Nero

Where I work, we try to use (not utilise) the simplest word with the fewest syllables. That usually means an Anglo-Saxon word over its Latinate equivalent (same?). I hate meet with, greet with etc. What next - shag with? I also cannot abide 'gotten'. It's slipped in over the past couple of years. I even hear government ministers use it.Yes, I know it is British English from a few centuries ago, but it isn't now. Nero

I'd like to see it shut down. Look at it this way - it's mainly hated and Southwark should make an example of it. Also, Southwark will now know the anti-chain sentiment and know what a bolshy lot we can be and will therefore think twice. I do feel for the people with the jobs, but that is not a logical argument for it to be there. Nero

Why not use this space to come out with your own spoiler? Just put a pos spin on it to deflect any bad press. Nero

It's difficult, really. I think it ought to be Manchester, but then again I think it should be Edinburgh if we really believe in the Union. Nero

Fi Glover, Eddie Mair, Paddy McConnell are all infuriatingly smug. It's like listening to a lower sixth form at a leafy, middle class comprehensive. Stick them in a room until their egos subsume each other in a meltdown of sub-Danny Baker self-reverential mockery. James Naughtie is great. He's the Betamax to Humphrey's VHS. Nero

Michael, BBC World Service is about 65% news and current affairs. The other programmes are drama, sport, science, nature and culture. Digital radio, telly, 648 AM. Nero

The only thing with copying and pasting is that you get http etc twice. Is the only way of avoiding that to copy everything after the second /? I would have thought so. Nero

*Goodbye to the beautiful woodyard. Whenever I have visitors, I always take them past it so that they can marvel at the chicken wire and ramshackle corrugated iron roof. Ha. I like it. For heaven's sake. If a man wants to retire and not pass the business on to someone else, and go and live a hopefully peaceful retirement, why begrudge him his chance? Do you think he should hold on to it just so much-needed flats shouldn't be built? I mean, it's hardly the Taj Mahal. Sheesh. Nero

Instead of raging, why not jsut say, firmly, 'I'm sorry, I don't want to help you. Goodbye' and close the door. Simple. Nero

Kitchen Aid? Is the Darling Mr Bono behind that one? Anyway, mine's a coffee walnut cake, wiv icin' an' everyfink. Nero

I walked past above Thai restaurant earlier today and was told by the lady outside who was selling jewellery that the party takikng place inside was to do with a charity to help Burmese students. She went inside and brought the organiser out, Dr John Hayward. He took photos in Mandalay where his charity, which helps university students, and is selling them off to help raise money. The pics are on display for the coming weeks. There is a website www.mandalaystudentfund.com but it is currently not working. I'm going to have a look soon. Nero

You've heard it all before from me, but litterbugs and pavement cyclers are my bete noires. On a more positive note, what I DO like are cheery shopkeepers, like the men from Plant Nation and the woman at A J Farmer and Val, and jolly bloggers, like Dulwich Mum and the Landcroft House collective. Nero

My friend, a stalwart R4 fan from childhood, has switched off, saying it's too depressing and factual. I like it, though, and believe it's worth the licence fee alone. (Chav, if you like R4, try World Service on 648 AM, digital radio or via the telly.) Nero

Agreed. Last week it looked a bit Why Don't You, but without the beanbags. This week it seemed a bit more fit for purpose and I think it will continue to do so as the weeks progress. I had oysters 'properly' for the first time today. (Had them twice before but they were cooked.) The bloke is knowledgable and friendly and obv really into his profession. Also passed on that a couple of seats and maybe a counter would be good. The oysters were lovely and tasted of the sea and not gloopy/snotty as I thought they would be. The cheese stall was better than last week, with a fridge and a wider selection of cheeses. Still not convinced about the bookshop. Nero

Err, I don;t quite get the library story. What exactly is happening? nero

DoA were my second, at the Apollo in 84 or 85. I love early DoA, Chav - Misty Circles, Black Leather etc! Nero

I asked the man at the garden centre a few weeks ago whether he was selling up, and he said no. I agree with Louisa about the buses being fit to burst. I get on at Dulwich Library and it is nice to have a seat. If I got on at the Goose Green end or the station, it would be much worse. Nero

Divine - Rockshots, Manchester, 27 June 1984 - my 16th Birthday. Class! Nero

WTFlip? Tomasz Schaffernacker (crazy name, crazy guy} is wearing jeans and a stripy jumper doing the weather! Why no shirt and tie? He's doing it in Naturefile, which I've never seen before. Do they go for the loungey look on a Sunday morning, or what? I'm shocked and appalled. Nero

But she still loved her sprogs

You might get more bang for your buck if you move a little further away from NC Road. Moving a few streets up, no more than a 15 minute walk away, could be cheaper and quieter. Peckham Rye Park is a great place, especially so that it has a new caff. Nunhead and Camberwell Cemeteries are moving places, the former more of a wildlife haven. The Village is lovely to walk around and has my favourite house in London - the blue clapboard one that looks like it should have come straight from Massachussets. Transport is not ideal, but it is not that bad, really. Biking has its fans, and there are a few threads on this site that testify to that. My faves to eat are Curry Cabin, Jacks Cafe, and Green and Blue. The best shop is AJ Farmers - everything from bin bags to vitamins. Nero

Agree with Bob. Retro lardy crap is not good. Decent stuff, baked honestly with a nod to the present, is better than that and better than overpriced foreign-sounding nonsense. I yearn for good sense and am getting really peed off and a tad depressed by the ponciness on offer in our area. It's like a more cultured repeat of the 80s - price it high, whack in the word 'organic' or 'natural' and it'll fly off the shelves. I'm not as antediluvian as Louisa, but I do find the facility with which people lose their dosh is dispiriting. Decent stuff can be British and adventurous; why do we have to have ciabattas and poilane (sp?) and the like? Nero

I think some people might think you were a nationalistic yob, but more, probably, would just think you were a bit barmy and not understand why you'd want to do it. And when people say 'I'm proud to be British/tall/ginger/black' it bugs me. How can you be proud of an accident of birth? Be glad and pleased, but not proud. I think it's ok to be proud of your achievements, but not something you have absolutely no control over. What say others? Nero

Hmm. I subscribe to charities for cancer and other illnesses, but I do think that certain diseases get a disproportionate amount of press and support. Breast cancer definitely springs to mind. Heart disease is another one that's not that sexy, and mental health issues are nowhere near top of the list. Nero

Hmm. Kinda sad, eh? I found out you can get them from MAC outlets (makeup, not computers) and from Selfridges. If any shop owner wants to get a free box of 100 ribbons, they can get them from here. Nero