Forum Topics

Mari Deli

Funny how the only place they could find to put that Parklet was right outside the Mari Deli cafe. Hmmm, I smell a pizza.

Julian Smith ● 4d0 Comments ● 4d

England rise like a Phoenix from the Ashes

Having not beaten Australia Down Under for 14 years, humiliated in the opening 3 Test matches this time round, our cricketers unbelievably displayed guts and courage to actually win the Melbourne Test by 4 wickets.A great Xmas miracle for all our cricket enthusiasts.Next up- Sydney, 4th January.Bring it on.

Denis I. Fox ● 5d5 Comments ● 5d

Attacks on Chiswick women in the mid-nineties

Reading about the death of Carl Royal, for whom no tears will be said, dredged up some unpleasant memories. I remember when I first hear about the attacks I was uncertain if they were true. There was no internet in those days - well not for me anyway - and stories often circulated about terrible crimes. I don't recall much TV coverage and if you didn't buy the newspaper on the right day, you wouldn't get to hear about it. It wasn't until the trial that what actually happened was confirmed for most people.I was a daily commuter from Turnham Green at that time so started doing calculations of what were the chances of the victim having been me rather than someone else and the conclusion was terrifying. I never liked walking out of the station to home after dark but I started either calling my husband to collect me or using a cab from the rank if he was not around.As the memory of the crime faded, such precautions started to seem unnecessary and about a decade ago I stopped calling for a lift or getting a cab. Lone women, who had virtually disappeared from Chiswick streets after dark were returning and men's attitudes had changed, for instance crossing the road so they wouldn't be walking behind you. Last night I walked home alone late in the evening without a second thought. Crimes against women are far from a thing of the past and there is no room for complacency but Chiswick, London and the rest of the country are much safer now than they were thirty years ago. Some people seem determined to present London as a crime-ridden hell hole but the reality is that we, men as well as women, are probably safer now than we were at any point in our history.

Anita Blake ● 9d21 Comments ● 5d

RIP Zipcar

Very disappointing to see the news about Zipcar. I did go without a car for a few months and used car clubs vehicles when needed and found them invaluable. My personal circumstances changed which meant I had to own a car and now I do wonder would it be possible ever to go back to using car clubs if provision is much less than it used to be.I was surprised to see how much was being charged for bays, particularly in Ealing. As with dockless bike hire, councils need to be careful that they don't undermine good transport iniatives by seeking to maximise revenues out of providers.

Mark Evans ● 30d31 Comments ● 5d

Afternoon Dog Walker?

We need an afternoon dog walker for late January... a tour round Chiswick House and maybe a bit of dog sitting. Anyone available?

Simon Meyers ● 10d4 Comments ● 6d

Rachel Reeves

This woman misled the Commons in her budget speech, by yet again creating a non-existent blackhole in the public purse, satisfying her backbenchers demand to scrap the 2 child cap.Kemi Badenoch produced her finest hour yet as leader of the opposition by giving her a right royal roasting in front of a packed commons and huge TV audience.Fighting against sleep I managed to watch the chancellor's waffling replies to the probing questions given her this morning, first by SKY's Trevor Phillips, followed by BBC's Laura Kuenssberg. Neither presenter was fooled by her mendacious waffling.Rachel from Accounts and her equally deceitful boss, Never Here Keir are both living on borrowed time.

Denis I. Fox ● 32d163 Comments ● 6d

Chris Rea- RIP

Surreal he should pass away just before Christmas.He comprised his Xmas classic "Driving home for Christmas" when stuck under London traffic lights in jams driving home to Middlesbrough.

Denis I. Fox ● 10d10 Comments ● 6d

☃️☃️☃️

Wishing you all a good Christmas whatever you are doing.

Janice Evans ● 7d4 Comments ● 7d

Annapurna closure

I was so sad to see that the Annapurna was closing tonight. I first ate there in 1972, and had many wonderful meals there since. Thanks to Mr Ahmet for managing such a lovely restaurant consistently for so long.Stephen Skinner

Steven Skinner ● 18d18 Comments ● 9d

Asylum seekers boosting the economy!

The Black economy that is! “Migrants are swallowing heroin and cocaine to smuggle the drugs into Britain in exchange for VIP Channel crossings.”

