Thank you so much to the loyal supporters who continue to donate to Beatrice and the Rescue Cats, our local independent one woman heroine, out in all weathers 24/7. The situation has of course become far worse at this current time. Please contact me direct if you would like to help.

Talking to a friend we were remembering what we used to get but can't anymore,
Sliced tongue, jellied veal and haslet.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/nov/27/matt-hancock-im-a-celebrity-tiktok-votes-jungle 'members of Hancock’s PR team were lobbying for votes on the app – encouraging people to vote for him repeatedly and giving them step-by-step instructions.'

Fgs.

Received today - apologies cannot paste so that links work!





Good afternoon

Thank you for responding to our consultation that took place earlier this year. I am now contactng you to let you know that the Mayor of London has decided to expand the ULEZ to outer London so that it will apply London-wide from 29 August 2023.

This followed a public consultation that took place between 20 May and 29 July 2022. The Mayor’s decision was informed by the consultation responses that we received and other relevant information such as the Integrated Impact Assessment which considered the possible impacts of the proposed expansion. The consultation reports which summarise the issues raised in the consultation and TfL’s response to them can be viewed here.

To support the ULEZ expansion, the Mayor has announced that he is funding a £110m scrappage scheme for Londoners on lower incomes, disabled Londoners, charities, micro businesses and sole traders. The scheme will open on 30 January 2023, but the website has already been updated with some details on what the scheme will look like and who will be eligible to apply.

To help London’s disabled drivers and community transport minibuses run by not- for-profit organisations, the existing exemption periods for these vehicles will extend to October 2027 and October 2025 respectively. There will also be new exemption periods for disabled drivers and wheelchair accessible and adapted vehicles. These will apply from the end of January 2023 until October 2027. For more information please see the TfL website.

Additionally, to maximise the potential benefits of expanding the ULEZ and strengthen alternatives to private cars, the Mayor today announced a plan for improving the bus network in outer London. Two new routes will be introduced in Sutton and in east London, new zero-emission cross-river services will be introduced, subject to consultation, as part of the opening of the Silvertown Tunnel in 2025.

In addition to ULEZ expansion, we also consulted on changing the way Auto Pay works, increasing the level of the penalty charge for non-payment of the ULEZ and the Congestion Charge, and asked for your views on the possible future of road user charging, as well as a revision to the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.

The Mayor has also decided to:

Remove the annual £10 per vehicle Auto Pay registration fee to make it easier for people with non-compliant vehicles to pay the charge and avoid unnecessary penalty charges
Increase the penalty charge notice for non-payment of the ULEZ and Congestion Charges from £160 to £180 (or £90 if paid within 14 days) to ensure it remains an effective deterrent
The consultation also asked a number of questions about how people felt a future road user charging scheme might work by the end of the decade. The full consultation report details the response to these questions.

The MTS Revision and its post adoption statement, as well as the Integrated Impact Assessment of the proposed revision and the Habitats Regulation Assessment, may be inspected during office hours at TfL’s main office: Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NJ; and at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, London E16 1ZE. These documents are also available on our website.

If you have any questions about the impacts about any of the information in this email please contact our customer services team.

Kind regards

Christina Calderato
Director of Transport Strategy & Policy
Transport for London

Any power cut in your area yet?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/nov/26/brexit-britain-japan-trade-deal-exports-slump

I've occasionally heard Radio Four's 'Sliced Bread' (as in, the best thing since sliced bread) in the past but this episode is one that I really wanted to hear, for obvious reasons: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001dxtx#xtor=CS8-1000-[Discovery_Cards]-[Multi_Site]-[GR07]-[PS_SOUNDS~N~~P_SlicedBreadPortableHeaters]

The only portable room heater I own is an ancient (inherited), two-bar radiant electric one, which is probably very power-hungry and inefficient. So, if there were any home gadget that I really want this Christmas, a good modern alternative would probably be it.

Interesting reading.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11462995/Face-face-GP-appointments-highest-level-Covid-nationally.html

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMF9SdtsJ/

https://www.scooploop.com/thread/dont-forgetbrbrclick-on-8dc68

Just found out you can get items from Boots delivered by Deliveroo. Could be useful if you don't feel well and don't want to go out.

Police text 70,000 victims in UK's biggest anti-fraud operation https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63736573

Many people were killed by Covid, while others made a killing https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/23/revealed-tory-peer-michelle-mone-secretly-received-29m-from-vip-lane-ppe-firm

Hi

On Sunday 14th May 2023 I'll be taking part in the Marsden March - A fifteen mile sponsored walk from near the Marsden Hospital in Chelsea to the other Marsden Hospital in Sutton, passing through Putney, Wimbledon Common, Raynes Park, Stonecot Hill, North Cheam, Cheam and Belmont.

