Cassius

Just seen the last episode - won't say anything but feeling totally drained - it's only TV for goodness sake!

I am so sorry to hear about this, having converted a panel van into a camper, I know just how much hard work goes on in such a project and how much of you as a person goes into it. This is not just a vehicle, this is something that means more than the cost of what went into it. Unfortunately the scumbag who took it probably doesn't see it that way. I wish you every luck in finding your beloved camper so that more family holidays can be taken in it.

healey Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Tell them to bring their own food? Expecting hosts > to meet one's dietary preferences gets my back up > a bit. Mmmm - the saying 'with friends like you' comes to mind. Anyway what is wrong with experimenting and trying different foods from time to time?

purplebreeze Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ww use Indian Mischiefs at work suits vegans very > well x not meat eaters but you can order 2 > takeaways to suit both x however the vegan/vegi > meal from them is lush x Indian Mischief has closed down.

Alan - hope that you've heard from your son and that all is OK.

Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Next time I take a long flight, I need to finally > finish The Man in the High Castle... but I always > get sidetracked by G&Ts and in-flight movies... PKD? Love him.

When I first moved to ED I used Gateway as I didn't have either much spare money or a car. Later I used Sainsburys as I increased my income and gained a car. Later still I used local shops as much as possible as I maintained income but also started to appreciate the extra range and client service that the local shops provided. Sometimes individuals change as much as demographics.

Andy - just to say that regular posters (and I know that I am not nearly as regular as I used to be) are well aware of people who suddenly turn up to moan/groan about a local business. Their motives are always more suspect than those of a regular who genuinely does receive poor service. Personally if I see a rather random rant against a local pub/shop/whatever, I nearly always look at previous posts to see just how long the ranter has been around for and to get a grasp of their previous posts. Edited to add: on the other hand if a forum user does receive genuinely bad service then this thread should not stop them from letting others know. Obviously it is difficult to know in the first instance which is a moan that is deserved and which is vindictive, but I hope that any unfounded complaint will be obvious eventually.

Shame to hear it closed down - as others have said, great location and space - shame about the quality of the service.

In ED with the number of child friendly pubs/beergardens, I expect there are a lot of children who grow up knowing that Mummy and Daddy, and their friends, and the people at the next table, don't just drink pop and don't need to wait until they can get into a 15 film (probably that's about the age of 12) to see the hard stuff being imbibed.

When you are friends with the mother of the bride instead of the bride.

Can anyone please recommend a House Sitting Agency. Many thanks

I still think a luke-warm Babur's takeaway is better than most others - especially for more interesting vegetarian dishes.

Very much depends on where you are going - most large European supermarkets sell most of what one would miss/want, however the following might be nice. Proper t-bags that aren't each individually wrapped. English newspaper - online versions are not the same. A more obscure English cheese than Cheddar - again widely available in many places - as suggested Stilton would be nice if allowed. Salt & vinegar crisps Sarsons vinegar - a change from mayo with chips!

I've so enjoyed this thread - any likelihood of Pauline bearing Dale's love child by any chance?

uncleglen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I see he mentions fungi- that's interesting since > some years ago I went of a 'fungus foray' which > had been organised by the London Wildlife Trust in > Sydenham Hill Wood and we were encourage to pick > the stuff and eat it! Presumably they don't do > this anymore I used to volunteer for LWT and although they did organise autumn fungus forays they never in my memory encouraged people to pick mushrooms for food. The leader of the walk would pick an example of the better known mushrooms and hand them around (and yes even nibble if known to be safe) - however it was always always stressed that picking the mushrooms was NOT on the agenda.

Dexter would have never caught him - breaks too many rules - family man, not a loner. Good TV though.

Pasta maker - no. Bread maker - yes. Why don't you try and borrow a pasta maker and see how you get on with it - I ended up with mess everywhere and in a foul mood but really expensive models are apparently much better.

It can be a good idea for the lodger to have their own telephone socket (even if they use their mobile) for internet etc. Make sure that rules and regulations (although boring) are upfront - ie having overnight guests etc. If people don't know what the boundaries are then they are not to blame if they transgress them. I agree with the comment about weekday lodgers - then you have the weekend to yourself if that's what you want. My weekday lodger was amenable to me using their room for guests at the weekend as long as I changed sheets, gave prior notice etc. I'm not sure if I agree with the comments about pets, smokers, vegetarians though. There is NO WAY that I could have had a smoker in my house, nor a dog (sorry dog-lovers), and if meat-eaters cooked meat then it had to be in their own pots and pans. We all have our own levels of tolerance and I know I've got far less tolerant as I've got older. Your house - your rules. I have mixed memories of my lodgers - a couple I have stayed in contact with over the years - a couple I would cross the street in front of a lorry to avoid, and a couple I probably wouldn't even recognise if they sat opposite me on public transport.

I gave a lot of books to the Oxfam shop in HH and tbh they looked annoyed at the amount of work it would give them.

Just sad I never made it - put off by the dated look of the decor and menu and at the lack of vegetarian options. Hey ho my loss not theirs and I wish them both the best of luck no matter what they decide to do now.

So sad - how terrible this can happen on our streets. My thoughts are with his family and I hope that hatred and revenge don't marr any proper discussion of how and why this happened.

Loz Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I thought that the title might have been a warning > that Harriet Harman was popping around for the > election... And if you have them they are protected (I believe).

I thought maybe the sixth form bar staff was so that they'd recognise those who were in the Upper Sixth and could be served (almost) legally and those who were from the pesky Lower Fifth and refuse them alcohol - a sort of poacher turned gamekeeper idea.

Used to love the C&G until it got rid of at least half its beer garden. I always loved the idea of it but the reality never quite lived up to the idea.