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Applespider

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Everything posted by Applespider

  1. Autumn is quite a nutty season so a frangelico or amaretto sour? Also quite partial to a Dark and Stormy or something with blackberries.... mmmm
  2. Were you using the main site or the mobile version? When I was bookmarking my local stops, I did notice that the main version on the computer was missing a bus or two that the mobile version was showing. Then again, even when sitting at a Countdown stop, buses would randomly appear and disappear. The timings are also based on the average time between two stops so if there's little traffic or a bus gets through lots of green lights or no request stops, it can go from 2 minutes to due within about 30 seconds.
  3. Article on the BBC website here Apparently, it isn't officially launched yet and this is just user-testing. Another useful feature is being able to save your favourite stops; my nearest ones to home are now bookmarked. And if there's one bus on it that you never care out, you can just filter it out of the results. It's going to be particularly useful when you've got the option of two routes to your destination, the slower option arrives first and you've got no idea whether it's worth waiting for the faster one or not. And while there's no app yet, there is a mobile version here
  4. Oh.... that is brilliant. I knew it was on the way but was just thinking today that it had all gone quiet. Now waiting for the iPhone app! Might be useful if someone checks an ED bus stop to note the number here to save us all having to do the same? The Lordship Lane/Wood Vale ones are Northbound - 73134 Southbound - 50453
  5. LM - my mother picked me up two packs in the spring. If you can't find em, let me know and you can have one of them.
  6. There are trains from Victoria which get to Gatwick within 5 minutes of the Gatwick Express at half the price. Just look for the ones that only stop at Clapham, East Croydon and then Gatwick. There's definitely one at 32 minutes past the hour - think it's the Southampton train. But yes, I'd go Forest Hill and East Croydon too.
  7. Thanks, LM - will email Tessa accordingly (although she's never once responded to me) One other thing that I'd encourage cyclists to do if they work for a company that operates HGVs, is to ask them what training they offer drivers with regards to cyclists and whether their vehicles are fitted with safety devices (additional mirrors, skirts on the wheels or sensors/recordings). I raised it a while back with mine and they're now implementing some additional safety training for the drivers; and doing local sessions with cyclists who commute to work to show them the blind spots. Btw - it's Lidl reflective spoke sale time again - next week - 5/6 September it starts, I think.
  8. A warm taupe works well - quite neutral and light - and it stops the red looking 'cold'.
  9. Sounds good. Brighton is only 50 miles from here, believe it or not. You'd probably surprise yourself with what you could do. We are taking the train back though! Hope you didn't get too drenched today. I did :'(
  10. Looks like a fabulous trip... I like clever reverse shots in mirrors too...
  11. Cool! From what I've heard that can be a lovely run - just depends how many hours/days they are giving you to do it. Not too many hills and some lovely bits of countryside to roll through. Is it one of the ones where all you carry is yourself and the bike - with a little van to lug your stuff for you or is it more of a touring one where you have your own belongings on you? Are you up for our little jaunt to Brighton tomorrow?
  12. Right - I need to put this in my diary since otherwise I forget until I suddenly check the forum at 11pm on drinks night and realise that I've missed them... again!
  13. Getting that spacial awareness can be tricky and part of it will just come with experience. And you'll relive it every time you get in a new car and have to get a sense for its width and length. Are you OK with the front/back spaces (e.g. when you're parallel parking?) What I'd suggest is finding a relatively quiet side street (with cars parked) and drive down it where you would feel comfortable. Halfway down (obviously with nothing behind you) stop and stick the handbrake and hazards on. Get out and take a look at where you actually are. You might be surprised to find that you're further away from parked cars than you think - or a lot closer. And when you open the door, you'll find out how close to the central line you actually are - or aren't. The other thing you can do is go to a car park and take a couple of cones (or bottles) and literally place them the width of your car so that you work on your sense of how 'wide' you are in the vehicle. That should then help you once you're on the road since you should be more comfortable.
  14. If you're around the Plough (or south), then heading down to Dulwich and via Herne Hill/Brixton/Stockwell to get to Vauxhall works well. It's less hectic that Camberwell New Road - and means you can avoid Dog Kennel Hill. I used to go over Lambeth Bridge but now just go over Vauxhall since once you figure out the best way round the gyratory and get the lights timing, it felt better than the narrower Lambeth Bridge and going out of my way. I'd think about going over Vauxhall and round Victoria, through St James Park up the Mall to Trafalgar Square and then as above depending on where near Oxford Circus you are going. I know you say you are quite confident but living in ED, you're entitled to a free cycle lesson from Southwark council. When I was first hunting the perfect route to work (through rush hour traffic), my cycle lesson was made up of my instructor helping me figure out a route and then cycling it with me so she could give me top tips round any tricky junctions.
  15. Just a reminder to those who don't wander into 'What's On' regularly, that there's a cycle from Dulwich to Brighton this Sunday - at a leisurely pace and with the promise of stops for sustenance and icecream en route. It's about 50 miles and we're estimating a 4-5 hour trip. It's not a round trip - we plan on catching the train home again! More info on this thread where you can post your intention to join us so that we don't set off without you. ;-)
  16. Ah... I thought there must have been some developments today since there was a police car and a few papps hanging around again this afternoon.
