Forum Topics

Grimebusters Hotline - a flop?

Just read the latest headline and it is astonishing to think that only 2 calls per day to this hotline is costinng the Council a whopping £182 per call!To save money why not just close this hotline and ask people to report any problems to fixmystreet.com. ?Another sugestion - why not ask for more volunteers to become Streetwatchers?Surely we cannot afford to waste money in this way?

Jean F Fernandez ● 5674d23 Comments ● 5660d

Anyone lost a dog?

My son's just phoned me on his way to school to say he's seen a dog wandering about without its owner. It was on Blandford Road, off Ranelagh. He described it as medium sized, black, wearing a red collar, and slobbering.He was quite worried about it because he said he'd already seen it nearly get hit by a car.I'll look out for it myself this morning, but if it rings any bells could you pass this on to the owner.

Charlie Canniff ● 5674d2 Comments ● 5660d

Japan disaster

I cant believe no-one is posting on the Japan catastrophe.  I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep worrying about the people both there and here.  I feel like I want to take in a Japanese family to do my bit to help.

Barbara Yerolemou ● 5674d10 Comments ● 5661d

DINNER ON SATURDAY FOR £5.00

The London Buddhist Vihara in the Avenue Chiswick is doing another Fund Raising Vegetarian meal for £5 this coming Saturday from 5.30pm to 8.30pm.Do go and try the food if you haven't done so before, it is really excellent and home cooked by the Sri Lankan ladies who support the Vihara.If you can't stay and eat at the Vihara you can get a take-away at the same price.

Pat Smith ● 5661d0 Comments ● 5661d

Open University Introduction to Linux course T155

I have complained long and loud about the lack of help for beginners, but I have noticed that The Open University is offering a course for beginners,http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/t155.htm

Chris Bell ● 5661d0 Comments ● 5661d

Carry On Constable...

...should be standard viewing for anyone interested in Ealing as it was.Just watched it and seen much of South Ealing and West Ealing.As well as a 65 bus when it had proper buses and those unmistakable Ealing Lamposts!But how neat and tidy the area was even though it was not as posh as it is made out to be nowadays

Oliver Gregan ● 5684d10 Comments ● 5662d

The Spinning Wheel closed?

I just heard from a friend that The Sinning Wheel on Northfields Ave has closed down soon to be reopened as an express mini market. Is this true? Is this the sort of shop that is needed or help full for the cafe society image that Northfields Avenue is so desperate to portray? Or is this a gateway store for the creation of a pound shop highway? Waitrose maybe but Lidl NO!?

Frankie Power ● 5667d9 Comments ● 5663d

Brent River Park

Paid my first visit there for a long time and am pleased to see that a programme of tarting up -- sorry, regeneration -- has begun and should be completed next year. Already signs of improvement in the animal enclosures.

Susan Kelly ● 5664d0 Comments ● 5664d

Avid Daily Mail Readers

Are there any avid Daily Mail readers in Chiswick, Hammersmith, Brentford, Kensington, Acton or Putney. Sometime next week aclaimed author and national newspaper journalist Nigel Blundell is producing a major feature for the Daily Mail dealing with atrocities committed in the 1950s and 1960s in the borough's just mentioned. With an estimated daily readership of two million two hundred thousand he will open a real can of worms. The exact date of the article will be posted soon. Regards. Neil Milkins. 

