malumbu

Lino (ie marmo) need looking after, cleaning and waxing. I never imagined I'd be recommending LVT. Easy to lay yourself. Probably harder wearing, and doesn't look plasticy (as does laminate)

You will find that the smell of woodsmoke is from the fire pit in the General Watson Daily Telegraph - cough cough. To be serious a good point, that crops up on this forum from time to time. Some good advice from GLA https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/pollution-and-air-quality/guidance-wood-burning-stoves-london Particulate pollution from vehicles and industry have reduced greatly in recent times, so other sources such as construction and wood burning now has a greater contribution. 10,000s of early deaths each year. So poor air quality is not just down to diesels

Not a worst journey as from posts elsewhere you will see I quite like the bus. But a few whinges. Bunching, when buses on the same or similar route bunch together - think 185 and 176. The dumped car on Camberwell New road on the bus lane near to the Catholic School that meant 30 minutes delay as the main carriageway is just so damn busy - it was covered in tickets but WTF didn't the council remove it rather than costing 10,000s in delays to workers and others. Waiting for yonks for a bus, to find another one just behind, empty, that then overtakes you and gets there far quicker as few passengers to drop off (obviously some to pick up). Loss of the 63 all the way to Crystal Palace. The 63 picked up in Farringdon with Honor Oak on the front that turfed us out at Peckham with the driver denying any knowledge. Taking about ten minutes to go round Vauxhall bus station when heading South. A night bus which went via Surrey Quays about five miles out of my way and of course I fell asleep and woke somewhere I didn't want to be And some higlights. The driver who offered me some boxing gloves when I had a disagreement with a scooter driver in the rain by the Elephant on Friday. I saw the funny side, the scooter driver didn't. and had a nice handshake with the driver. The jolly lady bus driver on the P12 - is she still on it? Years ago on the 159, then a routemaster, when we were all ordered off as some yoofs were being naughty. The yoofs buggered off and the conductor invited us back on again with a smile. The bus on the Brixton Road that gave me a lift when I had buckled a wheel. No jobsworth there

This is getting rather pettish. I am sorry that somebody had a strop. I've had many in my time and I am not proud of it. But there are also lots of good things going on in the world, and I am sure that I have done a few nice things in my life. Why do you feel the need to start a thread here? That is what the Daily Mail is for. Happy thoughts please. I do like Karma though, what comes around goes around.

Hi Saucy, Thanks for the nice PM (which you sent accidentally) - I was touched! wrote you a longish reply sharing my experience of numerous rescue animals (most of the canine persuasion) but your inbox is full. Do clear your inbox and I'll resend. All nice and friendly, but too long for the thread here

Funny thing is that Jo Johnson's resignation may have sent a stronger message than 700,000 marching in central London. Boris cleverly manipulated the former. David Davis doesn't have this level of intelligence. Labour has missed yet another home goal. Maybe a new centrist party may come from disaffected Tory and Labour MPs (although Barry Gardener who I'd like to put in that group wasn't indicating anything like this on the Channel 4 programme). The nationalist elements of Labour and the Tories can merge with UKIP.

Maybe a cat cemetery.... Who fancies finding out this weekend, come with a pick and a sledgehammer.

Well that has told me HP Saucy, perhaps it may have been worth explaining this at the start of the post as I clearly haven't bothered reading the bumf. Laudable aims and objectives - sadly where do all these cats come from? Someone must be breeding them. Out of order SE22cat - forum is for information and debate not insults you twit. Whoops.

Sorry not voting for a cat charity. Too many of them doing damage to gardens, wildlife and homes. They are not pets they are using us for warmth and food. I get more attention from the neighbourhood foxes. And I have a cat from Celia Hammond so I'm pretty well informed. But thanks for the link as I will probably vote for one of the other ones. (attempt to make a noise like a cat with claws out fighting).

