please empty your brain below
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If relevant, please start your comment with a number from 1 to 31.
(questions will not be answered)
diamond geezer | Homepage | 31.08.22 - 12:00 a.m. | #
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3. I changed a Sainsbury's bag for life last week. The transaction was remarkably pain free and pleasant.
mikeS | 31.08.22 - 7:16 a.m. | #
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As always, an enjoyable daily read. The 385 bus route, my local(!) is essential for the elderly in the area. Yes, I agree, John Rogers is great.
Barry Coppock | 31.08.22 - 7:35 a.m. | #
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3. Thanks for doing what I haven't risked. The new Waitrose bags are 50p and my 10p ones are starting to fray. I'm sure one chain said it would swap any "bag for life" but can't remember which.
ap | 31.08.22 - 7:36 a.m. | #
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30. Any idea what’s behind this? Or whether there’s an easy and imminent fix? #praysinRSS
Mu | 31.08.22 - 7:38 a.m. | #
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3. As an organisation, Waitrose take their customer service very seriously, so if you let them know how badly your bag (non-) replacement was handled then I am sure they will apologise to you. There is a form for store-related feedback.
ST | 31.08.22 - 7:43 a.m. | #
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13 - Grays has only two routes scheduled for single deckers and each needs just one bus, but all the other routes they operate are double deck,. Considering that the 375 is cleared for double deckers how many single deckers do they hold on to as cover - I think Grays officially has two.
22 - my local supermarket usually has at least two moped riders waiting outside, ready to deliver groceries, something that started during C-19 and has continued since, however many of the regular staff never returned and most of the tills remain closed as shoppers switched to using self service.
Still Anon | 31.08.22 - 7:50 a.m. | #
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27. Also managed to finish the double alphabetical jigsaw (by Monday night). Rather too many words & phrases I'd never heard of before (inluding the praying mantis clue), which I had check in a dictionary after constructing likely solutions.
Nigel | 31.08.22 - 7:58 a.m. | #
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2. To do this once was mad. To repeat is even madder.
6. And we'll have to wait until next year to find out whether this encounter has impacted positively on the count.
12. Thank you - excellent looking recommendations that I look forward to investigating.
14. I binge-watch John's walks every so often (normally during the winter months!) so will look out for this one.
Frank F | 31.08.22 - 8:39 a.m. | #
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27. You just reminded me that I put this aside on Sunday even though I had only half of the second grid to complete.
ganching | Homepage | 31.08.22 - 8:40 a.m. | #
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17. I walked past the North Greenwich Dangleway station on Saturday 20th and was amazed to see a rather large queue of people waiting to board!
Hadders | 31.08.22 - 8:42 a.m. | #
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7 - Someone give that driver a pat on the back for standind up to the youths rather than just hiding in their cab.
21 - The Bike Vs Car debate where I live is very polarised. Being both a cyclist and car driver I've seen bad behaviour from both sides of the divide.
22 - Tesco's recently updated the software on their self-scan checkouts. I'd like to find the person who signed off on that IT project. Grrrr....
30 - You've saved me the bother of dropping you an email about it.
Jon Jones | 31.08.22 - 8:43 a.m. | #
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22. My local Tesco has also recently ripped out several staffed tills and greatly increased the number of self-service tills. Not an improvement, in my view.
Alan S | 31.08.22 - 8:43 a.m. | #
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30. The RSS feed took 1 hour 40 minutes to register today's post, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the delay.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 31.08.22 - 8:44 a.m. | #
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1: The first time one of my "bags for life" broke, I worried that it might be a sign of my impending death. Luckily I have survived.
30: I have noticed, but now just head on over to the blog first thing in the morning instead of relying on the RSS feed to tell me when something new is up. Apparently force of habit works fine, except on days when something gets posted at a special time.
Greg | 31.08.22 - 8:52 a.m. | #
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5. i wonder if the inflated ice cream price is to pay for the parking tickets for stopping in a bus lane on a red route.
Alistair Twin | 31.08.22 - 8:57 a.m. | #
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9. The authors I follow on Twitter seem delighted by readers using libraries, on the basis that the libraries still need to buy the books, and in general usage of libraries is a positive indicator for their industry.
29. Gustav Hauler, going through NW Germany, is my personal favourite spot.
Ben | 31.08.22 - 9:04 a.m. | #
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3 must confess I don't have much sympathy with you given you no longer shop there
5 Parking Review covered the infamous ice cream vans on Westminster Bridge for whom their daily parking fines are just regarded as the cost of doing business.
kerspatula | 31.08.22 - 9:11 a.m. | #
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4. Me too. Every time.
Philip Downer | 31.08.22 - 9:22 a.m. | #
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2. The mention of a 327 bus instantly transported me back to 1980s school mornings, running across Watford Road to get to the Baldwin's Lane bus stop, when it was a 327 rather than a W4, W5 or W6 that appeared over the brow of the canal bridge.