Neil Milkins ● 5665d1 Comments ● 5665d

How to Write a Rant

How to write a rant.I think we all agree that there is nothing like a good rant. It is therefore pleasing to see that this forum is home to some of the best rants. There are many examples of quality ranting threads – long series of postings, lots of mindless statements, lots of aggression and even some colourful insults. But to date these have been the domain of a select few. Is it not time we widened the pool of people involved and have all of us start and contribute to rants? I wondered if a lack of knowledge and confidence on how to rant was acting as a deterrent. So I thought I’d help.A side note to the noteworthy expert ranters on the forum. This thread is not really for you. Please do not feel insulted by the advise offered here. I am sure you will see the guidance given as 'ranting 101' and view yourself as skilled in all the techniques noted. Just be patient while we get everyone else up to speed.I’ve studied the forum postings over this last few months and I think I may have worked out the optimal formulation for setting up and maintaining a rant. The below has been distilled from a number of rants seen in local forums over the last year – although I must say that the Ealing forum is currently leading the way. We are all very proud.There seems to be only a few simple rules to follow and your contribution to the forum will be a proper rant. It is possible to apply these from any perspective, i.e. left-wing, right-wing, liberal, religious, anti-religious, globalisationist, isolationist, animal rights, human rights, etc. I suggest we all adopt this approach in our contributions to the forum as such ranting must surely be cathartic and a great way to allow pent up emotions vent. The aim of a good rant is two-fold. One it is to incite and stimulate a response. This is important but only a means to an end. The second goal, and the real objective, is to establish the very longest thread of posts. From my observations the aim of a rant is not to present a logical, structured or coherent argument. I am pleased to present these as a series of posts on this thread. Of course if this post or any of its subsequent follow-up posts stimulate a response then we have an interesting dilemma. Do I respond and create a rant – or ignore them and rise above the ranting? Probably the latter. I am here as a guide, not a contributor.Next – setting out the initial statement so that it triggers a long rant.

Alan Clark ● 6513d232 Comments ● 5666d

Great place to watch Boat Race

Putney Town Rowing Club ( http://putneytownrc.co.uk/archives/wheres-the-best-place-to-watch-the-boat-race ) is close to the finish line and has an outside bar.

Tony Steele ● 5666d2 Comments ● 5666d

Terracotta Restaurant Northfields Avenue

Northfields Avenue is full of young families.  Today I decided to visit a little restaurant called Terracotta for lunch.  I went with my friend and two year old son.  We arrived and the restaurant was empty, so we sat at a table for four.  They had no child seats, so we placed the two year old in by the wall.  The owner approached us to tell us to move to a table of three.  We did not want to move as we wanted the two year old in by a wall, so he would'nt move about too much.  She was not happy but anyway we got our food.  As we were eating the two year old, who was very well behaved for a two year old!  got off his chair to pick up some pencils and went to get back on and hit the wall with his shoe.  She immediately asked me to watch him as he was dirtying the wall.  There were no marks on the wall.  I then replied that she was not at all child friendly.  So we asked for the bill to leave.  On leaving we had the owner behind us telling us not to come back, as if.  And the man behind the deli counter was most abbusive.  He screamed at us saying the childs behaviour was appalling and obviously got it from the mother.  My poor son was horrified and looked at me with fear.  DO NOT ENTER THIS PREMISES WITH CHILDREN. THEY ARE NOT WELCOME.   A VERY UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE.

Catriona Dodder ● 5679d11 Comments ● 5667d

Suggestion for improving Ealing Today website.

These long and interesting historical threads like the Terracotta deli and how to write a rant are excellent however their accessibility and interest value could be improved by displaying the posts so that the latest ones come at the top of the list rather than the bottom.

Maggie Tomlinson ● 5669d4 Comments ● 5667d

Census 2011

I have been filling in the form which is a testimony to our over intrusive government which has no sense of history. I had to answer 56 questions, the others in the household, 42 each. One hundred years ago my great grandfather had to answer 12 questions on behalf of each person resident on April 2nd 1911. In 1911 there was a head of the family. Now I am merely a householder. In 1911 the census asked five questions I do not have to answer. In 2011 the state is not bothered as to my full name or how many years I have been married, how many children we have had born alive, how many live and how many died. Nor is the state interested to know my place of birth. Come 2111 my great grandchildren will learn a lot about how we live now but any genealogical research will be hindered by the questions that were not asked in 2011 but were in 1911. This census is for the government and the employment of more civil servants. It is not in the real interest of future generations.

