Pierre

Thought it was probably best to start this one in the Lounge as it's not strictly an ED issue... We have a garden. It's got a shed at the bottom of it. It was there when we moved in; it's tiny and rotting and pretty much only good for firewood. I'd like to replace it. I ride bicycles. I fix bicycles for a living (but am avoiding treading on the toes of MLteenie or the forthcoming EDR bike shop - I wish them all the best. That said, if you want your bike fixed at your house or place of work, give me a shout!) so would like somewhere secure to store my bikes and ideally set up a workshop, as well as storing the usual garden tools. I'm concerned by how easy it is to pretty much demolish most sheds if you're keen to have what's inside. I've been drawn to the idea of a shipping container (painted a dark colour, with plants growing around and on top of it) as they're sturdy and very secure. Mrs. Pierre is reticent. She thinks it will subtract value from the house (rather than, I argue, adding it as a whole extra room at the bottom of the garden) and might attract derision from the neighbours. I have never cared what the neighbours think, but I'd want to make it as attractive and shed-like as possible. I think I have _some_ taste. I appreciate my post is a little one-sided, but what do you good people of the EDF think? I'd be interested to know... Cheers! : P

Where? : P

Having worked indoors in Fulham all day today, I wondered what those things that kept going "toc" against the motorbike visor were, until I got home and found a carpet of dead flying ants all over my car. Yes, it's flying ants day. Probably for a couple of days. I'm cycling tomorrow so will remember the glasses and to try not to breathe in through my mouth... : P

Ask anyone who works for a homeless charity (a chum works for Shelter) and they'll recommend you don't give the homeless people money directly. As many people have said, it's more likely to be spent on drugs or alcohol; while that may be the sort of distraction you endorse, the connection between homelessness and mental illness is strong, as is the connection between mental illness and long-term drug or alcohol abuse. Contributions to homeless charities instead will be spent on rehabilitation programmes, shelter, food and health programmes for the homeless. Just my 2p worth. God bless ya, etc. : P

Would you rather she invested by buying property so that she could let it to others, or put her money in a high interest savings plan which is funded by investments in companies that make landmines and suchlike? : P

Fantastic! See you there. : P

Er, I meant "yellow", obviously. I doubt the pub's renovation had little to do with the 80s/90s synth band... : P

Again, I'm with Jeremy and Keef, although I must admit I didn't go in there before the yello incarnation. I've mainly been there for the Sunday evening quizzes, which were always for me the most enjoyable (although the most rowdy) quizzes in the area. Maybe a re-fit might be a good time to fit some decent sound-absorbing stuff and try and make it a bit quieter for the residents without removing the personality of the place. Maybe. : P

I'd say somewhere around the junction of Lordship Lane / Northcross Road. Probably the Palmerston then... : P

I lived just next to the junction (above the motor spares shop next to the Tesco) for three years and when working from home, I'd probably hear around two collisions, honks, swearing and shouting matches and the like, per day. Not to mention the fact that I've now more or less completely tuned out sirens of any kind, having heard them at least once per hour, _every_ hour for around three years. Really, every hour day or night. When a police car is approaching a busy junction, how far in advance do they turn the siren on? Yep, just outside my old flat. I wouldn't recommend living near the junction. Nice area but the noise is terrible. : P

In answer to your question: almost without exception, yes. Even in the rare bus lanes in which you're not allowed to cycle, you can usually still get away with it (turnings, shortcuts, etc.). Certainly on the Old Kent Road, just use the bus lanes. They're generally safer. As with most London cycling, the key is cycling assertively. If you don't think the vehicle behind you has space to pass, ride in the middle of the lane. They have no choice but to notice you and they're certainly unlikely to try and overtake unless they're very stupid or impatient. If you pull out to the right, the vehicle behind may try and pass you on the inside, your left; if you pull over to the left, the vehicle behind may try and overtake you, on the right, and may try and force you into the kerb if they run out of space. I'm not advocating being deliberately difficult, but I do suggest you cycle assertively. The motorcyclists' mantra is "dominant and defensive", I'm told... : P

I live near Gold Lee and we've eaten in a couple of times and had take-away from there more times than I can remember! It's very good food IMO, fairly "natural" (not highly flavoured, coloured or full of MSG) and their squid with salt and chilli is absolutely brilliant, melt-in-your-mouth stuff. Recommended. :) : P