The website of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity gives a lot of detail about the March at
https://www.royalmarsden.org/support-us/banham-marsden-march

The Royal Marsden is a world-leading cancer centre. Their nurses, doctors and research teams provide the very best care and develop life-saving treatments, which are used across the UK and around the world. From funding state-of-the-art equipment and ground-breaking research to creating the very best patient environments, they will never stop looking for ways to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.

I've lost a lot of fiends and family to various forms of cancer and the Marsden cured the cancer of a good friend, so I'd like to raise as much money as I can.

If anybody would like to contribute my fundraising page can be found at:

https://march.royalmarsden.org/fundraising-page/tony-lang-banham-marsden-march-2023

Whether you donate £1 or £50. Every donation helps to make a difference, so please support me however you can.

I'll be starting at around 9am and I'm aiming for a time of four and a half hours or better.

Thank you in advance.

Cheers.

Tony

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vladimir-putin-sculpture-auction-ukraine-b2231257.html

After my last saga with the basin tap in the bathroom, the mixer tap in the kitchen has been leaking from the bottom for a week or so. As I really would like to change the inset kitchen sink I have, asked on F/book for a plumber for said tap and also mentioned changing the sink. The problem is the worktop is quartz, I've had about 4 plumbers view previously, never hear from them again so this time I mentioned the leaking tap and the possibility of changing sink to an 'old fashioned' slot in over-unit. Had a few replies, one recommended so rang them last week, mentioned the quartz and that nobody wanted to know due to the quartz and he replied no problem at all to us. Anyway, appointment made last week for them to come today between 1 - 5 (4-hour time slot) and at 3.00 nice young lad arrived, looked at the tap and started taking photos on his phone. Yes, I needed new tap as cartridge had probably gone - though I did mention as per our Mr. Bird that they can be replaced for about £10, he said yes, but a lot of fiddling about and easier to change the tap. I asked about changing the sink which apparently was on his work-sheet anyway but he wasn't sure about that. Net result, the office will email me end of week or might be early next week with a quote.

I'm very inclined to telephone the firm and ask can they do it or not because I really couldn't see the point of the visit by a young man, hopefully a plumber, taking photos.
If they can't, I'll just get the tap changed by (hopefully again) a plumber who will come and look at it and can carry out the task without wasting any more time. I do apologise for rambling on again but these damn plumbers are getting me down!

Been here all day having tests and now on monitor but don't know how long for.
Good job I brought this tablet as I have had to cancel my Asda delivery.

We’re ending our hosepipe ban
Hello,

We’re pleased to announce that the hosepipe ban is over for everyone across our region.

Thank you so much for all your efforts to help save water.
What's changed?
The wet weather throughout autumn has begun to make a real difference, following on from a year of below average rain. In many places the ground is becoming wet enough for water to sink down into the underground sources that feed local rivers.

You’ve played a vital part by using water wisely – we’re really grateful for all you’ve done.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63607793

Here's a report from a Qatari source.

"Uproar ensued on social media among football fans in the United Kingdom as the BBC and ITV networks decided to not broadcast most of the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar on Sunday.

After eagerly waiting for the major sporting event, which many English fans believe will witness the trophy “coming home”, the audience had to find ways to view the opening ceremony online instead.

According to furious social media users, the BBC deprived its audience of the ceremony as it did not wish to interrupt the coverage of the Women’s Super League match. 

Once the game ended, the BBC showed its viewers a news package with allegations on Qatar’s human rights record throughout its preparations for the World Cup. 

Consequently, several football fans in London had to miss out on a spectacular performance at the Al Bayt stadium that featured prominent K-pop artist Jung Kook, who entertained tens of thousands of fans at the venue."

Were you upset?

Beware, this is a scam; there is no such event. If you have paid by credit or debit card, contact your bank.

http://bit.ly/3gqKs9Q

Do they work the same or not?

