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So, the bathroom people should be coming on Wednesday. Plumber/project manager said "it might take 10 days" and then, under pressure, accepted that "it might run a bit over, but I'm sure you want use out of there as much as we want to get it done so that we can play some golf". Well, at least he's honest.

Of course, he hasn't discovered the toxic mould that doubless lies behind the rotting plaster on one of the walls. It could be worse. At least it isn't asbestos.


So, I spent half an hour emptying various cabinets (viz, two thereof) and this was (part) of the result. In the blue plastic baggette are 183 buttons, of varying sizes and hues. How does so much stuff accumulate?

I guess I'd better take a picture of the old wreck of a bathroom as well, so at least I will have memories of before and after.






The Bathroom Cabinet


+++++++++++



A few weeks ago I had the "pleasure" of walking through Trafalgar Square at my normal time of the morning. Times were (I remember when this bit was shut to traffic for the first time and the weird sense of walking along the middle of what until then had always been a very busy bit of road) that there was a sense of serenity about London at this time of the morning. No longer. The police are far more vigilant late at night, so the crooks and scamsters have shifted to early morning. There is always some "event" being organized by Ken in the Square, so workmen will be around, slowly destroying the once-pristine paving stones (several have already required replacement).

There's an opening scene to the early "Cagney And Lacey"s (the series before Sharon Gless) that, in passing, shows a background shot of New York, and it's just like Taxi Driver. Horrible. Indeed, the horror of the place pre-Giuliani was such that the producers of the series didn't even notice it.

London threatens to become a similar cesspit, I fear, despite manful efforts to tart it up for the cameras.



Trafalgar Square

Savings and Fingerbobs

Date: 2007-09-24 05:29 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
In an earlier post, you mentioned a statement from the Govt(/BoE?) that seemed to indicate that funds deposited in new accounts wouldn't receive the same guarantee as funds placed into existing accounts. Have I got the right end of the stick here?

And did you really use to go boozing with Yoffy??

The Paper

Re: Savings and Fingerbobs

Date: 2007-09-24 06:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] peterbirks.livejournal.com
The Treasury's statement was indeed to the effect that new deposits with Northern Rock would not be guaranteed to the same extent as existing accounts and reopened accounts, because this would be unfair to other institutions, which were not receiving any such guarantee.

However, there's an explicit guarantee and an implicit guarantee, and the implicit guarantee here is that no financial institution (provided it has acted responsibly) is going to be allowed to fail during the current crisis.

Now, if only Farepak and the Equitable Life had had branches where there could have been "A run on the bank"...


Yoffy? You've lost me. I'll have to reread my posts now, unless you enlighten me.

PJ

Re: Savings and Fingerbobs

Date: 2007-09-24 06:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] peterbirks.livejournal.com
Ohh, the Fingerbobs guy?

No, I just happened to meet him in the pub that evening. He was a very nice bloke though, and he did seem to exhibit some concern that I intended to drive to the Vic...

PJ

Re: Savings and Fingerbobs

Date: 2007-09-24 06:51 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I did suggest earlier that Northern Rock *plc* - in other words the share-issuing company - could easily be liquated and got bitch-slapped down. We shall see.

I fail to see the relevance of Farepak though ... a few people didnt get a Christmas hamper they'd saved up for? Well unfortunate ... but hardly on a par with people potentially losing 5, 6, even 7 figure sums on deposit in a bank certified by the BoE as being solvent. I'm aware that some people lost more but they were acting as agents for the company and so are in a very different category. Small businesses fail all the time and the government doesnt intervene - I fail to see why they should have done so in Farepak's case.

matt

Date: 2007-09-24 06:53 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
I like how the corner of your poker library got to feature in the picture.

Date: 2007-09-25 09:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] peterbirks.livejournal.com
Yes, I noticed that, too.

Perhaps I should put in a photo of the collection and invite identification....

PJ

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