Category: New Malden

How ‘fair’ is mandatory water metering?

This week my family got a letter from the local water company, Thames Water, telling us that water meters are going to be installed on our street some time this month and that they will be coming to dig up our street to do it.

Witless reporting of Bentall’s suicide

I gained a whole load of new Twitter followers today as a result of live-tweeting a tragic incident that happened in the local shopping centre, the Bentall’s Centre in Kingston. A young woman threw...

Kingston and Snow (2)

Earlier this year I posted an entry called Kingston and Snow, which made the particular point about the places that don’t get gritted when the roads do, namely the pavements of main roads which...

What’s with the new Pret?

For some years I’ve been a regular at the Pret a Manger café in Kingston. Yes, it’s part-owned by MacDonalds, but it had comfortable seats, the coffee was nice enough, your coffee wasn’t made...

Don’t be a drudge – go for a trudge

Snow in Kingston, February 2009 - a set on Flickr So, we’ve had the biggest snow fall in southern England since 1991 (which I remember fairly well; I was away at school), and the...

We’ve got the power … or have we?

I woke up this morning to find that my bedside alarm-clock-radio was off, which could only mean one thing: a power cut. That had me worried, because I had heard on the radio yesterday...

A great anti-dog article

A man’s best friend is his dog? Are you barking? This is a fantastic article which sums up most of the reasons why I hate dogs, and in particular, stupid dog owners: In the...

Talking of service …

Saracen just made the point (entry below) about how on the High Street, “stock, price and service sometimes leave a lot to be desired”, which is why he buys much of what he buys...

London public transport blues

New Malden isn’t the best-connected of places when it comes to the London public transport system, although I speak as someone who was formerly spoiled, living within walking distance of East Croydon station with...

London 2013: Pay the Bill!

So, London has finally won the 2012 Olympic bid. I’m blogging in the London Apple Store, having come here from Trafalgar Square. The result was announced just before 12:50 London time, and I arrived...

The meaning of irony

I decided to come up to town this afternoon after hearing on the news that that a whole series of events have been laid on to celebrate St. George’s Day. For those of you...

London cycle routes

I’m a professional driver, but I don’t have my own car. My last car was an A-registered (that is, 1982-3) Nissan Cherry (produced just after Datsun was acquired, with the Datsun name still on...

My desktop

Jumping on the desktop-pictures bandwagon … here’s mine, taken with my Mum’s digital camera last night: If I were to post the original version (which I’m not going to, because it’s a huge file),...

Here’s a surprise about Feltham …

Those of you who’ve been following the British news might have heard of Zahid Mubarak, a young Asian man who was beaten to death by his cellmate in Feltham Young Offenders’ Institution, near London...

ASBOs and London trams

I’m not a big fan of the ASBO system (Anti-Social Behaviour Order, one of our infamous Home Secretary’s many schemes) but, given the one they have imposed on Camden Town by which they allow...