Forum Topics

.. fishy grass tale from TGT..

Anyone eaten or know anything about grassy stuff called Agretti, commonly known as Monks beard?  I'll wax on (but just for local foodies)So I was ordering a “nice fish” for 3 from John in Covent Garden Fishmongers.  Either a Cornish black bream, a red mullet, a gurnard, a John Dory, a brill or a turbot.  Left him to make the choice – a bit under 2 kilos (we're greedy)  - with samphire obviously,,“No samphire Stu – gone out of season”.“Bugger”, says I, planning a real treat for the girls.“Leave it with me,” he replies.  “I know something you'll like.”So I picked the treat up..It was a turbot.  Or may have been a brill, I can never tell the difference.  And two big bunches of grassy stuff which he got from the posh greengrocer next door.  “It's monks beard Stu - treat it like samphire, you'll love it.”Boy was John right!For years, we always did asparagus with fish.  Chips occasionally but more often boiled baby new potatoes and usually buttered leeks.Then delinquent daughter discovered beurre blanc sauce (butter, muscadet and white wine vinegar and shallots) – so out went the chips (except with fried fish).Thus this feast was the wonderful fish, new potatoes, leeks, oodles of french butter sauce – plus monks beard.This Italian grassy stuff (not cheap but well worth an occasion) took time to clean and cut but was easy and quick to cook.   Scored a massive ten.Recommended..

Stuart Kerr ● 2055d7 Comments ● 2052d

Lost phone

Hello can anyone help I lost my my phone whilst walking the tow path on the Barnes side of the river about 10am this morning roughly between St. Paul’s school boat house and the bridge. I realised straight away an managed to call it within 5-8 minutes of dropping it. Sadly it was already turned off and so I can’t use locate my iPhone. Obviously a long shot but if anyone has it or saw someone pick it up I’d be very grateful Many thanks in advance Claire

Claire Harrington ● 2053d1 Comments ● 2052d

Hounslow garden waste collection

Can anyone direct me please to where I can apply to renew the service. I scoured the Houslow website to no avail, the council sent me a link but I cannot see which of the many options under that link from Adults Safeguarding Feedback to Request Parking for a Funeral is relevant and I cannot reply to their email    asking for clarification.

Dorota Chrisp ● 2090d11 Comments ● 2052d

Conflicted over CS9 and LTNs

Is it just me with this stance?  I generally sit on the left, liberal views and vote Labour.Normally I agree with environmentally friendly schemes.  They tend to think of the many rather than the few.  But why is it that the newly implemented LTNs and Cycle Way schemes annoy me so much?The proponents of these schemes all seem to express their left-wing credentials, but they seem to fit better with the hard right.  Mostly middle aged, middle class, white men and women demanding their way is the only way.To be clear I am middle aged, middle class, white man, I want safer streets for my children.But if they rip out CS9 and the LTNs I will be laughing at the people who told us to boycott shops because the anti-scheme posters scare their children!I am totally conflicted.  Rip them all out to p*ss off the left/right wing cycling mob, then maybe put them back in a more thoughtful way later?Who knows?

Kieran Fox ● 2054d17 Comments ● 2052d

Lemongrass

Any idea which is the best one to grow for Chinese veggie recipes please.

Janice Evans ● 2052d0 Comments ● 2052d

Sutton Ct Rd junction

Thames Water are there again with the cones out.

Paul Brown ● 2055d4 Comments ● 2052d

Probate costs comparisons advice

Just had a meeting with a new Solicitors to me as the one we had was closed by the SRA in an intervention, moving all the documents we had to SRA headquaters. Great, not.  Anyway, there is property and straight fwd bank accounts so he advised probate definitely needed.The solicitor costs were suggested for the whole process start to finish were 1 percent of accounts assets and 0.5 pc of house valuation  Also there is time involved and paperwork , so it was suggested 4.5k was going to be near a final sort of figure and a 4 to 5 month process as both SRA and probate gov dept are both struggling.Do these costs raise any eyebrows , I've not gone through this before.

Andrew Craig ● 2053d10 Comments ● 2052d

Electrics Out Again

This is happening several times a week now in North Chiswick, beyond  a joke. Have work to finish by the morning and now stumbling around in the dark with only mobile phone torch an a couple of candles.

Claire Moran ● 2054d20 Comments ● 2052d

Who is Brian Rose ?

He's plastered all over the A4

Gina Thomas ● 2053d12 Comments ● 2053d

Census processing

Peace-lovers in W4 may be interested to know that the Census processing is being handled by Leidos, one of the world’s biggest arms companies. https://peacenews.info/node/9887/demilitarise-census

Caroline Finkel ● 2054d6 Comments ● 2053d

Over 50's can now book COVID vaccinations on the NHS website

Who can use this serviceYou can only use this service if any of the following apply:you are aged 50 or overyou are at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable)you are an eligible frontline health or social care workeryou have a condition that puts you at higher risk (clinically vulnerable)you have a learning disabilityyou are a main carer for someone at high risk from coronavirusYou also need to be registered with a GP surgery in England to use this service. You can register with a GP if you do not have one.

Chris Lucy ● 2054d9 Comments ● 2054d

Another Protest the BBC and Sky not Reporting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rATZq03pvKI&ab_channel=SubjectAccesshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3yKpYdUUFs&ab_channel=ResistanceGB

chris poole ● 2054d4 Comments ● 2054d

What's wrong with the British?

