Boris’ Ban Buggers Boozers
June 4, 2008
Mayor Boris Johnson’s ban on booze on the London transport system brought out the protest in people last Saturday as thousands of drinkers held parties all over the underground network. Although concentrated on the Circle Line, parties were also held on the Piccadilly line and others on the tube network. [Read more]
Gran Canaria The Six Second Pour
May 3, 2008
Do you know what a six second pour is? If you don’t then perhaps you should go on a cheap Gran Canaria holiday and watch the bar staff. They pour large measures there, but that not the only reason to visit the beautiful islands off the north coast of Africa. There is some quite drastic scenery and the people there welcome you with smiles and laughter when you visit. Gran Canaria weather is hot and dry. It’s guaranteed winter sun for us who live in Northern Europe and it’s only a four hour flight from London.
Boris, Mayor, Are You Kidding Me?
May 3, 2008
Boris Johnson is the new Mayor for London. Are you kidding me Londoners, you really voted for this guy to be Mayor of one of the best cities in the World. Forgive me American cousins, I don’t mean to pry into your business, but I feel like us Londoners have done this week what you guys did when you voted for George Bush to be prez.
Say what you want about Ken Livingston, but he has pedigree when it comes to doing things for London and Londoners. Boris doesn’t. I believe he’s just been handed one of the most important jobs in the country, and my impression of him is that he only does stuff to help himself.
I voted for Ken in this election, even though I think he needed to step down. For me the alternatives didn’t stack up. The Liberal democrat candidate doesn’t in my opinion have enough experience to run this city, and neither does Boris. Ken was in charge back in the good old GLC days.
When the GLC was crushed by Margaret Thatcher back in the 80’s, Ken was given a hard time, but grass roots Londoners loved him and what he did, because the GLC made available funds and services that we needed. In the past few years, I have felt that Ken and his team have to a degree waged war on drivers by increasing the congestion charge, extending the zone and creating difficulty conditions whereby you’ve had a hard time if you want to drive your car into the center. However on the flip side, he has increased the number of buses on the road and it is actually easier to get into central London using public transport.
My problem is that after eight years in office, anyone can become susceptible to the corrupting power that the position holds. I am not saying the Ken has become corrupt, but we see time and time again, that holding office for long periods of time, our leaders become out of touch with what is happening on the ground. The current Labour government is feeling the repercussions of that now, the previous Tory government got a bitch slap in 1997 after 18 years in power when they were tossed out by the people in an election that handed a momentous landslide victory for the opposition.
It was time for a change Ken. It’s a pity that you couldn’t have found a replacement that held similar conviction and love for London and Londoners as you did. Perhaps if you did, we’d be looking forward to having a Mayor that was going to carry on the good work that you have done.
I hope I am wrong and Boris Johnson turns out to be a good Mayor for London. I won’t be holding my breath, but I will be relieved if this turns out to be so.
London Property Auctions May 2008
May 1, 2008
We are well into the second quarter for the year and the UK property market is definitely cooling. The London property auctions are still doing business as more and more people turn to property auctions to secure either investment property or a homes for sale. [Read more]
I Think I Got Slapped
April 30, 2008
I’ve not been updating the site for a while because I have been caught up in lots of stuff in the offline world. Moving house, turning forty, blah blah blah, all meant I didn’t have a lot of time for Rambling procrastination.
I am aiming to change that soon though and get back to both rambling and procrastinating large about many a different happenings that are going on in London, the UK and in our global village. [Read more]
London Property Auction Watch March 2008
March 8, 2008
Where is the time going? It’s March already and once again I am late with this months London Property Auction post. I’ve been searching around the web for more information on auctions this month and there are plenty to choose from with lots and lots of Lots (laughing at my own bad pun).
I’ve noticed even more regional UK property auctions as well, however as I don’t know much about other areas of the UK I will list the London ones here and if you are interested in others around the country, read UK Property Auctions.
A hot tip for those on the hunt for property bargains.
