Brixton chitter-chatter & news Jan 2012

[Mrs Magpie]

Happy New Year Brixtonites!

 

[gaijingirl]

Yay.. Happy New Year to all!

 

[quimcunx]

Happy New Year my little Brickers friends.

Mild and damp start.

Got a friend coming to meet me for lunch/coffee/drinks. Where is open I wonder.

 

[colacubes]

Fucking hell it's weatherageddon out there Just nosed out of the window and there are no stalls on the market all today. I assume they were advised it's too dangerous cos of the wind.

 

[gaijingirl]

Fucking hell it's weatherageddon out there Just nosed out of the window and there are no stalls on the market all today. I assume they were advised it's too dangerous cos of the wind.

I was down there earlier - just got back 40 mins ago and Brixton is dead dead dead as a dodo... never seen it so quiet. Except the swimming pool which was rather busy.

 

[Kanda]

Mate of mine got mugged (almost twice!) on NYE. 1st time at a bus stop near Jamm but a guy there announced himself as an undercover cop, so they legged it. Then near the park opposite Olive Morris House on the way home, at knifepoint. Police turned up immediately after called and ran them round the block in a car a few times but no joy.

Same guy also got jumped on New Park Road a few months ago

 

[Biddlybee]

I was down there earlier - just got back 40 mins ago and Brixton is dead dead dead as a dodo... never seen it so quiet. Except the swimming pool which was rather busy.

Do you swim at the rec gg? What's it like as pools go and how much?

 

[nagapie]

Do you swim at the rec gg? What's it like as pools go and how much?

I was really annoyed that the rec cost me a peak time charge at 11am the other morning! Other than that I find it fine, but can be busy if you can only make real peak times. I paid £3 for my swim but I have a Lambeth employee's card so might be a bit cheaper than normal.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Mate of mine got mugged (almost twice!) on NYE. 1st time at a bus stop near Jamm but a guy there announced himself as an undercover cop, so they legged it. Then near the park opposite Olive Morris House on the way home, at knifepoint. Police turned up immediately after called and ran them round the block in a car a few times but no joy.

Same guy also got jumped on New Park Road a few months ago

Was this late at night/early morning or normal hours? Poor guy

 

[gaijingirl]

Do you swim at the rec gg? What's it like as pools go and how much?

It's ok.. it can get very busy though even off-peak tbh and it's a bit on the warm side for me. I use it because it's convenient but I prefer the lido obviously when it's open and I also like Crystal Palace which I use a fair bit and various other pools round about. It's £4 and they now have a reward card thing, which if you fill it up you get a couple of free swims.

 

[Rushy]

Mate of mine got mugged (almost twice!) on NYE. 1st time at a bus stop near Jamm but a guy there announced himself as an undercover cop, so they legged it. Then near the park opposite Olive Morris House on the way home, at knifepoint. Police turned up immediately after called and ran them round the block in a car a few times but no joy.

Does he worth at the Electric Social? One of the waitresses was telling me a similar story last night.

 

[editor]

It's veh wet out there!

http://www.urban75.org/blog/brixton-battered-by-winter-storms-of-rain-and-sleet/

 

[Biddlybee]

I was really annoyed that the rec cost me a peak time charge at 11am the other morning! Other than that I find it fine, but can be busy if you can only make real peak times. I paid £3 for my swim but I have a Lambeth employee's card so might be a bit cheaper than normal.

I'm guessing school hols are all peak?

It's ok.. it can get very busy though even off-peak tbh and it's a bit on the warm side for me. I use it because it's convenient but I prefer the lido obviously when it's open and I also like Crystal Palace which I use a fair bit and various other pools round about. It's £4 and they now have a reward card thing, which if you fill it up you get a couple of free swims.

So quite chlorinated then? I need to get back into swimming, this looks good if I can get into a routine.

 

[quimcunx]

It's calmed down a little from 20 mins ago. Still don't want to go out in it like.

 

[gaijingirl]

I'm guessing school hols are all peak?
So quite chlorinated then? I need to get back into swimming, this looks good if I can get into a routine.

I don't find it especially chlorinated - compared to anywhere else - but I do wear pretty watertight goggles, my main complaint is the heat of the water but that's really down to personal preference. The Swim London thing is good value I think. Rubytoogood used to use it I believe - may even do so now.

I'm v. keen to try out Camberwell pool sometime soon - used to swim there loads. Also been recently to E. Dulwich which has had a nice makeover - but I was looking from the po.v. of family swimming which is fantastic as they have a great family changing room set up.

the new pool in Clapham Manor is due to open v. soon - that'll be interesting!

 

[boohoo]

There is a Schwepps offer to get free swims. It can be used at the Rec. We have gone out of the hours they suggest - I'm not sure the staff are extra vigilant about it!

Offer ends 31st Jan. I might have some lids spare.