Apart from everything else that’s wrong with Qatar, wtf is going on in this photograph? https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/20/bbc-ignores-world-cup-opening-ceremony-in-favour-of-qatar-criticism

https://top20gadgetdeals.com/insanely-cool-gadgets-tb-uk.html?rtkcid=637a7732088a9900012370ae&rtkcmpid=6363562016a78300018cae27#tblciGiD3jrRF7nzCNesakQGf_TNwcX4VyGUm2Ms-6lur2bDu1CCckFsolu6P_7Xux43PAQ

Surely we must all agree that nurses should be well rewarded for their dedication to what is a demanding, skilful, often stressful and unpleasant, job
With that in mind, any pay demands that are legitimately made should be sympathetically considered without the necessity of driving them to possible strike action.
However having said that, in a recent article, I came across some very interesting facts concerning the Royal College of Nursing’s proposal for strike action, which I list below.
Fact 1. The RCN has just topped up its war chest by £15 million to a total of £50million, one wonders where all this money comes from.
Fact 2. RCN claim that nurse’s pay has dropped by 20% in real terms since 2010 and are seeking a 17% pay rise. The TUC’s figures say that those on £70.50 to £102 per day their pay is down by 1% and the lowest paid have had an increase of 5% since 2010. ( I find the TUC figures hard to believe)
Fact 3 Of the 215 NHS Trusts only 102 voted for strike action, hardly a majority.
Fact 4 RCN accounts show that it’s wage bill for last year were £48.1 million a 6% increase on the £45.3 million on the previous year.
Fact 5 Dame Donna Kinnair, former boss of RCN, her remuneration rose from £197k to £242k, more than 6 times the average wage of a nurse.
Assuming that the money involved comes from hard working nurse’s union dues, are the nurses getting value for money?.
I have formed my own opinion regarding these facts but would welcome member’s opinions on the subject, particularly those with inside knowledge of the workings of trade unions..

Wimbledon Choral Christmas concert Sat Dec 17th.
This is always a lovely concert!! If you only go to one Christmas concert then make it the Wimbledon Choral concert on December 17th at St Paul's Southfields.
Hundreds of voices will fill the church with beautiful seasonal melodies.
Book now:
https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing?embed&ref=WCS&eid=34305

Are these titles by certain media groups fair

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/universities-woke-degrees-watchdog-courses-decolonise/

The World Cup should be a celebration of the world's best football.

The venue should never have been awarded to Qatar, by a vote that reeks of corruption sponsored by...?

The Qatari regime persecute gays, ban beer and exploit immigrant labour?

They have no experience of how to deal with the events of the next few weeks.

Your thoughts?

Autumn Statement 2022 – what does it mean for drivers? - RAChttps://www.rac.co.uk › drive › news › motoring-news
2 days ago — The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered his Autumn Statement today. ... against a backdrop of high inflation and pressure on public finances.

A digression from a recent post referred to vehicles with smoking exhaust.

I have found the response I received from VOSA when I tried to report a van some years go.

"Unfortunately, VOSA can only investigate reports of smoky exhausts for HGV's and PSV's.

If a vehicle up to 3500kgs or a vehicle such as a car or taxi is causing a nuisance or pollution hazard, it would need to be reported to the local or district council.

If you wish to report smokey HGV's or PSV's you can find the smokey vehicle report form on VOSA's website via the link below:-
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/forms/miscellaneousforms/miscellaneousforms.htm

However, vehicle's should be kept in a roadworthy condition and meet legal requirements at all times in order to be driven on the public highway, so if you have concerns about the roadworthiness of a particular car, you may wish to report it to the appropriate Police department for your area, as they are the organisation responsible for investigating unroadworthy vehicles of this type.

VOSA is concerned to receive reports relating to unroadworthy HGV's, PSV's, drivers hours, overloading and other road safety issues, but unfortunately we do not have the remit to investigate unroadworthy cars or taxis."

VOSA is now part of the DVSA which will only respond to reports of smoky vehicles if they are HGVs or PSVs.

Trial in Telford

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11417029/Bouncy-pavement-Telford-harnesses-energy-runners-footsteps-charge-smartphones.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11437331/England-toxic-timebomb-2-4m-dropped-cigarette-butts-14-years-break-up.html

Oh dear!

Fifa has confirmed alcohol will be banned for World Cup fans in a major and unprecedented volte-face just 48 hours before the tournament will kick off in Qatar. The news that it will not be sold inside or around the perimeter of stadiums was confirmed by Fifa in a terse statement on Friday afternoon.

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/belgiums-asylum-system-creaks-seams-171545747.html

I just signed the petition "Make being a Member of Parliament a full time job" and wanted to ask if you could add your name too.



https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/make-being-a-member-of-parliament-a-full-time-job?share=1ff6bd69-b76f-48a7-9a48-8c3e1d9a1ff4&source=&utm_campaign=blast2022-11-11&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/15/population-8-billion-climate

According to https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/surgeries/:
"Most MPs hold surgeries in their constituency to give people an opportunity to meet them and discuss matters of concern. MPs usually hold surgeries once a week and advertise them locally or online."
That surprised me because our local MP's website is still advertising last Monday's surgery and makes no mention of how often they're usually held. It gave me the impression that it might be some weeks before there's another one in this area.
How often does your MP offer the chance to meet them locally in this way?

