Huggers

I'm liking the Dorset Tea from Sainsbury's, or their Kenyan tea. Both are nice and strong, yet mellow and a good dark golden colour. I was luck to visit Darjeeling recently and went tea tasting, but I think British tea has ruined my palate as all those 'new tip/first blush' teas tasted like weak yet pungent Badger wee to me.

Our builder managed a proper set of stairs by chopping a bit off the original first floor front bedroom so that they had a longer run. The front bedroom lost only a foot or two and the stairs make all the difference in the feeling that the loft is an integrated part of the house, rather than tacked on. we also had our bathroom set under the eaves rather than cramped over the stairs, and it's big enough for a bath too. Under the eaves is a dead space so it made sense. We are behind Goose Green and you are welcome to have a look.

was anyone else tormented throughout the weekend nights by the interrogative/ufo landing light/football stadium brightness of security lights in St John and St Clements School playground? they seem to be turned off tonight thank God.

Ayres do a fabulous sunflower gluten free bread now. I am a champion farter- could this be gluten/wheat related?

noise abatement at the council. They will come round and measure the noise. Ring them when it is happening.

I have sent you a pm. This sounds like Mickel who is Israeli.

what about the confusingly strange statue on it's prow-like corner?

Hampstead, Highgate and Primrose Hill are upper middle class, or whatever you call millionaires nowadays.

Brixton Lido has become profitable and fashionable, as has London Fields. would be fab!

green bins this week!

a few years back, a Securicor van was nicked full of dosh. The thieves drove it down into Sydenham woods via the gate at the back of the modern houses and hid it inside the tunnel where signals from it's tracker device couldn't be detected while they blew the safe open.

The Village Store until recently was a basic quick-save kind of little supermarket, It found itself surrounded by very smart shops, including an organic type grocery store - ''General Stores'' with very smart front next to it. The little supermarket, which has always been useful, has risen to the challenge, smartened itself up, given itself a retro front makeover, changed its name and started to provide more interesting veg and provisions. Therefore not losing out to the newcomers. Talking to the guys who have run it for years, they are very pleased with the response of local consumers- they still provide for basic Peckham necessities but are also giving the new posh deli type places a run for their money. I think it looks great. They will also get veg in if you ask- I was asking for swedes. Isnt this the kind of smartening up you all wanted for Rye Lane? and before you mock, the little retro parade of shops on ST Johns Street in Islington was just such a row of scruffy shops that took a united decision to give themselves a retro makeover with old fashioned matching awnings...and the rest is history. Bellenden Road looks very pretty now.

my neighbour did this- the council owned the original freehold and so therefore owned the loft. They bought it for about 30k and converted it into open plan living quarters leaving their bedrooms on the first floor.

yup I got them. I used Gigs and Tours website, had my hand hovering over the page, then realized I prob needed to 'refresh' it as it hadn't done anything, then I was in a queue but it refreshed itself. I already had the day selected and went for a middle priced seat as thought prob more of them, then hit the button. I think I even had a choice of which circle block but panicked and the seating plan was unintelligible to the naked eye. But phew. yes. I heard more tickets trickled through. People who were in despair still getting them later. Sorry probably far too much information but it was exciting and perilous at the time.

yup

a confession that it was the most addictive thread ever and I was quite in thrall to it, 17 pages and all, yes RPC.

is it us doing it?

is it the one recently nicked?

They just need a pregnant- woman- smoking- so -I- told- her- off thread to kick it off properly.

inspired by this thread I went to the Flying Pig last night for first time- even though it's hundred yards from my house. I had the yummiest beer- Ridgeways?- and delish potato wedges.

aha! Flying PIg! of course!

Sorry, but which is the FP?

isn't Rye Lane/East Dulwich Road/Peckham Rye a diagonal crossing?

no, the husband of the woman who was doing the shagging!

This 'friend' is probably the husband. Or even a stalker. It sounds thoroughly nasty and controlling to me- someone naming and making vulnerable a person to complete strangers. I'd take something like that straight to the police.