Applespider

I liked the option of being able to hop off the old Routemasters if they got stuck in traffic. Now as a cyclist, I'm less keen on the idea of an open platform. Otherwise, the old Routemasters looked fabulous (they make me smile when I see one around now)but were horrible temperature-wise and comfort-wise. You did end up being very close with whoever sat next to you; and I'm not particularly big. The bendy buses were horrible. During the Olympics, they brought them out of retirement to transport the ceremonies volunteers and I remembered why I did't like them. The seats are uncomfortable and the layout isn't great. The standing space doesn't have as many places to hang onto as it could do and the backward seats were always the last to be taken for a reason. And they were horrendous both to overtake and be overtaken by on a bike. I do like the new Routemasters; I see them regularly at Victoria and they just look so much more like a London icon than all the other boring red buses out there.

Sure they will get round to putting up signage; they usually do a little after they've painted the cycles on the carriageway. At the very least, they'll put a 'Except cycles' under a no entry sign but they'll often put up a sign that illustrates the contraflow showing the bike coming the other way. It seems to work reasonably well in other streets - aside perhaps from Melford Road where the parked cars on either make it a little bit of a lottery to choose to cycle against the main traffic! Only Me! I believe Sustrans are campaigning for all new one-way layouts to be designed so that they are two-way for cycles.

PeckhamRose Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It just so happens your humble correspondent in > New England on a road trip should be hesding for > the Benand Jerry's hq andfactory in thenext few > days inVermont; l will ask them their plans! The factory tour at B&J is fun; I did it a few years ago. Every employee can take two cartons home a day - and they have free gym membership (not a surprise!) About ten years ago, they had some 'agony aunt' type thing on their website and one of the people in our office wrote in to say that she wanted to be more popular at work so they sent us enough icecream for all 100 of us. And yes, while I adore the gelato at Gelupo, sometimes B&J hits the spot. Sometimes you want steak, sometimes a burger.

lane lover Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Not trying to put people off, but need to reflect > a balanced view. I know far too many people who > have had serious injuries riding in London ... You must know some very unlucky cyclists then or work in a role that means you meet a lot of them. If we're sharing anecdotes as evidence of a balanced view, I know precisely one cyclist who has had a serious injury (broken bones etc) while cycling in traffic. I know a huge number more who have never had a bruise let alone anything worse. In comparison, I know quite a few pedestrians and drivers who have been seriously injured on the roads. Everything has an element of risk, that's one reason I recommended the cycle training above. Learning how to deal with it effectively puts you in the safest position. Cycling - if you follow the rules of the road and basic common sense - isn't as dangerous as many believe.

Great idea Jon. I'd thoroughly agree with you too - I go from near the Horniman to Victoria most days and it's a great start to my day. There's a point on every commute where I find myself grinning. There are ways to avoid many of the hills around here too - you don't have to take Dog Kennel Hill like the buses do! For anyone who is tempted, there's also great free cycle training available via Southwark Council. They cater for everyone from wobblers to those who can ride but don't like traffic.

Not as far as I know. I meet up with some other friends and watch it in town at Bodeans in Soho. Not quite as handy as having a bar down the road but then we are spread out across London so it's equally inconvenient to all!

Ah... that explains the 176 that I just saw going down Wood Vale. Hope that those involved aren't badly hurt.

I'd take a Red Dog Saloon-style BBQ place on LL... my waistline wouldn't thank you for it but good ribs are just amazing.

Wagamamas used to be great but then over-expanded, the prices went up, the food quality went down and it isn't value for money any longer. If we must have a chain, I would take a Busaba Eathai or a Wahaca or even a Tortilla or itsu. Or any good independent selling any of those food types!

I love watching the NFL. It's the main reason that I have SKY - plus Game Pass and it will be good to get it on BBC to try to grow the audience. I started watching it way back when it was on C4 as one of the few things to watch on a Sunday night but really only knew enough about it to have it on in the background. When NFL Europe played, I watched the Claymores every week and that taught me a lot more about the actual flow of the game and much more about the tactics. I love the combination of strategy, strength and skill. I love the 'any given sunday' aspects of how fast a game can change with multiple quick touchdowns. I love watching that NFL Films shot of a perfect spiral being caught over a receiver's shoulder. The thing that does strike me about those who complain it's long-winded and boring is that many of them are cricket fans. I mean... it can take 5 days and has mealbreaks! Or snooker fans where 35 frames can take a weekend... 3 hours seems positively lightweight in comparison!

DJKillaQueen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Why was all the music so miserable? Bits of it were quite poignant and sadly all the stuff on the CD is. I was really looking forward to getting hold of the music they used in the Athlete's Parade which was quite fast and dancey. I wanted to use at the gym after dancing to it for most of the parade.

There is a gorgeous beagle who gets walked in Dulwich Park around 8am most days. Sadly he's not mine but you could try to bump into the owner and start a conversation perhaps?

