Nigello

Pavement fixing good, lamppost banners not so good. (They'll be more, unnecessary street junk and will fade/decompose/break and nobody will fix them.)

Cafe Viva has closed and has been for about two weeks at least. It is going to reopen as an extension to Miss Tapas and will service breakfasts which will be both British and Spanish, according to the (Spanish) man at Miss Tapas today.

I accept that I am wrong but maintain that few cyclists take the route intended and instead they zap across the pavement where no cycle lane exists. Not one cyclist have I ever seen take the curvy route that you so correctly show. Cyclists + pavements = not a good idea (unless a specific path is adhered to)

The cycle lane ends at the road, which is where the cyclists are meant to go. Instead, some (quite a few) cut across the pavement and over the pedestrian crossing into the "shared space" outside the library. Cyclists and pedestrians don't always mix well, especially when the former are going at speed in a confusing arena. It is just common sense and best practice, that's all (but if people want to use it to inflate their sense of victimhood, who am I to deny them that pleasure?)

The NHS has been raised to a secular deity, a level hard to achieve let alone maintain and one which prevents it from being discussed and adapted rationally. More taxation would be good but so would better use of resources, improved management and a more respectful use of its services by all of us.

We are living in the right now. So, even if there were to be a rise in tax (which I would welcome right now - my cheque book is ready for a one off payment if needs be) the resulting funding would not make itself known for some time. So, it is fair to say that right now, in the current circumstances (which one may or may not endorse), there are many factors that are behind poor performance at A and E and in other departments, including the fact that there are more people than had been expected. You will note that my post was restrained and balanced, seeing at least two sides to a complicated situation. Yours, with its block capitals and sneery tone, demonstrates the way in which discourse about the NHS often ends up going nowhere. Stay healthy!

I think a reasonable person who is not grinding any axe would have to acknowledge that more people (even those paying taxes), especially the ones who are not au fait with how one registers with a GP and what A and E is really for, have to be a factor in services being stretched, as well as accepting that a reduction in funding of some parallel services also has a negative effect. Adhering to a certain narrative on any side doesn't get you anywhere.

1539 to D Hill/P Rye was cancelled (which I had managed to avoid by checking the live departure webpage).

FAKE YEWS!

I agree that any "street furniture" ought to be well-made and well-maintained so they don't end up like monuments to misplaced, temporary enthusiasm in eighteen months' time. If you can, avoid lampposts etc and ask businesses to house a banner/placard etc. Still unsure what it's all about: sounds a bit "committee speak" but I don't doubt your sincerity.

The ones that run through the day sound like stricken DC-10s. The ones that run at night are lovely and quiet(ish) - much more modern. Roll on hybrids!

The bus firms and the powers that be seem unwilling and/or unable to acknowledge that population density in SE London (and other areas) is increasing and that the old provisions (historic routes, schedules) ought to be rethought so that shuttle/feeder services and express options be brought in. The buses have got better but even with the improvements it's not enough to cope with the congestion and the overcrowding that is the norm and likely to increase. Again - try walking a bit of your route and see whether your commute is more bearable.

I agree that on paper the bus service is great but in practice it's another thing entirely. Don't even think of spending less than an hour from Barry Road to Oxford Circus at most times of the day from 0700 to 2300. That works for the 176 too. The 185 can sometimes surprise but not often. I also agree that the tram over the Thames from Peckham to Camden ought to have been allowed to continue, but it wasn't to be. Even if it terminated at Aldwych/Temple/Holborn it would have been great. Again, a guided bus system (yes, my old hobbyhorse) would be great but it's never been a winner with city planners and councillors and marketeers because they're seen as "trams on the cheap". If you can, walk. It'll help your physical and mental health because it's better than sitting in a packed 176 with the usual morons who CBA to move down/go up to the top deck!

Menus on a board or in the window are a big boon. Noone wants to go in, ask for a menu, then walk off with an awkward "no thanks" when you find out it's ?27 for a main course with sides extra.

It looks impressive and has that French bistro air (like a classy/non-commitee-designed Cafe Rouge) sp I hope it is good and that it does well.

It is bad that people steal dogs. It is bad (but much less so in the grand scheme of things) that some dogs are left to yelp and yap outside cafes/shops whilst owners do things that don't necessitate bringing said animals along in the first place. Both realities can and do exist. Open your minds, man!

Space Invaders - the ones in the yellow/blue packet - were delicious. Hula Hoops are a nice treat every now and then. Golden Wonder chicken flavour (veggie friendly, I think) were very nine.

WigWams

I fail to see how cycling - sometimes at speed - through an area of pavement that is meant for pedestrians/wheelchair users can ever be seen as the best option. There has to be another choice: Get off and walk with your cycle, but don't use the tragedy of others to justify potentially dangerous cycling involving pedestrians.

Dogs outside Gail's in the Village, tied up to shiver and yelp and yap whilst "mummy" is warm and cosy inside, are a perennial pain. I don't think dogs should be left tied up anywhere where the owner can't keep an eye on it: just organise your life to not have to take your pet with you everywhere. I hope dogs and owners are reconciled because losing a pet is not nice at all.

Rancheros

Better delineation and better polcing of offenders, please. Lots of people of all abilities (children, old people, buggy-pushers) use the pavements at the corner and not all are nimble enough to get out of the way of footpath-riding cyclists.

Rancherors Discos Spicy Nik-Naks Monster Munch (yellow packet)

Skips, anyone? Fish 'n' Chips, too?

Some of them rarely get emptied anyway - Hmm, not sure that using an omission of responsibility (ie. not emptying the bins as they ought to) by the council should be used to condone it's new policy of getting rid of them! Better, no, to make sure the bins are regularly emptied. Whether there are tens or hundreds of them, people leaving their dog's muck on the pavement/grass will always be with us as there will always be witless, selfish individuals.