mikeb

It's even more annoying when sometimes the City airport planes are landing west -> east and the Heathrow planes are east -> west. I know both their landing directions should be the same as driven by the wind but I think when winds are light they can come to opposite conclusions. Which means we get them both at once.

something to entertain while waiting for your train Southern Rail game http://games.ramjam.co.uk/srt/

Maybe Jeremy, but I am hearing that one of them on Lordship Lane is about to sack a fair chunk of people across all its branches

I'm hearing that estate agents are preparing for large-scale redundancies, which indicates that they too believe this is a serious turning point. Rentals continue to be good business, for now. I think many people in the City (not just bankers, including lawyers, accountants, insurance, etc) will think twice about taking on outsize mortgages if they think prices are going to fall by 10-20%. It's maybe ok if you are confident about finding another job in the event of redundancy. But it seems that employment patterns in the City could change substantially over the next five years.

I agree that prices had been reflecting poor transport links - when I moved here, I recognised that I would probably have to get more taxis than I used to although my main commute to the City still looked fine - trains every 10-15 minutes or so which took about 10-15 minutes to London Bridge i.e. about 20minutes on average from arriving at the station. But I don't think the current transport situation is priced in at all.

Seconding Bawdy Nan - a 30 minute cycle through Bellenden and on the path behind Peckham library will get you to the City very easily and safely, with no need to travel on main roads and with very little sweat i.e. no need for a shower or even to get changed (rain would mean you need mudguards and a cycling coat). In fact, in this weather I tend to arrive fresher than when I pack myself on tube. I know promoting cycling here tends to very quickly polarise views but I think it probably is the best way to deal with the horrific rail situation over the next 12 months.

I went in August many years ago. I remember the weather as being great, never occurred to me that it might not have been the best time to go. I loved it, wonderful place. Back then, you could pretty much pay for your flight by bringing back cigars and selling them to the Oddbins on the Highway.

Perhaps Hadley would like to amend their planning application which notes the wealth of transport options for their proposed development at DHFC.

Yep, I've done that. He uses the phrase, though he spells it right. What part of his argument is being contested?

@Tomskip - is that an ad hominem argument?

There was a fair amount of water yesterday against the bund at the north-eastern end of Alleyn's playing fields, which is a similar purpose though not sure it's part of the same scheme.

Turns out "bastards" is the strongest swearword I can use on the forum. I look forward to explaining that to my kids next time we're at the playground.

Seems that Southwark Council believe that the bridge is closed due to cracking - minutes of 9 Sep 2015 meeting http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/documents/g5083/Printed%20minutes%20Wednesday%2009-Sep-2015%2019.00%20Camberwell%20Community%20Council.pdf?T=1 Q4. A resident asked when would Windsor Walk be re-opened to traffic. In response, Councillor Mark Williams, explained that the bridge over Windsor Walk was cracked and Network Rail had to get a new one built which was taking time.

Is there any indication that Aecom actually drove through the junction at all? I fail to see how anyone turning left at this junction could believe it is a well-planned turn. Also, there is no real reason why this shouldn't be two lanes at the end, enabling cars turning right not to block the predominant flow of traffic turning left. Finally there is probably one too many crossings - the one between the junction and the zebra crossing is probably unnecessary. Google streetview still shows this junction prior to Southwark's balls-up... And if you go further back on Streetview, you can still see when the primary route went along Calton Avenue.

John - original act talks of permitting the MWB to close the park "between such hours of night as the Board may from time to time prescribe". You could interpret this to mean dusk to dawn, but it's a little vague. Perhaps there is more in the papers relating to the gift by the Governors of the Estate. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/25533/page/5530/data.pdf

Keep it simple, compliment your wife, thank everyone, say something nice about your new in-laws and then get out of the way to let the best man entertain everyone. Don't read out people's letters etc. Life is too short for that If you'd prefer something different then sing a song, do it in rhyme, include foreign languages, use poster-sized photos of your wife as a child / teenager.

I like David Mitchell but he's wrong about this. Why should 650 MPs be any better able to make this decision than the public? I mean, have you ever met a 'normal' MP? They are mostly experts in climbing the greasy pole of politics (with a very small number of honourable exceptions on both sides of the House). And @Michael, honestly whatever little influence we have had in the EU (including when it was much smaller) will rapidly decrease as it reorganises itself to preserve the Euro. I feel no democratic affinity with the EU or EC or Donald Tusk or even worse Juncker. And even though I've voted in EU elections, I have no idea of any MEPs other than Farage or the political cycle of the European parliament (apart from its ridiculous decamping to Strasbourg every month). Despite all this, I'm still not decided - and I recognise that this is a a really important and long-term decision. But I am still waiting for a _positive_ reason to vote to remain: a sort of "how I learned to stop worrying and love the EU". Edited - PS Welcome back Huguenot

I think it's probably fairer to view "sick note" culture as being a ultimately a management problem: a poorly-motivated workforce, with sub-standard conditions and limited ways routes to fulfillment at work, can respond antagonistically and with increased absences from work. I suspect at the heart of this is that Southern is trying to run the network on too little subsidy, or alternatively is trying to take excessive profit from the franchise - though not sure how one could ever disaggregate this without much more financial disclosure.

Thanks Jah Lush. Life really was more fun back in the olden days!

White Nova saloon. A thing of sleek beauty with a boot large enough for a barrel of beer. It was this car that taught me that when the red oil light comes on, it means "stop immediately!!", not "keep going until the next garage and then top up". At least it gave me the opportunity to replace the 1L engine with something a little bigger. https://definitelymotoring.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/30-years-vauxhall-nova.html

Just to check, is the final deadline still 27th May?

@Bob, sorry I misunderstood you. The problem with just accepting it and moving on is that it means there is no opposition to Heathrow's neverending ambitions to extend the airport. You clearly can't campaign against a third runway (and another terminal in due course) while maintaining karma about aircraft overhead. And I happen to believe that there ought to be limits and considered constraints on the expansion plans of a private sector enterprise in West London when its operations entail negative externalities effecting millions of people. Oddly, I would probably feel slightly better if it remained in public ownership. If it ever becomes unavoidable that noisy planes will be overhead every 40 seconds from 5:30 am until 11pm for ever then yes, I will do my best to accept it and try hypnosis or something (or move out).

Bob, as it happens no, not the previous four mornings. Not every day. Just enough to be a pain. The real issue is when it starts getting warm but I can't sleep with the windows open, as then I'm woken from 4.30. From many years of backwards and forwards on this forum, I think you know that the planes bother me and I know that they don't bother you. This could be for many reasons not related to how loud they are - for example, John Holland-Kaye claimed that he used to enjoy sitting in his garden in Fulham watching them land overhead, though his perspective is a little skewed. For what it's worth, rough noise levels outside my house (db meter on iphone i.e. not scientific) * general background noise: c. 60db * when traffic passing:60-67db, depending on what it is * when a plane overhead: 65-75db I think the db scale is calibrated so about 10db feels 2x as loud. So the planes feel about twice as loud as the traffic, which feels about right. There isn't much traffic between 4:30am and 7am though. And I think 70db feels a lot louder at night than when background noise is up at 60db. Incidentally, the loudest thing around is the 176 bus with that ridiculously loud fan system. But the difference there is that the new buses are quieter and so progress should result in less sound, contrasted against aircrafrt noise.

Bob, odd you should post that. I was woken up this morning at 6 by planes landing into Heathrow. No gap in my perception.

Not jogging but some analysis for cycling http://qz.com/686131/how-long-you-can-cycle-before-the-harm-from-pollution-exceeds-the-benefits-of-exercise/