It actually goes into the foundations of the patio, which made me think the patio is on the former bomb shelter. I haven't managed to 'isolate' the block hence lever it up. I could do some test bores around it to see if there is anything deep underneath. It is in the middle of the garden well away from where I would expect any drains or mains supplies. It doesn't appear to be prefabricated so probably not a lintel Alternatively it could be an alien spaceship. Or a native American burial chamber. Or Quatermass and the pit. I'll have the movie rights Mr Spielberg.

Coming from my patio is a solid block of concrete say 25 x 25 cm and around 10 deep. I assumed it must be some sort of footing, but it is very difficult to break up. Any views why else it may be there? Perhaps this is where Mandy and Beth Jordache buried Trevor. Beth Jordache..... It could be part of a bomb shelter, but I thought that was in a different place. I'm concerned that it may be there for a good reason ie some sort of mains services under it. Any views? The patio seems to be on a decent base. The house is 1936 and was characterised by render that is very very hard - a lot of sharp sand in the mix, and the block is a bugger blunting masonry drill bits and cold chisels make little impact. I can grass over this but I've got an OCD thing about leaving redundant things in the house and garden.

AQs with others I went to the Brockwell Park event when it was free - very good, but probably too crowded. Blackheath is similar and takes yonks to get home from. Yesterday we went to Tower Hamlets bash at Victoria Park, even with the Central Line down not too bad to get to and whilst heaving felt easier to get out of and the opportunity to visit Bethnal Green, and do a bit of a Krays walk too.

Simple solution is that the Bank of England raise interest rates, perhaps following Brexit,to a level where we start putting more money into financial products rather than housing. The collapse of the housing market post Brexit will have a mixed effect, cheaper property meaning more money to spend on improving, but also less value in investing in your property. And of course with the loss of overseas labour and expertise builders prices may escalate. Although it may be that we switch our savings to dollars or Euros as the pound collapses. Plenty to think about when we are dodging the vans and skip lorries in Underhill.

You'll have to consider visual impact too. Where roof lines and direction do not naturally fit in I've seen some pretty ugly attempts which I expect devalue the property.

I've lived in the area for yonks, will use this route when going to LL and the like, and cycle down Underhill most working days. It's a bit of a race track at times but not sure whether I have seen additional traffic. As a professional tree hugger I'm interested in reducing vehicular traffic or when it is a necessity that this is efficiently (and safely) used to cut air pollution and carbon. Congestion is the half way house of lack of government action in not wanting to demonise drivers and piecemeal and unjoined up planning from local authorities. So interested in the outcome of this. Similar issues in rat running, delivery vans and occasional HGVs cutting through the roads at the back of the Horniman and congestion around the schools. Need to play devil's advocate as this thread could come across as NiMBYism so be prepared for that challenge. My main interest is why driving standards are so appalling, why most drivers cannot manage traffic calming let alone stick to somewhere loosely around 20mph. Great for some solutions please! I've done some advanced driver training (not the police led stuff which is foot to the ground) and it's a shame that good (smooth) driving is not a thing we all need to aspire to. Funnily enough UBER seems to be setting good standards (most seem to be very smooth drivers).

Totally off at a tangent but here's a link to a walk to school campaign https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/what-you-can-do/campaigns/international-walk-to-school-month Apparently parents find it annoying that other parents park around schools. No ... Sherlock.

Discogs for the vinyl https://www.discogs.com/search/

Unsuitable way to travel? Let's consider my childhood. Double decker bus with 60 kids on it doing the 1.5 mile school run. When we were old enough we'd walk to spend the money on sweets (not a good thing in retrospect). Now it is a taxi for the poor kids and the local streets clogged up with parents' parking. This isn't jumpers for goal posts and whilst I am not going to turn the clock back take a look around the local primary schools in the morning to see the chaos that the school run results in. And as said, my route to work by bus is pretty reasonable, quicker than driving with no parking fees or congestion charge, as well as being cheaper in real terms on fuel and other car costs. My least favourite is when London Bridge Northern Line is five deep and I have a train to catch at Euston or Kings Cross; marginally less worse than the fight at Canada Water to change onto the Jubilee in the morning to get on a train that is already tightly packed. Balanced transport policy please Sadiq.

