Brixton chitter chatter and news and updates (Feb-Aug 2011)

That was the changed shift. I did exchange smiles with one earlier while he got out of the area. pff.

Wonder why I've never seen a van like that before. It's not like they don't use foam often, or is it just a new type of truck?

Maybe it was to do with the amount of foam they needed? I dunno?

You should probably get down there and engage a firefighter in conversation to find out - or send Quimmy perhaps?

Quimmy needs to wear in those high heels. Will leave it to her

My feet are hurting from my high heels. I went to that volunteer thingy after trawling for firemen.

Some men like women in bare feet

I could pretend I had to make good my escape from a fire hazard and didn't have time to put shoes on. good thinking, minnie.

Rip your tights as well. Looks better and firemen like ladders

You need to wear heels. Otherwise you'll be too small for them to see

EXACTLY, SHAKEY! Exactly!

Red sky at night, Footlocker alight

Minnie, you're on fire today.

*snort*

Someone was in JBar earlier - doors open and lights on, but shutters still closed. The door still has those formal notice signs on it.

I've been really annoyed that in addition to the days the one o' clock clubs operate being reduced, the times have now changed so that it is open mostly over lunch. This means that I and many people who used to use them don't any longer as we take our kids home for lunch and naps. I mentioned this to someone today who told me that the staff had raised this with Lambeth and had found ways to run their previous hours within budget but that this had been rejected by the council. The prevailing feeling is that the council wish to reduce the number of people using the clubs so they can point to lack of use as a reason for selling them off.

What do people suggest I do by way of challenging the council on this? Bearing in mind that lots of my information is third hand.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...reeling-as-young-star-dies-of-heart-attack.do

27 year old jazz musician was the poor guy who died at the Lido. How sad

Gosh.. I didn't realise this. It's all very very annoying. If you do challenge it, I'd be happy to add my name to anything. It's all so underhand and nasty. O LOVES the 1 o'clock club and it's a nice safe space with the best baby loos around.

I popped into The Poets (pretentious, moi?) at Herne Hill last night (next to The Commercial) because I quite like that kind of late night chilled jazz thing. Mix of live music and DJs. Nice enough but fuck me, some people work very hard to be the part.

Even if it did take a little off the park, that's such an excellent set up now around HH station.

Some people have suggested to me that they think that's just a cynical viewpoint and I've got no proof, the latter is true. Going to try email the one o' clock clubs first to ask why the timings are so unfriendly.

The name suggests they're meant to be at lunchtime - is that not the case?

One o' clock onwards. AFAIK the Brockwell Park one was (and is?) open from lunchtime until about 4.

It's now open from 12-3.30. If you go home for lunch and/or naps as many families do, you're usually ready to come out again around 2.30. This hardly makes it worth going, especially as you now have to travel further to get to the one that is open on that day as your local one may be closed due to the reduced timetable since the cuts.

Maybe that half an hour doesn't seem like a big deal to people reading this but I know loads of mums who've told me they don't use it because of the new times.

The One O Clock club in Streatham Hill is open from 1-5, which seems right to me. It means we can head there after school, at 3.30.

Exactly, something open from 12-2 is much less use than something open from 2-4 (5, even better!). Is that the Hillsomething one? I noticed it wasn't on the list of new times I got from Lambeth and wondered if they were doing their own thing as they're really proactive there?

Yes, Hillside. But you have to pay - it's £1 per child.

And the times are seasonal - so it shuts earlier in the winter. As does the park of course.

Ouch! Doesn't sound a lot, but if you need to go there at least a couple of days a week, and your household has a low income (show me parents of small children who don't wish they had more money), and you've got more than one child with you, it quickly gets expensive.

Definitely find out. Write to whoever's in charge and ask what the reasoning was behind the changed times and what prevented sticking to the original times.

(You def need to find out some facts but given the recent history of the clubs and Lambeth Council and the current financial climate, it could well be shenanigans)

Anyone know what the demo was that went up Brixton Hill about 4pm?

This?

http://london.indymedia.org/events/10038