malumbu

Routemasters? - a popular myth. They were out of date by the time they were launched, had to have their wheelbase stretched and the operating model was based on designing, building and maintaining your own fleet. There are rose tinted spectacles when many think about this as a golden age, where other bus operators did similar, and there was a great I-Spy on buses and coaches. https://autoshite.com/topic/9170-i-spy-book-of-buses-coaches-1967/ British bus builders were probably very innovative for their time but economies of scale came along with more standard designs for fleets across the country. They were introduced at a time when most buses had shifted to single person operation, conductor added to the operating costs. They were being phased out in the early 70s but think their great reliability kept them in service, with new engines, for another 30 odd years. Of course most have fond memories. Whilst we mainly think of Livingstone for his wrong doings and lack of humility, he played a blinder on the Oyster card and increasing bus use. That said he came in with the ticket of reducing fares (as cheap as 50p) and reintroducing conductors. But he left a legacy of a far more joined up service.

Used to have noisy neighbours and I'd sit in bed thinking of schemes such as drilling into their loft and filling it with chlorine. Glad I didn't as the acid bath worked much better. Also had a terraced house in Nottingham where the cellar was longer than the house, went into soil flooring and then continued, I assume into the street behind. It freaked me out so we bricked it up at an appropriate place.

It would be great if it could be a little more scientific, hour of day, size and type of garden, weather. Of course today I've seen a magpie, and two jays, next door though. The presence of cats, squirrels and larger birds also affects things. Fortunately not invaded by green squawky things.

Cheers all. My hour counting birds yielded nothing particularly unusual and of course the second I look out of the window now I see far more activity. Didn't feel like cheating though!

The Rye, Dulwich Park and the sports fields off Burbage are usually waterlogged at this time of year - something we experienced in several years of kids' football. As much to do with drainage and the heavy clay soil. Hats off to the family that brought a rubber boat to Nunhead Cemetery yesterday

I sense rebellion is in the air, but thought it would be worth reflecting on previous campaigns. Generally mass protest makes very little difference - Gulf War 2, Greenham, road protests and the like. Poll tax would have been scrapped in any case so that didn't need mass civil disobedience. Even the 'right to roam' took two generations to come to fruition. https://www.ramblers.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-us/past-campaigns/right-to-roam-crow.aspx Sadly the campaigns that had the most effect have been most detrimental to our environment and a move away from the car, the fuel protest (unholy alliance between hauliers and farmers) and the petition against road user charging. Blair's government and those since are afraid to demonise drivers which means local authorities have to do the dirty work. Two more interesting articles about protest: https://www.transporttimes.co.uk/news.php/Can-National-Road-Pricing-Survive-Real-Politics-604/?utm_source=Transport+Times&utm_campaign=09c31d1fa4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_30_11_03_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c0cafa3f39-09c31d1fa4-250793593 about road pricing, and https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745340593/roads-runways-and-resistance/?utm_source=Transport+Times&utm_campaign=09c31d1fa4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_30_11_03_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c0cafa3f39-09c31d1fa4-250793593

Hamletter Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Sadly, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is totally > discredited because he took China's shilling. > They pushed for him big time to become head of WHO > and he dithered whilst deflecting blame away > China. The spouted support of China when they > were patently trying to run a cover-up. That's irrelevant. What is relevant is what he quoted on sharing the vaccine out. Also relevant and very well spoken is the Irish PM - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p095n9lr Straight talking, humility, admitting mistakes, lack of nationalistic fervour. You wont get that out of our PM or his sidekick Gove (Gove lacks any humility whatsoever) I'd stick to reading the Daily Mail Hammy.

Whoops should be in the lounge, please do move admin.

A curse of getting older is not just needing glasses, but better lighting. Every week I get the flyer advertising the perfect reading lamp at ?200-300, and every week I think surely just get some better light bulbs for the lamps we already have (downstairs are all 18 w = 100w equivalent warm LEDs). Surprisingly not found anything on line which directs me to the perfect product. Most of our fittings are standard bayonet.

Half a dozen goldfinches on the ground pecking at the grass, not seen this before and can't find anything on line. I've also put up a sunflower seed feeder by the nyger seed feeder which attracts gold finches, blue tits and great tits, which squabble a bit. Doing the big garden birdwatch shortly https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/everything-you-need-to-know-about-big-garden-birdwatch/ Love to know what binoculars people use, these ones seem decent mid range at about ?140 https://shopping.rspb.org.uk/binoculars/rspb-avocet-8-x-32-binoculars-2020.html

Not sure if articles quoting the WHO on vaccine hoarding have been discussed yet. Quoting briefly from one: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2021/01/29/who-vaccine-hoarding-would-be-a-catastrophic-moral-failure-that-keeps-pandemic-burning/?sh=558ebb2015ac During a virtual briefing Friday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said that vaccine hoarding would not only be a "catastrophic moral failure," but that it would keep "the pandemic burning" and would result in a "very slow" global economic recovery. Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergency expert, declared that affluent countries "fighting over the cake" risk neglecting frontline health workers in developing countries that "don't even have access to the crumbs." Obviously from a personal view we can stop hoarding once I've had my jab.....