Just read the reviews but whilst no doubt very good Rendell, all in French and German, so we don't want that rubbish as we fought two World Wars, a referendum and World Cup to make our own decisions..... Actually may well give it a go - did you go for black or yellow? Yellow great at being noticed but gets filthy so quickly. Experience of Decathlon is either brilliant, or rubbish, with fun mainly French staff and lousy stock control. I need to go in any case. And they have it in at Surrey Quays in both colours and my size too.

My bus experience is fairly good. 185 to Vauxhall Bridge if I go before the main schools dropping off times is only marginally slower than the train, less of a walk, virtually always get a seat and the only anti social behaviour is the odd bass beat with music too loud for the headphones. And will jump on the 63 when in Farringdon at night, and similarly no slower than the train. I get frustrated with the occasional bunching of buses on the same route, and can't understand how that can't be better managed. But the chaos that is the Elephant for all forms of transport would put me off doing that route in busier times. Get peed off with the cyclists passing me when I am waiting as on most days I am one of them. Not just Rendel. Although as nobody will advise me on a decent cycling jacket may be using the bus more often. And similarly wonder why they have to have so many stops, although not sure how you would manage with more vulnerable bus users if these were reduced so like turning traffic lights off in the early hours, it isn't going to happen. Not sure about the provenance of the article, it's from a proper on line journal

Interesting article https://www.transporttimes.co.uk/news.php/TfL-is-planning-significant-cuts-in-bus-services-and-now-acknowledges-cycling-as-a-cause-of-London-ridership-decline-333/?utm_source=Transport+Times&utm_campaign=b55a7b8dc8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_17_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c0cafa3f39-b55a7b8dc8-250793593 Puts the blame on slow speeds, and move to cycling and Uber.

Had a couple of Gortexs in the past but not that impressed for the money. My Altura night vision has long since been waterproof and now ripped so not worth reproofing. Cut is nice. But looks like a commuting jacket when I occasionally venture out at weekends. And can be too warm too. What do you recommend?

You could also try the left field route of Tower Bridge Angel A1, joining at junction 2, avoiding this when Arsenal are at home and risking chaos at Old Street. Glad i no longer have to regularly do the M1. Most extreme was when I was in Yorkshire once and rightly advised to come back via Cambridge, M11 and Blackwall tunnel. I've heard of some who go South and via a half loop on the M25. Finally for some reason I also have done M1 to A40 on the North Circ but can't remember why I did this route. I imagine Google on the day will give the ideal route.

On a weekend Lambeth Bridge, Horseferry Road, Buck Pal (shut on a Sunday), then after Marble Arch right at Oxford Street and left, eventually onto Lisson Grove, Abbey Road and up through West Hampstead, joining the Finchley Road. Did that route for years, but on the return the Finchley Road seemed to be better and would head right after Swiss Cottage, to get back onto Lisson Grove. On the odd occasion driving during congestion charge simply followed the main drag and Edgeware Road (bit too many lights)as per Rendel. Even with CC in the week Lambeth Bridge a nightmare and for some reason has got much worse.

Great article thanks. You could do it another day and get totally different results. Beer range can sometimes be great, and other times the dregs. But change from a fiver for three pints and many don't realise that you are only supposed to use the 50p tokens for one round, not every drink. It kicked off at the Capitol years ago when they used to show football, and I've had a few dodgy experiences at the Fox including some lousy service. But other times perfectly fine. And the Capitol has custom from a massively wide demographic unlike many of the trendy new bars. I avoided the Spoons like the plague many years ago, but maybe the low prices just wore me down. And agree that the owner is a complete rrrss and sadly even publicises his antics through his chain. Go to the Capitol on open house and have a tour. Well worth it, such a lovely building and would make a lovely cinema.....