Short-term fostering is for children and young people who require temporary care. Before moving to a longer-term placement, adoption, or another type of care, a child can stay in a safe and loving environment during a short-term foster placement. The most typical kind of foster placement is a short-term arrangement, which gives the foster carer a chance to provide the child with all the love and care they require while preparing them for their next step. A child may need a temporary foster home for various reasons, but their families often cannot care for them. Another reason a child might require a temporary foster home is if their parents or guardians are ill, are struggling to care for them, the child is awaiting adoption, or the family is undergoing current care proceedings. In these cases, the child is placed in a temporary home while decisions are made about their long-term care arrangements. In circumstances where a kid is disabled or has extensive medical needs, short-term foster placements are also used to give parents a little break or respite.

Local authorities in London and the South East, the Midlands, the North West of England, and the North East utilise our fostering services. Due to the high demand for foster parents, local governments frequently find that more children need foster homes than they can place, thanks to their pool of foster parents. We address this issue by giving children warm, loving foster families through various placement types, including therapeutic or remand fostering, long-term solutions, and more specialised placements like emergency fostering.

In order to better the lives of children, a group of committed professionals founded UK Fostering, an independent fostering agency. Our mission is to offer completely qualified, caring, and competent foster care when it is most needed to children and local authorities.

Fostering relationships that are short-term fostering in nature might last anywhere from two weeks to two years. The specific circumstances of the kid and family will determine how long the placement will last. In contrast to other fostering arrangements, short-term foster parents frequently have more contact with the children's birth families while assessments are being carried out. Short-term foster parents can help their children meet their new adoptive families by doing the same.

Sounds fantastic for the compulsive hypochondriac.

https://tinyurl.com/mpjzvhhh

... for all the interesting comments and articles.
Am deleting my account

These people that want to remove anything historical that might have links to slavery, how far back should we go?
Should they tell the Egyptians to bulldoze the pyramids because they were built by slaves?
When they have finished erasing slave related history, will they move on to history that doesn't agree with their views?

If you are looking for new/extra pair of specs, go to the Martin Lewis website where you can currently get a pair for £14. I've just ordered another pair - very, very basic, no frills - as a spare. I did have my eyes tested last month and did purchase from them with the 'extras' involved so prescription was up to date. I did need to phone them with a query (stigmatism in both eyes), answered very quickly and sorted out by them. You can have all the extras and still get a large discount (which I may do later once I've received this pair) but worth looking at if you just want a very basic back-up, just make sure you just keep pressing 'next' and ignoring. Expires 17th November.

I watch Escape to the Country sometimes and he's always been one of the best. Just so young.

'My boys will grow up not knowing their dad': A Place in the Sun star Jonnie Irwin, 48, reveals he has months to live after devastating cancer diagnosis and shares 'heartbreak' at leaving behind his wife Jessica, 40, and their three young sons
Irwin said he hopes sharing his terminal diagnosis will inspire other people to 'make the most of every day'
The 48-year-old broadcaster presents Channel 4's A Place In The Sun and the BBC's Escape To The Country
He was diagnosed with lung cancer which spread to his brain. 'I don't know how long I have left,' he told Hello
The devoted father-of-three said that he is spending as much time as possible with his wife and children

How many more can i take when ran out of space and funds! The feeder/finder saying they should be put to sleep as she no longer wants them in her garden! Never one day without being asked to take on more cats in need of help. Rarely one day when someone offers to foster or adopt! Why allow more to be born and worse to be sold?
Dreaming of being able to afford basic necessities but cats who need help come first in my books!!!

Went into the donation page on Facebook this morning to give a donation, filled it out and pressed OK, only then to be asked to give my name/address/email before the donation could be made. The reason I was happy to donate was it was via Paypal which is the only way I will give to any charity as it is anonymous.

Due to that, I didn't donate. I could tick boxes saying I didn't want to be contacted either by email or post so why do they need all my details. When will charities take on board that a lot of people don't want to be contacted after a one-off donation.

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/starmer-skills-shortage-cannot-remedied-075831496.html

click on

If you have a smart meter did you know that suppliers can change you to prepayment with no warning and without your permission


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63554879

On November 8th, the USA mid-term elections may show a good result for the
Republicans.

In which case Donald Trump will think [wrong word ] >>> believe he should stand for President again.

Are you worrried?

P.O Jack Leach
P.O. Peter Flyte
P.O Tracey Williams

All died in action over Europe, 1943.
R.I.P.