PaulT

As a former resident of ED with fond memories of The Celebrity Pub Quiz pre-posh-bit-upstairs-at-the-EDT, and in need of an SE22 pub quiz this Thursday - which pub q would you guys recommend? PS - I have looked at the 'what's on' bit of the forum but it's not obvious what's actually, er, on this Thursday. Your help much appreciated!

Hello Sean, Think 'ed Pete' said it best - once you've factored in a shower etc you've not saved time, but then it's not about shaving off 10 mins here or there, but rather that you are in control of your journey. Barring a flat tyre, accident etc (risking it, but I'm 18 months on the saddle, and no probs so far) you know that your journey will take a set time (eg for me it's 25-30 mins), and you won't be at the mercy of a defective train line, a cancelled train, an agrressive teenager on the bus, or a fare-dodger etc. Plus, you get the physical rush from the exercise - endorphins pumping and a hot shower. I'm basically wired from 9-10am, after my ride in, rather than bleary-eyed and grumpy from a bad commute...

As a relatively recent convert to cycling into work in Westminster rather than grumpily waiting for public transport, I can recommend DKH for only one reason - you get to go very fast down Camberwell Grove (very responsibly of course), which is soooo fun. Alternately, if you want to go via camberwell, you can use the much greener route past the playing fields of Alleyns and then down Green Dale, bringing you out on Denmark Hill.

Comparisons are a bit silly aren't they? They're both lovely parks. Personally I think we're lucky to have such good green spaces where you can get out and clear your head. Dulwich Park is lovely, so is the beautiful Peckham Rye. Horniman Gardens are splendid too. One Tree Hill is also worth a wander. And there's the glorious Dulwich Woods, massive Crystal Palace park, Sydenham Wells. Sorry, don't mean to bore on, but I think we're a lucky lot in this respect...

Grammatical tiffs aside, I've always really liked the lovely people at the Co-Op, even if their approach to stock checking seems a little like russian roulette (random, rather than murderous). Also, I don't know if anyone has been doing this, but until they closed for the refurb, I'd not really noticed how much I use the place. I keep wandering down there for milk and bread and then realising (again) that it's closed. It's like trying to get used to a missing limb. But much less traumatic of course. And hopefully, when I get my shiny new bionic arm... I mean, shop, this painful period will have been worth it. PS - As a licence-fee payer, perhaps the BBC style guide needs an update so that it sounds more like, well, the english language as it is actually spoken?

Is there an ITNG style guide to ensure consistency on spellings? God knows I need one.

...and no, that's not a euphemism for something rude. We found a 4-5inch high plastic upsy-daisy (if you need to ask, I'm guessing it's not yours) on Underhill Rd today between Dunstans and Upland Rd. Let me know if you currently have a bereft child who has lost a brightly-coloured, much-loved chunk of plastic. Our little one is already smitten but taking good care of it. Am a first-time poster (love the site Mr EDF) so not sure how contact works, but I'll check back on the thread and I'm sure we can arrange some kind of checkpoint charlie-style toy handover.

Do you think there's a North Finchley website forum somewhere where hundreds of residents gather to talk about what shops are opening on their high street? Bring on the gourmet burgers I say.

It's not just East D though is it? The whole of London has gone bonkers in the last few months. That said, a banker from Clapham (an actual banker, that's not a euphemism) said to me the other night that she was looking to move but that she thought East Dulwich was "a bit expensive". How times have changed...