Thanks all for the sympathy, although that really wasn't what I was after. I don't think it's a good idea to ride through Burgess Park after dark. Originally I thought it was a great idea, in a defiant "so they hit me with a pole? Screw them, I'm not going to change my route home! I'm not scared!" sort of way. Then I thought, I wouldn't want my wife riding through there on her own after dark, no matter how defiant she felt, because sometimes it's simply not worth the risk, I'd rather she took a _very_ slightly longer route home and I had her safe. And I thought that's probably how she feels about me. While I'd love to say we should _all_ defiantly ride through the park, that kind of solidarity only usually accompanies Critical Mass and would probably result in there being a slightly higher incidence of rolling bling for the fools to attack; bear in mind these are people whose value systems mean they think nothing of swinging a rod of metal at someone's face in order to steal their bike. A few inches lower and I'd currently be breathing through a tube and having someone wheel me to the toilet, if I was breathing at all. For the moment I'd rather advise people to avoid that particular area. By all means keep cycling, but I'd rather hope that if there are very few cyclists in that dark nasty patch of ground then there will be fewer attackers... : P P.S. hi Damo - I'll keep an eye out for the Trek Portland! - will happily meet for a pint and a rant. ;)

It was me that got walloped on the way home through Burgess Park. Link to my blog for full account: http://inigopete.livejournal.com/ - scroll down to "bruises explained" for the first account, followed by scrolling up to "soc" for the follow-up. I'd avoid the canal path after dark too. Mrs. Pierre and I have had stones thrown at us while riding along there in the dusk and a friend of mine was attacked for his road bike along there too. And yes, the response of the police was a completely unsurprised "it happens round here a lot." : P

Fair point; as I said, I'm not complaining because I did something wrong. I failed to notice a no entry (except local buses and cycles) sign on a route that I cycle through almost every day. I don't dispute that my tiny misdemeanour needs to be discouraged or everyone would do it. My point was born of the frustration I felt at being treated more like a "customer" than a punished law-breaker, how much like buying books on Amazon it was, yet how awkward they make it actually to make a payment. I'd never had a parking ticket or fine until I moved to ED. Now I've had two in the space of a year (one successfully contested, they burned the feeble remainder of the yellow lines off the road a week later). I'm ashamed. : P

I fully admit to not paying enough attention while driving and contravening the No Entry sign at the South end of Rye Lane where you're supposed to turn left and follow a lengthy one way system. I won't dispute it. What currently enrages me is the way Southwark Council treat parking and traffic offences as revenue-generating enterprises in such a blatant way as to call their payment office the "Parking Shop". I'm further wound up because "We are sorry but your card details cannot be processed at this time." when trying to pay online (by adding the penalty charge to my "shopping basket" for pity's sake!) and their customer service number seems to be permanently engaged. Perhaps everyone else has received wonderfully smooth service and is pleased to donate to Southwark Council in this way; maybe it's just me... : P

not sure if this link will work... : P

Back on topic (although it's not confined to East Dulwich): children in pubs. It's a pub, for goodness' sake! If you've chosen to spawn, don't be so ignorant and irresponsible as to assume that it's your right to try and ignore your infant offspring while you smoke and drink, leaving other grown-ups to suffer the children's bored attempts at social interaction ranging from polite to invasive to offensive. Please try and respect people who have gone to pubs in order to talk to other adults and don't want to be assaulted by burgeoning behaviour disorder-bearers whose progenitors are too selfish and infantile themselves to act like parents. rrrrr... : P

is an ordinary pram not good enough? an ordinary car isn't good enough. A whacking great big one, however, shows how disproportionately important you think you and your offspring are. You can bleat on about its incredible brakes, its comfort, its arsenal of safety features, amazing speed and off-road ability while only using it to pootle around your local area. Something far less ostentatious is usually "fit for purpose"... : P

Much better - there's lots I dislike, but nothing I hate. Well, litter, homelessness, ignorance, prejudice, rampant commercial gluttony and the sound of foxes shagging in my garden... but they're not exactly exclusive to ED. : P

The Road Of Twee: Northcross Road. ;) although I actually love East Dulwich. Despite everything else about to be mentioned on this thread. : P

An ED "traditional London pie and eel house" - what a brilliant idea. Organic Norfolk King Edward mash, wheat- and gluten-free pies, North Atlantic dolphin-friendly rainbow eels, spring water liquor delicately flavoured with locally grown sorrel... let's just hope they keep the decorating up to scratch. ;) : P

serving melon balls and parma ham, steak diane and prawn cocktails to people who didn't know any better. phew *Bob*, thank God you know better. It's your duty to go in there and educate those poor old sods who think they enjoy that kind of food. : P

I really don't see how this thread can be seen as snobbish! It's a fact of life that passing trade are unlikely to stop off at a restaurant with a shabby exterior. It's a fact of life that snobbish passing trade are unlikely to stop off at a restaurant with a shabby exterior. If I see an old business with a shabby exterior that's still going, I'm more inclinced to believe that there must be something other than fancy decorating that's kept the business alive. : P

go to Up'n'running, buy trainers, run gently. Find http://www.fetcheveryone.com - start running. Gets you fit, like. : P