malumbu

Due to branding. I Think there was an ELO two without JL. There were two versions of Boney M, and many other bands have wrangles over the name. They seemed to have put him and Noel Edmonds into a cryogenic chamber as they still look the same as in 1977. Which ironically was the last time either were any good. Time to move on ladies and gentleman M - purchaser of three ELO albums in the 70s. And they were left buried in the 70s Creepy fact - one of the ex minor members died a few years ago when a hay bale came off a trailer and went through his windscreen.

I thought that this was going to be a thread in why you can't get a decent sharpener any more. In the days of Sheffield steel they were great. Now they chew up your pencil, snap the lead, or in the case of plastic ones just break. And less and less decent Cumberland pencils around as we buy cheap shiite from abroad. Same can be said about other items of stationary. It all went down hill when we lost our empire. To put things into context we've lost most of our manufacturing industry as it can be done better/cheaper abroad. But there are still wholesalers who must be specifying to the Chinese manufacturers they want cheap poor quality products, that due to the price tag people seem to still buy.

Every year people set up in pub car parks etc selling trees. I suspect they don't need to work the rest of the year because they make a killing. Every year they say what a bad year it has been (early frost, late frost, too wet, too dry...) for the trees. Where is the competitive pressure from us as consumers and other suppliers? Great to know. I did buy from a couple of places but every year they hiked their prices up.

This is on my songs to play at my funeral list, but not so keen on the link which is when the Clash were mortally wounded

Some good debate thanks. Just e-mailed my (non-Dulwich) MP who was a 'yes' - no info on his Website unlike other Labour MPs

Enjoyed the local Derby today, Villa were much better than I thought, and Dave, Prince William and Nige Kennedy all agreed. Dunno what all this blawing babbles is abart though.

Thanks again, I've cycled around Lyon and visited when skiing yonks ago. Old town Warsaw was spectacular - there is a BBC programme I think we missed last night where Dan Cruickshank revisited after living there for a few years as a child. Visited Munich a number of times as friends worked there and had a great cycle touring holiday in Bavarian and Austrian Alps. Still keen on Portugal as perhaps much of central Europe will be rather hot. Prekids we drove around much of the South to the middle (even then avoding most of the Algarve) and in deed did stay in Estoril. Thanks also for the recommendation of the restaurant. We did mixed Airbnb with guest houses, and a wacky house rental in Denmark last year, but of course welcome recommendations of accommodation in Porto and in Lisbon (and perhaps other places) The family can vote!

Thanks, some great tips here We did Granada at Xmas so recommend that (I liked the Spannish attitude to the break, and the Alhambra, was well, stunning. And great weather. Drove close to San Sabastian a few years ago. Have a good friend in Vienna and will hopefully visit soon. Have an amusing anecdote about being hoteless twice at midnight, but wont bore you with that. Love to go to Iceland, but feel that needs to be carefully planned. Stockholm is just beautiful Not got round to the Baltics yet, and feared that the stag do's had ruined them. Perhaps not.

Really old skodas were brill including rallying, but lack of funding hit quality hard. We went round scrap yards looking for parts in the 1980s to find that the scrapped cars were newer than the one we were trying to fix. VW of course saved the brand, sadly you are likely to find Skoda diesels will also have the cheat/defeat device that is fitted to the main VW brand, so you may wish to look at petrol varients

As all my posts today have been jolly and helpful I hope that my chums out there can reciprocate without being mean to me. Fancy a few days away with teenage family in Europe. Last year did Denmark. Wnat to go somewhere different Decent weather without being too hot No stag do's - I could cry when I see what has happened to the still very beautiful Prague Budget airlines preferably from Gatwick Been to the top 10 on trip advisor - Berlin, Paris, Barce, Budapest etc. Thought about Lisbon, but a bit warm? Not a city break but never been to the Balerics which I understand away from the main tourist areas can be lovely. Poland?? Again rather hot I expect.

Doors place on Kirkdale in Sydenham, tell the tall gent that Malumbu sent you. He can sort out a capenter too. Otherwise the Old Bath House in Sydenham, tell Pete that Malumbu sent you, his missis doesn't seem to know very much. It's a treasure trove of reclamation.