THC | 31.08.22 - 9:30 a.m. | #
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5. It shocked me to see that price!
16. Strange to think that I used to have to wait five minutes every morning for the computer to turn on. I only restart the laptop if there's a problem or a software update.
27. Usually with these I've filled both grids in bit by bit, but this time I filled in all of the left-hand one before starting on the other.
Alan | 31.08.22 - 9:39 a.m. | #
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13. As Still Anon says, it is probably cheaper and easier to provide an unnecessary but easily available double-decker for a few journeys than to sort out the logistics of arranging for a single decker.
Pedantic of Purley | 31.08.22 - 9:43 a.m. | #
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14. Another vote for John Rogers.
Lorenzo | 31.08.22 - 9:48 a.m. | #
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16. Interesting! Possibly on the same day I had a problem with my laptop. I went to my local (excellent) computer repair shop, where the owner fixed it easily.
He did say that one should regularly do a restart to avoid some potential problems.
I always turn off my laptop at night, but appaently this isn't as effective as a restart.
I may be the only one who didn't know this!
MikeK | 31.08.22 - 9:53 a.m. | #
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16. turning it off properly and back on again is the same as a restart. Maybe he told you that to ensure that you weren't just putting it into sleep / standby rather than turning it off properly.
ST | 31.08.22 - 9:59 a.m. | #
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9. Authors get paid for library borrowings through the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society. They get paid by their publishers for copies sold. The best way to deny an author any income from their writing is to buy a second-hand copy, where the author gets nothing.
Grub | 31.08.22 - 10:07 a.m. | #
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28. Prompted by your post at the start of the year summarising your visits to the London Boroughs and suggesting we do the same, I now keep a spreadsheet of each borough I've been so, which I've also extended to outside London as well.
As a result, I'm now much more conscious of where the boundaries are now, and when I cross them!
Mikey C | 31.08.22 - 10:21 a.m. | #
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5. Those ice cream vans parking in the cycle lane n Westminster Bridge are illegal and dangerous. Continually being moved along, they just come back later.
6. I haven't met you before either so how about telling the rest of us?
15. Opposite to your Kit-Kat bonus, I opened a new 2l bottle of Pepsi Max the other day and it was completely flat!
19. Congratulations anyway.
20. I hate it when one vehicle honks and everyone else feels the need to join in too!
29. Clever!
31. Having always been convinced the 60+ travelcard would be scrapped before I got there, it's come as a bit of a shock to realise I will be able to get it after all!
Cornish Cockney | 31.08.22 - 10:54 a.m. | #
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19. "eleven isn't so special. Maybe I'll make a fuss of twelve next year...". - what????!?!?
11 is a prime number! Far more interesting than 10 or 12.
Joho | Homepage | 31.08.22 - 11:12 a.m. | #
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1. I had a similar experience earlier this year trying to get a Co-Op bag for life replaced. The guy at the till had difficulty understanding what I was on about.
Ian Paton | 31.08.22 - 11:14 a.m. | #
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7. Presumably this is the same Diamond Geezer who once had a bit of a rant about the alcohol ban.
Then, he appeared to be highly critical of it and also gave the impression that he wasn't bothered by people drinking alcohol on the Tube.
Pedantic of Purley | 31.08.22 - 11:37 a.m. | #
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7. I never said I was bothered by the alcohol. The nitrous oxide was a bit full on though.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 31.08.22 - 11:59 a.m. | #
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7. Yet I can't find anything in TfL's Conditions of Carriage that ban nitrous oxide on the Tube. As it is not actually an offence in itself to inhale it for recreational purposes (though there are often other related offences) I can't see what grounds the driver had for ejecting the revellers other than that they were drinking alcohol.
Pedantic of Purley | 31.08.22 - 12:12 p.m. | #
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8. A more sensible way is to go to another Waitrose to get the refund, but I guess you need a bag badly.
10. I somehow fancy you being in an MMORPG and have your Gardening skill advanced a level.
Patrickov | 31.08.22 - 12:47 p.m. | #
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6. Oh you tease!
22. My local Tesco Extra has taken to locking the two pedestrian entrances from around 6/7pm every night. This means I now have to either walk to the far end of their very large car park only to then double back on myself and walk the full length of the car park again to reach an entrance, or I have to risk the much shorter but more dangerous unpavemented access road through their smaller car park.
And don't get me started on how useless their new self service tills are at scanning barcodes.
Anders | 31.08.22 - 1:04 p.m. | #
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10. Is that the 17 year old original or a new one?
Blue Witch | Homepage | 31.08.22 - 1:09 p.m. | #
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22. Iceland in Broadstairs advertises its own car park but you can only go in from the street on the other side.
