Gerrard

I make a fair bit of eye contact with the oncoming driver before I step out and find this works well. To be fair to drivers, it is quite unusual to have crossings right next to a roundabout, so perhaps for some of them it is the last thing they expect to be dealing with. Then again, a lot of our local drivers are just incredibly unaware of anything other than the 'top tune' they are listening through their tinny and blown speakers... I always take extra care at the Goose Green crossing, in the words of Lynn faulds Wood, its a potential deathtrap.

My family was in this game for a fair few years.. To be fair to both the sellers outside the EDT and to Sainsburys, potted trees with roots are always going to be more expensive. Quite a lot of labour goes into planting and tending to these trees during the year or two before it is sold to the public. you then have to add on storage costs and finally transport, and not forgetting of course a margin for some profit. It soon adds up. In terms of impact on the environment, as Huguenot correctly states, the argument between the benefits of plastic or real trees continues. On the side of opting for a real one, I understand that a young tree will take almost three times more carbon out of the atmosphere than an older, more established tree. Christmas trees are all specifically grown for this purpose, if people didnt buy real trees they would not have been grown in the first place. The story of thousands of acres of forest being cleared each year is a myth, they all come from fields around Europe and are treated in the same way as any other crop. I suspect the cheaper trees at B&Q are the traditional Norway spruce trees. The 'Nordman' variety generally sold on the Lane take a lot longer to grow and will therefore always be more expensive. Lizzied is right in that Nordman trees will never smell as nice as the traditional pine, but they do drop less needles and are not as sharp as the traditional tree. The guys on Uplands Road are the friendliest garden centre people I have come across, if I was at home for Christmas then they would be getting my money.

Thanks very much for your suggestions, I will let you know how it goes. Sean - glad to be of service!

Dear Forumites, I am off to see Bill Bailey tonight, and wanted to head over to Chinatown for a meal beforehand. I am hardly ever here, and my last choice of restaurant was a disaster... Does anyone have any suggestions for a decent meal? Many thanks Gerrard

I agree whole heartedly with you Moos, Die Another Day was my least favouite Bond movie for exactly these reasons. I ddn't dig the invisible "We call it the Vanish" Aston Martin either. Pierce had his moments admittedly, but Mr Craig's performances as Bond have made the previous ten films rather forgetable.

Product placement has always been a part of the Bond novels and films, but I think it has certainly become more noticable in recent films. I went last night and enjoyed it, but I agree with EDOldie, that Casino Royale was a very tough act to follow. Well worth a watch in the cinema Bon3yard, I implore you not to wait for the DVD! Certainly a much better film that any of the Bourne films in my opinion.

Mike P - the 521 leaves LB for Holborn, for when it rains and/or you cant be bothered with the walk. Sean M - Walking from E&C to Holborn in 25 mins? Surely not possible without some form of drug or transportation device perhaps..

Went a few weeks back. Had a generally good time, they have interesting things on the menu that you dont find in a normal curry house. My food was hot and very tasty, my girlfriends tandori chicken was slightly cold. The side dishes were excellent. Very attentive staff and we would go back.

People who go to gigs to record the event onto their mobile phones. For god's sake, go and see a band and join in with the experience etc, don't go merely to listen to it through your tinny sounding pc speakers when you get home. You look really stupid and may get tennis elbow to boot.

I am not sure if this is the right place for this sort of post, apologies but I couldn't find the 'Great gigs' thread when I searched... I went to the Roundhouse last night to see Elbow, and had a fantastic time. This venue has extremely good sound and I would strongly recommend it. Customer services are excellent, my friend managed to loose our tickets but these were quickly replaced on the day without any fuss, the cloakroom is well run and we didnt have to queue to drop off or reclaim coats, bar and toilet facilities are very good too. It also helped that the band put on a stunning performance last night.

Nothing wrong with curried goat, ms_1316! Ganapati is by far the most authentic place in my book, Southern Indian food which is very different from the normal Anglo-Indian food, although Peckham Rye not LL.

Would be interested to see a comparison of drinks prices between the Montpelier and Gowlett. I visitied both places this weekend, and found the price of Guinness in the Gowlett to be quite high. We had a great meal in the Montpelier on Friday night despite it being our waitresses first night. In my opinion, it is the best food you can get from a pub in either SE22 or SE15. Bad luck Cassius, but give it another go, I really rate this place and I personally find other pubs in the area to be more expensive.

I would be very surprised if we see a sustained five year period of inflation at that level.

I wish you would, your ridiculous and unsubstantiated comments have nothing to do with Louisa's original post.

