Earl Aelfheah

Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Vick Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Just two, industrial strengh fireworks, in > June. > > What's that all about? > > xxxxxxx > > Birthday? Some other celebration? Two bangers. Quite the birthday celebration.

I really am not that bothered about football, much to the horror of virtually everyone I meet. I'm not sure when / how it became such an apparently, compulsory interest (like ???? says above, it wasn't always like this). I like a good kick around with mates, and I will admit to watching the occasional international - but I have friends who literally organise their entire lives around sitting infront of the TV, watching someone else playing football. The level of obsessiveness seems completely wierd to me.

I'm fairly new to the area and just 'discovered' Dawson's Hill. Amazing views of the capital, I'm surprised it's not better know. Someone should set up a cafe / lookout point up there.

I love it!

I used to go to the Brunswick Park Surgery in Camberwell (before I moved to ED) and they were the laziest, rudest people I think I have every encountered. The receptionists would completely ignore the queue of people lined up in front of them, whilst they discussed the previous night's Eastenders episode with someone over their mobile (or similar). Eventually someone would politely ask whether they may like to consider ending the call, at which point they would say something along the lines of "are you being aggressive, because if so we will have you removed and banned from the surgery". I always felt that if you so much as said hello to a receptionist there you were at risk of being pepper sprayed.

I came across this terrible story in the Independent. Truely shocking: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/as-one-teacher-is-cleared-of-pupil-assault-another-tells-of-her-life-sentence-1977673.html

arriety Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If equality of opportunity is a good thing, and > all children should be given the same chances in > life, how can private education be a good thing? > it seems to me that the more engaged parents would > be better off sticking with the state schools and > helping to bring the standards up for all. Best > thing that could happen to this country is the > abolition of any private education, and an > increase in the standards and provision of state > education. Saying that though i completely > understand why parents choose private schools, > because it is after all impossible not to put your > own children's needs as a priority. Complicated > issue. I couldn't agree more. Clearly parents want the best education possible for their own children, but surely they also want the best civil society for them to? Individuals will act to give in their children's best interest. This is as it should be, but it is for this reason that government should show leadership and intervene, in the wider interest. If independent schools were outlawed tomorrow then you would see massive social changes which, overall, would see everyone better off.

Maybe you could trtavel using a fold up bike. then you could park it IN the wheelie bin when you arrive home?

I'm intrigued! Of what wheelie bin misadventures do you speak?

Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What's the problem converting it into flats? > Apparently it wasn't viable as a pub... We might have to accept harsh financial realities, but that doesn't mean we need to celebrate them. So many pubs in London are being lost and personally I find it sad. Often it is not that a pub is no longer viable, it's just that flats are more profitable. It is fairly easy to turn a quick buck, chopping up a historic pub for flats. But it's difficult to reverse the trend when markets change. Government is here to act in a regulatory role, taking into account the character and history of an area, the public interest (both now and in the future) and consider the 'bigger picture'. A property developer isn't (and shouldn't) be expected to think about any of this, which is why the Council's role is so important. Having said all this, I don't know this specific case intimately, so I guess I might be off the mark. I still find it sad though....

Southwark Council (in their wisdom) have approved it's conversion into flats. Very depressing. Details of planning application / decision, here.

I wonder whether this comment is merely overt snobbery, or whehter it's mixed with some covert racism too? Either way Maurice, I agree that you should not be living in Camberwell. You might want to reconsider South London generally.