Nero

All sell by the dozen

A chippy that's so very 'now'

The mushy peas, as I was prewarned, have become sloppy. I pointed this out to the waitress, who brought me more peas, which were equally slushy. I told her I didn't like them as much as a few weeks ago, and she curtly said 'no need to pay'. That wasn't the point of my complaint, I said. She was brusque and really did not seem to care whether I liked them or not, and just seemed more concerned about making sure I was 'placated' in some way. It's still a good place, but not as good as before either in terms of service, customer satisfaction and produce, in my personal opinion. Nero

Snorky, This is worth a line to a local hack. It would make a good feature and would help others. DM has the details for the South London Times reporter. If not, just Google it and email them. You don't have to have a picture or even consent to let them use your name etc. Nero

Goose Green roundabout looks empty

The best thing, really, is not to buy in the first place. Even if it is green or eco. Do you really need Belizean wind chimes, made by local tribespeople of local, organic wood? No. Make do with less stuff. Reuse or repair if possible. Really, the idea that we can buy our way out of an environmental disaster is ludicrous. I reckon the best thing is to reduce, reuse, recycle. If you do buy stuff, buy local and unpackaged over foreign stuff. I bought an ACE pair of Calvin Klein jeans from ChiChiRaRa last Satuday. Never bought second-hand before, but will continue to do so. Ultimately, it's up to you, though. I am greenish but not that green. I think if you are sensible and thoughtful, you'll do fine. I have no kids, but if I did I think I would be a lot more preoccupied with the state of the planet, but also about the state of society. I am generally optimistic, but things could be much better with a little bit of thought. Nero

Like the blue, but not the white Swiss-style door canopy. Nero

According to a post on the What's On area, the Italian on FHR (!) is opening sta sera (this evening). Nero

Er, sorry to tell you, but 'typo' is an Americanism. We Brits say 'literal', as in 'That first par contained several literals.' Gotten is American English. Got is British English. Forgotten, begotten, ill-gotten etc. are all standard British and US English. Nero

The yellow note on the lamppost outside above address says it will be changing into a cafe or restaurant. Did we know this? Nero

A fountain. Nero

Gotten? Nero

I think kids have to be scared of other kids these days. When I was young, trollin' around hte streets of Stockport, I knew who the hard ones were and played safe. But the hard ones then were just fisticuffs hard, and didn't smoke skunk and carry knives and were heavily into 'respect', which now sometimes seems to mean 'deference and obeisance'. So I do understand when parents worry. It just isn't like when we were kids, and I am speaking as one who's had first hand experience of playing around the cobbled streets till all hours and learning who to trust and who to stay away from. Nero

How about green roofs for the tops of bus shelters? I had this idea yonks ago and never did anything about it. I am sure if I were Hugh Whatsisname or Alan Titchmarsh or someone it wojld have been taken up as a one-off idea at the very least, with loads of fanfare and spin. Imagine, all of London's bus shelters topped with turf or even just moss and lichen. It would be lovely. (You heard it here first.) Nero

I have always had good grub and good service at Jacks. The cakes are the best. I have never been at weekend, so maybe that is a different matter, or maybe it was just a bad day, or simply a matter of taste. Nero

If you cannot get an allotment, there are good books about how to make the most of a small area at home in which to grow fruit and veg. Also, there are little ads from local experts who will show you how to grow veg etc at home. I think I saw one in Pretty Traditional. Nero

No. 3. Nero

But in teh US it is very different. My post really has to do with what it is like in America. Nero

I know, that is why I tip as I don't want to be an 'ugly Brit' abroad. But it is demeaning for both the tipper and tippee when everyone knows that the wages are crap and the tippee is basically begging in some circumstances. Yuk. Nero

Hiya might be seen as US English in some parts, but in 70s Stockport and other parts of the northwest, 'iya' was a very common expression and not at all influenced from abroad. I am not really into 'hi' but I sometimes use it in text speak as 'hello' takes a bit longer. Nero

Try living or visiting the US. It is awful. The 'docents' (guides) even at historical monuments say at the beginning of their spiel 'if you enjoy what you hear, please feel free to offer gratuities'*. On one trip, the bloke on the boat (in which I was meant to be viewing the wonders of the deep through the glass-bottomed hull but ended up feeling like I'd drunk a gallon of castor oil and gin and then been shaken and heated up to 100F) had a suitably ocean-themed fishbowl in his grubby paws waiting for my dollars at the end of my trip. It is a ludicrous tyranny but when in Rome etc! * another of my very hated words, an unnecessary complication, like 'beverage' instead of 'drink'. Nero

My barber charges ?9, so I tip a quid. Nero

It skulked round my ivy

Thought I had posted this, but maybe not. I saw a jay for the second time in E Dulwich. It was at the back of the RC school, on Friern Rd, near Etherow Junction. I have heard say by RSPB types that the jay is quite uncommon away from woodlands, and is not that visible even in the parks around here. Nero

My mum got wed to a Mr Higginbotham and took it. She had very comic-northern name of Beryl Higginbotham, pronounced with a hard t, but she pretended it was a 'th'. Nero