Jeremy

Grotbags was the one who thought Picturehouse/M&S would open the floodgates. Not me. I said that there's a possibility it might have an effect, but not necessarily. Oh well.

How about Cecil's friends and family? They might be upset. They might come after us!!

Just annoyed with myself for taking the bait and getting dragged into an argument, Andrew! You are right, LondonMix. We don't have chains in perfect, wonderful ED! The very thought! There. The end.

If you or LondonMix can point out an equal number of indie shops who have taken over from chains, I'll happily agree that there is no trend. Or maybe I won't, because I'm actually long past giving a rats arse whether a shop has one branch or 1000 and this is a really stupid f*cking argument.

Azira Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sorry - I missed have missed the memo that > appointed you the grief police and gave you the > right to judge what people are allowed to feel sad about. I believe in things called "freedom of thought" and "freedom of speech". You may be familiar with the concepts. So yes Jimmy Kimmel is perfectly free to cry about a lion, or anything else. And I'm free to ridicule it. And you're free to say daft things.

Oliver Bonas, White Stuff, Gourmet Burger, Franco Manca, Sainburys Local, Cafe Nero. All relatively recent IMO. Not loads, but not negligible either. Seems to me like a slow, gradual change. Also not sure why chains taking over non-retail premises should be exempt from the equation. It still affects the chain-vs-independent balance.

I know. Read up the thread a bit... I was taking the piss...

Thanks LondonMix - well aware that Iceland is also a chain! But chains HAVE been creeping in - not exactly a deluge, but your statement that "almost every new shop" is independent is clearly not true. Besides, I was(more or less) disagreeing with Grotbag's assertion that M&S and the cinema are game changers which will open the floodgates. It's all a continuation of the same process..

Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Think she must have said she was a woman in an earlier post maybe? Maybe she was posting about someone else? I hate it when people jump to conclusions!!!

Chick Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > She was a rabid Tory who loved Thatcher. Plenty of working class tory voters out there, you know. I have no problem with RD's picture. I saw it mainly as a send-up of the mawkish, global grieving for an animal (Jimmy Kimmel crying on TV over Cecil the Lion... FFS..)

Not totally sure when the first was, but when I was very young (certainly well below ten) we had a sort of family tradition consisting of a museum followed by the Khyber Pass restaurant in south ken. My parents started me off on biryani, and in those days it usually came with either an omelette or boiled eggs. Soon moved onto the milder curries (bhuna/rogan/etc) and by the time I was fifteen or so, only a madras would hit the spot.

One good thing about those places is they tend to have a square footprint, so you can do massive loft conversions if that's your thing.

Surprised we haven't had some nonsense about Cilla being a salt-of-the-earth working class entertainer of the people, etc.

Yeah quite possibly there will be a few more chains. They've been creeping in slowly along LL (oliver bonas, white stuff, gourmet burger, sainsburys, and now potentially M&S). Peckham, Forest Hill, etc are likely to provide better value premises for small businesses getting off the ground, and plenty of punters to lap it up.

Yep... live in Peckham Rye these days, so close enough to easily walk into ED if I want to, but also slightly separated from it so can look on as an "observer" if I so wish. There are things I miss which have gone, but also plenty of new things I like (cinema, ice cream parlour, some of the restaurants). Cinema and M&S (if it ever appears) will possibly act as a catalyst.. but then so did places like William Rose and The Palmerston, and before that ED Deli, Blue Mountain, etc. Not many places in London stand still.

Well if they weren't a bit ugly to start with, presumably they wouldn't need the makeovers... (e.g. the grey powder coated windows that people seem to be installing)

> give me a 70's 80's and decent budget any day of the week I know there have been quite a few makeovers/refurbs of ugly 70s houses, but the Victorian houses have a few big advantages... high ceilings, well proportioned rooms, bigger windows, more light. Each to their own though..

I don't think eating out in London is particularly expensive compared to other comparable world cities. Or even compared to other parts of the UK. There's something to suit most budgets. Also disagree that ED is more expensive than central London, if you compare like-for-like. Something like a curry is cheaper here than in the West End or City. Pub grub is more expensive here, but the quality is better.

Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As Cilla Black was the highest profile presenter > on British TV for a number of years and a national > favourite I'd say this is a very sad loss It's subjective... for me, no sadder than any other death as I didn't like/watch her TV shows. For her fans, yes I'm sure it is a sad day.

I think it goes without saying that every death is sad in it's own right. We all have family and friends, people close to us, people who love us or depend on us. But maybe what otta was saying is that for those of us who were not a fan... we could probbaly open any newspaper and find a more heartbreaking story within 10 seconds.

I've also given stuff away before, only to find the recipient is not what they claim to be. If they want to sell the item on then fine, but don't lie and claim that my old TV is for your elderly mum.

You're sounding pretty rational there Andrew. I don't think you've got the hang of this internet stuff..

I don't find it too bad round here - these things happen but are rare. But in the city, it's a different story. Cyclists aren't the only offenders though.. black cab drivers are just as bad.

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > their grown kids would say "we got > me mum a new telly so she could see it like". You get a lot of scousers in Woolwich and Thamesmead, then?

I suppose a big TV is fine in a modern house in Bromley or Canvey Island. But in a tasteful period property in London, it doesn't quite fit does it?