Slightly less panicked. Actually managed to get a really nice and helpful cashier in the bank, who sorted out the money issue, agreed with me that the letting agency only sending me the invoice with one working days notice was totally out of line, and generally made things much much better. I feel bad now, that I am always expecting to deal with incompetant people who mess me about, such that this came as a total suprise.

Anyway, now I just need to sort out everything else... and I need to try and remember that people aren't deliberately making my life difficult, and don't set out to be inept, and to try to be nice to them regardless...

How do I survive my mother-in-law?

Well meaning, does a lot for the family for which I'm grateful...

However has the ability to blunder into a minefield wearing hobnailed boots then gets offended when having trodden on a mine instead on trying to diffuse the situation she 'doesn't know about that' and promptly says what she would do without asking any further questions.

Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhhh!

My mother in law , has now come to live with us, at least for a while as we feel she really cannot look after herself anymore. So far Ive been tolerant of her various ways, but my patience is running thin at times

My mum say's you should count from 10 backwards.

I told my mum that if we move house I will be looking for one with a stable block, and she can have the stable block! She seemed surprisingly alright with that and said " I could come in and play your piano" So I suggested she could have her own piano in the stable. She'd drive me insane within a few days if she came to live with us. And I'm sure i'd drive her potty too.

She has a mechanical potty ??

Argh, I hate summer holidays when people are away or unavailable. I have several important issues that I can?t resolve because no-one is responding to calls / emails / messages etc. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Hubby suggests saying 'If you say so!' then finding an excuse to get a drink of water or need to use the smallest room in the house (especially if either father-in-law or he are present as they know what that is code for!)

I guess this is the right place to put this, but very much hoping all forumites and their loved ones are OK amid all the violence and rioting all over London at the moment. Have just heard it's spread to the Croydon area now, as well as Lewisham/Peckham/Catford etc.

I hope it doesn't comes down south even more because then it could reach Clapham where I live.

Personally VH, I hope it stops everywhere, now. I'm feeling really quite sad at the moment

Thanks Barry - seconded. I'd heard there was trouble in Lewisham and Peckham: was about to look at the news to see what the latest was. I was cutting back some buddleia in the back garden just before supper, and I heard a lot of sirens - was kind of hoping it wasn't!

Tramlink's been stopped through the town centre, MM

That doesn't seem to be on bbc yet.

Don't know whether to laugh or cry - good old forums - providing the latest news!

BBC Travel/TfL websites : anything listed that says 'serious police incident' = there's probably rioting here.

So tonight, so far, that's Lewisham, Catford, Peckham, Croydon in the SE, and Hackney, Clapton, Beckton in the East.

This has got to stop

http://thewestlondoner.wordpress.com/

This will keep you up to date. I'm a long way from home right now, in Hamburg. It feels pretty surreal to be reading about all this!

There seems to be trouble in Birmingham now too

Also Birmingham...

Thank you Rosie.

And according to Rosie's link, in Leeds now too.

Definitely problems all across East London now : Ilford, Barking, Romford...

Stratford and Clapham Junction have been mentioned as well, or are these within the places on your list?


I hope it doesn't come North.

Stratford I missed out. Not heard of problems in Clapham Junction. Violin Hero lives near there, according to his description.

It's saying that someone has been shot in the face in Leeds. It doesn't mention any rioting or looting.

Go lower down the listings, Flossie.





Sadly, add Clapham Junction to the list. Very worried about violence spilling across the river from Beckton to Woolwich : the DLR has been shut across the river as a precaution.

I can't see anything about Leeds other than the person being shot?

It sounds like absolutely the whole of London.

Just heard about this Thoughts and prayers from this side of the Atlantic...

Thinking of all you Londoners... Hoping that things settle soon and some order/control is restored... I can't imagine how scary it must be to the people living so close.

Pretty much, apart from outer south east London, and much of south west/west London. And I don't hold out a lot of hope for those areas either.

What is Allders?

There are forumites closer to the front line. Would appreciate messages from lorraineliyanage, Cyrilla and Bagpuss, all of who are closer to the current front line than I am...

Flossie : Allders is a massive department store in Croydon - quite a landmark. If that burns down, that's a huge slice of Croydon history gone

Two huge fires in Croydon : looks like London Road

I think Cyrilla posted that she was going on a course for a week in one of the East Midlands places (Nottingham/Leicester/Derby or somewhere like that).

Why are they destroying so much. It doesn't gain anything for them or anyone else.

I can see smoke in the sky over the town centre : ( This is just so pointless.

Thanks for good wishes btw.

I live 0.3 miles from Clapham Junction station. Anyway buses are running, I can hear them outside but it sounds like there are fewer tonight than usual. I am glad that I didn't need to go out tonight!

You will do Sky news is showing at least four major fires right across Croydon. Looks like Reeves Corner, London Road and areas around Allders/Fairfield Halls all on fire

Reeves corner I think is a bus.

Stay indoors.

Rioting now spread to Woolwich, which stretches the front line another two or three miles closer to Clari Towers

I've found Cyrilla's post (Random Comments thread, yesterday, 7:22am) but don't know how to quote from one thread to another.


I think we can assume that Cyrilla at least is out of danger - don't know about Bagpuss, Lorraineliyanage or jojo...

It's the big furniture store on that corner. It will be completely destroyed

That's right opposite Croydon Parish Church (sorry - minster!)

It says on the local BBC site "there was a crowd of up to 100 at the scene and some were masked". Sounds familiar.

Those fires look quite scary!

They look a lot scary : there's at least five of them in Croydon alone.

Southeastern have now closed the whole of the Greenwich line through Greenwich/Woolwich/Abbey Wood, through fear of violence

The smoke is drifting over our house now.

There are many kids in hoodies and a lot of noise coming from the street/road outside my flat.

Keep away from the windows, VH.

Think they are robbing Currys as they all seem to be carrying boxes of electronics! One is carrying a big TV down the street.

I've just rung No 1 son in Brixton. He was with us over the weekend, luckily arrived back at 7.30 yesterday evening and was home before the trouble started. Fortunately he shares a house in a residential road, so although they heard the rioters go up the main road they were reasonably clear of the main trouble area.

Has anyone seen any sign of jojo tonight? She has to go through Croydon on a motorbike to get home from work.

She posted on facebook 38 minutes ago and is at home.

Jojo is fine, although scared!! She is at home just now but planning to go to a friends if things get worse
Im friends with her on facebook!