OK now time to reveal my exciting test drives Tesla - 2 tonnes plus of pure power that would send you through the windscreen with a blip of the accelerator, but at about ?70k (and resale prices holding) not something I will be buying. Get over to Westfield and get yourself a test drive. One of our crowd felt sick due to the acceleration so it was calm calm calm when it was my turn. Then half an hour in a Nissan Leaf, and a strange experience as you don't want to race, just sit there at 28mph admiring the view. The quietness and lack of revs is just odd, and the automatic shift, strange too but you would get used to this. 200 miles plus on the Tesla, sub ton on the Leaf, but that will double in the next year or so.

Its a souless place but that is modern life and what society seems to want Just come back from the Black Dog on Vauxhall Walk, minutes away, near to the old Queen Anne (seedy strip pub, close by, now reinvented as the Tea House Theatre) and it is charming enough (although new high rise penthouses going up on the Embankment). As a cylist I've used Lambeth Bridge in favour of Vauxhall for donkeys years. Bit congested but much nicer/safer.

Yes the thing that amused me was that someone on the BBC predicted Leicester to finish bottom. Hmmmm I thought they were too good to go down last season, and that was proved right.

Modern mobility scooters are electric The invilid three wheelers from 40 years ago were two stroke. I can't think of any reason that they would be powered by diesel. I've driven or ridden electric, petrol, diesel, two stroke and LPG. I've yet to do CNG and I haven't got a licence to do LNG. I wonder if I will ever be able to afford hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (strictly this is electric as well) although I could try to get on one of TfL's hydrogen buses, or use one of the few hydrogen black cabs. I'm not sure if GTL will ever become a popular fuel source and similarly liquid air. Oh I seem to know what I am talking about. Perhaps you could be a litel more imaginative in your put downs! More to be revealed later.

I think this thread is dead as I peeped at the song for the weekend thread where there are some pretty frightening vids. IF you are quick you will see the ladies in leotards and the blokes in tight and bright football kits, with matching 70s hair. Dunno what the song was if anyone can find out. Obviously the best vid in the world is Johnny Cash - Hurt. Various ones of NIN doing 'their' song are also superb.

Changing the topic where are you whingers all hiding? I thought that you'd be having a good moan this afternoon.

Yep sadly I knew all of this, but thanks for commenting. The Cape brewery went years ago and their Wolverhampton Springfield brewery stuggled on independently until it burned down. Brew XI was pretty awful stuff and smelled of puke. But it was real puke! Now Bathams, there is a different kettle of fish. And Bonks'

Yes I've done the bumper car one, when I told both dealers that I'd crashed an elctric car. Yes we saw a mobility scooter when we were out and about on the first test drive. Is anyone bothered?

Obviously Malumbu's favourite zero emission vehicle is a bike, and electric vehicle is a train. But by fluke I test drove two EVs this week. I'll let you know my views later in this thread after I've seen which way its digressed.

Thought it was quite sweet, but then again I will still watching Saturday morning kids TV, swing your pants. Jason did a better vid in sing if your glad not to be gay

His dad was a better actor, his half brother too?

Talking Xmas E17 Stay Another Day with the white fur suits. Funnily enough I didn't mind but it was quickly withdrawn. On the other extreme all Duran Duran vids from the mid 80s were so over the top, not exactly lame though

Briliant M&B taking over, a proper Birmingham brewery with Brew IX and mild. That will be a shock to the gentrified masses. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kpwilliams/images/brewxi.gif And even better http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/03/85/10/3851096_01116fc7.jpg Actually I thought it was generally OK the Dog, and don't understand if a place is doing well why they have to change things

Sense of humour overload as per ususal On the day after the 2010 election 3/4 of the Sun was filled with diatribe about the cowardly Lib Dems who they thought were going into coalition with the Labour party. Ironic because at that point they'd gone in with the torries. Amongst all the venom against the LDs was a recycled piece in large font from Jezzer about 'Gordon Brown being a one eyed Scottish idiot" I googled one eyed Scottish Idiot, and then Jezza is a twot, and shared the results with the Sun. To their credit they actually did respond. In my childish world I found the experience amusing. The point about his presence on BBC is a serious one, as should our national broadcaster be employing a likely bully. At the best they should hold fire until after this has gone one way or another. If I was in the same situation I'd be out on gardening leave. Anyway the BBC is independent and can make its own mind up but appears to still see him as a cash cow. More importantly it would be great if my other thread on pop videos got a bit more interest. At least I stirred up some interest on this one and will wear the boorish accuastion with pride, already got the t shirts made up. Such fun on a wet afternoon.