Michael Palaeologus

Ah that warm and meaty smell of gently burning martyrs wafts over ED teasing the nostrils of the families enjoying themselves in the snow. I went for a walk round Peckham Rye, took a few photos, came home and did some work, I will do similar tomorrow. If I had to go into the office, I wouldnt, bloody ridiculous. Of course those involved in the provision of health care are in a different situation. you have a vocation to nurture. Otherwise, relax people. Its not the 1980s anymore, we now know that profit is BAD and "The Man" really doesnt give a toss about us wage-slaves. Have a day off courtesy of Gaia.

No buses in London. Dont know about the trains from ED but given that the snow is going to get worse this PM - stay home!

Wise words Belle, BUT, your knowledge of Musicals isnt nescessarily very reliable.. My cup is currently full of snow.

He has started to ramble. This is the way these things start ...

Who is married? Where's my floor polish? Will you be out early clearing the snow from the paths Kells?

"its just I feel your energies could be directed into a much more bennifical and productive pastime. If you organized you could end up running the country" This is a form of stress relief. We do actually run the country in our day jobs. There is nothing more productive than talking b@llocks. We do it well.

Dont be too ashamed. I might be one of them :))

You do have one HOT neighbour Mr Mac ...

"There is a coach outside Dulwich Hamlets "Blackburn Rovers Ladies FC". Anyone know who they are playing today?" Dulwich Hamlette?

Well, I dont know Kells. It is a shocking thing to head over to West East Dulwich, hobnob with the locals and then expect to come back as if nothing had happened. I am sure no other members of this Forum have done such a thing. No, no, no ...

Kells - can I borrow some floor polish please? Just a bit, for my hall's parquet flooring, and a lend of the buffing machine would be nice too. Ta.

3,551 me. A Gentleman's score. A decent achievement without being too showy. Unlike some of the more flamboyant types I could mention ... ;-)

Lewisham, Brixton (!?), Bromley - all are on major transport links - trains, major A-roads and tubes. Peckham isnt, it isnt a destination for external shoppers because there are easier places to get to. If there were enough top-end local shoppers to keep the top-end shops open, they would be. There arent. Personally I think that Peckham has been let down by local and national Politicians in many ways, but in transport planning in particular. It does seem that every potential transport improvement to Peckham has been strangled before birth. I dont deny that Peckham is a dump, not surprising as the place has had no investment to generate economic regeneration, a library, a sports centre and a windswept "square" do not make jobs or local wealth. Cynically, if the good people of Peckham had done what the good people of Brixton did 20 years ago, i.e. rose up and set fire to the place, then Peckham would have received the same investment that Brixton subsequently benefitted from. As it is, Peckham is a backwater that is a safe Labour seat and as such, will not attract any public sector investment, while the Olympic Boroughs bleed us dry to fund a two week Circus in 2012.

The one way system in Peckham was a piece of spectacular f@ckwittedness

Trumpton Riot - Half Man, Half Biscuit

This is silly frankly. BHS, M&S and their ilk left Peckham because their customers left Peckham. No customers, no business, end of. Whinging about the good old days is pointless. The real problem time was during the transition from high street chains to local shops (the late 80s and early 90s), then there were many empty shops. Nowadays Peckham is vibrant. Many folks may not choose to shop in them, but clearly many do and these are the relatively new populations of Peckham. There may be some that feel that these new populations shouldnt be there, but it would probably be best if such views are kept private for the sake of common decency. It is quite amazing that in these days of a globalised recession, people are carping about a shopping centre that has made a successfull transition to local shops for local people; even if they do sell edible giant snails and dried .... things.

"Dulwichmum worked? Oh my goodness, i need to sit down" Oh Lordy yes. Ever so hard, mostly at night. It was through her profession that she met her Sugar Da..., sorry, Husband.

Sad news indeed.

Anybody remember the boiled burgers that were available in the '70s and early '80s? They came in big catering tins and were heated through boiling - usually sold through small sheds in bus stations. They were digusting. Thankfully kebabs and the proper burger chains have killed off such establishments. Such were the joys of growing up in Cannock in the '70s.

Of couse we do. There are a number of fine Forumites that live on your very road - we love you all. In a sort of patronising pat-on-head sort of way you understand.

Wise words Brenda. We should not forget things of a frilly and fluffy nature, that would never do. Hotdogs as well, apparently. Makes you proud. Camberwell has alot of buses, to its credit.

"Performance space" = Table dancing? Got to be.

Shops in Peckham do sell giant edible snails and I have not, as yet, seen anything similar in ED. So Peckham does have the edge on that front. I rather like the pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap shops in Peckham and have spent may a happy hour wandering round them wondering what I am looking at and what I would do with it in my kitchen and why isnt it actually rehydrated and grazing in a zoo? Again ED loses out on the exotic dried animal parts front, but Peckham does provide ample opportunity for those with such specialist tastes and it is but a short walk away. ED does food, drink and sparkley things. There is a body of opinion that would like to see us follow the North Korean model of social engineering and environmental planning. That is just silly. Nunhead provides cemetaries and a place to dump asbestos. Dulwich Village allows space for people to empty their dogs in peace. Camberwell provides buses and former sausage shops. Forest Hill provides comic relief. A sensible planning mix surely? - Edited for the sake of completeness -

Follow the link on DMs posts and you will get the point.

Putting the class and lack of sense of humour clap-trap to one side. ED = SE22, the rest is "borders". "Sense of community?" depends what your sense of community is. I feel that I am part of the community - mostly because of people I have met through the Forum. Lots of different backgrounds. "Gentrification" - people have to live somewhere and whether they have come in from SW London or, like me, from the Black Country is largely irrelevant. People dont want to live in a dump (mostly) and will invest in improving their environment. ED isnt "better" than its neighbours just different. Except, of course, for Peckham and Nunhead. Dulwich Village is actually West East Dulwich.