bawdy-nan

If you did I handed the Hugo Boss bag into the driver between 5 and 10 past six this evening before I got off at the plough It should be easily identifiable - the receipt was still in the bag, but I couldn't find any id. The driver said he would hnd it in to lost property so its worth a try. I took the registration number of the bus - LJ53 BCV.

When the early surge of council housing was built after the second world war it wasn't designed for people "living on benefits" it was for working people on rlatively low incomes in a time when it wasn't the major aspiration or expectation to own your own home. The idea was to create a decent housing stock that was affordable, good quality and healthy. Both of my sets of grandparents lived in council houses all of their adult lives. Neither family was out of work. They stuggled on relatively low pay but had a secure place to live that they treated as their own - tended the garden, re-decorated, put in carpets etc. They ended their lives as state pensioners (or early through industrial disease) but lived their lives small and carefully. After they died one set handed back the house in very good nick the other had made use of the right to buy (or rather their tory minded offspring had) and it languishes still, a tarted up 2 -bed terrace, in the doldrums of the housing market. I rent in the commercial sector and don't really mind that I don't own my own house except that I have very few rights to stay in my home. I've lived in the same house for 5 years but can be asked to leave with 2 months notice. With 2 children at school locally this feels very precarious. I can't put up shelves or do anything that I might want to make my living environment better for my requirements. My rent is reasonable but still a very large proportion of my income. Despite having gathered savings sufficeint for a decent deposit I can't see my being able to buy for years (possibly not until the kids have left home and I need less space). In the "olden" days I'd probably have been eligible for social housing of some kind but obviously don't get anywhere near now. The whole reliance on housing as a capital investment vehicle is a relatively recent phenomenon. Looking in from the outside it looks crazy. I don't have much sympathy for the people who greedily eyed capital gains in their homes as a right and who are now finding they're stuck and have lost money. (Returns may go down as well as up etc etc). Of course its difficult to find you can't afford to move where you want or might lose your home but its surely the downside of the upside that was assumed was a right. Despite being a confirmed athesist I'm rather with the bishops on this... a little less emphasis on money as a signifier of status is something I'd welcome. As a child in the eighties we were made homeless in overmortgaged circumstances. It was hideous for my parents but rather an adventure for us kids. Which is to say, circumstances change, fortunes shift and money isn't everything.

Horsebox - you describe almost exactly the experience I had with a 37 about 4 weeks ago. Very very scary. Not only did he try and force me into the curb, he had already cut in on me at a set of traffic lights (where I was waiting like a good cyclist). I'd been ahead of him and he basically used the might of his 37 to push me out the way. He pulled up at a bus stop, I over took him then he tried to push me into the kerb. He stopped at another busstop then, as I passed, shouted at me - "That's how cyclists get killed". Really, really scary and disturbing. I complained, of course, but they said without the registration they couldn't tell who it was - though I described the time and the location and was under the impression that they were tracked (hence the bus stop info).

huguenot - you weave a vision of heaven

august: osage county is the best thingi've seen in ages - day seats available

Not necessarily true, Malthus. I think its the case that the more people that cycle the fewer (proportionally) injuries there are.

I think there was an injunction granted against ex-members using or revealing the lists which may be the issue here. Some of the entries are oddd - they list job title and hobbies - retired teacher with a penchant for knitting and caravanning and a sidelinein racist thuggery anyone?

Partly that the information was easily found and so very detailed. It felt odd. Also I find the BNP repulsive and fidn teh idea taht I live near people who campaign for their aims and values uncomfortable. Of course, I know already that its likely that people hold these views so my feelings came as a slight surprise - seeing it written down in spreadsheet form, I suppose.

Just had a look at the leaked bnp members list - which is still available on line if you look for it. Not a great surprise, I suppose, but I was shocked to see some se21, 22 and 23 postodes on there.

Yup - putting your five year old on the bus on their own is likely to land you in big trouble. I suspect a big problem is that parents need to get somewhere (work perhaps?) afterwards or have babies / younger children they need to bring along. I agree that driving to school is ridiculous but then any journey of less than 2 miles should be done by bike or on foot as far as I'm concerned. Dragging a 5 year old for two miles in the rain / cold isn't fun, cycling isn't safe (if your child isn't allowed on the pavement and you have to dawdle on the road to keep pace with them). There is a very strong case for properly considering school travel as a chance to be quite radical about transport planning. Cycling to school should be normal and if it were safer - ie if there were proper cycle lanes this could be possible. Inevitably this would mean some of the road space currenytly allocated to cras being given over to cyclists and some sharing of pavement space but there's no reason why it shouldn't work, especially round here.

That's awful and totally against the spirit and purpose of the facility to issue fines.

Heaven forfend they cycle, or block the pavements with their pesky wheeled vehicles and buggies.