Under Johnson's prime ministership 130,000 people have died and British trade with Europe is sinking fast. Yet we are obsessing about decorating a flat and about a not-so-fairy princess. What's wrong with the British people?

Ken Munn ● 2062d24 Comments ● 2054d

Proper home made OXTAIL STEW take-away

I am longing for a really proper home made Oxtail Stew.  I used to make this and even took two enormous casserole dishes of it down as gift to friends on a farm when I was able to travel.   Does anyone know a local pub/restaurant that has this on their take a way menu.   I would like it delivered or could stagger out to collect it if had to.   I cannot get the lovely unctous beautiful taste and smell of this typically British dish out of my mind.  I am happy to supply my own side veggies.  

Jennifer selig ● 2055d13 Comments ● 2054d

Bus Lanes

I wonder where the new bus lanes the government is proposing will go in Chiswick?  Options as far as I can see are:-(1) Get rid of the pavements to put a bus lane in and perhaps put a pedestrian walkway overhead (2) Put a bus road over the top of the Chiswick High Road (3) Put a bus lane in the middle of the High Road (won't leave muchroom for cars)(4) Get rid of the cycleway.  See:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9363031/Drivers-blast-Boris-Johnsons-3bn-green-revolution-plan-buses-Britains-roads.html

Claire Moran ● 2056d36 Comments ● 2054d

Hounslow to Abolish Chiswick Home Improvement Rights

Hounslow is planning to abolish some Chiswick residents’ home improvement rights (aka “permitted development rights”) by imposing “Conservation Status” on several areas within Chiswick including the Glebe Estate.Once adopted the council can restrict home improvements such as loft and other extensions, choices of replacement windows & doors, garden walls, external decorations etc and the pruning of trees.Several neighbours have protested at the unnecessary imposition of these controls on an estate that has rarely looked better & where permitted development rights can really only be exercised, out of sight, at the back of terraced houses where they do not affect the estate’s “look and feel”.Residents of the estate previously voted 60:40 against such a proposal and aware of that vote, the council is forcing through an online survey of opinion with a deadline that expires before COVID restrictions end thereby preventing neighbours from discussing their replies or holding another public debate. The planning department says there is no statutory obligation to consult residents before removing their home improvement rights, it has not done so in the past  and does not intend to do so now. Cynically it did agree to extend the survey deadline by 30 days but not long enough to  escape COVID lock-down.This is an undemocratic and unnecessary infringement of our rights at a time when home owners are otherwise preoccupied,  have no chance of protesting and no way of ensuring that the council’s powers are being used properly of proportionately. These extra planning controls will increase the costs of maintaining properties, restrict investment and ultimately force poorer residents off the estate - a seemingly perverse objective for a labour run council.https://sites.google.com/view/glebenoFocus on the estate's future!

John Haftke ● 2057d15 Comments ● 2054d

Dukes Meadow Bandstand

So the bandstand and adjacent shelters are scheduled for removal. There are apparently no plans to replace them, it will just be a bare patch of asphalt. There must be something that is economically sound to replace them with. Any ideas?

Carl Wynne ● 2057d55 Comments ● 2054d

Breaking news.

"Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, shared a picture of the couple kissing on Wednesday in an apparent reference to death of conservative shock jock Rush Limbaugh, who had made homophobic comments about the couple". Just to keep you all up to date...

Brian Coyle ● 2081d62 Comments ● 2054d

Call Made To Revive Hounslow Borough's 'Vibrant' LGBT+ Scene

I support groups who want to meet up in particular pubs or other places which they find congenial. But the list LGBT seems to be growing ever longer and becomes less and less easy to understand and support. For example I have learned that Stonewall's definition of "trans" includes cross-dressers: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/help-advice/faqs-and-glossary/glossary-terms#t  Are cross-dressers really "trans"? Most are heterosexual men, aren't they?In fact the "definition" of "gender dysphoria" is something to do with "gender identity", which seems to be very vague concept, to do with sex stereotypes. In contrast sexual orientation is much easier to understand and define.  I understand that "sexual minorities" is not a subject which many people want to discuss, for fear of accusations of "transphobia". But we also need to be able to question, and I understand LGB sexual ORIENTATION - same sex attraction. But I do not understand "gender identity". Why would anyone sane want to mess up their metabolism and their sex organs, let alone have surgery to remove perfectly health organs? In fact the Gender Recognition Act 2004 includes a definition of "gender dysphoria" in s25: "“gender dysphoria” means the disorder variously referred to as gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder and transsexualism".  The Act confirms that it is a mental disorder.

Una-Jane Winfield ● 2071d40 Comments ● 2055d

Dukes Meadows Sunday Food Market

The food market could really do with some secure cycle parking. At the moment there's nowhere I've found which is safer than a chainlink fence to which a bike can be locked (i.e not very secure at all). I get the impression that more and more shoppers are arriving by bike, judging by the increasing difficulty of finding a bit of fence to lock to. And bikes locked to the fence are not exactly pedestrian friendly for every one else.I appreciate that as a charity the DM Trust has little or no funds available, so I'm wondering if some sponsorship or grants could be found?

Ken Munn ● 2055d10 Comments ● 2055d