MrBen

I have been without broadband since Tuesday last week. Engineer coming on Saturday but apparently 56 customers in my area (SE22) were also experiencing downtime or intermittent service. A mate in Mitcham has also had exactly the same issue, again since last week which suggests a problem somewhere in SE London. Broadband is kind of like water and electricity now so relaibility needs to improve generally across the board. The best they've offered me is to not charge for the service I've not used. i.e. a pro rata refund for downtime days. They should really compensate more than that.

...and the grand opening will feature Linda Barker. All predictions. I cant wait!

This one was done to death a while back. One day when I don't have a life, a job and with a bigger legal bankroll I'd happily take them on in court because as 4 Pounds says, they wouldn't stand up in court and well, it would be small notch on the post of free speech for mighty East Dulwich etc They're like horse traders complaining about the first cars. Ignore and avoid.

DulwichBorn&Bred Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > so I assume meat from William Rose? > fish from Moxons? Meat will come from a single cow, two lambs and a pig which will be grazed on rotation on a grass eco-roof. Fish will come from a small pond at the back which will house pellet fed rainbow trout in Evian mineral water.

red devil Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think we should all take the day off...just to > annoy MrBen No need! Most back office based council/NHS workers in Southwark have already done so. *Swims off with bait in mouth*

Loz - XP was the last decent OS Microsoft produced IMO. The latest versions of Windows are reason enough for me to avoid a PC as my main workhorse. And the ten or so Window's 7 Dell boxes I bought for our team in 2010 are already grinding to a halt. We have to use them as Windows is still the corporate standard in FS. But for general home use it's a Mac every time for me.

Really helpful set of replies above eh Anna27? I can see why you feel miffed but as Bob and Woody allude to, it's all ultimately futile. The bottom line is that, whatever your viewpoint, Apple make great, solid, reliable kit that will outlast your average windows PC by several years. I'm a heavy user of both and my main kit is a 2009 Macbook which is still going strong. I'm only replacing it at the year end after five years of solid service and stability. So relax and enjoy the one you've bought. Its a decent choice.

I meant it in a nice way.

Burbage Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Although some people clearly flatter themselves > that they're worth looking in on, a fear of > rubber-necked, prod-nosed and possibly > light-fingered, neighbours is not always > unreasonable. Shutters help reduce this anxiety > without the implication that the inhabitants are > reclusive documentary-fodder or dead. Moreover, > shutters never need taking to the dry-cleaners, > which means they're always ready for action. > > Whether your neighbours have spent good money to > allay an imagined fear, to hide their squalor from > the judgemental, or to mitigate a real threat, is > a question only you can answer. But, whatever the > motive, it doesn't seem an entirely healthy > development. Cool flowery prose there bro'.

Ranks up there with powerboat racing and buying a bit of a salmon river as an enjoyable and fleeting method of disposing of cash. Fun though.

Well....Jessies survived, Sauls in Omaha running a Cinnabon and there's still $70 odd million dollars somewhere.... Loved the music throughout the season and the people who've compiled Spotify playlists of the whole series. Crystal Blue persuasion is a great track but the finale was all about Marty Robbins - "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail songs" is what you need.

I actually booked this wee cinema place tomorrow night but they don't have a decent enough wifi for streaming. So I'll be watching from home. I may even watch it BEFORE I go into work but not sure how that will set me up for the week....

And on SJ and EP I shall miss them both. El Pibe has mentioned beers to me now on several occasions so he's not getting away with not having them this time!

Relax. East Dulwich is just completing it's inevitable ascent from a mildly interesting/diverse postcode into a wealth based monoculture for the breeding middle class. The dream is over bludz.

They're rolling out 10 Little Waitroses in inner London this year. And also soon at Shell Petrol stations. Similar to M&S Simply Food, Tesco Metro and Sainsburys Local they only need 2500 sq ftin this format which means a lot of potential sites on average high streets. Their one genius commercial move has been to convert the old book/cd shop on the north end of London Bridge into a LW store on one of the highest daily footfalls in the world. You can almost see the money printing itself....

What Jeremy said. If more local shops were open 11am-7pm on weekdays they'd get regular weekday evening trade from me. I can't see that happening. So it's Saturdays only for me (sadly).

Went back to the Gowlett for first time in a while last week and found that.....it's still very good. I've had moments in there where it's felt like the greatest pub on earth. It holds one of the most mixed clientele, has some seriously decent music on Lucky 7's night, good ales and always the backstop of some of the best stone fired pizzas for miles. The atmosphere on Thursday night was lovely. All types having a good time. How pubs should be.

I also happened to call in there yesterday and thought the team did a brilliant job on service and the overall vibe was relaxed, family friendly and super busy. At one point I saw the manager stepping round 5 crawling toddlers and two scooters with 4 plates of food. No mean feat. They've stripped down Sunday's menu to roasts only given its a peak day and that seemed to work well. They are not trying to be gastro or major on fancy food for which there are plenty options elsewhere. Think "fuel" and old style classics. Beers very good and would echo that its cheaper than many other places. Roasts are under a tenner for example and mine was decent. I plan to return soon on a week night for a nice quite pint...well done to them thus far.

There was a thread once called "People who look like potatoes". He and I share that affliction and deserve to be on it.

Only few years ago there was a certain smugness amongst some to being within SE22 boundaries. Previously ED had a less contrived bar/pub life and rather a bit more soul. I'm now rather envious of Peckham, Camberwell, Nunhead and Forest Hill and find myself spending more time in all of them. I'll often walk to Nunhead rather than LL to do my Saturday shop as I get to cross the park, buy great fish and meat and return with an extra tenner in my pocket. Peckham and Camberwell are now just more fun places to go out too.

> Peckham has become too hipster and we're possibly > a bit young for ED/Honor Oak (we're only 26!) so > Nunhead seems like the perfect compromise. Funny, as 8-10 years ago ED was filled with an influx of 20 somethings. With house prices what they are it's effectively created a demographic barrier. SE22 is now essentially a family dormitory with a few bars that come to life at weekends. It now feels more sleepy than buzzy in the evenings as a result.

I happen to love the Korean Fried Chicken at the Draft House. Also had an excellent burger in there on several occasions. Lots of picky moans on here but hard to say that its not at least a decent pub and at best a good-ish one versus other offerings in the past decade.

I was out in Forest Hill last night. Pretty massive changes on past 2 years. The Hipster Express has made all the difference. The crowd at The Sylvan Post pretty much all looked like they'd walked out of Pizza East.

New Arcade Fire premiere: http://reflektor.arcadefire.com/ But is Bowie singing on it?!?

The BofE might have given it's "forward guidance" as a way of establishing confidence to spend but if growth continues at the pace of the past quarter there is no way rates will be at this level in 2 years whether the BofE wants to or not - they wont have a choice. Blackcurrant is right, the markets will ultimately decide rates. They're already pricing that in despite Carney's last speech. They almost ignored him completely. LondonMix - you're right on the SVR rising but most switch off if they can or when their deal expires and there are plenty taking out 2 year fixed rate deals at 2.5%. It's stupidly cheap. Cheap mortgages, sky high prices...a few familiar chimes in there no? Only back in 2004 a market leading fixed rate deal was 4.5%. Thats ?500 extra for a family to pay a month on my quoted example above versus where we are now. And rates were BELOW historic norms then. I don't see a return to the 1980's double figure rates. But I do see a strong likelihood of a 5-7% range within the next 3-5 years.