moondancer

years ago (in France) with absolutely no light pollution, in the middle of nowhere, we saw 5 planets in a vertical alignment, most extraordinary sight. mercury nearest the horizon, faint but visible ( I had better eyesight then and we were elevated) We could see satellites, shooting/falling stars, milky way, the firmament of the heavens, awe and mystery We miss all this, here in a shallow dip fully lighted, as Sue says, pollutionfull the only place Ihave experienced anything similar is in the middle of Russia and in Northumberland, and once years ago in Iceland, away from Reykjavik for the day, stars and planets felt closer, humbling, eerie and wonderful

never ever thought I would be so pleased to see this - obviously falling today and probably the storm of the century later, when those of us who are curious, interested and transfixed, will want to see an eclipse later from Greenwich Park, despite the naysayers and those bored with such phenomena : bring telescopes if you will but these amazings will be visible to the naked eye. 21.00pm, free parking in Greenwich Park (after 6)

and Morrisons

Springer, why would you even post this? the relevance is below zero

well no one passed by, all stopped to help which is what we do when someone need it, no one was going to leave you stranded - I hope you are not too shocked all of you, and make your way to Devon as singalto said, if you can : hire car and resolve, children and dogs, we wish you a good journey and wonderful weather with your family, r&r.

An area gets the shops/services it deserves - maniacal laughter as I pack yet another box of books ...

Diorylite ? water with salt and sugar in, or sugary cordial, salt on food, stay off alcohol, fruit and water

Milan05 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > James Barber you represent the concept of open > democracy and as many have said, changed people's > lives when they felt they had no way of navigating > the system. Your 12 years is immeasurably valued. hear hear ! gentlemanly, responsive, alert and well researched

SteveO for his incisive declarations perceptions and astute reasoning JahLush for his benign and good natured music and philosophy sharing and kindness Jeremy for his reviews and giving Jay Rayner a run for his money *Bob* for his off the wallness ???? for being usually provocative Edhistory, may he rip, Alan Medic, quiet of late : anyone else in that group who I have neglected to mention, through forgetfulness or heat, I understand why you departed, and will not be far behind a vacuum you left however - I would like to pay tribute to two stalwarts of the EDF who have impressed me constantly, grace under pressure, never rude or offensive, never takes the bait but holds up a mirror, expresses dismay at a perceived wrong decision and woman enough to declare this, I appreciate the indomitable spirit of either, despite the immediate devils advocacy ensuing - I think of Elton John's "I'm still standing after all this time" as yes, they are both still standing, an exercise in dignity, the reasoned/unreasoned response, always reasonable and never rude, entertaining provocative, red wine(Malbec) beer and locality, knowedgeable about their immediate environs and populace, no malice or even disagreeableness, both able to give good account of themselves, nobody's fools benign, essential to the underpinning of this often fractious forum the grown ups in fact lynchpins

tonight ! for one night only ! avoid light pollution : eclipse and Mars visible with the naked eye tonight, Greenwich Park, Telegraph Hill, Horniman, Sydenham Hill, free spectacle

Do you not realise? all you who have left disparaging/ad hominen comments, that you are receiving the service which the shopkeepers/landlords/bar staff/brunch suppliers deem that you deserve? And that you are buying into this? Have a good rest of the evening you all. This week to La Rochelle, Isle de Re and Biarritz, and back to our house in the Charente, no one can walk past without acknowledging a physical presence, so no, I do not 'have tomove there' I already am. I feel sorry for those of you who do not know or appreciate charm, acknowledgement, good service, and realise from your charmless responses that I am alone in this. Please, enjoy the rest of your day. This will not inhibit me from describing my experience with a local business this week, which I will engage upon my return.

Robert Poste's Child Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Moondancer has a point, though: as every > restaurateur knows, it's service and general > ambience that brings people back and turns them > into regulars. When everyone's bewailing the death > of the high street and well-known names are going > under, poor service is such an own goal. > > I spent a hilarious 20 minutes trying to get help > in a big M&S last week and all the staff were too > busy huddling in twos and threes bitching about a > colleague to notice me! thank you for raising the standard, RP child !

Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Personally the last thing I want when I go into a > shop is to be greeted, when I just want to have a > mooch around in peace. > > Unless I know the person concerned, that's > different! different is what you do, Sue

LurkyMcLurker Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I, for one, applaud you Moondancer. > > For too long we've had to put up with subpar > service from local shops and eateries. > > I remember a time when customer service meant > something! Nowadays the help don't even bow when I > enter the M&S. how astonishing that you would allow this as your first post .... > > It's all a travesty.

ollieloudon Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Could just be me but don't feel the need for > validation from someone earning ?8.40 an hour > whether you buy something or not. Enjoy the rest > of your day at 7pm , yes you have 5 hours left to > enjoy I don't understand your criticism. This is > by far the most pathetic post if heard on this > forum. Period. Get A job in the service industry > and see how you do. Embarrassment. hank you for your response : you are surmising that I have indeed not been in this position and unable to empathise - nevertheless I would not describe anyone's heartfelt post as pathetic - this as I am sure you will consider am, says more about you than it ever could about me and mine - so dismissive, rude, disparaging, unsympathetic, traducing, etc > PS Cohen22 I like you and your previous post feel > like we would get on xx

cohen22 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > There is obviously a very large hole in your tiny > little life. There's a Waitrose in Beckenham. I > would suggest you moved there... or maybe just > move back to France!! thank you for your response, i will consider this upheaval in all seriousness

I cannot believe that this applies only to me and my family /friends : I can provide a list of indie shops here which fall into the categorie of ignoramus - as in the card shop we entered and approached the desk to have the assistant suddenly throw back his head in a yawn? so many weird experiences here,so many times we have turned tail, the main culprit at the moment being M&S, understocked,under trained, 'enjoy the rest of your day' - erm it is 7pm ? so many times we have been devalued, the times we have been valued are standout, this does not make any sense to me - the rotten shops should be the ones we are wary of. I have had an unbelievable experience here with a new opening which I will describe later this month, : it is all very well people saying : O I ... blah blah blah but really, check out the cons. Perhaps it is living in France for so long - that now I expect and imagine a salutation or at least a recognition of my physical presence - who knows, but really - I am a paying customer - you are a small shop- you are denying my presence ??? this is not an egotistical experience, this is an exercise in courtesy feel free to list, please, can we raise the standards here, and why don't we have a Waitrose ???

parked outside 174 Crystal Palace Road a white/red transit van parked there 10 mins already door open, driver on phone, MJ61 JUC what can I do, it is not possible for me to go out to tackle the driver at the moment. This is opposite the children nursery

the coldest place in ED is the Coop, they wear woolly hat and mittens. You could take a book and camping stool, no one will even notice

Robert Poste's Child Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You're so right. All week I've been noticing > parents on the school run, delivery drivers and > builders around here during the day doing that. > > Today no doubt the air will soon be filled with > the smell of burning chemicals, followed by > burning grease. I know it makes me sound like a > killjoy but I wish people'd thin about the RPC - no it isn't just you - where I live there are small houses with back to back tiny gardens, and although one would imagine it to be sheltered, sound and smells are magnified. Last night our new neighbours lit a barbecue and all rear windows and balcony doors hurriedly closed. Smells and sounds rise. I closed the window loudly like a disapproving old biddy (if the cap fits) and prepared to ask them if it happens again would they mind please moving round to outside their own kitchen so that smells will be absorbed by trees and foliage and not at the side of the house as though neighbours are immune to such inconsiderate shenanigans. Chemicals and grease !

rendelharris Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Utterly heartbreaking, one to think about for the > huge number of people I've seen in this weather > parked up with engine running, exercising their > "right" to keep their aircon going. > > https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/0 > 7/in-the-days-around-ellas-death-there-were-big-sp I was in a posh town in Oxfordshire last week : crossing the car park beyond Waitrose, many cars with engines running, and along by the river and outside the pub, narrow pavements, fumes and additional heat. It isn't just London. This poor child. It certinly made me consider the selfish dropping off of children by running late parents outside my granddaughter's school (not here) which is on the corner of a busy road, and encouraging my daughter to bring this up at the next PG meeting - there are woods behind which of course act as a lung, but for little Ella there was no such escape. > ikes-in-air-pollution

recce , short for reconnaissance

yes OC, I understand the principle and understand also that this is not a HS shop - however in order to pick up one has to know the location. Presumably this is secret until or unless one is initiated into the purchasing process, in which case it is not possible to visit, observe, and approve the facilities in which your raw food is stored and packaged before committing oneself to an online order. Do they have and exhibit a Hygiene Rating for instance. Saving pennies and packaging is all very well - cleanliness and hygiene standards are an imperative.

BeccaL Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > This is the one in Herne Hill > https://www.nakedlarder.co.uk/ We attempted to check this place out a while ago - they are coy about their address which is not even declared on their Facebook page, or the full postcode. Has anyone physically been to the premises? If grain is stored in sacks there will be vermin. I remember food being weighed in grocers with a paper or waxed bag and a little scoop, and if the weight was one raisin over, a delve into the bag with uncovered fingers usually sorted that out. There is a good reason why sugar, grain and flour is packaged early.

Tupperware is plastic ! and leaks BPA into the contents. The nearest advocate of the principle you are espousing is the wonderful little stall on Crystal Palace Market on a Saturday morning. The produce is excellent, the couple who run it are informed and informative and friendly - The Store Cupboard Haynes Lane, opens at 10 am.