Forum Topic

Queen's honours

Anyone in Ealing featured in the latest Honours List?  If I had my way I'd give gongs to the excellent couple of blokes who sweep and keep clean the pavements and gutters in our nearby roads. Armed with their four specialist brushes and trolley, they do a very good job in our street - and they've pleasant personalities too.  Well done Ealing Council for appointing such good staff.

Gerry Tan ● 6683d37 Comments

So who else wold folks nominate? Gerry for services to the community via the forum say I.

Graham Weeks ● 6683d

With Brushes?!  Shh Gerry - we know some people in Acton who'll want to tempt them over there to work - or perhaps run a training course.

Philippa Bond ● 6683d

speaking of which....but it was for "services to broadcasting" and nothing to do with litter-picking or grafitti!

Sara Nathan ● 6683d

... in Hounslow the attentive service has been seen to have groups of three cleaners - one to sweep, one to hold the bag and one to observe/supervise.In advance of an arranged visit by the prospective Conservative MP (which generated around 30 such cleaners in one go) we decided the collective noun for street cleaners, is a flurry.  If they had been given honours, would that make them a Royal flurry? ...  ...  :-)

Sarah Felstead ● 6683d

Sarah, if your esteemed Hounslow street cleaners used water as well as their brushes, could we say they were ROYAL FLUSHES?

Gerry Tan ● 6683d

Just went straight over us - culminating in a formation of 16 fighter jets. Impressive but ecologically unsound!

Sara Nathan ● 6683d

Yes. It was a bit noisy...

Alan Brainsby ● 6683d

I'm glad you two weren't at Biggin Hill last weekend. We spent the afternoon hearing the aircraft but were unable to get there due to inefficient police traffic management.

Peter Wright ● 6683d

And then the police are given helicopters!

Alan Brainsby ● 6683d

Sara, Congratulations on your OBE - well deserved.

Ian Green ● 6683d

Yes Ian, well done Sara.  What's does the official citation say?

Gerry Tan ● 6683d

"Chairman of the Fairness Committee, for services to broadcasting"So I am officially a fair person. Do you think it will help with job applications?

Sara Nathan ● 6683d

Well done Sara, I would add it to job applications.      'If you've got it, flaunt it' Sara Nathan OBE.And now for the full flypast 'Aircraft in Royal flypast'

Peter Wright ● 6683d

Congratulations Sara, services to broadcasting have done well this time round - the thinking man's crumpet Ms.Joan Bakewell is now a Dame.  Are you the thinking man's best loved chairman and important committee member? Well done both of you!  ;-)

Gerry Tan ● 6683d

I saw the later planes over Ealing but not the WWII ones. Did they come over Ealing?Congratulations to Sara OBE.

Graham Weeks ● 6677d

Thanks Gerry and Graham... I was rather chuffed and it does result in getting lovely notes, messages and emails from all sorts of people saying nice things - which is definitely a morale boost.

Sara Nathan ● 6676d

Congratulations Sara - and now I suppose you'll be thinking about a hat...

Philippa Bond ● 6676d

Hat...fascinator...nothing at all ... the debate rages and very strong views elucidated by all - well, all girlies anyhow. No male contribution on the vexed debate on to hat or not to hat.One policy decision though:it won't be anything from Lock's. Their ladies' hats seem to start at £350

Sara Nathan ● 6676d

Yes Philippa regarding that hat, I do hope one of Sara's children and her conductor/composer husband take their digicams to the investiture and post a photo of Sara in her beautiful Ascot Ladies Day titfer!  ;-)

Gerry Tan ● 6676d

Well done Sara!  Could be the start of a thread - how to choose and buy a hat?  I would love to see a picture of the one you pick - if you decide to wear one! :-)

Sarah Felstead ● 6676d

I believe the WW2 plane flew back to their base by the shortest route possible, ie due North,  as their airworthiness time is almost measured in minutes rather than hours.As was said of the Shackleton, a derivative of the Lancaster, - 100 000 rivets flying in loose formation! So a 60 plus old aircraft must be a bit tired.It is a pity they didn't fly over Ealing. I saw the Lancaster of 1995 VE-Day flypast passing east of Hanger Hill. Wondrous sight and sound!Makes me wonder what the krauts thought when they heard them, especially when seen with the doors open (difficult at night though).