 

[Kanda]

Does he worth at the Electric Social? One of the waitresses was telling me a similar story last night.

Yup. That's the guy.

 

[gaijingirl]

There is a Schwepps offer to get free swims. It can be used at the Rec. We have gone out of the hours they suggest - I'm not sure the staff are extra vigilant about it!

Offer ends 31st Jan. I might have some lids spare.

ooh.. thanks... that's worth knowing about! If only I could drink some bloody gin!

 

[Biddlybee]

I don't find it especially chlorinated - compared to anywhere else - but I do wear pretty watertight goggles, my main complaint is the heat of the water but that's really down to personal preference. The Swim London thing is good value I think. Rubytoogood used to use it I believe - may even do so now.

I'm v. keen to try out Camberwell pool sometime soon - used to swim there loads. Also been recently to E. Dulwich which has had a nice makeover - but I was looking from the po.v. of family swimming which is fantastic as they have a great family changing room set up.

the new pool in Clapham Manor is due to open v. soon - that'll be interesting!

Will give it a go then and also try and get to Camberwell, not been since they did it up (visibility in their water used to be about 1m!!!).

 

[Biddlybee]

There is a Schwepps offer to get free swims. It can be used at the Rec. We have gone out of the hours they suggest - I'm not sure the staff are extra vigilant about it!

Offer ends 31st Jan. I might have some lids spare.

Ah, the schwimm bottle caps? Will keep an eye out.

 

[gaijingirl]

Will give it a go then and also try and get to Camberwell, not been since they did it up (visibility in their water used to be about 1m!!!).

I always remember you'd swim through the murk and suddenly meet a rusty metal wall... Crystal Palace is worth a go too - rarely busy, very airy - almost like being outdoors because of the high ceilings, very spacious changing rooms. Combined with the cycle up there a really good bit of exercise.

 

[Biddlybee]

I always remember you'd swim through the murk and suddenly meet a rusty metal wall... Crystal Palace is worth a go too - rarely busy, very airy - almost like being outdoors because of the high ceilings, very spacious changing rooms. Combined with the cycle up there a really good bit of exercise.

Maybe one for the weekend. I'm a morning swimmer... and no chance of me doing that and then cycling to work

 

[gaijingirl]

Maybe one for the weekend. I'm a morning swimmer... and no chance of me doing that and then cycling to work

fair enough... I have to go up that way to get to work anyway but would never have done it when commuting in the opposite direction

 

[quimcunx]

Is it actually cold outside?

 

[colacubes]

Mate of mine got mugged (almost twice!) on NYE. 1st time at a bus stop near Jamm but a guy there announced himself as an undercover cop, so they legged it. Then near the park opposite Olive Morris House on the way home, at knifepoint. Police turned up immediately after called and ran them round the block in a car a few times but no joy.

Same guy also got jumped on New Park Road a few months ago

Poor sod Tbh there seemed to be quite a lot of agressive out of towners about on NYE. Quite a few faces I didn't recognise who seemed intent on causing trouble

 

[gaijingirl]

not cold just shitty..

 

[Winot]

my main complaint is the heat of the water but that's really down to personal preference

This is a difficult one for the rec (for any shared pool) - I don't swim much myself but when the missus goes on her own she is fine bombing up and down, but when the kids are in for their swimming lessons (or she is in bobbing about with them) everyone gets cold - to the extent that they all now have wetsuits/swim vests to stay warm.

My bigger problem with the rec is the utterly crap organisation - we were there for kids lessons yesterday afternoon and not only hadn't they told the users lessons were on (so hardly any kids were there) but they hadn't told their staff either!

 

[story]

not cold just shitty..

I think the official word for this kind of weather is "filthy".

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Is it actually cold outside?

Apparently it's a balmy 12 degrees out there. I looked at weather yesterday and thought I might get some gardening done. I've gone off that idea

 

[gaijingirl]

This is a difficult one for the rec (for any shared pool) - I don't swim much myself but when the missus goes on her own she is fine bombing up and down, but when the kids are in for their swimming lessons (or she is in bobbing about with them) everyone gets cold - to the extent that they all now have wetsuits/swim vests to stay warm.

My bigger problem with the rec is the utterly crap organisation - we were there for kids lessons yesterday afternoon and not only hadn't they told the users lessons were on (so hardly any kids were there) but they hadn't told their staff either!

They do heat the water in the separate learning pool (not the linked one) to a higher temperature than the main pool but in my experience they sometimes cock it up - so I've taken my toddler for lessons and she's been fine one day and then really really cold another day. In fact I did go out and buy a wetsuit for her after a particularly bad swim there one day. I don't think it should be that hard to get it consistently right and as it's completely separate from the main pool it shouldn't affect the temperature in there. I've been to plenty of other pools (Crystal Palace, Downham, Sydenham) where they have two pools in the same room and managed to heat them both appropriately.

There were some people there this morning with kids complaining about yesterday as it happens!