Graham Weeks ● 5667d2 Comments ● 5667d

Sparrowhawk near Ealing Broadway  kills pigeon

I live about 300 m north of the station . I saw something fluttering on the back lawn, about 1100  . it was a pigeon, as I thought squabbling with another. Then saw a shower of feathers , and one dead pigeon being lunch for a large-ish fierce looking fantastic  bird ,which I checked in the bird book , was a sparrowhawk I think  female . It chomped away for about 20 minutes . Is this why there are recently  very few small birds in the garden  such as blue tits . Remaining pigeons look undrstandably  edgy . Great to see this handsome pigeon whacker !

Nicholas Black ● 5670d5 Comments ● 5667d

NEW Star and Anchor Pub/Restaurant

Formerly known as Baroque and with a chequered history of opening and closing, this pace has just undergone a £300k re-furb and WEN Committee were invited along on Thursday for a pre-opening trial run!The money in terms of decor looks well spent and the garden area is simply stunning.  As far as the food goes we did have to wait some time for it and it wasn't quite perfect, but nevertheless very good.  The staff were very keen to hear our feedback and make the necessary changes. And there were charming too.I hope this place does well as there is definitely a gap in the area for this type of establishment.

Diane Gill ● 5678d6 Comments ● 5667d

Jet Harris RIP

If any of you remember The original Shadows this is just to let you know that the base player Jet Harris sadly passed away today.He was sufferig from cancer. Last time we seen him was a few years ago at the Londo Palladium on the Marty Wilde Show - he was so talented and so witty.I am sure he will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him.

Jean F Fernandez ● 5671d3 Comments ● 5668d

Should Ealing Council buy any tiskets for the Olympics

Some London boroughs are buying, some are not and some are undecided.Ealing has not yet responded) I think the benefits to Ealing are hard to see  and so I would be unhappy if Ealing council use our Council Tax to purchase seats. How do others feel?

Penny Crocker ● 5674d15 Comments ● 5669d

Is the Ealing Labour Group a Fake?

In his support of the "Fair Treatment Now" initiative Labour party leader and MP for Doncaster North Ed Miliband said: "When people with mental illness get fair access to the decent treatment they deserve, they stand a better chance of recovering, and getting back their lives. For far too long mental health has been seen as a Cinderella service when in fact it is critical to helping people achieve good quality, well balanced lives."How and why can Ealing Labour Group justify closing the LINKS mental health service and the ALbert Dane Day Centre for the disbled if they are part of the Labour Party. I think there is something smelly going on here and perhaps the Labour Party leadership should look at this.

Maggie Tomlinson ● 5669d4 Comments ● 5669d

Terracotta Deli and Cafe Disappointment

I have been meaning to try it since it opened and this morning I did. How was it? Disappointing. The manager/owner spoke aggressively and sarcastically to his staff, who in turn didn't seem to know what they were doing, or if they did, were so afraid of their boss it hindered their ability to work with confidence. I think there were three serving staff, in addition to the owner/manager, which seemed too many. I wanted to give my order at the counter and then find a place to sit, but a waiter told me to sit and then brought over a menu. Unnecessary and time-consuming. The system in Munson's works better: walk in, decide what you want, order, then wait for the order to arrive.I ordered a latte. It came with chocolate sprinkled on top. When I asked why, the waitress said, in an ignorantly pleasant manner, that this was how latte is made. Also, it was cold. I'm not one of these people who want their milk to be scolding, it ruins the flavour of the coffee when made this way, but this coffee was just about tepid. The waitress replaced it immediately. The coffee flavour was average.I was charged £2.50 for the coffee. I thought the price was £1.80 (maybe the sit- down price was more, but this wasn't stated). I was hoping the owner/manager would ask me how the experience was so I could give him some feedback. After all, I want our independent establishments to succeed, but he didn't even thank me for my custom or say goodbye.Terracotta is a good-looking deli and coffee shop but the service, quality of coffee and the attitude of the owner/manager to his staff  means I won't be returning. Perhaps if the owner/manager had spent his energy of training his staff to the standards he and the customer expects he wouldn't have to chastise them when they made mistakes.Can anyone recommend a coffee shop in Northfields where one can guarantee a very good cup of coffee in nice surroundings?

Darren Halford ● 6644d25 Comments ● 5670d