If you’re on the look out for a property bargain, that you wish to buy at auction, when looking through the auction catalogue, try to check out where the vendor’s (seller) solicitor is located. If the seller and the solicitor are miles and miles away from each other (i.e. property in London, solicitor in Glasgow) this could indicate that the property is being sold as part of probate settlement.
Probate is what happens when someone dies and doesn’t leave a will. Often this results in the deceased assets being sold to liquidate and pay taxes or for distribution amongst their relatives or dependents. Probate is a lengthy process and in order to move things along, the quick sale of assets is desirable, thus much property of this type is disposed of at auctions.
Auctions London March
| Barnard Marcus | 13 Mar 2008 10:30 | Cafe Royal, 68 Regent Street, London, W1B 5EL<!– |
| Sullivan Mitchell | 13 Mar 2008 15:00 | The New Connaught Rooms, Great Queen Street, London WC2 |
| Countrywide Property Auctions | 14 Mar 2008 12:00 | The New Connaught Rooms, Great Queen Street, London WC2 |
| Allsops | 26 Mar 2008 | Cafe Royal, 68 Regent Street, London W1B 5EL |
| Erinaceous Residential | 27 Mar 2008 12:00 | Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London, W8 7NX |
| Strettons in Assoc. with Edwin Evans | 31 Mar 2008 11:00 | New Connaught Rooms, Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5DA |
Your Property Auction Questions
I had a couple of questions from readers last month about buying property at auction. If you’re interested in buying from an auction, here are a few articles from around the web that I think are useful.
- How To Buy At Auction (Fool.co.uk) for a great explanation. (also read the comments)
- Buying At Auction (BBC.co.uk)
- Buying A Property At Auction (Shelter)
Pub All Day
February 24, 2008
A couple of weeks ago I went to a very nice and friendly pub called The County Arms, just by Wandsworth Common. They must have hired a nightclub and restaurant interior designer to do out the place, because it is so relaxing that we stayed there all day.
At first you don’t realise how much your environment affects your mood until you find somewhere where the interior design has been done so well that you feel comfortable enough to stay in the space all day.
It wasn’t over done, it wasn’t like a styled out space, it had enough ambiance and the furnishings were kind of rustic but not country styled (that would have looked out of place in a pub in the middle of the city).
Retail Interiors Designed For Multiple Uses
One thing that we liked as well was the interior was not done in a way that made it look ‘designed’.
The County Arms is quite a big pub, but it’s not like a themed pub, with the exact same layout throughout. In some corners three and four seater leather sofas surrounded the low tables, in others, you had 2 or three armchairs with higher dining tables.
The pub has a dining area that is set out for more formal(ish) dining, and still other areas where high tables and stools or long high benches enabled drinkers and diners to look out at the world through the large windows.
The way the interior design has been done in this space makes it usable for many types of patrons. You would feel equally relaxed and ‘at home’ there whether you were with friends or on your own.
The exterior of The County Arms looks like a traditional English pub, indeed it’s run by Youngs Brewery, which is actually a well known brewery in the UK. However (I think in part thanks to the decor and the smoking ban), the interior has a dark but airy feel to it. The lighting is gentle and the use of dark wood and darker reds in the furnishings give it the warm, comfort feel I spoke about earlier. None of your bleached alpine squared off tables or chairs here, however the lighter creams of the paintwork and walls help the space to achieve the lightness quality so important in modern interior design. On a sunny day the combination is unbeatable.
I would really recommend this place as a nice spot to eat and drink if you’re in south west London. The staff were excellent and quite attentive without being overbearing. It is also a family friendly place, there is no problem bringing your kids there. Ok it’s not strictly speaking a nightclub, but in the evenings they have regular live music nights and the food is great too.
I must commend them for creating space that caters for all their different types of clientele. This is a great example of a nightclub; retail; restaurant; interior design that works.
The County Arms 345 Trinity Rd, London, SW18 3SH - 020 88748532
Photo © County Arms