MrBen

Was that you? I knew it was someone from the rough side of the tracks. Or a Hammers fan. Instead I get both.

As of yesterday, I'm really liking my garden. It's the first year I've been able to use it since moving in. I'm learning about plants and have found all kinds of gems hidden in the jungle. Many were planted back in the 1970's by a former owner and it's been really rewarding unearthing them all from what was a complete jungle. It takes years to mature in the way it has done and feels special. It's also private, hardly overlooked in summer and almost like another room. I can see me going the way of Titchmarsh shortly.

I had the norovirus once a year ago at Christmas. Best of all it hit me 1 hour into a BA flight to Calgary. I hope this never happens to any of you. From about Iceland onwards I was quarantined in my own toilet with a hastily scrawled sign outside. Four hours later above Nova Scotia, I finally came out and asked if I could lie down on the galley floor. The BA crew were from my hometown Edinburgh and made a huge fuss to mother me and upgraded me to a bed in business class. The rest of biz class faces on their ?5k tickets looked rather pi$$ed off but feeling as I did I didn't give a flying toss. Never again.

Those drop down menus on websites to select your country. That require you to scroll all the way down past the Democratic of Congo, Ethiopia etc to get to United Kingdom. Why not have it at the top as a default choice?

Jeremy may be correct in guessing MM's preference but I'm with Aq Moon. I love a day or two to myself and would hit the gym in the morning or walk to Nunhead to buy fish, mess about in my garden during the afternoon, go out for a few late afternoon pints locally with a paper, head back, stick some good tunes on and cook up something manly with a stiff Negroni followed by a fine bottle of red. Then late night telly then bed. Repeat on Sunday as required. I could live a life like that quite happily.

Fifty quid per head per night in high season is a very tight budget. For that I'd actually go on a girls camping holiday somewhere with decent scenery like Dorset or Devon. And spend what you save on eating out in decent places locally. Lots of great pubs/restaurant eateries down there too. Plus I just think camping is a good fun. It only sucks if it rains.

Business and trades section. Three daft window fitters. And no Sue (yet). http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?30,1028123

Thanks Otta. It's a great suggestion. I came across Tree of Hope (http://www.treeofhope.org.uk/) which is a great charity working with a very worthy local cause. They're an umbrella that does just what you suggest and can pass funds onto a qualifying individual. But they only focus on kids. I've yet to find one that works with adults despite a fair bit of research - but there may be one out there?

Over a year ago, one of my best mates and business associates Tony was involved in a horrendous cycling accident. The paramedics manage to save his life but he broke his back in 3 places and is now in a wheelchair (and serious pain) for life. He has a beautiful 3 year old daughter and an amazing wife but needs all kinds of help to get his life back on track. Here's the problem - our business would like to raise funds for Tony but he's not a registered charity. And that creates all kinds of logistical issues e.g. we cant set up a Just Giving page for easy to make web donations so we have to collect hard cash, Tony effectively has to pay tax on any monies raised as it's classed as income, no Gift Aid applies etc etc I could go on. So...does anyone know how we can raise funds and make legitimate, tax free, charitable contributions to an individual? Any help hugely appreciated.

Is it just me or have loads of threads taken weird turns of late? It feels at times like I'm "on the mushies" reading this.

Because people are unlikely to traipse across London to pay ?6 for something that tastes like fishy KY jelly.

Wait. We haven't had the cost argument raised yet? Street food is a rip off isn't it? Why does my organically reared burger with home made fresh ingredients and a hand made bun cost more than the mechanically recovered slime dog in processed Aldi roll that I get for ?3 from the van at a Millwall game? I JUST DONT GET IT.

The Hoe in the Wall - by Waterloo station. Like the Nags Head in Camberwell after a Millwall defeat to Chelsea.

I bet you never went there intentionally though did you?

Am I the only guy who still likes the Cuban bar? The one thats been doing Mojitos for 25 years and which is always a mix of blow-in suits and latino regulars. And which i think has deactivated AK 47's on the wall under a portrait of Che.

El Pibe Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > There's an increasing gaggle of posters on here > who make it hard to summon the will to live. I was just about to post the same. Before gnawing my fist off and dipping my stump of a wrist into a jar of lemon juice. True, the recent UK street food trend has partly been accelerated by hipsters (authentic etc etc), BUT it also tallies with the general increased interest in food quality and provenance and the price we pay for that. I just like street food for it's entrepreneurialism. The recent trend/awareness has allowed people who had good innovative and creative offerings but lacked the funds, history, credit, scale etc to invest in a full on restaurant, to start trading. They're micro-businesses. And like any business they'll stand or fall based on their quality. Either way, its a great stepping stone to road test something before going larger. Some have (Meat Mission etc), some will fail, some will just be happy as they are. If it increases choice and brings new and exotic choices to a London thats lived on Ginsters pasties for 40 years AND and helps people start up in business then what's not to like?

That's the first ever mention of Haddington on the East Dulwich forum I can wager. It feels like a special moment.

Close woody, at the time he lived just along from Boggs Holdings on the Haddington road.

Best to omit the harlequins /Ulysses stuff though.

ok so I've genuinely met Fish (several times) and can confirm he is officially a very nice bloke and massively down to earth. He's also about 7 ft tall. He was a neighbour of ours back in a land of golden barley fields, beyond Hadrians wall. Some (but not al) of his solo stuff is in fact pretty decent.

Gas is on the up anyway but its also been a long cold winter - so everyone is feeling higher bills as a result. These victorian/Edwardian huts we all prize might look great but even the refurbed ones are less energy efficient than many decent new builds.

There are quite a few posters on here who are dyslexic. I found a few quite posters annoying to read until I realised from various patterns what it was. So now I'm a bit wiser and a bit more tolerant.

I was listening to some of Churchill's spine tingling speeches for the first time over the weekend. And then thinking about what we have now.....not a fair comparison perhaps and flawed. But if you want bollocks.....

alice Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ..so what would be relevant.. I'll tell you. Olive trees. No olive trees, two olive trees or an olive grove?

Terrible news. He's a Queensferry man and a friend of our family. Also an ex Stirling Uni grad. Best wishes to Banksie and family.