The Hainault.

Following on from last week's news article about the proposed redevelopment of the old Hainault maternity hospital site in Lesney Park Road - part of the area that I only half jokingly refer to as "The Beverly Hills of Erith". This week I have a response from a Lesney Park Road resident, who, due to the nature of the ongoing situation, needs to keep their identity concealed at this point. The anonymous contributor writes:- "Once again, it seems Bexley council have employed their usual arsenal of double speak, following "The letter of the law versus the spirit of the law". This I find incredibly frustrating particularly given how they handled the Homeleigh debacle (though in fairness that has improved ....somewhat, check the crime statistics). My primary gripe is the removal of effectively all of the mature trees that have grown on the site for decades, their literature explicitly states they intend to minimise the impact to the ecology of the site, yet even a cursory look at their plans vs. the existing site will tell you that is a complete lie. What I also found rather interesting is their statement of community engagement, supposedly I was explicitly consulted, along with the other properties in that part of Lesney Park Road - this is all rather odd as I only discovered this submission via the facebook community group. Neither I, not the neighbours I'd spoken to had any idea of the plans. Funnily enough I did a little research into the author of the post who was very pro-planning - turns out he had a part to play in the Erith Riverside Baths redevelopment. He wasn't terribly sympathetic to concern around the trees, but then again I don't pay his salary. Looking at the plans, I would also firmly bet it is a precursor to redeveloping the Homeleigh care home - it is no coincidence the road leads directly into that site. Oddly I'm not against the redevelopment of the two sites, but unfortunately as with most new-builds they are trying to cram as many people as possible into a small area irrespective of the character and ecology of the area or the residents themselves (see the size of the gardens they are proposing). This week has been particularly busy for me so I've not had time to deeply analyse the proposal, I've left a somewhat lacklustre counter-comment on the application essentially stating the above - I can't imagine it'll come to much given the work that's gone in to the application. My hope is they can scale it back sufficiently the estate retains the mature trees. If you read the Statement of Community Engagement they hosted a consultation with residents on the 18th July (Thursday) between 4pm-8pm - I work in central London and often don't finish to 6-6:30pm, for someone like myself this is a razor thin opportunity to offer key feedback to the application. Their literature even hints at the very fact people couldn't attend - mostly retirees at a guess. Reading further on in the document again the double-speak comes out to play using statistics and accurate, yet equally misleading comments such as "Figure 2 shows that the majority of residents (61 percent) support or strongly support the proposals for new high quality homes in Erith...". This is a complete mistruth, 37 people do not represent the entirely of residents in the immediate area (blimey, Homeleigh which backs directly on to the site must have more than 37 people residing in the property - speaking of which I wonder if they were consulted, if I read this document correctly - no). It all reads rather poorly and quite underhanded when otherwise it could have been a good idea. Given my personal experience with the planning team, hopefully they see through this nonsense. "If anyone wants to object, you still have a window. the planning permission reference is 19/02274/FULM | Demolition of the existing buildings and erection of 25 dwellings comprising 5 x 4 bed, 7 x 3 bed, 5 x 2 bed houses and 8 x 1 bed supported living apartments together with car parking and associated works. | Hainault 35 - 37 Lesney Park Road Erith Kent DA8 3DQ" And this can be done via https://pa.bexley.gov.uk/online-applications ". If you look at the graphic at the top of this article, you can clearly see that the current redevelopment plans for the Hainault site will be at the cost of a number of mature, healthy trees. I agree with the writer that this needs to be brought fully to both the proposed developer and the Council's attention as a matter of priority. We need more trees in the area, not less. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Did you know that there is a connection between a former Plumstead based manufacturing company and the world famous actor and director Clint Eastwood? No? Then read on. Thanks to a long time reader and occasional contributor with a strong interest in local industrial history, who wishes to remain anonymous, and who supplied the following information. Associated Motor Cycles Ltd were a large and successful manufacturing organisation which was based in Plumstead for many years. They owned three major motor bike brands, namely Matchless, AJS and (latterly) Norton, which were designed, manufactured and assembled in their large factory in Plumstead. The founder of the firm that was eventually to become Associated Motor Cycles Ltd was Henry Herbert Collier, an ex Woolwich Arsenal engineering supervisor, who started manufacturing bicycles under the Matchless name at his home in Herbert Road, Plumstead in 1878. Henry Collier had three sons; Henry Albert (known as Harry) and Charles Richard (Charlie) from his first marriage, and Herbert William (Bert) from his second. It was not long until petrol engines were added to the pedal cycles and, when the two eldest joined him in the business, it became H Collier and Sons. There was a most significant change for the company when production outgrew the converted stables that it occupied in Herbert Road at the end of 1912. Business had been good and a new factory was built in a much more suitable location away from the select housing near the common and within easy reach of the Woolwich Arsenal Railway Station. The factory building itself was in Burrage Grove at the junction with Maxey Road. Burrage Grove (the Eastern end of which is now renamed Walker Close) runs parallel to the main Plumstead Road. New offices with a showroom were built fronting Plumstead Road which thus backed onto the new factory premises. The move was made early in 1913 and it proved to be a wise one indeed for these same premises, progressively expanded over the years, were to serve as the home for motorcycle manufacture until the factory finally closed its doors in 1969. At the time of the move Henry was recorded as being the Managing Director while Harry was the Works Manager and Charlie the Manager of the Finishing Department (presumably the Assembly Shop) but it is clear that Harry was becoming the prime designer of the products. During the 1914-18 war, the Plumstead factory was occupied on munitions and aircraft parts, the latter to a degree of accuracy one would expect from a firm whose trade mark had, for so long, been two hands using a micrometer. H H Collier (Senior) died in 1926 and the company became Matchless Motor Cycles (Colliers) Ltd in 1928. In 1928 Matchless expanded their activities by relocating their manufacture of sidecars to a separate factory at Mast Pond Wharf near the Woolwich Ferry. This had once been part of the old Woolwich Dockyard where it had formerly been the prison building. It is believed that the sidecar manufacture was managed by George Alfred Walker, father of AJS and AMC designer Philip Walker. They also made a small number of the Matchless 'Hawk' bodies for the Austin Seven there. In early 1930s, the AJS concern passed into the control of the Matchless company, the models of the old Wolverhampton factory being henceforth produced at Plumstead Road. In 1938, following the acquisition of Sunbeam, the Matchless enterprise, together with its other concerns became Associated Motor Cycles Ltd and in subsequent years James (1952), Norton (1953), and Francis Barnett (1957) came into the AMC fold. Harry Collier, the elder of the brothers, died in 1944 and Bert (the youngest) had been killed in a road accident earlier in the war, leaving "Mr Charlie" as the last of the firm's founders, who was taken ill, whilst still working in the factory, in 1954 at the age of 70, and then taken to his office where he died. The foresight of the Collier family in planning this building was impressive. It was at one time a two storey structure and may have initially only been just a single floor, but by the 1940's it consisted of four floors with an extension on the roof as well. The base structure must have been planned with potential expansion in mind from its inception. In 1966 AMC went bankrupt and was taken over by Manganese Bronze Holdings (who already owned two-stroke engine manufacturer Villiers) and formed Norton-Villiers Ltd to oversee operations. This company then formed a sub-division called 'Norton Matchless Ltd' to market the remaining models. For a couple of years, work at the AMC factory was limited to the production of the few remaining Matchless models and the new Norton Commando, the engines and gearboxes for which were shipped down from Wolverhampton. Then, in late 1968 the Plumstead works at Burrage Grove, were presented with a Greater London Council compulsory purchase order for a major road widening scheme, finally closing in July 1969, with the land that it occupied given over to a housing development. If you were wondering where the connection with Clint Eastwood is in all of this local history, then I suggest that you read the article below - click in it for a larger and more legible image.

