evildrwallace

Hi SEnewbie, I've ridden around London for around 30 years, including commuting to the city, West End, Wembley and lately Maida Vale, as well as a stint as a courier and I've ridden everything from litre sports bikes to my current 125 scooter. I would echo most of the advice you've already had, including that a 125 is plenty for commuting - anything bigger is a total waste and a scooter is much better for keeping the rain off than a motorbike. My current Piaggio has bigger wheels than a standard scooter and is noticeably more stable. Having said all that, I'm pushing 60 and am a skinny runt but I still find it very nearly as quick and much more pleasant commuting by pushbike. It's nearly 10 miles to my current job and takes about 5 minutes longer by bicycle than on my scooter - and I don't run red lights... Of course cycling is not for everyone but neither is motorcycling and, if you feel like giving it a go it's cheaper, greener, healthier, possibly quicker and less hassle than any form of transport bar walking. Whatever you decide good luck and I hope it works out for you.

I would echo all the recommendations here. Steve's team have just finished refurbishing 15 windows in our house and we are very happy with both the end result and the way the work was done, from initial quote to final clear up. The guys are all very professional, friendly and courteous and did all they could to make the job as stress free as possible, cleaning up every evening and letting us know day to day what was going on. Many thanks and a five star recommendation.

Steve's excellent team have just refurbished 15 of our sash windows and we are delighted with the work. Echoing what everyone else has said, Luke and the others were always courteous, communicative, and happy to work around our daily lives. The house was left tidy and secure every evening and all the windows now look wonderful and work perfectly. Highly recommended!

I'd have to agree with the OP Goldilocks on this one. We actually installed a woodburner some years ago as we have quite a bit of wood from coppicing a large tree in our garden and pruning a couple of others - this meant we rarely had to buy wood at all. But this winter we have pretty much decided not to use the stove any longer as it really can't be justified given the pollution we now know it causes.

I haven't driven an XC60 but I often use a Golf which has a similar automatic handbrake and I have to say it works brilliantly, including on steep hills - you just have to learn to trust it. I am not a fan of a lot of new gadgetry in modern cars but I would have to say that this is something that I would be pleased to have in any car I owned.

Thanks all - I'll plant what i can and give the rest away.

Mick - given that i am from potato land i already feel like a cultural outcast having put the question! PS - In case anyone is wondering what the answer to the original question is.......according to the supplier they can't be stored for next year.

Hi all I am growing some potatoes this year but am anticipating having seed left over. Does anyone know if it's possible to store it (in a way that stops it sprouting this year) for use next year?

Well I'd like to make a fuss but I can't make Tuesday's meeting, unfortunately. I'm not surprised the first meeting was poorly attended as I have not seen any mention of it anywhere until I chanced to read the above post. I'm afraid I am heartily sick of aircraft noise but don't feel that the rewards from being active in campaigning against it are likely to justify the cost/time, etc. However, I am very grateful to those that do campaign about it (I did march against the Heathrow extension...) and I would be very grateful if anyone who does go to Tuesday's meeting would cast my proxy vote against any mealy mouthed political flim flam about the necessity of ever expanding airport capacity etc. etc.

Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > StraferJack Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Has to be Treacle jr. > > Wha dat Tam ? I'd say you're a sig fudder!

Why don't you just ask them?!

haruki Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Easiest to hardest (ish): > > Puy lentil chilli > http://underthewarminglamp.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/ > vegetarian-chili-with-puy-lentils.html > Aubergine parmigiana > http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-reci > pes/aubergine-parmigiana-melanzane-alla-parmigiana > > Mushroom / goats cheese Tartlet > http://www.womanandhome.com/recipes/293585/mushroo > m-goat-s-cheese-and-tarragon-tartlets > Paneer / roast veg tikka + dhal > http://redchillycurry.com/tandoori-paneer-tikkapan > eer-tikka-kababs/ > Beer-battered halloumi with minted peas, homemade > wedges > http://www.peachtreesandbumblebees.com/2011/10/03/ > beer-battered-halloumi/ > > If anyone wants a challenge I'll post a recipe > from Terre a Terre, best veggie restaurant in the > world (maybe). The parmigiana and the tartlet are only vegetarian if the parmesan is omitted. https://www.vegsoc.org/saycheese#.Uv3qNSg6E20 Let us know what you cook, Quids.