Steve Taylor ● 23d82 Comments ● 10d

LBH Failed Leaf collection

Numerous complaints from residents of MertonThornton,Cleveland Avenues regarding the failure of Hounslow Councilto collect the leaf wasteSchedule of collection dates initially shown on website was for 2024 - now updated.On some dates shown no sign of HH ataff.Cllr. Grewal.Cabinet member for street cleansing says this outstanding work will be rectified ASAP.Let's seeCll John Todd

John Richard Todd ● 18d15 Comments ● 10d

Amazon

Waited all day for a small parcel from Amazon from my daughter - after nothing I walked outside and saw it luckily in the rain outside. No bell for me… nothing. Is this how Amazon do their business? Puts me off from using them in the future-

Helen Bamberger ● 14d17 Comments ● 10d

The "Antiques Market" is  expanding.

Chiswick seems alive and well on Sunday Market daysand today was no exception.With the refurbished Marks & Spencers open till 5pmas well it was all a busy sight in the area todayThe Market seems to be expanding though...from the Old Police Stationacross Devonshire Road ... surrounding the Hogarth Statue ... across Brackley Road and just about reaching the Packhorse and Talbot.Pub.I'm not complaining ... just saying!

Jim Lawes ● 18d6 Comments ● 11d

Stolen car

Our car was stolen on Monday night 15/12 from Corney road w4. It’s a Hyundai Ioniq 5, light blue in colour. The registration is WG71PHF. If anyone has any information, please get in touch. Many thanks.

Alla Montazer ● 12d0 Comments ● 12d

`Keys left in Zipcar

I used the MG Zipcar parked at Chiswick Station today.  I found a large bunch of keys in the glove compartment.  I notified Zipcar but I have no idea if they've taken any action, so if anyone on this forum has lost some keys and has used Zipcar, you should try ringing them

Andrzej Kowalski ● 13d0 Comments ● 13d

Who is right - Starmer or Priti.

Is Starmer right to pay £billions to the EU when the UK has a massive Black Hole? “Britain is set to rejoin the Erasmus student exchange scheme, six years after ditching the programme as part of the deal to leave the EU. “Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, accused the government of “throwing billions of pounds of hard-earned taxpayers’ money on rejoining Erasmus, instead of taking advantage of our Brexit freedoms to support trade with the rest of the world, boost investment and drive economic growth”.

Steve Taylor ● 14d4 Comments ● 13d

Very sentimental lost earring

Hello,I’ve lost a gold earring in the shape of a flower with a clear shiny stone in the middle, had them since I was a child so would love to find the missing one, I suspect it fell out on the high road or in the park perhaps. Thanks,Sophie

Sophie Adamou ● 16d3 Comments ● 13d

Sweary councillors parking in disabled bays

It looks like the next leader of Hounslow Council is likely to be John Terry!

Francis Rowe ● 34d43 Comments ● 13d

Will I get a fine from Sainsbury

Yesterday I left the big Sainsbury Chiswick car park via the Action Lane exit an hour after going in. Stupidly I chose the lane that had the arrow pointing INTO the car park rather than the arrow pointing out! I only realised when I was halfway out. Has anyone else done this and received a fine for overestaying?

Iris Hill ● 20d5 Comments ● 13d

Mince Pies !

We miss the "Plum Duff Bakery"...once located at the top of 'The Avenue'especially at this time of the year.Their "puff pastry" mince pies were memorable.Interestingly the Sunday Times recently published their findings following a blind tasting of this years offerings at prominent supermarkets. What surprise scores.Waitrose 5 starsM&S      2 starsAnd Waitrose are selling theirs currently at discount prices!

Jim Lawes ● 14d5 Comments ● 13d

Has anyone lost something at the flower stall in Turnham Green?

I’ve found a small piece of jewellery and would love to return it to its owner. I’m not sure if it’s real or children’s jewellery. I’m working on the flower stall — if you think you’ve lost something, let me know what it is and hopefully I can get it back to you. ^_^ 64

Kaspa Starr ● 14d1 Comments ● 14d

Katherine Dunne fails (again)