Nowadays Norton are a successful independent upmarket motorbike manufacturer. The brand was relaunched in Lichfield in 1988, and in 1989 Norton made an emphatic return to racing when Steve Spray won the British Super Bike Championship on the all-black JPS bike, a victory repeated in 1994 by Ian Simpson on the Duckhams Norton. Norton moved to its current home at Donington Park in 2008 and in 2009 CEO Stuart Garner set the World Speed Record for a Rotary Powered Motorcycle (recording 173mph for a timed mile). You can read more about the modern incarnation of the Norton brand by clicking here for the company website.

The photos above were taken back in June 2016, when local builder Mr Kulvinder Singh illegally demolished the Leather Bottle, a pub said to date from 1643. In 1783, when this was acquired by Taskers of Dartford, it was described as the leather Bottle at Chalk-Stile. There is evidence for the building back to 1751 and the licences are recorded for the pub of this name back to 1726. Despite this great age, according to some sources, the building was not even locally listed - why this never happened is beyond me. Other sources say that it was Grade II listed. Back in 2016, The developers of the site misled and outright lied to local residents - they said that they were merely clearing the car park and a small patch of land next to the historical pub - and their builders were extremely rude, aggressive and abusive to anyone taking photographs of the demolition work. Finally, over three years later, justice has caught up with Kulvinder Singh and his construction company Balmonza Ltd. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched a prosecution agains both Mr Singh personally, and against his company, Balmonza Ltd, which was heard in Westminster Magistrates Court last Monday. The HSE found that no safe system of work existed at the time of the incident. There had been no asbestos survey done before the demolition work began, which meant any asbestos-containing materials present would, during the demolition, have caused asbestos fibres to be released and widely spread. The company had not arranged for gas and electricity supplies to be properly disconnected by the appropriate bodies, leading to a potential risk of explosion or of electrocution of people on site. There were no measures, such as hoarding or fencing, of the site to prevent access to the dangerous activity, or to prevent the ejection of materials from site. The building was on a busy road and pedestrians passing by, including primary school aged children going to and from a school 200 metres away, and traffic were all at risk. Mr Singh's company, Balmonza Ltd was fined £20,000 with £1000 costs for breaches to Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and Mr Singh was personally found guilty of serious breaches of Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £5000. He was ordered to pay court costs of £1000. Personally, knowing the facts behind this case, and other instances where Kulvinder Singh has ridden roughshod over planning laws and other regulations, such as how back in June of this year another development by the Balmonza Ltd was refused retrospective planning permission after a long fought battle with local residents. The development at the rear of 238 Woolwich Road, which backed onto Abbey Wood was finally rejected, after multiple complaints from local residents and a blatant attempt by Kulvinder Singh to yet again break planning law. Balmonza Ltd had built a huge concrete platform at the rear of the house, and it appeared that they were trying to build an illegal block of flats, actually inside the Abbey Wood. Fortunately after a prolonged and concerted campaign by local residents, led by Malcolm Knight of the excellent Bexley is Bonkers Blog - links above to his photos, this has now been stopped. What remediation work will be undertaken is unclear at this point. I feel that he will treat this prosecution and the subsequent fines as merely the cost of doing business, and I very much doubt that it will deter him from other crimes in the future. All I can say as a summary to this affair is do not deal with Kulvinder Singh, or his company Balmonza Ltd. He is now a convicted criminal and a nasty piece of work to boot. You have been warned.

