annaj

Good question Brendan. Hang on, I'm going to need to put the kettle on....

Ok, yes, the litter does bother me (your post appeared while I was writin mine Nero or I would've mentioned it). Standing? Not really. I do think I'm unusually insensitive to the things that bother most people about public transport. Mr J hates the 12 and can't understand why I don't. The only thing I really don't like on public transport is personal grooming. I've seen people plucking their eyebrows and cutting their nails - yuk! I suppose I'm just lucky that the whole experience doesn't bother me. Sorry!:-$

Ooooh, now here's a thread I can get excited about. I love Top Tens. Also, it seems unlikely this will descend into a scary class war like everything else on this forum. So... Lyrics Look At Me Voice Of The Beehive "Psycho eyes and monster thighs she preches for the TV. Just give me all your money and I swear I'll save your soul it's easy. You can read the good book to feel bad about yourself, but just one small donation could save you from burning down in hell." Blood Roses Tori Amos "I've shaved every place that you've been boy" Land Down Under Men At Work "She just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich" Mockney Piers - how could you include this but miss out the best line? Precious Things Tori Amos(again. Sorry) "So you can make me come, that doesn't make you Jesus" Creep Radiohead "You're just like an angel Your skin makes me cry" Sway Bic Runga "Sometimes, when you and collide I fall into an ocean of you pull me out in time, don't let me drown. The Lovecats The Cure "We should have each other to tea we should have each other with cream" Don't Get Me Wrong The Pretenders " Don't get me wrong if I'm acting so distracted I'm thinking about the fireworks that go off when you smile" Mahattan Skyline A-ha "We sit and watch umbrellas fly I'm tring to keep my newspaper dry I hear myself saying "my boats leaving now" and we shake hands and cry" and last but not least Holding Out For A Hero Bonnie Tyler "Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods? Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds? Isn't there a white knight upon a firey steed? Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need" And you thought Bagpuss was cheesy! Now, novels: Chocolat - Joanne Harris and the recent follow-up Lollipop Shoes. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth. When I finished it I missed the characters as if they were friends I hadn't seen for ages. Borderliners - Peter Hoeg. Deeply disturbing but worth it. The Time Travellers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger :)). Anna

Again, I think I'm going to have to defend the 12. I'm a devoted public transport user and the bus service here is better than it has been anywhere else I've lived. The 12 comes every 5-10 minutes, 24 hours a day - that's a good service. I only find it stops short about once a week and in my experience it always says where it's stopping on the front and very rarely changes destination en-route. Now that the road works on Walworth Road are finishing, my journey to Westminster rarely takes more than 40 minutes. Maybe it's because I mainly use it off peak, perhaps the service is better. The only frustrating time to travel is mid-afternoon when Rye Lane is blocked with delivery trucks and all the buses come to a standstill, but that's not the fault of the number 12. As for the "bothersome" changing of drivers, it really only causes a few minutes delay and I have always assumed that is because they're due to finish shift or have a break and I would personally prefer my driver to have had regular breaks. On the subject of safety, again perhaps I've just been lucky, but I've never had anything stolen. I'm sorry everyone else is having such a horrible experience.

I like the 12. I use it almost every day and have never had a problem, apart from the boozy chatting up that CWALD mentioned. Back when it was still a routemaster there was a Number 12 poem on posters on the top deck. A satisfied number 12 passenger had written it in tribute to her favourite bus. Obviously, I don't like it as much as she did... "I like the fact they've kept them red, they're famed the whole word through. Efficient and it must be said, they're clean and tidy too. Conductors seem to like their work, the stops en route they shout, to help befuddled foreign folk to find their way about. They're not to hot. They're not to cold. And so this traveller feels, the number 12 deserves the gold: The greatest thing on wheels."

Taaake me to a vision of tomorrow on a glooory night... Mockney piers, that's going to keep me smiling all morning. Thank you! Out of interest, do you just know the names of the members of Scorpion or did you have to google it? Lauceriani, you could try ringing London Zoo, they could tell you if it's likely to do any harm to just release it.

I've never quite recovered from the closure of Chibchas, which used to be on Grove Vale where Buddha Jazz is now. They served the most amazing Mexican tapas and it was definitely my favourite local restaurant, possibly my all time favourite. There used to be one on Trafalgar Road in Greenwich to, not exactly local I know, but well worth a visit if it's still there. Hmmm Chibchas. Happy food memories.

We've got two cats and they're wonderful, but I would say two cats is twice the mess (hair, litter etc) and it takes a bit of extra work to stop your house becoming a cat house. I think most cats are equally happy on their own or in pairs. We use the vet near the Harvester, Lomax and Partners, and really like it. It's sometimes a bit chaotic when you phone or call in, but the staff are lovely and they work really long days so you can always get a pre- or post-work appointment. We've also used the emergency vets on Streatham High Road, when the now infamous Audrey http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?20,32170 tried to eat a toad late one night with slightly alarming results, and they were very good although not cheap. Enjoy your kitten(s)! Anna

Hi Michael, She's named after Audrey Hepburn - small pointy face, jet black hair, big eyes. Her brother is Clark (Gable) because he's kind of a smoothy. Hope that answers your question. Anna

Thanks Everyone. Jim, what time was it that you think you saw her? If it was recent we'll go out and have a look round. Of course it could have been our other cat Clark, he looks just the same, but bigger with a blue collar.

ED to Old Street - I can't really add anything to what has already been said, but I would definitely second the post about protective clothing. Doesn't matter how big or small your bike the road is just as hard when you hit it. A lot of biking injuries are avoidable with the right gear. ED to St Thomas' - I recommend the number 12 bus. It's more frequent and regular than any other services (every 5-10mins most of the day) and runs 24 hours a day. How long it takes depends on when you travel, 30mins at 7am, up to an hour at peak times. Best of all it's the only bus service that used to have its own poem!