Alec John Moore

Watched Tamara Drewe last week. It was really funny, witty, playful and with lots of literary/cultural references. If you are a self effacing Guardian reading Radio 4 listener then you'll love it. Lots of references to Thomas Hardy and Far from the madding crowd, which I just finished reading and discussing at the Green & Blue book club.

Accidental development of the English language has helped make it what it is today. The fact that it went unnoticed by the "culprit" is all part of fun. Perhaps if we eventually come up with our own East Dulwich apple we can name it the Mappling. I really like the idea of sharing labour, knowledge, tools etc. That is the basis for farming collectives/cooperatives throughout the world and down the years. The interest and enthusiams for the idea has led to our neighbour providing us with more fruit from the neglected apple tree in his garden and some from his mate's garden. I'm thinking baked apples, apple and rhubarb crumble, apple pie . . .

Watched a blackbird have a bath in our birdbath at the weekend. First time I've seen it used.

If they are alien estate agents looking to "move into the area" they'll want proper tea. Geddit?

A point worth making to the owners of the yard, Franklins, perhaps. They could have dropped from an overhanging tree belonging to a neighbour. As I see it, Damon's point is to make us more aware of what we have and that's something that we can all take a part in so not really incongruous at all. I think it is incongruous for the council to plant fruit bearing trees in our streets. It would be good if we could harvest the fruits for some productive purpose but most often the fruits fall to the pavement and get squashed, creating more work for the street cleaners.

Me too!

Hi Damon Thanks for organising this and nice to see you on Saturday. Thanks, too, for the advice on my ancient (possibly Golden Delicious) tree. Coincidentally, I managed to get some apples from my neighbour's neglected tree. They are enormous like gigantic eating apples but must surely be cookers. Will post a photo when I can. Do you think it worthwhile trying to do an audit or mappling exercise for the "East Dulwich Orchard"? It sounds a bit formal and a lot of work but it may be something that one could get funding for and the results could be used to promote the idea. Alec

Still no takers for this. Maybe the owner's parents will read this. Alec

Hi, only one response so far and the description didn't fit. I'll keep the scooter for a while and donate it to charity if I don't get a successful claimant. Alec

Hi Found this on Tyrrell Road. If you've lost one in that area let me know the description and any distinguishing features to claim it. Best wishes Alec 07812 150229 Edited to comply more fully with forum rules

Louisiana, here's my OP on this thread: A quick look at Viva's website shows that they are against eating meat (including fish) and dairy products since their production causes environmental destruction, damages human health and contributes to global hunger, as well as inflicting immense suffering on billions of animals across the world. She's not coming from a vegan/vegetarian point of view but Felicity Lawrence's investigations into the global nature of industrialised food production - Not on the Label and Eat Your Heart Out - are quite salutary when it comes to thinking about what we eat. What I find most interesting about this thread is what I think of as the tyranny of the meat eater. I'm sure it's quite a common social phenomenon that when an alternative view is expressed then the majority demonstrate their intolerance of it, quickly dismiss the point of view and begin to turn the thread into their own self referential banter.

Thanks, Lawrence. You help make my case.

MM, I doubt it is possible to shift opinion in any significant way on a forum such as this. The ability for posters to engage isn't helped by the pompous attitude towards the OP and the issues that s/he is trying displayed by some and the puerile and insensitive postings by others. This is what I mean by the tyranny of the meat eaters. Why should you and most of the others posting on this thread attempt to engage with the issues is fair handed way when you display such disdain for the subject and the attempts to raise it as an issue?

I apologise for introducing the shark image. I can't think of a more suitable one. Although I did say it is more like that sometimes and I do appreciate the value of EDF as a "local" online community. Clearly the OP has survived the experience and makes the point better than I. I hope to continue to partake in EDF in my own AJM way.

To continue the analogy, it is more like shark-infested waters sometimes. I suppose my point is that, without an apparently cogent, informed, researched, logically reasoned argument, we allowed a potentially interesting topic to descend rapidly into banter - predominantly. And, just across the Channel, they eat horse flesh, apparently.

Perhaps a kinder approach would be to direct posters with fewer debating skills to another section of the forum. Or, perhaps they are necessary to stimulate a bit of banter. Post number 2 in this thread: "Mmmm, wonder what badger tastes like."

"the appropriateness or otherwise of the section of the forum " could have been pointed out earlier by people who post regularly on EDF and are more familiar with forum etiquette than I assume the OP to be. Instead, the chat followed The Lounge rules and became sa eries of self referential jokes, mostly. That's fair enough I suppose since whoever posts on a thread or starts a new one has to follow the norms. I'm trying to say that I saw the OP's OP as an alternative view that was not taken seriously. I also see the position held by the OP as a minority view. Minority views should be respected, even if they appear to some to be based on personal opionion driven by emotional responses to facts. It is also possible, but we may never know, that the OP was intimidated by the type and level of reponse to his/her OP. Still, that's conjecture. Perhaps s/he got bored.

The facts are always hard to agree on, in my opinion, when dealing with such an emotive and socially/economically/historically complicated subject as what we eat. The OP was clearly expressing a view when s/he says s/he is "against killing rats by the same (poisoned with warfarin) method." S/he goes on to opine that "If these companies continue to sell squirrel meat, the only message they are giving out, is that they are happy to have the blood of a beautiful wild animal on their hands, for the sake of a few quid." But, it's easy to respond to a minority "view" with playful banter, it seems. I think the appropriateness or otherwise of the section of the forum point is somewhat spurious. Why wasn't it pointed out earlier by the more knowledgeable posters on the forum?

A quick look at Viva's website shows that they are against eating meat (including fish) and dairy products since their production causes environmental destruction, damages human health and contributes to global hunger, as well as inflicting immense suffering on billions of animals across the world. She's not coming from a vegan/vegetarian point of view but Felicity Lawrence's investigations into the global nature of industrialised food production - Not on the Label and Eat Your Heart Out - are quite salutary when it comes to thinking about what we eat. What I find most interesting about this thread is what I think of as the tyranny of the meat eater. I'm sure it's quite a common social phenomenon that when an alternative view is expressed then the majority demonstrate their intolerance of it, quickly dismiss the point of view and begin to turn the thread into their own self referential banter.

lunch

Went to WWT yesterday en famille and it was very pleasant. Stangely, I think it could be better in the weather we are having as I write - wet and windy. It would lend it a more rural quality, somehow. The cranes were the most interesting birds we saw apart from some cute ducklings.

I can vouch for the perpetual spinach. It's quite prolific and great if you chop it and stew it gently in some butter. Happy to be reminded about sowing purple sprouting broc. I've had problems with pigeon in the past so will need to think of ways of prtecting the plants when they are up. Actually, I have problems with pigeons helping themselves to elderberries from the tree at the end of the garden. I reckon it's OK to let them get on with it since I can't reach the fruits at the top anyway.

notch

I'm also from that small country to the north of England - not Iceland as someone once suggested to me - and have been in London for 20 years. I recognise that thrill of seeing parts of the city you know from films, books and TV. I've noticed a change in my attitude over the years. I now find it slightly thrilling to be able to call this iconic world city my home. The sin of pride, I suppose.

Nice idea and a sound charity, hope it works, Alec.