On a far more positive note, and another construction related story. The first local apprentices have been hired to help regenerate the Park East site in Erith as Wates Residential supports a further seven people with its Building Futures training programme, also held last week in Erith. The first two apprentices are Sam, 25 from Welling, and Sarah, 21 from Bexley, who both join the project as apprentice demolition operatives with Wates Residential’s site subcontractor – Erith Group. Commenting on his new role, Sam said: “This apprenticeship has given me a sense of belonging in society. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance to get my career on track and that I am moving in the right direction now.” The £95 million Park East project, which is being delivered by Wates Residential and Orbit, in partnership with the London Borough of Bexley, will deliver 320 new homes in Erith of which 80 per cent will for affordable rent and shared ownership. As part of the project, the partners have pledged to kick start training opportunities in the area by hiring at least 31 apprentices and at least 25 people in full time employment from the local area. The first two apprentices, as previously mentioned, are Sam and Sarah, pictured above - click on the photo for a larger view, who both join the project as apprentice demolition operatives with Wates Residential’s site subcontractor – Erith Group. Their responsibilities include removing the internal fittings the buildings before they are demolished and ensuring the waste materials are properly sorted and recycled. Sam explained: “Before starting this role, I didn’t realise how much gets recycled during the demolition of a building!” Sam had previously studied a bricklaying course at Bromley College, but decided on a career change soon after finishing his studies. He was encouraged to apply for an apprenticeship by Bexley Mind, who supported him throughout the process. Commenting on his new role, Sam said: “This apprenticeship has given me a sense of belonging in society. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance to get my career on track and that I am moving in the right direction now.” He added: “I love the physical side of my role and the great team that I work with. Everyone at Erith and Wates Residential have been so supportive. The health and safety across the whole Wates site is outstanding and really shows that people care.” Thanks to his new position working with one of the largest demolition contractors in the world, Sam is now saving for his driving licence and aiming to move out of his parents’ home soon. “This is the best job I’ve ever had,” he added. “I am now excited for my future.” Describing her role, Sarah said: “I didn’t think I would progress as quickly as I have and feel truly grateful for the opportunity… Everyone on site has been great with me and it has really changed my perceptions as a woman working on a construction site.” Alongside her apprenticeship, Sarah was awarded her Certificate of Competence for Demolition Operatives and has received additional training in asbestos awareness, manual handling and abrasive wheel certificates. She plans to work her way up through the ranks and sees herself in demolition management in the future. In addition, another of the unique training and employment initiatives that Wates Residential has brought to Erith is its Building Futures programme, which helps unemployed adults gain valuable practical experience and employability coaching to reinvigorate their career prospects. On Friday 25th, seven students successfully graduated from the course. Their two-week training involved visits to both the West Street and Park East developments to gain hands on experience of a construction site. The graduation was celebrated with a certificate presentation ceremony attended by Managing Director of Wates Residential Developments Group David Brocklebank and Leader of the London Borough of Bexley, Cllr Teresa O’Neill. Paul Ellis took part in Building Futures in Erith last week. He described the experience: “I have really enjoyed my two weeks at the Building Futures programme. I have learnt new skills and the tutor from Ixion was so helpful. I would highly recommend that anyone considering a career in construction. I can’t believe how much Wates invests into this programme! I would like to thank them, as I now feel like I can kick start my career and am feeling positive for my future.” The redevelopment of Park East comes after partners Wates Residential and Orbit recently completed six years of work on the nearby Larner Road estate, transforming it into the award-winning Erith Park. Throughout Phase 1 and 2 of work, seven tower blocks were replaced with 587 medium-rise homes, including 329 homes for affordable rent, 114 for private sale and 144 for shared ownership.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "In the past week Barnehurst ward has suffered one burglary in Merewood Road. This occurred on Thursday 24/10/2019 between 11.00am and 02.00pm. It is believed suspects were specifically searching for vehicle keys as other valuable property had been left in the property untouched. Drawers were found left open in the property and a blue California Ocean Volkswagen (Motor caravan) registration number KV68FJJ was stolen from the driveway. Also taken were vehicle keys to a Mini. Suspects gained entry by jumping over the rear fence and smashing a rear window. Between Sunday 20/10/2019 at 05.00am and Monday 21/10/2019 midday a blue challenge Mountain bike was stolen from outside Barnehurst Train Station in Station Approach. On Sunday 27/10/2019 overnight in Parkside Avenue there was a theft from motor vehicle whereby a wallet containing bank card was stolen. The suspect has then gone on a shopping spree using the victim's bank card. Investigations are ongoing. On Tuesday 29/10/2019 again overnight in Parkside Avenue number plates X571JMW were removed from a vehicle by person's unknown. The next community contact session will be held at Barnehurst Golf Club on Tuesday 5th November at 11.00am".

Belvedere ward:- "Today officers from across South East BCU lead by officers from #Bexley Safer Neighbourhoods conducted a disruption operation at #Belvedere BR Station with officers from the British Transport Police. Officers have used knife arches and stop and search and have made 4 arrests. • A 24 year old male has been arrested for possession of an offensive weapon (knife) • A 16 year old male has been arrested for possession of an offensive weapon (Police Style extendable baton) • A 36 year old male wanted for non payment of fines at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court • A 25 year old male wanted to failing to appear at Ealing Magistrates Court after an offence at Heathrow Airport. These operations are conducted at random and without warning across South East London". Bexleyheath ward:- "Wednesday 23/10/19 1515 Purse stolen from handbag in Dorothy Perkins. Sunday 27/10/19 1530 – 28/10/19 1430 Glass taken from wing mirror Martens Avenue Monday 28/10/19 – 2100 Theft From Motor Vehicle Goals Car Park.  Monday 28/10/19 – 1530 Purse stolen from handbag Greggs Broadway. Tuesday 29/10/19 – 1225 Purse stolen from handbag Cancer Research Shop Bexleyheath Broadway. Tuesday 29/10/19 – 1200 Purse stolen from bag inside New Look. Ensure that doors and windows to properties are locked and secured with keys where applicable – revisit home security and lighting now the dark lights are coming.  Please be careful with purse/wallets whilst out shopping, make sure they are secured inside your bags with a zip type handbag. Wednesday 16/10/19 2050 – 2120 Long Lane Co Op – loop device found on cash machine, removed and reported. Thursday 17/10/19 2015 – 2150 Goals Graham Road. Theft From Motor Vehicle. Thursday 17/10/19 1215 The Card Factory – Elderly female has purse taken from handbag – CCTV now in store and images with police. Saturday 19/10/19 1415 – 1420 Broadway rear of shops – Vehicle parked and went shopping, it was blocked in by another vehicle and driver damaged vehicle – arrested at scene. Saturday 19/10/19 overnight – Theft of Number Plates Broadway near Trinity Church. Sunday 20/10/19 2020 hours Males attempting to steal motorbike from drive Park Grove. Sunday 20/10/19 2040 hours Males interrupted whilst opening car doors Sevenoaks Close. Wednesday 23/10/19 1215 Theft of wallet from 93 year old male Broadway Bexleyheath. There has been several businesses targeted over this week for takings left on the premises. Front glass windows have been smashed but CCTV has picked the offender up in one shop and police are tracing suspect. Ensure that doors and windows to properties are locked and secured with keys where applicable – revisit home security and lighting now the dark lights are coming". Crayford ward:- "On Saturday 19th October between 18.45-18.50 a tall IC1 male stole two bottles of Smirnoff Vodka from Crayford Wine in Crayford High Street. The male walked around the counter and reached over the shopkeeper to do so before leaving the shop. At 3.09am on Friday 25th October two males attempted to burgle a home in Buckley Close. The door was opened causing some damage but the residents were alerted by their dog and chased after the suspects who are described as being IC1, both very tall with their faces half covered, they ran off towards Wyatt Road. A silver Vauxhall Vectra was found nearby with the door open, enquiries are ongoing. On Thursday 24th October at 21.00 a man returned to his blue Ford Fiesta parked in Crayford Arrows car park after playing football to find that it had had the rear passenger window smashed, nothing was stolen. Similarly, on Monday 28th October between 19.00-20.00 an I-phone 6 was stolen from a locked glove compartment in a locked Peugeot 307 parked in Perry Street, the driver's door had been forced. A silver Toyota number plate SC06YJD was stolen from Maiden Lane between 16.30 on Thursday 24th October and 6.10 am on Saturday 26th October. A catalytic convertor was stolen from a black Landrover at 1.06am from Optima Park at Thames Road. The suspects were driving a white Ford Fiesta, the incident was captured on CCTV. Number plates were stolen from a silver Nissan Micra between 17.15-19.15 whilst parked in Mount Pleasant Walk, number plates not given on report at this time. Between 16.30 on Friday 25th October and 7.30 on Monday 28th October, suspect(s) have climbed over hoardings and broken in to an electrical cupboard on a building site in Crayford Way. They stole 2 Powerfactor 0.93 Elite Transformers. (1 x 5KVA and 1 x 3 KVA) A Portakabin was broken in to overnight between 18.30 on Monday 28th October and 08.30 on Tuesday 29th October in the Lok'n'store car park at Optima Park, Thames Road, the window was broken and there was an untidy search. Property was stolen from a Mercedes whilst parked in Crayford Road at 15.00 on Sunday 27th October. Three bicycles were stolen from Crayford Retail Park on Tuesday 29th October. The first one was a Red Carerra and was locked up by Sports Direct and stolen at about 14.05. The other two had been left outside Smythes and unfortunately not been chained up, they were stolen by two IC1 suspects who rode them away past Nando's towards Crayford Road. The bikes stolen were a black Carrera Vengeance and a Halford's black B'Twin.  Please note that authorisation for Dispersal has been given between 10.00 on Thursday 31st October and 10.00 on Friday 1st November to deter anti-social behaviour on Halloween and officers will be patrolling the town centre, Town Hall Square and Waterside Gardens area of Crayford. Please call 101 if there is anything we should be aware of. Our next community contact session will take place on Friday 8th November at Crayford Library between 10.00-11.00am, please come along and say hello if you are in the area". Northumberland Heath ward:- "The team continue to patrol in and around Sussex Road to tackle anti-social behaviour. A set of number plates has been taken from a parked and unattended vehicle in Brook Street. If you happen to see registration number WU07BXA please contact police so further enquiries can be made. Should you wish to protect your vehicle from this type of offence drop us a line and we may be able to provide appropriate anti-theft devices. Thanks go out to everyone who attended the ward panel meeting on Tuesday".