From the Dept for Transport website Q. Are children allowed to cycle on pavements? A. Whilst there is no exemption to this law for children, the police have always used common sense and discretion in exercising their powers over children cycling on the pavement. Very young children should not be expected to cycle on the road and we would not recommend any child does so until they have received cycle training. Enforcement of cycling on pavements is usually dealt with by a fixed penalty notice, which cannot be issued to anyone under the age of 16. Rather bizarrely the answer seems to be chidlren aren't suppsoed to be on teh pavement but as the enforcement is dealt with by issuing fixed penalty notices and they may only be issued to people over 16 chidlren may as well break the law as they won't be reprimanded. this is also interesting: On 1st August 1999, new legislation came into force to allow a fixed penalty notice to be served on anyone who is guilty of cycling on a footway. However the Home Office issued guidance on how the new legislation should be applied, indicating that they should only be used where a cyclist is riding in a manner that may endanger others. At the time Home Office Minister Paul Boateng issued a letter stating that: "The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing so. Chief police officers, who are responsible for enforcement, acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required." Almost identical advice has since been issued by the Home Office with regards the use of fixed penalty notices by 'Community Support Officers' and wardens. "CSOs and accredited persons will be accountable in the same way as police officers. They will be under the direction and control of the chief officer, supervised on a daily basis by the local community beat officer and will be subject to the same police complaints system. The Government have included provision in the Anti Social Behaviour Bill to enable CSOs and accredited persons to stop those cycling irresponsibly on the pavement in order to issue a fixed penalty notice. I should stress that the issue is about inconsiderate cycling on the pavements. The new provisions are not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of the traffic, and who show consideration to other road users when doing so. Chief officers recognise that the fixed penalty needs to be used with a considerable degree of discretion and it cannot be issued to anyone under the age of 16. (Letter to Mr H. Peel from John Crozier of The Home Office, reference T5080/4, 23 February 2004)

Well if children aren't be allowed to cycle on pavements then I'd like to see a whole load more proper cycle paths - especially mapping decent routes to schools and to and from parks. It seems to me that ity wouldn't be too hard. There is a ludicrous problem of children being dropped off at school by car - surely something we should be discouraging. A really good option is cycling - its healthy and sets good habits - (ie getting used to the idea that journeys of less than 2 miles are easily acheived without a car). Mostly children, especially the younger ones, are very careful and polite. Often, the pavements are clear (except, of course, in busy shopping areas).I would love to see most chidlren geting to school by bike and there's very little reason why this shouldn't happen (except for dangerous drivers, illegality of cycling on pavemnts and now where to store bikes once you're there). The fact is that prams and slow walkers and browsers and dawdlers take up lots of room on pavements. There always seenm to be fights going on between cyclists and motorists and pedestrians its a shame.

The collective middle class liberal cathartic tooth gnash that is Gethsemane (David Hare at the NT) is worth a look, especially as it features a thinly disguised Tessa Jowell (played by Debbie from the Archers).

Just came across this is a review of a new book of short stories by Sheena Mackay - The Atmospheric Railway: "Cousin Beryl lived in an area of Dulwich transformed from the quiet suburb of her childhood into a place of cookware shops, caf?s, organic butchers, with a number of junk and antiques shops, where the new, affluent population could buy the amusing old furniture and kitchenware which had belonged to the previous owners of their houses, and put it back." Its an extract from the short story taht gives the collection its title. Pretty near perfect evocation of ED, I;d say ...

Unless you live at the top of DOg Kennel Hill - can't see why you would go up it to get to Clapham Common - surely the many parks ramble ride is much nicer - ie through Dulwich Park (or if not at least through Dulwich Village) through Brockwell Park, cross Brixton Hill and wiggle through to Clapham Common ...

anytone know what time the dulwich one starts?

We've been round to our neighbours trying to give away cakes the kids baked earlier. They like dressing up, they like being out in the dark they like the idea of visiting neighbours. Only managed to give away two everyone else refused to answer. Mean spirited buggers won't be getting any christmas cheer from me.

I get caught out with traffic because I;m rubbish at working out how ling its going tot ake to get anywhere - its my own fault. It would be nice to be able to bring it back eraly and not lose all of your money. I suppose it is glorified car rental but its glorified by the facts that there are several within short walking distance, you can hire by the half hour, you don't have to sign loads of paperwork everytime you want to use one and you don't have to buy petrol. Ireckon its probably cheaper to hire from a hire car form if you want a long hire. I joined expecting to spend about a 1000 a year (which was what I reckoned my car cost before I even put any petrol in. The truth has turned out to be that I use it far less than I thought I would - if I need to heft the kids somewhere - have a borthay patry and loads of errands to run etc etc. I probably spend less than 50 a month. I cycle much more and order stuff from the internet and for local delivery (I hate shopping at the supermarket and what with ocado and pretty traditional doing deliveries I don't need to go there). I checked out how Streetcar compares to the other car clubs and it probably is slightly more expensive if you're doing longer journeys - ie you get more free miles with the other but Streetcar has, by far and away the most cars and the most in ED. One of the problems I do have with them is the having to check for damage. Inevitably the sars do tend to have some scratches and dents - all of which are recorded in the log books. THey charge you quite a lot for "repairs" bit then don't actually carry them out so checking that the bumps and scratches match up with whats supposed to be there can be very boring - especially when its dark.

I love it. My main problem is to do with working out when I want to give it back. I've been caught out a few times by traffic - my own fault I suppose. I wish there were some more locally and I really wish they'd put up some bike racks near the cars

Hurrah - I found this where you can plot your route and give it a name so people can search for it. I would love it if people from the forum wouild plot their routes here so we can share tips and tricks

Nasty and terrifying bit of "pavement"by the Plough where there is no pavement and the bus lane swerves at you and the buses drive like demons with the devil on their back. Really scary. Whats wrong with a kerb.

Anyone had any luck with cycling instructor.com - I applied when it was mentione on the forum a couple of weeks ago and haven't heard anything from them ...is there a big waiting list or something?

I wish there was a way of seeing these routes on a map - is there a way we could plot our routes? I think there's a site where you can do this but not sure how good it is