please empty your brain below
Too late come 2026? It's never too late; or do you know something we don't? Congratulations on another milestone.

Waterhouse | 08.09.14 - 7:10 a.m. | #

Your life sounds like a social whirlwind compared to mine. My life as an expat means that, aside from my wife, I've had about two face to face social conversations out of work hours with someone this year. I kid not.

Chris | 08.09.14 - 7:19 a.m. | #

Happy Dozenth Blogday!

I feel that I should write something erudite about social interaction, but, I've said it all before, and it's made no difference, so I won't bother ;)

How I laughed when, on 'Educating the East End' there was a Y9 girl with a thousand 'friends' on FB who, when pushed, admitted 6 of them were 'real' friends.

Better to have quality that you can rely on when needed, than to have quantity who are false friends, methinks.

Blue Witch | Homepage | 08.09.14 - 7:26 a.m. | #

Fantastic work on your blog Geezer. It provides me with a few minutes of high-quality reading every day. (Probably quite a few more minutes than it would take you to read the same amount of text!) Multiplied by the number of readers you have, that's quite an enormous amount of happiness you give the world, every day, free of charge. Amazing really.

But with that said, your social life and love life are having more important than us (grateful) readers. If your blog is having a big negative affect on them, maybe it's time to consider jacking it all in, or at least reducing the frequency. A hard decision, I know, but the life-changing ones always are.

Jim | 08.09.14 - 8:39 a.m. | #

I think you're making very good use of your leisure time.
A bit worried about the five bottles of Becks though. I thought two was your usual quantity.

Great Aunt Annie | 08.09.14 - 9:34 a.m. | #

Congrats on 12 years!

RogerW | 08.09.14 - 9:58 a.m. | #

Congratulations, DG, on another anniversary. You have a very appreciative audience, you know.

I'm sure there are plenty of London-based journalists reading, looking for new angles on London stories (as you well know, when suspiciously familiar items turn up in the Evening Standard and elsewhere).

Andrew | 08.09.14 - 11:16 a.m. | #

Well done on 12 years blogging. I've no idea how you manage to do all the research and forward planning. Your social life sounds similar to mine albeit busier! For those of us who have worked out that we have seen the "lesser spotted DG" in real life it would have been nice to have said hello or to have the chance to do so.

PC | 08.09.14 - 11:33 a.m. | #

Your work is truly appreciated. Sorry if that sounds like the sort of cliché a manager would use! It really is - please keep going on, day by day.

Bob Lindsay-Smith | 08.09.14 - 11:51 a.m. | #

You shouldn't assume that we are all out socialising with chums! Much of my time recently has been spent walking alone along the South Downs Way. And loving every minute of me. I have zero friends near my home.

ian brooker | 08.09.14 - 1:09 p.m. | #

The amazingly researched posts you write are always very enjoyable. Those like this, where you open your heart to us a little, are extra special.

Steve | 08.09.14 - 1:25 p.m. | #

Congratulations on another year of blogging. I know what you mean about a rather solitary life ... but then, is it really? I think maybe sometimes we fall into the trap set by ad men and TV soaps and "real" life is not necessarily a never ending friend-fest. I guess my life is as solitary as yours in many ways but I've given up worrying about it, I don't really enjoy non-stop socialising which inevitably seems to mean spending time with people you don't actually enjoy being with. Which was brought home sharply to me this summer when I ended up having to spend time with my son in law for a week, which was painful in the extreme.

Caroline | 08.09.14 - 1:34 p.m. | #

I only comment very rarely here, but I still read your always interesting posts every day via my increasingly quiet RSS reader. The detailed work and research you put into your posts - and have done over 12 years (I think I started reading your site from very early on) - is incredible.

However. I complete understand what you're saying about the change in the social nature of the web. I've always been suspicious of the idea of 'community' that's banded about so much online - frankly, I felt that even in the heyday of the 'blogging community' - but there is no doubt that as the word 'social' has increased in importance since Twitter, Facebook and MySpace (remember MySpace?) came on the scene in 2006, ironically the actual 'social' nature of the web has declined sharply. I'd argue that's because it's all too easy and all too overwhelming. When the concentration was on email, blog commenting, even chat apps (though we didn't call them 'apps' then, did we?), it seemed to take a bit more effort to talk to people, and because of that effort one perhaps felt it a little easier to take the next step and meet people face to face. Now, the word 'social' has almost been devalued. We know lots of people 'socially' apparently, but I'd argue we actually know very few people in true social circumstances - that's certainly true in my case.

Vaughan | Homepage | 08.09.14 - 1:35 p.m. | #

Blimey, I thought this was going to be a long good bye. Was I the only one who thought this?

Good luck with finding that magic perfect match. Perhaps you've been inundated with offers. I'd like to think so.

I guess the blog might change if you did find that perfect person. Would it become weekly? Disappear altogether? I'm sure we'd all understand, but miss dg.