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "A burglary took place at around 4am on Friday 25/10 in Chesworth Close. The suspect was disturbed by the resident and ran off. 2 cupboards were left open but nothing was taken. It is unclear how access was gained as no tool marks were left at the scene but the front door was open. If you have a UPVC door please ensure to lock it by making sure that the handle is turned up AND the key is turned. Our police officers have been working with neighbouring wards covering as many areas as possible in Autumn Nights patrols. Several groups have been moved on in the Forest Road and Rainbow Road areas of our ward. These patrols will continue for the next week or so and extra officers are out and about across the borough during Halloween. Our next CCS (community contact session) is not until Saturday 09/11/2019 from 6pm at our SNT Base in Pier Road. At the Ward Panel meeting on Weds evening the promises chosen by the panel were ASB (anti-social behaviour) Rainbow Road, Drugs and Vehicle Crime. These will be in place for three months". Thamesmead East ward:- "Between the 19/10/19 and 27/10/19 , a pedal cycle chained up ,had the frame ,wheel taken and another wheel taken from another bicycle .Suspect/s believed to have climbed over the back gate. Bexley Crime Survey - The Bexley Community Safety Partnership includes the Council, Police, Fire Brigade, Health and Probation who work together to reduce problems of crime, anti-social behaviour and drug and alcohol misuse. To help us decide what should be the partnership's priorities for the next year please tell us what crime and disorder issues cause you most concern in the area you live or work in Bexley by completing the online survey at www.bexley.gov.uk/crimesurvey. it will only take two minutes to complete and is completely anonymous. GOOD NEWS -  While out on routine patrol ,PC Pruden found a stolen Audi A3 was discovered abandoned in Walsham Close, SE28. Checks revealed that it had been stolen, July 2019, Lewisham. The Audi was on false plates, the true identity was established via a Vehicle Identity Number check. The vehicle was recovered to Charlton Car Pound, victim updated. Report crime by calling 101 or in an emergency call 999. Remember, you can also report crime online on our website: https://www.met.police.uk/ To find out more information about our updated privacy practises and how we process your data in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 please visit our Privacy Notice on the Met Police website https://www.met.police.uk/privacy-notice". West Heath ward:- "Unfortunately we have had a burglary in Gipsy Road this week. The victim was away between Saturday October 19th and returned on Friday October 25th just before midnight when they discovered damage to the conservatory door and sliding doors. Thankfully entry not made inside the property and nothing was taken. One attempted burglary in Bedonwell Road on Tuesday October 29th at 04.20am. The occupants were asleep when they were disturbed by the burglar alarm going off. A male was seen on the driveway by the occupant before running to a silver Vauxhall Vectra and making off at speed. One theft of a white transit van on Monday October 28th from a driveway at the Quadrant. The victim was still in possession of the keys. One report of criminal damage to the windscreen of a motor vehicle in Amberley Road on Monday October 28th at 2.30pm. A group of youths threw something at the vehicle which caused chips to the windscreen. This week we teamed up with our neighbouring ward officers to visit shops that sell knives of any description, kitchen knives Stanley knives etc and asked them to sign a responsible retailer agreement in relation to the storage and sale of these items. The team made two arrests this week. One for harassment, and one failure to appear for court attendance".

The end video this week is a bit of local social history. It shows a series of interviews with local people in and around Bexleyheath in 1984. You might even see someone that you recognise. Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Natural England.

