Blackheath Station Vending Machine Fail

Perhaps it's just us not noticing them being full, but the vending machines on both platforms of Blackheath station look like they are looked after by Old Mother Hubbard.

Since being installed they have been full once, since then they look like the picture above.

We know they are overpriced and on the whole full of crap no one should eat or drink, but come on, if you're going to bother installing these cash cows then a least fill them up now and again!

Is This The Worst Chip Shop In London?

We suddenly started getting Tweets last night about the chip shop on the Old Dover Road. At first we didn't understand the tweets so we asked for clarification. You can see the conversation above.

We've used the chip shop a few times and have to say we've only experienced friendly services and great food. This is not to say that the experiences of others is not as stated above and of course every sympathy to anyone who lives by a chip ship, especially if the owners are acting as alleged in the tweets.

However, the problem with the internet and in particular social media including blogs, Facebook, Twitter et al is that they allow us to turn a personal experience and wrap it up into an apparent fact, even news! Some research has shown that, on the whole, the loudest noise on these platforms is a minority of love and loathing, in other words, a vocal minority, use social media to make a point, about 90% of the population is passive. It's understandable if we feel powerless and frustrated by apparent injustice and bullying.

The Greenwich Phantom, the wisest blogger locally, made an interesting point about the possibility of a Lap Dancing club opening in Greenwich. It went out of business not because of the public outcry but because it ran out of money.

Blogs can easily become polarised with grandstanding, even worse jumping from one cause to the next. If you want traffic then this is a great way to get it, if it didn't work then most of our newspaper's would have been out of business years ago. Blogs, Facebook and Twitter are great for raising public awareness, as the events of the last few months have shown in the right hands they can bring down everything from bad businesses to corrupt regimes.

Is our silence a sign of indifference to local needs? Not at all, exactly the opposite, it's our attempt to bring some balance to what is often opinion dressed up as fact.

Do we think there is a problem? We're not sure, we have no reason to question the account above; but our advice, if there really is a problem, then don't use the place (no pun intended) If you want to vote for or against this chip shop then use your wallet.

FREE Art Exhibition In Blackheath

Chandler Wright Hair are hosting a FREE art exhibition in Blackheath.

The info provided by them says;

"In the latest of a series of exhibitions hosted by Chandler Wright - aiming to provide a platform for emerging artists - we are pleased to showcase the work of Paul Gallagher, a recent fine art graduate from UAL.

Paul works with collage and found imagery. His work examines the ceaseless proliferation of images found in mass production, mass media communications and popular culture, and he focuses on ways to recontextualise these images.

Using cropping, excision, folding, rotating, or simply illuminating an image to reveal hidden layers - he creates fragmented, skewed versions of the presented reality. Minimal intervention is key. Paul's intention is not to produce more imagery but to allow the viewer the freedom to be liberated from the constraints of the collective unconscious, presented to us through the mass media.

This is an exercise in economy and Paul's aim is to intervene and corrupt the intended message on its journey from producer to recipient - to hijack, distort and subvert this already manipulated imagery, to suggest a new narrative - one where the consumer of the image has the vantage point. In the 'Third Mind', William Burroughs describes the feeling of paranoia induced by 'really looking' at what is before our eyes on an everyday level - in what he calls the 'naked lunch' of consumption.

Paul's practice raises questions regarding accepted notions of beauty and identity. Identikit interchangable models are enveloped, twisted, and trapped within the expressed freedoms that prey on our insecurities. The connection to their identity is obscured, leaving them consumed by the very reality that is projected, while the three-dimensional, folded nature of the work recalls elements of Picasso, architecture, and abstraction.

Paul Gallagher was born in Kent and lives and works in South London."

There's even an invite on their Facebook page to drinks in the Railway afterwards. Sounds like fun. More info here

Top Tips For Renting A House In Blackheath

We asked Blog fan and Divisional Lettings Director of Felicity J Lord, Mariella Petralia, to give us some top tips for those wanting to rent a property in Blackheath. After all, living here is such a joy, here's some great tips on making sure you get your dream home.

London City Renting has never been easier, and with house prices continuing to rise, renting can sometimes be the best thing to do, particularly if you are saving for a deposit.

