Jules-and-Boo

very sorry to hear that. It must have been awful. Hope you're ok?

Transport for London are likely to take over the London part of Southern, so you can expect improvements when that happens.....

The Apes of Wrath, springs to mind. Apes are gentle creatures though - maybe mankind can learn a thing or two

I agree - can't stand it - it's too superficial and the meaning is lost - which is being with friends and family and slowing down. We spent the weekend making little parcels of fudge and truffles and having fun...much better than Oxford Street panic-buying...

and with lettings agencies fees being scrapped - they're likely to go up again as agents try and make their money by passing the costs on to the landlords... I mean, they have to make an honest living....

If someone is after something you have - tell them they can have it and throw it on the ground - their reaction will give you time to create some distance. They also wouldn't be after you- their objective is to get your item. Your objective is to be safe. Items are replaceable - you are not.

prices will not come down. BTL properties going on the market attract CGT so landlords will pay more tax than a residential seller would attract and will therefore try and inflate the selling price to cover it. In London, even a greater supply will not curb prices as buyers include corporations, overseas investors who do not have the same restrictions a normal person does.

Let's not overlook the number of properties bought via oversees with no clear indication of where the money came from (i.e. profit from crime laundered in London property market). Coupled with tax free profits, there are many oversees buyers forcing up prices (able to pay higher costs) and reducing demand. Property - not JUST new builds = should be prioritised to UK owners as other counties do. There is new legislation afoot to challenge buyers to prove their cash is clean if oversees money, but will this actually force sales?

yes - I agree RH - sees a weakness and is looking to exploit it.

Without our faults we are all perfect. Without the war, WMD..... not really minor flaws, are they.

oh, snowflakes?

is it a Santa one, or stockings?

Years of incompetence. Really can't be hidden anymore. She certainly has a lot on her plate and a lot of criticism for anything she does. I don't envy her at all.

Blair to the rescue

search for dipping bowls with trays....

good line RPC "They're TK Maxx cars - entry level for idiots"

The staff at Peckham Rye station. Always very nice.

....

Just like to add my recommendation for Steve - he came out really quickly - bang on time, which is perfect for a busy mum like me! Very quick analysis of problem and solution. Can't thank him enough - really need more reliable people like this!

well, they DO have a preview night where profits go to charity, but generally my assumption on their mission being one of making money would be based on the fact that with that turnaround of visitors, they could cover their costs at a lower price than ?9 per ride. With most things, it seems at Christmas, it's about making money. And as to the question, "why should they?" why shouldn't they? Christmas is a time of giving - or have we forgotten that?

are you suggesting they're not being festive but are trying to make money? Last Christmas they had 2.5million visitors. That is one hell of a lot of money to be made....in fact, it doesn't bear thinking about. I bet they don't do anything charitable with it.

You may be able to delay the meeting until you have a union rep available. This is the ACAS helpline. They're open at 8am - give them a call and find out for certain where you stand and what you need to do. http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2042

London = traffic = noise. TO be honest, that's life. There are worse evils out there. There are more buses on the road to reduce car volumes - especially on school routes. I think it's a good thing. You can petition TfL to reduce the number of buses.... perhaps to commute hours, but they do have a bigger strategy, which is largely driven by the Major.

any suggestions? I thought I'd got it but it's not working I have android-sms-tranfser.... it asks me to find .db files but I can't see any (or don't know where to look - it can find my phone but then I get stuck Help greatly appreciated. I can't send texts so guess I need to clear the ones I have and of course, I want to keep them...

hope you hug better than you spell ;-)