I hadn't seen this thread so I posted the below on a new thread this morning: For the last few days I've been hearing what I can only assume is an owl around the gardens at the back of our house in Upland Rd. Mostly at night but sometimes quite early evening. We heard a tawny owl quite often last year but this sounds different - three short barks, quite doglike, repeated at 30 sec or so intervals. At first I thought it was a fox but the call is always the same and moves too quickly for a fox. I will try to record it over the next couple of days.

For the last few days I've been hearing what I can only assume is an owl around the gardens at the back of our house. Mostly at night but sometimes quite early evening. We heard a tawny owl quite often last year but this sounds different - three short barks, quite doglike, repeated at 30 sec or so intervals. At first I thought it was a fox but the call is always the same and moves too quickly for a fox. I will try to record it over the next couple of days. Has anyone else heard this and, if so, can you identify it?

James, If parking enforcement has to be funded through fines then it should be abolished immediately. If enforcement is working correctly it should not make any money, as nobody would be parking illegally. Any service that must fail in order to survive is an anachronism and should be rethought. I don't drive and would happily see all private cars banned from the streets of London, but I still cannot see the sense in designing a system that relies on fines to exist - this is not a balancing act, it is just counter-productive and stupid.

Anyone who thinks another supermarket could help East Dulwich in any way simply does not understand markets, economics, and the dynamics of an area like ours. We are extremely lucky to have a thriving high street like Lordship Lane that is relatively free from chains. Another supermarket taking business from East Dulwich Deli, SMBS, the East Dulwich Supermarket, Pretty Traditional, Moxon's, William Rose, etc. etc. will only make it harder for these wonderful outlets (apologies to those I haven't mentioned) to survive. What groceries could you possibly want that you can't get in these shops? When I tell colleagues at work that we do all our shopping on foot, locally, without using supermarkets at all (unless you count East Dulwich Supermarket - really a deli) they are universally jealous. If you want to drive to a soulless mass outlet you have only to go to the Sainsbury's at Dog Kennel Hill, surely this is enough. No, no, no, no, no. Do I make myself clear?

Major respect to bus driver of the 12 this morning. Handling one of those monsters on these roads would be nerve racking to say the least. (Sorry for posting non-advice/question, but it had to be said).

I saw two herons flying over Upland Rd. this afternoon and I think they were calling each other. I only looked up because I heard what I thought were geese, which often call as they fly, but they were definitely herons. I've seen a few flying around here over the years, and once had one in the garden, but I've never heard them call before. Never seen no pelican though...

Aah... that'll be it then.

Just so everyone's clear here - this thread is covering two distinct problems. Karrie's original post is about mobile phone type connection to the web whereas Ironjawcannon, Cora and the beautiful wee quinnie are talking about ADSL landline connection. Both real issues but extremely unlikely to be connected (so to speak). We'll probably be speaking to TalkTalk again tonight about the landline problem so I'll update in the unlikely event that we get anywhere with them.

Well, I know a few people who have: my mum wrote an autobiography of her childhood and had it published, and then went on to write a novel that was published as well, and I have a couple of published friends as well, but it's a lot of effort for not much reward. On top of the year it usually takes to write a book it can easily take that long again to get it published, even if it does get picked up - and that's by no means certain, all first time writers (unless already famous for something else) will receive many rejections. Once published your book will be just one of many thousands published each year and you'll be lucky to get it into your local bookshop, never mind on a display stand at WH Smiths. Sales will be in the hundreds, if you're lucky, and the bulk of your initial print run will invariably end up as land fill. This is not a pessimistic outlook, just realistic. The number of authors who make a living in the UK purely from book sales is ludicrously small (I have seen statistics for this some years ago and I seem to remember it being in the hundreds) and, from the look of the bestseller lists these days - dominated by ghost written biographies of page three girls etc. - I doubt this is changing for the better.

I agree with ????. I wouldn't like to pass judgement on its use by black rappers, for instance, but for a white honkey snowflake like me to use it would be racist in almost any circumstance.