The photo above shows a unique view of Erith which was taken by a reader a couple of years ago. It was taken from a flat in one of the old tower blocks on the former Larner Road Estate, which has now been rebuilt as The Erith Park Development. Pretty much all of Erith can be seen in this astonishing photograph - click on it for a larger view.

I am not an overall fan of Apple. I don’t see the point in the iPad (no keyboard, useless to me), I don’t like mobile phones in general, so the iPhone leaves me cold, and the iWatch is a solution looking for a problem that it has thus far been almost totally unable to find. Having said that, I do like Apple computers. I find them well made, thoughtfully designed and very reliable. The fact that Apple’s operating system is based on BSD Unix is a strong bonus too. For this reason I have been using an Apple iMac as my main personal computer since 2003 – a very long time before Apple were popular with the general public. In that time I have had three machines – Apple hardware seems (at least in my experience) to be longer lasting that your average Windows PC, though I do concede that you pay a hefty price premium for this longevity. In case you were wondering where this is leading, let me explain. The blog update this week may look very slightly different to normal; this is due to it being compiled and formatted on a different computer this week. My five year old iMac has died – it had been getting rather cranky for a while now, and it now looks like it will need a trip to the Apple store at Bluewater to get fixed. I have a pretty good idea as to what is wrong with it, and the fix should be relatively straightforward. My particular iMac model has a Sold State Drive (SSD) as well as a mechanical hard drive in it – the idea being that regularly used files, such as those used by the operating system are stored on there for very quick access, whilst files only used on the odd occasion are stored on the mechanical hard drive, which has slightly slower access times. I believe that the SSD drive has developed a fault – something not unknown with the particular model that I own. Most Mac users know little if anything that goes on under the hood of their computers, and this is fine – for many the Mac is just another domestic appliance. I, on the other hand do know quite a lot about how Macs tick; whilst they are deliberately difficult to fix or upgrade yourself (Apple try to lock you in to having everything done by them – at a price), they do have excellent inbuilt diagnostic and administration tools which very few users are even aware of their existence. You can boot a Mac into this mode to enable you to restore it to a previous configuration using the Time Machine utility, to return it to a factory fresh state – very useful if you are selling it. You can also transfer your files from an older Mac to a brand new one – all of your system settings will be replicated across – effectively setting up your new Mac to an identical look and feel to your old one. This used to be called “Mind Meld” – until CBS, the owners of the intellectual rights to Star Trek sent Apple’s lawyers a rather stiff letter objecting to this. Now it is just called file transfer. If you are curious, and own a Mac. You can access all of these powerful utilities by starting the computer whilst holding down the CMD and R keys. Be careful what you do when you get to the main utility menu – you can completely wipe your Mac if you pick the wrong option  – you have been warned.

A couple of messages from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association:- "Please beware of an automated telephone call claiming to be Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs. The message tells you that you have tax owing and instructs you to press a number to be connected to your case worker. DO NOT DO IT! END THE CALL.! Bexley Borough is being targeted by this scam and has been for a few months. The message is generic and is played to anyone who receives the call. If you press the number to be connected to the case worker, you will be charged an extortionate rate per minute. Secondly, Bexley police are holding a bike marking event on Tuesday 30th May 2017 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Broadway Bexleyheath. Come along with your bikes and get them marked and registered for free. Neighbourhood Watch will also be there recruiting new Coordinators".

A technological milestone was passed last week, and very few people even realised. The patents that formerly existed on the MP3 audio file format have expired, and the owners, the Fraunhofer Institute have declined to renew them. In a statement published online, a representative of the institute said "Although there are more efficient audio codecs with advanced features available today, MP3 is still very popular amongst consumers. However, most state-of-the-art media services such as streaming or TV and radio broadcasting use modern ISO-MPEG codecs such as the AAC family or in the future MPEG-H. Those can deliver more features and a higher audio quality at much lower bit rates compared to MP3", MP3 built on the idea that the ear can be tricked – it' is called psycho acoustics – to allow information to be thrown away. The Fraunhofer team's work allowed audio wave files to be compressed into a file to one tenth or one twentieth the original size. Developed for commercial transmission – the work was funded by AT and T and Thomson – the Fraunhofer Institute's discoveries were first incorporated into the MPEG-1 standard in 1991. MPEG-2 layer III followed in 1994, and "MP3" became a file format with an .mp3 extension in July 1995. MP3 languished in the mid-1990s and was rapidly obsoleted by its inventors – almost overnight. The same developers' AAC format corrected many of the limitations of the original design. As Stereophile Magazine’s John Atkinson explained in an article on the Register website, when it came to AAC: "The designers of the codec obviously decided not to waste the limited bit budget by encoding information that would most probably not be heard even from the CD. Instead, they devoted those resources to a more accurate depiction of the musically significant regions at lower frequencies." However, the older, less efficient specification became a de facto standard after the Fraunhofer encoding software was acquired using a stolen credit card, pirated and repackaged with a bogus README file claiming: "This is freeware thanks to Fraunhofer". The original MP3 licencing model was intended such that encoders would be expensive, and decoders relatively inexpensive. This would allow people to buy software to listen to MP3s cheaply, but the creation of MP3s would be expensive, and thus handled by studios and music labels. This all changed when a high-quality MP3 encoder was leaked to the public, and suddenly it became possible to readily convert your CDs at home into the MP3 format. MP3 really took off with the release of the extremely popular music pirating service Napster in 1999. When that was eventually closed down after a series of legal cases, the format was well established. MP3 was by no means the best audio data format – the compression algorithms were not nearly as sophisticated as many of its’ rivals, but it was good enough, and thanks to Napster, it had become ubiquitous. Ironically as MP3 has now in essence become a free format, it is now in the shadow of other audio file formats such as FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and AAC which offer better sound quality at lower bit rates.

The recent death of former Bond star Sir Roger Moore got me thinking; quite a few famous people have come from the local area; Moore used to live for many years in Wansunt Road in Old Bexley Village. For some reason musicians seem to feature prominently – we have Kate Bush (Upper Wickham Lane, Welling), Keith Richards and Mick Jagger (Dartford), John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin (Sidcup) and David Bowie (Beckenham / Bromley). Other famous local residents have in the past included Bernie Ecclestone (Bexleyheath), Lennox Lewis (Danson), Nevil Shute (Hatherley Road, Sidcup), Delia Smith (Bexleyheath) Linda Smith (Erith), Michael Crawford (Bexleyheath), Roald Dahl, (Hurst Road, Bexley), Sheila Hancock (Erith), Boy George (Shooter's Hill), and Sir Edward Heath (Old Bexley), and Steve Davis (Danson) All of these well – known and illustrious people have contributed to both the local and the national well-being in one way or another.