Follow our "Top 10 Tips for Tenants” to find your new home.

1. Have a budget in mind. As soon as you see the property that matches the majority of your requirements, make an OFFER!
2. Make sure that the Letting Agency you use is a member of the Association for Residential Letting Agencies (ARLA) & NALS and subscribes to their code of practice. DO NOT hand over a deposit unless you have it in writing which tenancy deposit scheme the agent belongs to.
3. Take to the streets: spend time walking the area where you want to live and at the times you will be around to ensure you are content with security and convenience.
4. Always look for a letting agent that carries the SAFE Agent kite mark as this will ensure that your deposit is protected at all times.
5. When you find a property you like you will need to be ready to provide references and a deposit. Good reports from previous landlords may help you to secure a property. Prepare your referees – they should be expecting the enquiry from the Letting Agency. Delays with providing references could see you miss out on the property.
6. It is a good idea to take out your own insurance to cover your belongings against theft and damage. This is why contents insurance is essential; it protects your possessions against the unexpected, giving you peace of mind.
7. Be flexible. Be willing to compromise: an area by a popular hotspot might offer better value. Work out what your next rental property must have.
8. In this market, the best piece of advice for anyone considering either renting or letting out a property is to research every aspect. Both landlords and tenants should obtain advice from reputable letting agents who can guide them every step of the way.
9. Don’t forget to serve notice to your current Landlord if you are renting and be prepared to move quickly as landlords and Letting agents want to move people in within days, not weeks.
10. Rent long term. Secure a longer contract to avoid having to pay higher rents during the Olympics. Try and offer the longest rental period you can as landlord’s don’t like having their property empty.

Farmer's Markets Expand To New Locations

We got this email from the Farmer's Market yesterday; good to see them growing. You'll find us down there stocking up most weekends at the Blackheath one.

"Dear friends of London Farmers’ Markets,

You may be interested to note that we are opening three new markets this year, in different parts of London. This should make it a lot easier for Londoners to buy fresh food direct from the farmers and producers who grow or make it.

The new markets we are opening are as follows:

• Balham Farmers’ Market – every Saturday 9am-2pm from the 17th September in Chestnut Grove School, Chestnut Grove: http://www.lfm.org.uk/markets/balham/
• Parson’s Green Farmers’ Market – every Sunday 10am-2pm from the 25th September in New Kings School, New Kings Road: http://www.lfm.org.uk/markets/parsons-green/
• Bloomsbury Farmers’ Market – every Thursday 9am-2pm from the 29th September in Torrington Square / Byng Place, near the University of London Union:http://www.lfm.org.uk/markets/bloomsbury/

We are also delighted to say that our Farmers’ Market at Queen Mary University in Mile End will reopen on the 22nd September, and will be held every Thursday 9am-2pm during university termtime. Anyone who lives and works in the area is welcome, not just staff and students of the university: http://www.lfm.org.uk/markets/queen-mary/

Our most recently opened market is St John’s Wood Farmers’ Market, so there are now more options for those of you in North London as well: http://www.lfm.org.uk/markets/st-johns-wood/

If you follow the links to the relevant markets, then you should find out all the information about the new markets. You can also sign up to our mailing lists to receive occasional updates on the Farmers’ Markets most local or convenient to you.

See you at market soon, hopefully!

Arthur Betts

London Farmers' Markets

11 O'Donnell Court

Brunswick Centre

London WC1N 1NY

www.lfm.org.uk

020 7833 0338"

Gary Oldman Wanted To Study In Blackheath

In an article in yesterday's Guardian, the new George Smiley, Gary Oldman, speaks of his desire to study at the Blackheath Conservatoire.

He say's "Anything I've been passionate about, yeah. When I was younger, I played piano and decided when I was around 13 I wanted to study at the Blackheath Conservatoire of Music – I don't know whether the rioters burned it down, it might still be there."

Well Gary, it is still here, the rioters perhaps felt the Conservatoire didn't have anything worth stealing, after all they specialise in education and talent.

