Robert Poste's Child

I guess petty criminals know, like the rest of us, that the police no longer have the resources to follow up on smaller crimes so they can do as they like. Horrible.

Blimey. Bizarrely, it sounds as though some of you see traditionally good manners as suspicious or hostile - the opposite of how I think the OP sees it. You want to lay off the bacon. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/processed-meats-manic-episodes-link-bacon-hot-dog-mania-study-a8452296.html

Fair comment, cella, 'scumbags' is way too strong, although the fact the adjudicator found in the OP's favour suggests that normal and reasonable indicators weren't in place so it wasn't completely fair to fine them. Have to say that when you're on your way to work on a bus that's stuck in a blocked bus lane ?130 doesn't seem that unreasonable, but maybe that's just me!

Maybe it was one rude person too many? Someone yawning in your face is pretty dire; wouldn't make you more inclined to spend your hard-earned there, anyway. I also wonder if English may not be Moondancer's first language and some of the nuances may sound different to other people.

Oh, come on everyone - Moondancer is usually a considered and thoughtful poster and I don't think s/he deserves all the vitriol.

To be fair to the M&S food hall staff, they're probably freezing.

Shops aside, I think that in my lifetime we've lost many of the basic daily courtesies that you still find in other countries, and London is ahead of the rest of the country in this. One of the things that always surprises me about the US is the amount of sirring and madaming that goes on where you just wouldn't hear it here any more, including situations where no money is changing hands. Also at work: when I have worked or had meetings in continental Europe, everyone always greets their colleagues clearly and formally whereas here you often get ignored or grunted at.

Moondancer has a point, though: as every restaurateur knows, it's service and general ambience that brings people back and turns them into regulars. When everyone's bewailing the death of the high street and well-known names are going under, poor service is such an own goal. I spent a hilarious 20 minutes trying to get help in a big M&S last week and all the staff were too busy huddling in twos and threes bitching about a colleague to notice me!

That must have been terrifying. Hope they're OK.

yeknomyeknom Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > How rude to generalise. I assume lower class and > upper class parents would never dream of such > behaviour. My point, admittedly tongue-in-cheek, was about how parents seem to think about it, not how children behave. Every day I see parents who don't or can't tell their kids not to do something and just give a sort of helpless commentary over the child's head.

Cella, I'm wondering if you live near me as that sounds very familiar! With one set of neighbours it's as though they think their garden fence is the edge of the world rather than a thin line between them and several other gardens, in this case. I also think middle class London parents don't believe their kids can be having a good time unless they're shrieking.

As you're living at the Rye end of Barry Road it's impressive that the traffic noise doesn't wake you up.

The huge grass fire on Wanstead Flats this afternoon made me think about all our wonderful parks and green spaces around here. Cycling around several today - Dulwich Park, Peckham Rye, Brenchley Gardens, Camberwell New Cemetery, Brockwell Park - it was obvious how tinder-dry they are due to the long hot spell. Some of them have areas of long grass or carpets of dead lesves where trees have been dropping them to reduce water loss. The woods aren't quite as dry due to being protected by the tree canopy but they're home to a lot of wildlife. So just wanted to say let's be careful with barbecues, cigarettes and even discarded glass while we're enjoying these spaces.

If you're still stuck, perhaps worth calling SELDOC or NHS 111 for info? If it's becoming urgent, in your position I'd be tempted to go straight to King's children's A&E.

Poor you. Not a pleasant job. Lots of flies about too .

malumbu Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Practical suggestions. No comments on the demise > of society please. There has always been scams, > just changing is their delivery and > sophistication. > > They are ringing me on my work phone. I have a > work phone so I can take work calls. I'd like > them to go home that night and perhaps change > their jobs. I'd like the authorities to take > action and prosecute. I'd like a world where > everyone is nice. But that is capitalism for > you. > > Not helpful RPC or AM. If you haven't got anything > to contribute just butt out. How pompous and long-winded that sounds. Adding clarity would actually help the discussion, you know.

I think in a past thread on this people suggested moving it to the road or pavement, if you can bear to.

Tiger has some little hand-cranked fans for ?1. VG for public transport.

malumbu Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > So please try to stick to my question here. As Alan Medic said, what is it? > They put the phone down as soon as there is > a sniff I may question their ethics. I tried to > put one onto speaker phone so that the whole > office could join in. Why on earth do you waste your own time staying on the phone once you've realised it's a scam? What do you expect to achieve by that?

...and they all lived happily ever after.

Only a few people have. Don't think I did, anyway.

There is a middle way: knock on the door and offer to buy it back! They've stolen it to make money, not because they want a phone like that.