I have a few friends in Scotland who have bought fixed caravans on small campsites next to lochs or seasides. From March through to October, they will often decamp there for the weekends etc before boarding it up for the winter and mothballing it. They occasionally rent them out to family and friends for week or so here and there. I've been and, to be honest, was pleasantly surprised by the facilities given what I imagined from childhood memories. Even when the weather isn't particularly great (bear in mind this is Scotland), they will go up for the change of scenery and a bit of walking etc. These people are reasonably off rather than well-off so I'm assuming it's cheaper than buying an actual cottage would be.

John Lewis do a fashion advisory service that will cover e erything from lingerie to outerwear if you want. They will do occasion dressing, wardrobe refreshes etc. It used to be free but I think became a victim of its own success so it's now deductible from purchase. They don't work off commission though so you can generally give them your budget and they will work with it.

There are bike racks outside the station that seem fairly busy and well-used. How safe they are, I can't comment since I'm usually riding past rather than leaving one. But there are quite a few local cafes and bars with tables outside so you'd like to think that someone would spot someone with an angle grinder trying to nick bikes.

You can definitely do gate to arena in 15 minutes but I added on another 15 to get from the train and through the convoluted queuing system to the gate!

It's a good 30-35 minute walk from Stratford to the hockey venue even when there are no queues or crowds. The nice thing about it is that you get to see the rest of the Park and it is lovely - and at that time, shouldn't be too crowded. If you want the quickest route, the closest station is Leyton and then use the Eton Manor gate (as Katgod suggests). It's about a 10 minute walk from the Eton Manor gate to the hockey. And you can hop on a 308 bus between Leyton and the Eton Manor gate; it's a bit of a circuitous route to avoid the A12 if you walk it.

Nope - they get added throughout the day now and it's just luck if you happen to refresh at that precise moment (and are already logged into the site so don't waste time with the silly Captcha). I know a few people who have got tickets in the last week; sadly I'm not one of them. I'm one of the lucky ones - I got a few yes's from the website in June so have a few events to go to. But I've still had more 'Nos' than 'Yes' and my events are of the 'not shown on mainstream TV' for the most part! Still... I've had a ball at them all so far!

Do a search on the forum for the Sash Guy. He's local and specialises in frames. He can do them single or double glazed and can repair ones that perhaps looks beyond repair. And it's a heck of a lot cheaper than you've been quoted. I got all my windows overhauled and draft proofed and one virtually rebuilt for what you've been quoted!

It was a blast performing last night - such a change to have an audience in those seats and start 'feeding' off them. Thanks for arranging the cab, caz! I was at work this morning in body... not entirely convinced the brain was firing on all cylinders though!

The food queues were incredibly long at 6.30 when my segment arrived at the stadium and stayed like that until about 7.30 when they suddenly tailed off. By the time the preshow was about to start, you could walk up and get served fairly easily (at least at the section I was loitering around) Not all of it will be to everyone's taste but, I've watched it with costumes and lighting, three times now and I'm still spotting new things and enjoying it.

It's not that hard to find the street by street timings around. The BBC torch site has them - and lets you know if it's on schedule on the day... http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchrelay/day69 Be warned - crowds tend to start gathering at least 30 minutes beforehand. I think the points listed here are the actual torch 'kisses' where it's busier but you do get to see it for longer than when it's just going past. 10:30 Old Kent Road A2 10:41 Trafalgar Avenue B215 10:47 Sumner Road B215 10:52 Peckham Hill Street B215 10:56 Peckham High Street A202 10:57 Peckham Road A202 11:00 Lyndhurst Way 11:00 Harris Academy at Peckham 11:57 Lyndhurst Way 11:57 Peckham Road A202 12:05 Camberwell Church Street A202 12:09 Lambeth 12:09 Denmark Hill A215 12:10 Coldharbour Lane A2217 12:30 Acre Lane A2217

I got mine yesterday too. I was going to dispute Bb's time but then I remembered the 5 minute walk to get from Jubilee line to Westfield! Once you are there it is only a few minutes. And yes, back up Loz's comment on how big Olympic Park is. And that's with minimal people in it walking around. Then again, it is worth it not to rush through - lots of lovely parkland to wander through and cool things to discover (like the liquid words under the aquatic bridge)

Chippy - I think that's because the only box office that is currently open is the one at Stratford. Once the games actually begin, there will be more close to other venues. Still none anywhere near ED though.

Undisputedtruth Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > London Bridge station will be busy in the > afternoons and evenings as many of the Olympic > events are taking place in the afternoons. There > should be no problems during the mornings. > All information came from Vince > Lucas, Southeastern's director for service > delivery. That doesn't fill me with confidence. The majority of sports have a morning (8.30 - 10am starts) and an evening (from 6pm starts) sessions. The spectator instructions suggest arriving 60-90 minutes pre-session which means people will be travelling during the morning rush.