Word reaches me from a regular source of information (two days before the News Shopper published the story) that the Spice Master restaurant in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere was the target of a group of thugs recently. I understand that last weekend a group of six or seven youths tried to enter the restaurant; as it was close to closing time and the group were rowdy and very drunk, the owner refused to admit them. After some altercation the group eventually agreed to leave, but asked the owner to call them a cab. As the group were abusive, and in any case had not been customers, the owner declined. The group eventually left. I have been informed from several sources that the yobs turned up at around 2 AM, long after the restaurant had closed, and proceeded to break all of the windows. You can see the temporarily boarded up windows in the photo on the upper of the two photos above - click on it for a larger view. I know that Spice Master has a number of CCTV cameras; I am just hopeful that they were recording and managed to get some good images of the scumbags who carried out this spiteful attack. The lower photo  was taken last night, and shows the repairs to the restaurant, which is now back open and serving customers; thanks again to the same person who took both shots, and who wishes to remain anonymous. My understanding is that the total repair bill, not just including the broken windows, but also furniture and soft furnishings at the front of the restaurant comes to nearly ten thousand pounds. Whilst most of this will be covered by insurance, I do hope that this will be borne in mind when (if?) the culprits are brought to justice. 

The London Borough of Bexley is currently undergoing the largest amount of house and infrastructure construction since the 1930’s when much of the borough was transformed from farmland to suburban residential land. Places such as Barnehurst were pretty much created from scratch, and Bexleyheath was transformed from not much more than a large village into a bustling commuter town. A similar degree of transformation is happening now. We have already had Erith Park as the replacement for the much maligned Larner Road Estate; the Tower Hill development on the site of the old college, the shortly to commence redevelopment of the old Pop-In-Parlour, and the huge new 600 house development called Erith Quarry.  In April, the council’s cabinet approved a strategy outlining potential growth up to 2030, which includes bringing in 31,500 new homes and 17,000 new jobs in infrastructure by 2030. Thamesmead will also be growing substantially, where the Peabody Trust has plans for another 1,500 houses. Much of the council’s other figures hinge on the potential extension of Crossrail beyond Abbey Wood to Gravesend, calling at Belvedere, Erith and Slade Green, and potentially all of the way down to Ebbsfleet, to link up with the  forthcoming Paramount London Theme Park. The council believes the extension will help bring investment, including thousands of homes and jobs, to the towns. The council is asking members of the public for their opinion on this expansion. I am aware that many people have concerns about an increase in traffic and the pollution that this would bring. Others worry about how the local water and drainage would cope – especially as Sandcliff Road (known to locals as “Poo Mews”) has been flooded with raw sewage on several recent occasions when the outdated Victorian drains could not cope. Sandcliff Road is close to the site of the Erith Quarry development, and it is felt that major upgrades will be needed to the local drainage infrastructure to cope with the additional requirements of approximately two thousand extra residents. There are also concerns about the provision of healthcare and education,  To address  these and many other issues, the council are holding a series of consultations which will be open to the public. These events are to be held at the following times and locations:- Saturday June 10, 12 noon-4pm – Erith Riverside Shopping Centre; Thursday June 15, 3pm-4pm – Mobile van outside Belvedere Junior School; Thursday June 15, 4pm-7pm – Mobile van on Station Road, Belvedere; Tuesday June 20, 3pm-7pm – Morrison’s superstore, Erith; Thursday June 29, 9am-9pm – Bexleyheath Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath; Saturday July 1, 9am-6pm – Bexleyheath Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath. It will be interesting to see exactly how much the council will be listening, and how much of their plans are actually a fait accompli. It would be far from the first time that Bexley council have steamrollered through a project – witness the whole Belvedere Splash Park debacle.

Talking of things related to plumbing, a large number of people in Erith and parts of Lower Belvedere have had severe problems with low water pressure over the last week or so. I understand that a very large water main just off Fraser Road was damaged a while back, and it is taking Thames Water some considerable time to repair the fault.

Improvements are planned to the Thames riverside footpath all of the way from Grain, Westwards as far as Woolwich. I have been contacted by an organisation call Natural England, who are a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved. It also has a responsibility to help people enjoy, understand and access the natural environment. Natural England has begun to investigate how to improve coastal access along a 78 km stretch of the Kent coast and Thames Estuary between Grain and Woolwich. This new access is expected to be ready in 2019. The end point of this stretch was changed in April 2017 from Gravesend in Kent to Woolwich in London in order to join the capital to the England Coast Path along the Thames Estuary. Officers from Kent County Council, Medway Council, London Borough of Bexley and Royal Borough of Greenwich are providing Natural England with expert local advice and helping to make sure there is full consultation with local interests during the development of the route. Natural England is now visiting all the land on this stretch of coast that is likely to be affected by the proposals and discussing the options in detail with the people who own or manage the land, relevant local and national organisations who have an interest in the stretch. After final discussions have been held with those who have a legal interest in the land, Natural England will begin refining and checking their proposals to improve access to this stretch of coast. This may start sooner for some sections of the stretch than others. The proposals will be finalised and then published in a report to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This is expected to take place in spring 2019. Once published, the report will be available on GOV.UK and advertised in the local press. Copies of the report will be placed in council offices and other appropriate locations in the local area for people to view. Natural England will contact affected property owners and occupiers and the local and national organisations that must be notified by law, to make sure they are aware that the report has been published. Once the report has been published, local residents have eight weeks to comment on the proposals. Anyone who wishes to comment will be able to make a representation on the report and owners or occupiers of affected land will be able to make an objection. The Secretary of State will consider all representations and objections before making a decision about approval of Natural England’s report. For advice on making a representation or objection, Please click here to go to the relevant page on the Natural England website.

