The Minkey

I get the 343 everyday into town for work and back, it's been pretty reliable in my experience, during those hours at least,perhaps because I'm near the start of the route in both directions so the service is less susceptible to the vagaries of traffic flow.

Gravy made from straight Bisto adds wetness but no real flavour, pants imo.

Ah, thanks for clarifying, Sue - my memory is s**t. Btw, I like your solution - reckon the ends justify the means ;-)

I raised the erratic service on a thread earlier this year, and Renata Hamvas said she'd raise it with the relevant authorities. Never heard anything more about it, and the service has continued in its hit and miss fashion. Another gripe I have about the 484 is that the drivers never alert you to diversions - one driver, having diverted down to the bottom of the Rye, after the accident on Denmark Hill earlier this year forced closure of the route for a few days, went so far as to tell me it wasn't his job to inform his passengers. Nice..

I made my first onion gravy recently - enough for two. Chop one med. size onion very finely, cook in a little oil until caramelised. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and continue cooking a minute or so until mixed in. Add 1/2 level tsp mustard powder, some worcester sauce, & veg Bisto for thickening, mix well then add cooking water from the vegetables (if you have any) and simmer a few more minutes - simple, quick and tasty.

I don't recall being asked for proof of identity when I called to request a replacement blue bin some time ago. Just call the council, say you live at that address, explain the bins have gone missing, and request replacements. Job done.

Rachel Crowe's performance on US X Factor last night. How a 13 yr old manages to tap into such an adult emotion, generating the fierceness to pull off a song like this, I don't know, truly astonishing. Listen to this girl go!

Persepolis is a wonderful shop, a veritable cornucopia, but I can't remember a veggie section

Don't know about a Hotpoint, but the filter on my machine is down near the floor, behind a plastic faceplate so try taking off the plastic strip at the bottom of the machine. It will jiggle if it's removable ;-)

Brown bin also collected, blue bin looking forlorn ;-)

Green bins were collected this morning from SE15 3EH. Put the rest out in hope.

Tarafitness: I guess by disposable income, I mean the bit left over after all the rest has been paid out that affords us the choice to buy better quality foodstuffs. Like you I prefer to buy organic etc where I can afford to do so, and I consider myself fortunate to have an income that allows me that luxury of choice. I didn't always have it, and given the current economic climate, well, who knows what the future holds..

Not everyone in the area has the disposable income necessary to shop for 'quality' groceries on a weekly basis so I it would be a great shame if Iceland were to be replaced by a Waitrose. I popped in there a couple of times recently and found them very competetively prices for basics such as butter, Allinson's wholemeal, tea and loo roll, and being a small shop it's possible to be in and out in 5 minutes which is great if you're pressed for time. I converted to Morrisons when I moved across from Brixton and was surprised at how much cheaper it is than Sainsburys. Rarely use the Coop as, apart from the special offers and greater choice, prices for basics are a little too close to those in my local corner shop which I'd rather support, so the Coop is one I wouldn't miss at all.

Can't remember the last time I had a dream, but I used to have dream places/scenarios I'd revisit again and again.

Hi DD - I just read that whole thread you linked to, and there was even less detail, lol. Works due to start in October, Ivydale works to follow Cheltenham. I stand by my original assertion, the communication has been woeful. Whether or not the South East Central site contains relevant information, it's surely not good enough that people affected by the works should be expected to stumble across this information on an internet forum, particularly as there are many older people who aren't online at all. And not good enough it took TFL, or whoever was responsible for the signs at bus stops, to delay putting up signs on the bus stops until the buses had already been on diversion for a week or so. Not having a go at you, just surprised that so little consideration was given to people dependant on public transport. Perhaps it's because I am a project manager and we always factor in communication to the end user to minimise the impact of any disruption caused by our work. I also wonder whether the residents of Cheltenham and Ivydale Rds who recieved letters one week prior to the scheduled start date recieved any earlier notification? Feeling rather sorry for the people on Cheltenham who have the builders in at the moment, I assume the same people whose skip ended up within the work zone when the barriers went up..

I figure it's my job to put the bins out to the edge of my property, and the bin mens' job to return them back empty. I've never expected them to be returned round the side of the house where they live between collections. Occasionally, when there's little rubbish to go, I don't put them out and the guys collect it anyway, which has been handy for those days I've simply forgotten to put the bins out. I have no issues at all with the team who do my street.

I popped into Iceland yesterday for a few things - a lot cheaper than the Co-op for Allinson's bread and a couple of packs of butter.

Barry - luckily many of the buses that run down Lordship Lane go by Sainsburys DKH so you could bus it for those times you want to do a larger shop, or get a trailer for the bike ;-)

I live in Nunhead and had no reason to suspect its existence until I did a search looking for more info about these roadworks, lol.. Should you be checking this thread, Renata, the bus stop out of action signs finally went up two/three days ago. There is now an official temp bus stop at the Cheltenham Rd end of Stuart Rd.

Jesus Christ in Richmond Park http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmLOokbPTvI

"Saying that - advanced notice of the road works were posted online several weeks ago here: [bit.ly]" Granted. I ran across that site when I did a search for information about the works over and above what was contained in the letter from the Council/Conway, and at the time I initiated this thread, there was nothing particularly useful on there apart from the works were expected to commence sometime in November. Bit hit and miss as to whether anyone would stumble across that particular website though and there was nothing on the official Southwark site. Incidentally, during the same search, I also came across another discussion about these works in which some people were suggesting that all NCG bound double deckers decant their passengers at Stuart Rd, where it was proposed the 343 route would continue as a single-decker, putting me in mind of the sort of people who move in next door to a pub then complain about the noise..

Put up with crap.

Have the newer lot of green food waste bags got no handles? The old design was good, handles are ideal for tying the bag up.

Well, finally went out again today. No signs on the Surrey Rd bus stop which explains my neighbours shock when I told them today about what the works were and how long they'd be going on for. They thought it was just going to be a 24hr thing. Noo... Picked the bus up at the school stop. On the way back, rang the bell in the hope the bus would stop on Stuart Rd but it didn't so don't rely on it stopping there. Having said that, it was a 484. Edited to say: Have you seen the full skip which is now within the area fenced off for the works? Oops.

Voles