Alan Brainsby ● 6676d

Ballacks to the krauts.  They certainly flew past our ancient allies the Portugese last night.  :-(

Gerry Tan ● 6676d

I suppose if the krauts had won the war then the BoB Memorial Flight would be Heinkel 111s, FW-190s and Me-109s...

Alan Brainsby ● 6675d

Have never mastered posting pix let alone choosing hats so it would be a short thread!

Sara Nathan ● 6675d

Yes Alan, the Fokkers!  But we had men like Portal, Dowding, Tedder, Harris, Bader and a few others on our side. Echoing Mr Winston Churchill's stirring words at the time:"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'"  ;-)

Gerry Tan ● 6675d

.. well posting pix is easy ...  even I can do it!  :-)I went out with a nearly 90 year old for "her" own tour of our pavements on Friday - I haven't been taking photos recently after the main tours with Cllrs and MP Ann Keen (who came out without any fuss) and prospective MP's and all manner of officials.  The biggest impact was in advance of Mary Macleod's visit - she had her own street sweeping team sent out ahead of her visit - along with officials who asked about my tour - and the big meanies promptly filled up the worst slabs so I couldn't show them to her!  No mind - there were many many other examples and more appearing every day.  I have been told of two other serious falls since their visits, one of which was Louise.Louise went for a short walk around the block and although she was taking care she came a cropper on a slab she missed and is now severely disabled due to the fall and damage to her knee.  She is probably the oldest survivor of the pavement falls as another lady did not survive the operation following her fall and died.Taken on Friday - Louise was happy for me to take a photo of her knee and to post it in public.These are the sorts of slabs she ahs to negotiate if venturing out on the pavementTypical damage - wonder what might have caused it?

Sarah Felstead ● 6675d

        An 'at and an 'arf, guv'

Peter Wright ● 6674d

That's not bad Peter, but we need for our Sara, something really stunning...y'kow, like a Cecil Beaton extravaganza...a hat that'll outshine those worn by the various wags of the other gong-getters from Industry, Commerce and the Media!  We want something really special for our Sara!  ;-)

Gerry Tan ● 6674d

Well........."a hat that'll outshine those worn by the various wags of the other gong-getters"

Peter Wright ● 6674d

The first one looks a little cheap and showy donchaknow...at Lock's which I looked at last week, you get hardly more than a wisp of feathers on a kirby grip for £350.Maybe the answer is to cut out the - reasonably accurate - portrait photo in the Gazette and keep fitting different hats to it. Then you'll see the glasses challenge.But I am grateful for you two chaps for showing an interest in what had been a purely female concern hitherto.

Sara Nathan ● 6674d

How long do you get to choose your 'at, Sara?

Sarah Felstead ● 6674d

I love the David Shilling spaghetti one!

Philippa Bond ● 6674d

Not wishing to be negative - but we should have a Dis-Honours list too and I would nominate the bin-men of Ealing. You can always tell when the bin men have been down our road as it looks like a cyclone has hit the place. Bin store doors ALL open, bins not put back or put back in a skewed manner, a trail of rubbish on the road following their route and the recycled boxes thrown haphazardly (it seems) into the various drives.

Trizia Fiorellino ● 6674d

Dis-Honours list?No contest.Red Ken.Order of Demerit

Graham Weeks ● 6674d

that's a given surely?

Trizia Fiorellino ● 6674d

dunno - the original letter said the ceremony would be within five months of the announcement - don't even know whether I might need a summer, autumn or winter titfer yet.My mum says it's more important to weigh eight and a half stone than which hat - but that's mothers for you.

Sara Nathan ● 6674d

I can't get my head around those fancy links, Peter.  :-(

Sarah Felstead ● 6674d