The photo above shows two radios that look very similar, but are actually markedly different. I know that I have many readers who are radio enthusiasts, and I want to ensure that you don't make the same error that I did. The radio on the left of the picture is a Tecsun PL 360 receiver, which I bought from a EBay seller in the UK. It was advertised as having Single Sideband (SSB) reception on the H.F bands. It does not. I complained to EBay, who refunded my money after confirming the radio was not as described in the advert. The Tecsun radio is actually pretty good - it covers the Long Wave, Medium Wave, VHF FM and Shortwave broadcast bands, and bearing in mind I got it for free (the vendor did not want me to return it) it is a nice little radio. The radio to the right of the photo is a completely different beast, the CountyComm GP-5 / SSB is a full communications receiver in a handheld unit. It is not available for sale in the UK; I had to personally import mine from the USA, and pay a substantial customs charge in the process. It covers Long Wave, Medium Wave, VHF FM, Shortwave broadcast bands and also the full LSB and USB amateur radio bands. It has digital signal processing - something remarkable in a small handheld radio. The GP-5 / SSB was developed for use by U.S emergency personnel and the military in natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes and forest fires as a means to keep staff in contact. The ability to listen to military and commercial H.F broadcasts, along with being able to monitor radio hams. I have spoken to Nevada Radio, one of the largest importers of amateur radio equipment into the UK to find out if they had plans to import this excellent little "all in one" radio receiver into the UK, but they said no. Although the units on sale for personal importation are absolutely brand new, they are technically U.S military surplus. The cost of having them UK type approved, along with the limited stocks available make it not financially viable to bring them in, unfortunately. If you would like details of where I got mine from, and the total cost of importing a unit privately from the USA, please Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

A reader called Chris brought a story to my attention, which whilst a little outside of my normal coverage area, was potentially of interest to a large number of Maggot Sandwich readers. The betting company William Hill wants to convert the old Victorian building formerly used by Barclays Bank in Plumstead High Street into yet another betting shop. An article on The Weekender website reads:- "William Hill’s ongoing bid to open a shop on Plumstead High Street continues, with an appeal against the Council’s refusal for planning permission lodged with the planning inspectorate. The betting chain originally lodged their application for a change in use of 107A Plumstead High Street– from financial services (A2 license) to a betting office (sui generis) – back in 2016 but it was rejected. Following a rejected appeal and a re-submission of plans, residents are up in arms to see them once more attempting to get hold of the ex-Barclays Bank. Objecting residents said there is no need for another betting office in Plumstead, with three existing bookies within 100 metres of the property. One resident reported there are fears that a new betting office would encourage anti-social behaviour on the High Street, with groups of men reportedly congregating and drinking outside the betting shops that are already there. “I’m completely opposed to it,” said local resident and Plumstead and Abbey Wood Regeneration Committee (PARC) member, Lizzie Gould. “I’m not surprised they’re back again. “It’s well-known that betting shops target ethnic areas and deprived areas. It feels like a deliberate strategy,” said Lizzie, in reference to the clusters of bookies already in Plumstead. “It’s so important for people to get online and register their objections. In the last appeal there were over one-hundred objections but they’re banking on the fact that fewer people will complain each time. “We don’t need more bookies in an area that we’re meant to be regenerating. We need nice places to eat or nice places to buy food. “We [PARC] are prepared to have a massive campaign on this.” However, a spokesperson for William Hill insists that there is a “demand” for their services in Plumstead, having conducted “significant market research” in the area. “Footfall, rental rates and population density are the key factors in deciding where to place new developments of which there are now very few. Should we be successful with our appeal, we would be creating up to five jobs in the local area driving revenue and foot traffic to the local economy.” Residents can object or support the application up until June 2 on the Planning Inspectorate’s website. A decision is expected by late Summer. This potential additional betting shop forms part of a pattern. The overall number of adults gambling is increasing. Based on (admittedly quite old) figures from the 2010 British Gambling Prevalence Survey (BGPS; a large-scale research study previously funded by the Government), the number of adults participating in a form of gambling in the previous year (excluding the National Lottery) was 56 percent in 2010, compared with 46 percent in 1999 and 48 percent in 2007. The number of problem gamblers is increasing. BGPS data also indicate that the prevalence of problem gambling appears to have increased from about 0.6 percent in 2010 to 0.9 percent in 2013. This is equivalent to around 450 000 adults experiencing a situation where gambling ‘disrupts or damages personal, family or recreational pursuits’, and where gambling can become a disorder similar to drug or alcohol misuse.  Problem gamblers may be contributing more than 20 percent of all money spent in Britain on certain forms of gambling. Analysis based on BGPS data indicates that problem gamblers contribute as much as 27 percent of the overall betting spend in Britain on dog races, and 23 percent of money spent on fixed-odds betting terminals.  On the high street, betting shops are visibly clustering together. The overall number of betting shops in Britain has marginally increased (in 1961 there were 8802, while in 2013 there were 8889). However, concern has repeatedly been voiced by organisations – including the Local Government Association (which represents 370 councils in England and Wales) about betting shops ‘clustering’ together in large numbers in town centres. For almost half a million Britons today, gambling is no longer a recreational pleasure but has escalated to become a full gambling problem. This is where gambling ‘disrupts or damages personal, family or recreational pursuits’ as previously mentioned, and where it can become a disorder with traits similar to drug or alcohol misuse. Left untreated, a gambling disorder can have devastating consequences for:  the gambler – including higher rates of physical illness, the development of mental health conditions, severe financial difficulties, and criminal activity to fund gambling - and their family – for every problem gambler, 8 to 10 other people are directly affected, including spouses - who may experience domestic violence.

The ending video this week is interesting; it shows some aerial footage shot in and around Abbey Wood and Thamesmead by someone with an aerial drone. You get to see some nice footage of the improvements to the park land in and around Lesnes Abbey Ruins. Give it a watch and see what you think. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Plumstead versus Erith.

The press advertisement above (click on the picture for a larger view) is for a computer based, multi player, virtual world played online, similar to Second Life or the World of WarCraft. Players from around the world could log in, interact, communicate with one another and both compete and collaborate in various challenges online. Nothing unusual there then. Except this was in daily use back in 1984! Many years ahead of its' time. You can read a lot more about Games Computers Play by clicking here. You needed an 8 bit Atari 800 computer, a 300 baud acoustic coupler modem, plus the special software, and a subscription to play. All far too exotic and expensive for a spotty nerd from Upper Belvedere back then, but I did aspire. Click on the image above to see a larger version of the advert - it makes interesting and very far sighted reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below.