Best wishes.

Lorenzo | 08.09.14 - 4:19 p.m. | #

Your blog brings so much joy into people's lives every day free of charge , quite amazing.

I like other commenters thought this would be the long goodbye , but it isn't.

We as your loyal readers look very much forward to the next 12 years of your; witty , insightful and well-reasearched daily blog posts.

Luke Treherne | 08.09.14 - 6:34 p.m. | #

Happy 12th blog day. It's flown ain't it?
Cxx

Chris | 08.09.14 - 9:12 p.m. | #

Simply the best individually-run website (whether blog or otherwise) out there :)

westlondonguy | 08.09.14 - 10:17 p.m. | #

this blog is one of the very few websites i check every day.

dave | 08.09.14 - 10:39 p.m. | #

Happy 12th Blogday :)
About the time you started blogging I joined a tiny online forum that has grown into a community of dear friends, many of whom I now meet up with whenever possible.
We may be scattered far and wide, but chatting online with them is really no different from the hours I spent on the phone to my best friend as a teen!!
Friendships don't have to be face to face to be of value.

Here's to the next 12 years! :)

CornishCockney | 08.09.14 - 11:10 p.m. | #

12 years on. Still reading (almost) every day, still enjoying. I like the way you retain that slight air of mystery. Good man.

Johnny Topaz | 08.09.14 - 11:34 p.m. | #

Congratulations on 12 years! I think I've been reading your blog for about 10 years. Thank you DG for keeping me, an ex-pat, informed and up to date on the city of my birth. Believe it or not, after 30+ years in the US... I still miss London.

I'm your age and single also, it does suck sometimes....

Jackal | 09.09.14 - 6:47 a.m. | #

great blog stop keep going stop dont stop stop

cheers

Feargal | Homepage | 09.09.14 - 10:06 a.m. | #

Congratulations and thank you, geniunely and wholeheartedly for the 8 or so years you've been enlightening my equally "sad" life and giving me tonnes of ideas for family trips.

These trips have in turn inspired others and those others have often heard of your blog and endured my banging on extolling your and its many virtues.

I raise a virtual cup of tea to you (I no longer partake, even of Becks!)

Good luck for however long you decide to carry on, its been great.

CF

ChingfordFlaneuer | 09.09.14 - 11:16 a.m. | #

My thanks too - it's my 'appointment website' (like we used to have 'appointment tv'); even tho' I live in Hackney, almost next door to DG, he's shown me things I didn't know on my doorstep, or slightly to the left of it.

I don't know how you do it - I 'edit' an industrial and social history bulletin, with trouble finding the time for none editions a year, despite being 'retired' (definition of 'retired' - more work for less money).

Your blog is great, mate - keep making me amazed about my home city.

Joel | 09.09.14 - 1:28 p.m. | #

This is the only blog I read every day and (now) the only one I've ever commented on. Always superbly written. Another 12 years please!

HB | 09.09.14 - 6:16 p.m. | #

I can see a lot of you in me, the love of solitary exploration and lunch being for wimps when there's something else to see. I try to mix my solitary days with social ones, but will always try and leave early the for latter to sneak something else in on the way. Rarely do I arrive at the pub without a tale of some new exhibition and discovery. And generally my drinking pals aren't impressed :-)

You seem to be struggling to find new things to see, so perhaps reducing frequency might be good, but don't give up on us.

John | 09.09.14 - 7:45 p.m. | #

I seem to be struggling to find new things to see? Oh, cheers.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 09.09.14 - 7:48 p.m. | #

I came across your blog a year or so ago as a link from the Londonreconnections blog. Since then I have read it avidly as a reminder of what I miss in the sticks. I too thought today's musings were a goodbye. What you write is 95% of time fascinating and is a great guide to interesting things for Londoners. If you had aimed it as a tool to encounter similar minded people, may I only say that the breadth of your interests and writings may well be a tad intimidating. My most frequent dealings, by phone from Berkshire to Surrey, are with a former work colleague, who like me has a single abiding interest, in our case oldies music and buying vast numbers of CDs. So therefore if you are indeed seeking soulmates perhaps target the blogs, but don't forget the rest of your readers. A friend in California, clearing out her father's apartment to allow him to move into care aged 90, found your 26 June blog on hoarding very empathetic. Keep writing, PLEASE!

exiledtoberkshireformerlondoner | 10.09.14 - 6:48 p.m. | #

Just catching up with your posts on a Sunday morning. Your efforts are appreciated, I am always impressed that you can write about so many interesting things daily. Thank you.

Vicki | 14.09.14 - 8:32 a.m. | #

Congratulatons on reaching your 12th year. As I enjoy reading your blog I hope, rather selfishly, that since your desire for expanding your social network has not been realised you wont allow your blogging to fade away.

clarke | 16.09.14 - 2:21 p.m. | #











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