Rocks - really sad with your sentiment - Covid has been a massive catalyst for modal shifts in transportation but soon, hopefully, things will begin to return to some semblance of normality and those modal shifts will swing back when people's world's begin extending. I expect that no amount of bleeding heart ice caps melting stuff will change your view. Hopefully others will have a different approach to travel, and reduce car use, in a post lockdown world. It's a joy to see so many people out in or parks. Let's celebrate it. Here's some reading about how obese we are as a nation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_the_United_Kingdom

Sorry to interrupt your debate - we were discussing Covid at work and one of my colleagues said "the problem is that we have overestimated the number of deaths" and then went onto criticise developing countries for under-reporting. Not sure if body language translated over a Teams meeting, but was rather stunned that someone in my general pier group subscribed to the conspiracy theory that government was making much of this up - for what reason heaven knows. We had a smattering of casual racism (or some colonial superiority or whatever) and no doubt would have got into Brexit if we had half a chance. Not really a debating point as all the main parties are on board with the need to lockdown to protect the NHS. But as we are currently working on a Covid related area was rather surprised. I suppose it is an outer borough thing. May sound pompous/stereotyping but something I have witnessed before (reminds me of other conversation with someone from Bexley - "that Stephen Lawrence, he was no saint")

It's a shame that as so many of you have lots of free time you cannot use your time more productively in improving the world rather than use all your energy on a very parochial matter. Feedback is not a scientific survey of attitudes. Most just go with the flow.

Re: commitments on LTNs, councillor, please stick with them. I have time working from home to watch the garden birds knowing that in ten years time if things don?t change the flora and fauna will be different as nature struggles to deal with climate change. We all need to act both as individuals, communities and nations. Just go to many of the recent Attenborough programmes if you are sceptical on climate change. Government talks the talk, but doesn?t always walk the walk when it comes to reducing car use, one of the main contributors to climate change, yet successive governments are still scared of demonising motorists. We are not going to get mass behaviour change so it seems to have been delegated to local authorities to make some of the tough, and often unpopular, decisions. I hope you continue with schemes to encourage less driving, and promote active transport, whatever you come up with will always have unintended consequences but please stick with it. Others can think what they may tell their kids and grandkids, about what they did when the world was burning. It may sound dramatic but we need to take dramatic action now before it is too late. PS a lovely and safe ride to the Tessa Jowell Centre today enjoying traffic calmed Melbourne Grove. Hope more of you will join me in appreciating this as a quick and effective way of getting around.

Just posted their brilliant funky theme tune from the adverts in the 70s, sadly all down hill from there. Don't think their business model worked in the current world, as a kid we probably had four co-ops in the high street, grocers, funeral directors, electrical and I'm sure another shop (or bank?), plus they did the milk deliveries too. Shame as good in principle but they became shoddy forty years ago. I bought all our white goods from the co-op on line but they've closed that line of business. Banking and financial services became a disaster, think they overstretched.

Bit early for the weekend but boy were the Co-op funky

My word Sue, look at all the trouble you have stirred up! Well done (genuine not sarcastic, well as you say most entertaining)

I've got a passport to Pimlico. Ruritania would be a good name for the rump of England that remains (goes nicely with Rule Britannia), or otherwise Duchy of Grand Fenwick.

Readily accusing people of bullying can be bullying in its own right. Hope that makes sense. BFN. PS loved the campaign a few years ago to get footy fans to sing PC songs, perhaps some of the social media acronyms could be changed: JDFI = JDI FFS = FHS (although that risks blaspheming) As for using bollocks, that's fine in law https://rockhaq.com/retrospective/sex-pistols-indecency-trial-nottingham-24-november-1977/

To add paving your garden or using pebbles is no better for wildlife, and for paving drainage. Glad I gave up on the idea of off road parking many years ago

Red wings have the red underneath and are often in flocks. Eg in Mayow park. I get much of my info from Winterwatch! (and the other seasonal ones) https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/natureuk/entries/0224cbff-d977-4053-aa7e-4cfe28bc70e1

I think you are a vocal minority but rather than just stir things up I'll see what I can get hold of re: national attitudes. Sorry you will have to wait until next week when I talk to some in the know (don't have contacts in LBS).

It's pretty revolutionary stuff and helps maintain the pitches for the whole season - go back even twenty years ago and they would be mud baths by now. It's well less than half of the grass. Astroturf has also come on leaps and bounds (4g) to the pitches I played on in my early days when you would get plastic burns and the ball would bounce, and bounce and bounce (any QPR fans out there). But these are for professional use. Fake grass in the garden just looks wrong for so many reasons and I get amusement as many gardens around here are on slopes so it gathers at places.

Worried if you are starting to have your posts removed Sue - in the offensive stakes I think you are pretty low down. I throw the odd 'suggestive' word in which I think is fine in a light hearted way, but at times you just have to respond in the way that you did to something ridiculous. But I have been 'told off' by amin and did have some stuff removed which I didn't think was an issue. In his/her defence admin is generally light touch and also there are always the dangers of defamation on social media platforms. I'll see you when tea's ready (sorry an awful adolescent phrase from long ago that I'd never use on this site, and not aimed at anyone)