Telegramsam, I used this station regularly for two and a half years when I lived in Syders. It is my favourite station in London, its a fantastic start to the day walking/running down the side of the wood to get to work. The service was generally on time and regular, and I always managed to get a seat (I had to be at work for 8ish in Blackfriars). Coming back the train was certainly busier, and a change was required at Herne Hill, but the overall journey was painless. I have walked home from this station at all times and I didnt encounter any problems whatsoever. My female flatmate at the time used to do the same and was comfortable with the walk too. To be honest, I miss this commute. It was one of the best things about living in Sydenham for me. I would gladly trade it with the daily scrum of East Dulwich station any day.

A tip from the pest control guy at the council was to get the carpets steam cleaned, this should kill anything that is eating or nesting there. Our light coloured moths hae been replaced by dark brown ones in the last week.. I think they are just as capable of eating fine wares. Traps are great, but get plenty of them, perhaps one in each wardrobe too... Its expensive to keep up the fight against these uninvited and unwanted guests..

Snorky - what makes her greedy? If she is fortunate enough to be able to invest some of her money in property then good for her. As an actress, her earning potential is likely to come in fits and spurts over time. Gavin & Stacey has been a big hit but who is to say that she will continue with this recent success? This may be the only time she is able to put something away for her future. I find the second part of your post to be rather ignorant, which is in complete contrast to your first point about a ski property at 800m elevation.

Apologies Sean, I missed half this thread on first reading, and took your #2 to be something quite different.. Can we put this down to drinking countless pints of Guinness in Ireland over a long weekend, and seeing the dawn three times in three days. - goes back to the Lurkers lair to scoff humble pie, dreaming of an alcohol free sleep tonight - Oh, and #2 gets my vote too! (and go A303 if you choose this option for sure)

I prefer it myself, but in August I imagine you will get held up a bit as it goes into single lane traffic on a number of occasions. It is a much more interesting drive over Salsbury Plain, past Stonehenge and through various villages with pub lunches available etc. But perhaps you might be better off with the rather monotonous M4 & M5, given that it will be in the middle of caravan and school holiday season. Best of luck with your travels. Reaching Cornwall more than makes up for what can be a long old drive, its a great place to go and unwind from London life. If you plans are not dictated by school holidays, try going down in June or September as it is so much quieter in Cornwall generally and on the roads. The A303 is a decent road and is the more direct route, 5 - 6 hours can be easily achieved on a good day. Weather can be just as good as well (if you are lucky).

Sean - I managed ED to Newquay area in five hours the week before last. I do tend to drive relatively quickly, but I consider myself a safe driver and am certainly not a 'boy racer'. I only stopped for fuel and ate a sandwich whilst driving, which isnt ideal but fine if you are pressed for time. I would estimate you would need to add at least two hours to this time during the month of August, but your estimate of nine hours is way out unless perhaps you decide to stop for a three course meal to break the journey. I have done this trip (generally via the A303 as it is a much more pleasant drive than the tedious M4 & M5 route) at least twelve times in the past fifteen years. I always have a six hour journey time in my head, but this will deviate at least an hour each side depending on the time of year. The other advice is all sound in my experience, leaving early or night driving are good ideas to beat the queues near Stonehenge and Exeter. I was getting rather irritated by your boring and inaccurate repetition.

Went to see Radiohead last night at Victoria Park. Never been to the park before, but it was a good place to have a gig of this size. Nice relaxed festival feel before the gig, so rare to have that type of atmosphere in the middle of London. The band were fantastic, and the recent material came across really well live. No banter between tunes, but the music was so good that it wasnt necessary. Fantastic night, and even managed to get home at a decent time, despite been half cut, thanks to finding the way to Stratford tube station. Anyone else make it?

Another tip - fake tan comes off in the sea.

Keef, I am sure you know that there is more to living in ED than decent schools. I dont have kids and left Sydenham to live here three years ago. The Lawrie Park Triangle is a really nice part of Sydenham, but for me the lack of decent places to eat and drink, alongside a generally iffy high street in SE26 put me off the place. I know things have improved recently on these fronts, but Sydenham has a long way to go to rival the ED area for these type of facilities. Although I do agree that the transport links in Sydenham are much better than ED, I always felt too far away from the centre of town when I lived there, ?38 in a black cab home versus ?21 where I currently live. Horses for courses, but overall I am much happier here and am glad I paid the extra money to set up home.

MW 74 - did you used to go to the Velvet Underground on a Wednesday night, Jon of the Pleased Women Djing '95 - 96?? Six foot transvestite on the door (Darren I think it was..), me and my mates had just arrived in London and just started clubbing.. Great days, used to love that place. Club UK - what a blast from the past, massive place if I remember correctly.

I think you are both right, and apologies for the confusion. The noise (I believe) is coming from the social housing that was built when Altima Court was built two years ago, I only get the chance to enjoy the loud RnB beats when I do my recycling (like a proper East Dulwich lad). It isnt part of Altima but was built at the same time. Apols for my oversight, Micheal.