Sprout Eater | 31.08.22 - 1:22 p.m. | #
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29 - Do you mean Patcham? Pagham is further west. Decent pun and cartoon though
Sinners | 31.08.22 - 2:20 p.m. | #
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6. Hmmm, a stranger... usually I only ponder this in Feb but now I'm wondering what it is in August
10. Nice work
14. Super stuff, congrats
17. Cute Pikachu in the cab graphic
20. It's amazing how humans behave in cars
27. No matter how many YouTube explainers I watch I just cannot figure out cryptic crosswords
30. Yes, I did, now I just visit the site instead!
Kevin | 31.08.22 - 3:00 p.m. | #
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26. It seems like you did most of the heavy lifting for her "article". Wonder if you might get paid for your work?
Steven | 31.08.22 - 3:42 p.m. | #
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23. Clicked on the Bromley Owl Prowl link in your post, the owls look really lovely in the photos on here (and of course in your photo as well) and the Owl Prowl sounds a fun idea.
Richard | 31.08.22 - 3:51 p.m. | #
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18. How much did it cost to move the Town Hall into the old Hospital ?
Bob | 31.08.22 - 5:10 p.m. | #
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diamond geezer | Homepage | 31.08.22 - 5:52 p.m. | #
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26 - That really is a terrible article. I assume the 'journalist' was paid for that too.
Tom | 31.08.22 - 7:48 p.m. | #
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16. Since Windows 10, turning your laptop off doesn't actually restart it, it hibernates it. A restart does a full reboot.
You can see this if you check the uptime using task manager before and after powering off or rebooting. Only the reboot sets it to zero.
Timw1 | 31.08.22 - 7:55 p.m. | #
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3. I bought a bag for life in Waitrose in Ricky the other day. Quite pricey, hope it lasts.
12. I don't think the BBC ever get their 'suburbia' documentaries quite right. Its all 'the Good 'Life' and Betjeman and clips of people washing their cars in West Harrow or the Croxley village show. I think you have a better overview to present a new look at greater London and all it's people and places. You should pitch it to them, i'd definitely watch it. I think yours would be along the lines of that fantastic 8 part country music documentary that they show on one of the sky channels, very thorough and hugely enjoyable.
The 'un-blogged things' is still the best day of the month by the way.
cottonsocks | 31.08.22 - 8:21 p.m. | #
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9. I managed to borrow The Mercenary River from Herts library after reading your review. What a superbly researched book, fascinating.
Nick K | 31.08.22 - 8:28 p.m. | #
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18. I noticed that the hoarding outside has a tfl licence expiry 1st October. So looks like they may just manage to open this year.
Bob, this is the official page about costs.
Public sector finance can be a bit odd so it makes sense to reduce rent as that money can then be spent on services. The capital cost comes from the capital account, which in theory can only be spent on capital projects. So impact on that will depend. But the capital cost doesn’t necessarily impact revenue account.
Martin | 31.08.22 - 11:43 p.m. | #
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Only three days have not inspired comment!
11 24 25
(equalling last month's record) :)
Thanks, the varied comprehensive comments really add to the post.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 01.09.22 - 12:00 a.m. | #
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24. The 128 bus used to run right through the grounds of Mount Vernon Hospital and would drop you by the entrance, far more convenient than the current windswept bus stop area. It also allowed the bus to bypass long queues at a nearby road junction.
Andrew S | 01.09.22 - 12:32 a.m. | #
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6. Fear I've missed my chance.
25. Nationwide do provide such a service for existing members (SavingsWatch) and as a result I was prompted to open an account offering 1.75% this week.
(and I'd come from my RSS reader to see if anyone else has already mentioned this before seeing day 25 lacked comment :))
Edith S | 01.09.22 - 7:38 a.m. | #
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5. My 1965 self is still appalled whenever a 99 costs more than 9 denarii.
Michael | 01.09.22 - 8:45 a.m. | #
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11. I went there last weekend, I almost bought a Sunday Times from 2017.
Nigel | 01.09.22 - 9:30 a.m. | #
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12 - having since listened to all of both recommendations, I can confirm they are both worthy of your endorsement. Entertaining and informative.. very BBC.
Frank F | 01.09.22 - 12:57 p.m. | #
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3. The offhand response you received does not surprise me. Forced to use a former Somerfield Waitrose last Sunday because the freezers had crashed at my normal Waitrose, the response I got when quietly suggesting that the checkout conveyor belts should be wiped down and dried before customers needed to use them was sour in the extreme "we have other things to do". The image and reality of Waitrose are not always congruent.
J. | 01.09.22 - 1:58 p.m. | #
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30. I've recently started to visit the blog each day (when I remember) rather than relying on the RSS feed. Maybe it'll push the web visitors up ever so slightly (and that 12-millionth visitor will come sooner)
Joff | 01.09.22 - 6:17 p.m. | #
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3. I assume Waitrose customer service has gone the way of John Lewis, and is now reliant purely on their reputation and history rather than how they’ve operated for several years now.
I guess it’ll eventually come back to bite them. More people are realising.
Kirk | 04.09.22 - 8:12 a.m. | #
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