I was bemused by the puff piece on Katherine done by Chiswick Calendar. Bit surprised they didn't ask her favorite color and if she believed in unicorns. Did we need glamor shots?? Also chuckled at the coverage of the recent area forum with feedback from Katherine's colleague, Alexandra Crush.  So many issues: "Element of competition" In order for there to be competition the competitors must provide the same service. They do not. Per the article, Voi services Ealing. That's it. Forest doesn't. This necessitates needing two different suppliers that can charge whatever they like because their competitor cannot provide the same service. The concept of checks and balances does not exist. Simple economics. "truncated journeys weren't a key issue" Surely Katherine should have choked on these words. "50% less Voi than promised" and "Forest immediately increases fees after getting contract" Is it me, or have the suppliers failed to comply with the terms of the contract? If so, what's the escape clause? If a painter fails to provide the works promised in a contract, the owner would have a court case in their favor. The contract becomes null and void. "no incentive for Lime to comply" False. Wandsworth dealt with this issue by rounding up non-compliant bikes and held them ransom. When I asked Katherine about this her response was "there is no regulation." Apparently she can't do what others clearly can. "commercially sensitive information" With spending public money, how is the public not made aware of any expenditure value? There is talk about competition on an open market yet oddly the market is secret. "I wasn't there but I'm sure it was raised" Why wasn't she there and simply how could she not know??? This begs the question can a petition be started for her removal? She fails repeatedly and there is no reason anyone should endure another two years of this dreadful and unnecessary policy she has put in place. She is clearly out of her league. As for any e-bike/scooter being left where it doesn't belong, what is the line item value for Hounslow Highways to remove them? Has it exceeded it's allowance? My bet is any increase in fees Katherine dreamt of by awarding Voi and Forest is erased (and then some) by the increase in costs for HH to remove illegal vehicles now dumped by three different vendors. Not to mention, the public can't use any Lime bike found in Hounslow. So those cost of removing them is wholly borne by Hounslow. To wit on Glebe Street this AM:


David Lesniak ● 76d109 Comments ● 14d

News today

Horrific..

Helen Bamberger ● 18d26 Comments ● 17d

Anyone been to The Kitchen (pan-Asian) restaurant yet?

Despite having a broken website (https://www.atthechiswick.co.uk/the-kitchen/), it's already got 50 five-star glowing Google reviews. Can anyone share their experience of the place, please? Hoping for something special.

Gordon McDonald ● 20d5 Comments ● 17d

Nat west in Hammersmith today

Just to tell everyone  Nat west was closed today- due to a ‘ failure technology in their branch - I went up there  took ages. this is becoming a horror story . . Great - let’s hope it works tomorrow- not good for the elderly who don’t do on line. because they don’t trust on line - and need this as so many branches are closing.

Helen Bamberger ● 17d2 Comments ● 17d

Big Ben ladies purse found in Chiswick

I found a ladies purse with a picture of Big Ben on it at 5pm on Thursday 11th by Marks and Spencers in Chiswick. Message me if you know someone that's lost one.

Alan Ham ● 21d7 Comments ● 17d

Chiswick high street

Why and who are allowing spa’s and vets to occupy our high street, with the cost of living crisis we are in need of affordable food shops, a permanent post office and housing surgeries things that are so needed to name but a few, it is now getting ridiculous, lots of us do not drive nor can we afford cars to get to more affordable shops it seems chiswick high street  has become a place for only those with money, M&S and waitrose are unaffordable for most and Sainsbury are now not far behind, i have lived in chiswick all my life and our high street has become a joke and only a paradise for the rich, shame on you once again Hounslow Council

Julie Greenham ● 18d10 Comments ● 18d

Marks and Spencer opening

Does anyone know where we can see an actual opening date for the old/new M&S? I know it says Autumn, and that will be in case they need to move the dates, but I was hoping someone might have some insider knowledge? Thanks

Jenny Smith ● 79d36 Comments ● 18d

Drive-In on Chiswick High Road

I was walking down Chiswick High Road at around 7.30 tonight, when an e-scooter passed me at great speed (at least 20mph) on the pavement (cycle lane 9a, as some think it). It then turned left, going through the door of Tesco and parked up in store. Dangerous on many levels, especially as it didn't appear to slow down before turning. Whatever next? Smartcars in Sainsburys? Mercedes in M&S? Please be careful out there everyone!

Richard Evans ● 21d2 Comments ● 20d

APCOA & £1000 PCNs

Looking at the news article where a pensioner was threatened with jail and reduced to tears over a envelop in / near the wrong waste recycling bin, I was intrigued to learn that APCOA have wide plans to expand their activities in Hounslow in 2026 and will ,be issuing £1,000 fines to anyone, even 5 year olds who break their rules.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c047422e6y4ohttps://www.hounslow.gov.uk/news/article/10130/new-crackdown-on-fly-tipping-and-anti-social-behaviour-approvedNone of us like fly tippers but expect a 2-tier process where fly posters for various markets get away scot free, and anyone spilling a tea cup (or a lost letter) gets fined £1K.When do Reform get in?

Davy Jones ● 20d3 Comments ● 20d

Hounslow Vision 2025?

