it will get the refurbishment and care it deserves.

I have no problem with squatting, on two basic conditions - that squatters cause no trouble to the property or neighbours, and that they aren't keeping out someone who wishes to live in the house legally. I don't believe that the number of people squatting is making a vast and negative difference to the list of people awaiting housing, nor do I think, if left unoccupied, these squatted houses would find their way to people in genuine need. They would simply exist in a state of increasing decrepitude until it was financially expedient for the landlord to either sell or fill it - if the landlord isn't interested enough in their property even to occupy it in one or another way, why shouldn't someone else make use of it in the meantime?

If squatters treat the place they occupy with care, then until someone else wants to legally live in that home (at which point, out you go), more power to them.

Rose_minksy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi everyone,

>

> I was recently a tenant in White Gothic House -

> all flats inside the building are rented not

> bought (thank goodness!) as I don't think Reg

> Laxman has the proper paperwork to support a sales

> of any of those flats. I'm trying desperately to

> get my deposit from one of the flats I rented back

> though....Reg is a real dodgy dealer. I left the

> flat in absolutely immaculate condition (and this

> was weeks ago!) I don't know if anyone else has

> taken my flat over or not. As soon as other

> tenants inside the flat got letters from the

> council about demolishing White Gothic House we

> all realised how dodgy he really is and a few of

> us left immediately after that. The whole building

> is built really cheaply (inside and out) -

> basically Reg has cut a lot of corners building

> these flats. If I had known all of these things

> about Reg I wouldn't have touched the place with a

> barge-pole! Now I'm still chasing him after weeks

> of moving out for my deposit! It's unbelieveable.

>

> I hope he's somehow stopped from being a landlord!

I considered renting one of those flats last month. But we had trouble pinning down the landlord to arrange a viewing - 'very busy' apparently! Didn't bode well for a landlord-tenant relationship. No sooner than we finally did arrange a viewing, we found somewhere more suitable so cancelled it. It sounds like we may have had a lucky escape!