I featured a photo of a large silo in the yard of RMC Aggregates, at the junction of James Watt Way and Wheatley Terrace Road in Erith, in a previous Maggot Sandwich posting which you can re - read here. Well, events have overtaken me, and the depot has been closed and the buildings are being demolished. The Silo has already gone, and much of the other cement production equipment is currently in the process of being demolished, cut up by a couple of blokes with Oxy - Propane torches, and taken for scrap - at least they will not have to go far, as the Erith depot of European Metal Recycling is only a few metres away. I wonder what the site will be used for in future? There has been quite some residential development behind Morrisons, on the river edge, but I do not think that the RMC site could be used for apartments, mainly due to the fact it is what is known as a Safeguarded Wharf. In essence this means that the Mayor of London and the Port of London Authority have decreed that the site must remain as a wharf and not be redeveloped for non - industrial use. Here is a shot of the outside of the place taken yesterday. It is all looking rather sad and dreary, even on a bright summer's day.



The event that prompted me to get my camera out and go for a walk along the river front yesterday, was something that occurred on my way across Morrison's car park, on my way home. A number of aeroplanes had been flying over, apparently following the path of the River Thames Eastwards, away from London. I heard the distinctive sound of a Rolls - Royce Griffon aero engine and looked up to see a Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV in distinctive D - Day livery flying low overhead. I stopped to watch - there can be nothing quite so inspiring as seeing a Spitfire in the air, especially in the area where the Battle of Britain was fought back in 1940. My reverie was broken when I realised that almost no - one else in the car park was watching; they were all far too busy filling their cars with bags of shopping. It would have only taken a minute or so to stop what they were doing and pay a silent tribute to those who kept our shores free from the Nazis back in 1940. Some confused priorities I feel. A few moments later, a fat and spotty chav mother with two dirty faced whelps in a buggy added insult to injury by pointing skywards and saying to them "Look - it's a choo choo plane!" The brain addled, saggy uddered boiler almost certainly thought she was educating her unwashed offspring. Is this the real legacy of the RAF and the Battle of Britain - to leave us in a society where such indifference and plan wrong headedness become every day occurrences? I despair. The only small crumb of comfort I have encountered can be found if you click here.

I see that a travel company has started offering Chav free holidays; a smart marketing move that should prove a big success.

The photo above shows the small vessel, the M.V Wild Eel, and its' owner making his way ashore at Erith, after another hard day as the only full - time licenced commercial eel fisherman on the whole of the River Thames. A trade that has gone on for hundreds of years from the same location.

I have noticed that the Plumstead area is well populated with erudite, opinionated and prolific Bloggers. The likes of Plumsteadshire, Planet Plumstead, Plummy Mummy, 853, and Plumstead Zone 4 along with several others, all show that there is a high level of interest in local issues and events. Erith is only a short distance from Plumstead, it is roughly the same size, and has a very similar social and economic outlook. If you search Blogger by author location, you do come across quite a number of blogs from Erith residents most of which have been started and abandoned, or are only occasionally updated (hint - if you Blog, do it regularly, that way your readers tend to stay around). Anyway, there is no Blog covering events, issues and opinions that affect Erith and its' surroundings, other than the humble Maggot Sandwich. I wonder why? Is Erith less remarkable than Plumstead or Woolwich? I know Plumstead gets many more events, mostly organised by enthusiastic locals; things like Comedy on the Common and the Plumstead Live! music festival. All Erith gets is the River Festival, and even that got unexpectedly cancelled this year. I did Email the organiser to try and discover why, but was not granted the dignity of a reply. Why am I alone in documenting the area? Your thoughts and feedback below, if you please.

This weeks' video clip is slightly unusual, prompted as it was by my sight of a Spitfire over flying Erith yesterday afternoon; it is a complete 21 minute documentary called "Churchill's Island"; the first ever documentary to be awarded an Oscar, this Canadian film from 1941 was aimed at U.S audiences in the months before America joined with war after the Pearl Harbor attack. If the narrator's voice sounds somewhat familiar, it is because it is that of well known actor Lorne Greene. By modern standards, this propaganda film is pretty crude and it is quite obvious to someone exposed to over sixty years of cinema and television since, exactly what strings the makers were hoping to pull with the target audience. Back then, this was cutting edge and extremely rousing stuff, designed to sway American poular opinion into support for Britain and her Commonwealth allies and against Hitler and the Nazi hordes assembled just twenty two miles over the English Channel. It is certainly fascinating as a historical document - see what you think.

Amateur Radio, Plumstead and the spoken word.

As some of you will already know, I hold an (advanced class) Amateur Radio licence, and have the radio call sign M1CXN. I currently spend most of my radio time on the 2 Metres VHF band. If you have a radio scanner or other such device, you can sometimes hear me on 145.500 MHz. Getting into amateur radio is an excellent way of gaining an appreciation of how electronics actually work, and how that mostly forgotten physics you studied at school can be put to practical, everyday use.

I have added a few new photos to my Flickr online photo album - sorry work colleagues, the company firewall blocks this site. Try from home and you should be OK.

Fellow Blogger Simon runs an excellent site concerning itself with matters related to Plumstead and Plumstead Common. I strongly encourage to you to visit his Blog Site here.

One thing that annoys me almost as much as Chavs playing music on mobile phones on public transport is the terrible use of spoken English by a large contingent of people - generally those who could be classed as he belly button fluff stuck in the filter at the shallow end of the gene pool. Some examples include:

Using "Them" instead of "those", as in "Them people" instead of "Those people".
Using "Was" instead of "were", as in "We was" instead of "We were".

On Saturday, work colleague and good friend Thore came round in his shiny new car. Suffice to say it goes like a greyhound with half a tube of Ralgex stuffed up its' nether regions! He's a genius application and web developer. If you want something created for the online world, I would highly recommend his services. Thore has his own website here.

My local fish and chip shop has to my dismay, recently erected a sign on the outside which reads (and this is a direct quotation) "Freshly fried fish and chips!!!" If you look on the recent comments on Simon's blog site, you will see I have espoused the view that anything more than one exclamation mark in a statement shows both a lack of imagination and intellectual vacuity.

I won't bore you with any more - I am sure that you can fill in the gaps yourselves; I think most intelligent people can recount a whinge which has some relation to the above. This weeks' video clip is from the campaign for music free public transport. A real bugbear with me too - see what you think anyway.