  17. Fastest route is probably up to Peckham Road, down Camberwell New Road to Vauxhall and then along Nine Elms to Battersea, across the bridge to Sloane Square and then through the back streets to South Ken. It's not the nicest route. Camberwell New Road gets really busy during rush hour and while there's a bus lane, it's not the most free-flowing journey. And you've got to go round Vauxhall Cross which is rarely pleasant to get to Nine Elms. When I'm coming home from South Kensington, I tend to take the Battersea/Nine Elms route but then cut across to South Lambeth Road and come back via Stockwell, Brixton and Herne Hill; but then I live to the south of ED. Traffic doesn't feel as heavy on that route so I always feel like I'm moving faster.
  18. If a dog is walking to heel with its owner, then it's unlikely to alarm anyone and no-one's likely to notice a leash or not. And yes, there's no reason why it shouldn't be on but often if it's just for a few moments and people are confident their dog will stay alongside, they won't bother for whatever reason. Most people are generally responsible but I suspect there are very few who can say they've ever not broken a law through laziness/selfishness - whether it's speeding in a 20mph zone, putting a bag of litter down next to a full bin rather than taking it away or a cyclist going down a one-way street to avoid a one-way system. But with most of those instances, some will do it relatively responsibly (driving at 25mph, ensuring the bag is well secured or staying out of the way of rightful ongoing traffic) and others will do so stupidly and potentially risk others(driving at well over 30mph, dumping loose rubbish so it can blow around or cycling up the middle of the road).
  19. You can be a responsible dog owner (i.e. with your dog under control and you happily picking up poop) while occasionally disregarding local bye-laws - in that case the spirit of the law (i.e. having your dog under control) is being upheld even if the letter of the law (having it on the leash) isn't. The irresponsible owners are those who can't say either the spirit or the letter of the law is being followed and cause distress/accident by doing so.
  20. Wasn't trying to tar all bankers with the same brush and well aware that many of the shenanigans weren't against the law even if they were, to those outside looking in, a tad shady (moving money around is one thing, some of the gambling in the futures markets seems reckless and only concerned with making money for funds without any consideration of the real world implications). I was more referring that at the point where the banks were bailed out, there was a lot of talk about limiting bonuses until the banks had paid back the taxpayer and yet, the country is still making cuts while there are some large bonuses around even in those banks bailed out. Now, while again that's legal so there's not much we can do about it, it doesn't entirely feel right. Still... it's an entirely different conversation to what the thread is about. Two wrongs don't make a right so just because there are perceived injustices out there, it doesn't mean we shouldn't throw the book at those who took part in last week's lootings.
  21. Completely agree on there should be the same rules for top/bottom of society with laws being applied equally. But sadly as we've seen with the banking fallout too, Orwell was right; some are more equal than others.
  22. It is fun cycling to work - generally there's at least one point in every commute where I find myself smiling with a bit of a 'wheeee' momemnt. And yes, it does make you want to cycle more; my work are considering a trip to the Pyrenees in 2013 with 2012 to train for it which alarmingly, I'm thinking sounds quite fun. There are a couple of threads in 'What's On' that you might want to take a look at. McCabe has a couple of groups that go out on a Sunday morning (short and a long route). The 'long' group are slightly faster than the 'short' group but not overly so since it's a mix of mountain, hybrid and road bikes. Next one is probably in 2 weeks time since next week, we are going to attempt a trip to Brighton. If you decide you want to really get into cycling, then take a look at the Dulwich Paragons. While they do do races and time trials, they also have more leisurely ones for those who just enjoy it. You do probably need to be riding a road bike though rather than a hybrid unless you're uber fast on a hybrid. Another alternative is to join one of the many cycling forums since they quite often arrange rides (or drinks) for groups of people. LFGSS always seem to have lots of rides organised (and you can take geared bikes to them).
  23. DJKillaQueen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It's all madness. Obviously those charged with > violence should be treated in line with all > violent offenders but we have a situation where > people charged with non violent petty crimes are > being treated in line with violent offenders. Except that how the judiciary are seeing it is that even those who 'just' looted opportunistically are responsible 'art and part' for the bigger situation.
  24. Frankito - I wonder if it was you I saw in Dulwich Park the other night. I was admiring a gorgeous playful Weimaraner as I cycled past which looked around the right age. You are right - it is a minority who can't control their dogs and don't keep them on a leash. It's sometimes the most respectable looking types who have least control with their dogs entirely ignoring any calls. Lynsabelle - I'm not sure of any local areas which stop dogs entirely but I've seen fewer being walked in Dulwich Woods off the leash than in any local park. It's not green space as in no expanse of grass but it's a lovely walk through the trees and you can forget you are in London quite easily.
  25. A few days on from the looting and the bad jokes are spreading... My favourite so far is Tottenham Hotspur signing a new Italian striker; Grabatelli
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