One wonders if LBH's Vision 2050 will last past 2026. This is a hilarious read, and I suspect1) Cost a lot2) Has the longevity of a lettuce3) Was partly written by a a botHere's the eco green woke Utopia for 2050. (none of it it happening now):Ideal 1:'Modern infrastructure supports business expansion andquality of life. Residents benefit from rising incomes, whichfuel demand for housing, leisure, and services, creating avirtuous cycle of growth.'Ideal 2:'The borough is a resilient, dynamic place where, despitedifferences, people feel united by wanting to make their areasafe and welcoming'Ideal 3:' Residents enjoy access to co-working hubs, rooftop gardens, and wellnessfacilities — all powered by renewable energy. The area iseco-friendly — but it thrives because it’s built around humanwellbeing, resilience, and long-term liveability.'https://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/documents/s203703/Hounslow%20Vision%202050%20-%20Appendix%20-%20Vision%202050%20document.pdf

Davy Jones ● 20d1 Comments ● 20d

Waymo comes to Chiswick

I spotted a Waymo driverless car on Acton Lane a few days ago - a Jaguar E-Pace. Just to check my eyes weren't deceiving me, I looked up what the company is doing in the UK and they are indeed running trials locally. They are taking place in Ealing Borough not Hounslow so you won't see them on the High Road. There will currently always be human safety staff onboard while they run the trials but it looks like the car is driving autonomously unless they intervene. No date given for when the service is commercialised but it is already operating in LA and San Francisco.

Mark Evans ● 20d5 Comments ● 20d

New Mildmay Line Operator Pledges to Boost Peak Service

Front pageWell, let's hope they get the points and signalling sought at Gunnersbury and Richmond, and TFL do the same for Acton and Earls Court. Far too often, the service is let down this side on those locations. Minor delays this morning but a 50 min wait to go from TG to richmond. The information at TG is non existant ON the screens and over the tannoy while we seem to have new barrier staff nowhere to be seen these days. Yeh,have a guess where they are sitting. The ladies who get moved around are the only ones that are around when at TG.

Julian Pavey ● 22d1 Comments ● 20d

Money gift for neighbours children - how much????

Rather than the usual overload of chocolates, was thinking of giving neighbours children, 2 early teens, some money.  But how much?  It's just a gesture and the adults will get a bottle of something.  We're not best friends so it's just a neighbourly exchange.

Carol Sawyer ● 20d7 Comments ● 20d

Removing the cap on Child Benefit - a good way to reduce child poverty?

This is now very much on the political agenda. It was in in the LibDem and SNP 2024 manifestos but not in the Labour Party Manifesto. Labour  instead promised to develop an "ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty".

Sam Hearn ● 46d94 Comments ● 20d

O2 shop.

Does anyone know whenthis shop will be opening in Chiswick please?

Keith Iddon ● 26d5 Comments ● 22d

Chiswick Christmas Popup – Supporting The Mulberry Centre!

Chiswick Christmas Popup – Supporting The Mulberry Centre!We’re excited to share that the much-loved Chiswick Christmas Popup returns on Wednesday 10th December, hosted by the Chiswick Business Group at Workspace Barley Mow!🕚 11.30am – 3.30pm📍 Workspace Barley Mow, ChiswickThis festive community event brings together talented local makers, designers and small businesses — all in support of The Mulberry Centre’s free cancer support services.Visitors can browse a beautiful selection of handmade, locally crafted gifts including jewellery, prints, accessories, artisan food, homewares and more. It’s the perfect chance to shop sustainably, support independent creatives and give back to a vital local charity this Christmas.A huge thank you to the Chiswick Business Group for championing The Mulberry Centre's work and helping raise essential funds for people affected by cancer.

Johanna ● 24d3 Comments ● 22d

Grove park footbridge update

Here's what I just learned:1) They have now installed a temporary footbridge made of scaffolding. But not for humans, only for cables.2) This afternoon they are going to lift the old bridge off and take it away for repair and strengthening.3) They'll bring it back in 10 weeks' time and we'll get a lovely good-as-new footbridge.

Simon Pedley ● 25d1 Comments ● 23d

Lost padel racket and shoes

Hi everyone,Unfortunately on Friday evening I left my padel racket and shoes in the carrier basket of a forest bike at the end of Whitehall gardens. I thought it'd be a good idea to put a post out on here on the off chance someone has picked it up with the intention of trying to find its owner...All the best,Elwyn :)

Elwyn Robert Jones ● 25d5 Comments ● 24d