Lowlander

Also good is www.traintimes.org.uk which uses the National Rail info but in a tidier format and without the adverts...

Which terminal? Heathrow Express starts an 0510 and takes 15 mins to T1-3 and longer to T4 and 5 so would get you to T1-3 for 0525 or T4 / T5 for roughly 0535. Is about ?18 each way so you may find it's cheaper just to get a cab the whole way! Worth getting a quote. Otherwise you're looking at getting a few buses (176 to Trafalger Sq then 23 to Paddington? Would take a fair while!)

And get an exemption from council tax if you won't be living there for more than a month due to the works. Most decent builders will be able to take care of the planning side for you. It can be quite complex and onerous (brickwork pointing and windows are covered). I have friends have done similar work and if you just wanting to knock down some false walls put up in the 70s/80s you should be ok. If you need to remove period features you'll be expected to restore them to "as was". This is why getting someone with experience helps as the councils often get confused themselves. Unless you have a lot of time to do the plans yourself. Kudos for doing the reverse of what many others are doing!

I'm happy with Vodafone (and previously T-Mob/Orange) at the top of Lordship Lane. You can find transmitter info here: http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/search As others have said, ED is fairly hilly and built up; with most transmitters on top of the hills this affects reception.

What is the story with the one on Lordship Lane anyway? There is one officer I see regularly pounding a beat round about it. I take it there's a problem with the facade crumbling hence the railings?

About 1600 yesterday afternoon top of Upland Road, very brief not enough to reset any clocks.

Which platform? ::o

Ah, thread resurrection. If anyone read my old post wondering where to buy cheap coal, I ended up using CPL (search coals2u); ?15 for ?25kg of Homefire smokeless. Minimum order was ?50 and they deliver bagged or unbagged to your shed/coal bunker/garage. Marginally cheaper than the petrol stations but worth it for the delivery alone. Probably less damp as well.

I have been getting the the 0729 from ED to London Bridge since early January and I can't remember any cancellations. It's been delayed by 2-3 minutes once or twice. I always get a seat in the last two carriages. Coming home is a bit different, I finish at different times, so if a train is about to leave there's no chance of a seat and I sometimes let it go and get on the next one (10 minute or so wait). This is around 1730-1800. Overall it's luxury compared to some other commuiter services, although the early start helps - later there's far less chance of a seat. This post is not tempting fate and my morning commute will continue as normal.

A poll! We need a poll. Either way I vote for Fortum and Mason. Or at least coffee place where I can buy freshly roasted beans.

Actually the old routemasters were fairly future-proof and modular, this was proven when they fitted new engines to them sometime last decade (2000-2010 IIRC). Ironically this made them fully compliant with the latest emissions standards and more fuel efficient - around 5mpg - than their successors. They easily had another decade in them when they were withdrawn.

So is there a poll we can link to? Or a consensus without me (apologies for laziness) having to wade through 29 pages? Personally I think we have more than enough supermarkets although I'd be willing to sacrifice Sainos for a Waitrose.

We bought from Lordship Lane carpets, very happy with their service. Also managed to get them to match a competitor's quote.

We too used 123 Chimney Sweeps - Alan Naish - last week, very helpful, polite and clean. Knows his stuff! Whoever you go for just make sure they're a member of one of the chimney sweep assocations. Now, where best in ED to buy smokeless or real coke? I picked up a 10kg bag of smokeless from the firestation on Old Kent Road, at ?8 - no idea if that's reasonable?

I lived in Battersea some time ago where the postal service was atrocious - loads of "whilst you were out" cards and disappearing post. One special delivery item containing ?150 worth train tickets disappeared so well that they couldn't even find the barcode on the receipt. In the end I filed a claim via the small claims court and they paid out (after a few phonecalls to chase). Delivery is a bit variable here in ED but it's a lot better than other areas!