You can read the whole article here

More Works On Blackheath

It seems that the path across Blackheath was just the start of works; now the mystery of the soil mounds had been solved with more work taking place to widen the curb at the crossing point across Prince of Wales Road.

There are new curbstones and also the bump stones that aide those who are partially sighted to know where the end of the curb is.

The road widening is a welcome addition as it can be a little tight when bus and a car try and pass on the road.

Kids Are Like Buses...

You wait for one and then three come along at the same time!

Perhaps you didn't know but there's a place for those caring for twins, triplets and more.

The Greenwich and Lewisham Twins Club meets at St Michael's Church Hall, 1 Pond Rd, Blackheath.
They are holding a table top sale of;

• toys,
• accessories.

Saturday 15th October, from 2:00pm. Cake and hot drinks will also be availableMore www.twinsclubplus.co.uk

TFL Puts Live Bus Info Online For Every Route - Blackheath

Transport For London has now started a trial of live bus arrival and departure info online, it includes every London area, so of course Blackheath is included.

We've tested it on the web and of course more importantly on mobile devices and it seems to work fine. If you use an iPhone we suggest using the mobile version http://m.countdown.tfl.gov.uk, both versions work, but the text version is less messy on iOS devices.

You can find out more from TFL here

New Path Across Blackheath Completed

One of those moments when you can see where your Council Tax has gone.

There's a nice new path across the Blackheath, from the pond to Shooter's Hill Road. This also includes new groundworks to deal with flooding.

It seems to have been completed today. Enjoy!

Blackheath Shops Start To Get Their Windows Back

We spotted glass being replaced in one of the stores recently affected by the rioters this morning, although Raffles remains boarded up.

It's good to know our local businesses are getting back to normal and that we've been included by the local police in the mobile screens next Monday.

We were disappointed by the comments on some other local blogs regarding this initiative; to be frank they were pointless and petty and showed what we think is a lack of sensitivity to our local traders and to our police who need our support right now, not cheap jibes.

It seems ironic that this kind of kite flying takes place on local websites when we have Blackheath to fly real kites on.

Police Bring Riot Pictures To Blackheath On Monday

A huge screen showing CCTV images of those involved in the recent rioting and looting is doing a tour of the local area.

It will arrive in Blackheath Village on Monday and remain for the day.

If you have any information contact Lewisham police on 020 8284 8339 orCrimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Why We Do What We Do - UPDATED

Oddly, just got a very weird email from someone who had decided that My Blackheath was a front for the local traders of Blackheath. Silly to say the least, but not very nice, the only thing missing was a pointy finger.

The gist of their point was as we remained enigmatic (which is the fine tradition of both the Greenwich Phantom and the Blackheath Bugle), then we must be; a secret society, the local Chamber of Commerce or up to no good - perhaps even all three?

To the first one; we have no odd handshakes and both of our trouser legs are the same length. To the second, is there a local Chamber of Commerce? To the third, we do walk on the grass from time-to-time, after all it is such a lovely heath.

For those who are having sleepless nights over our highly positive blog about the things worth celebrating in Blackheath, we make no apology for your insomnia.

We love living here, love the local businesses, who need a great deal of support, especially in recent times. We want to play our part in adding some positivity in what can be a nasty world at the best of times.

For the 99% of our readers who prefer sunshine to rain, normal service will now resume.

If you find our joy and positivity too much, then of course we're just one click away to something more up your street!

UPDATE: Little did we think that starting a blog about the place we call home (and have done for 5 years) would cause a small, yet vocal, minority to write emails and comments, which have varied from the downright rude and hateful, to just plain silly condescension. We're not sure which cage we rattled, but it seems starting a blog in Blackheath is a politically charged event!

To decide to remain anonymous is only allowed for certain blogs, anyone else has to scan and show their birth certificate. Apparently because this blog is written in the 'we' it must be corporate. Or of course it might be written by a couple? Or a family? It is one of the aforementioned, as of course Blackheath does have a few couples and families, although to some writing in the plural denotes a corporate voice! Idiots!

Today we were then told not to 'presume' we could write in the same anonymous style of other bloggers, as they were lofty and illustrious bloggers who had the experience to earn that right. However we were then told that over time as we became more experienced at blogging, then we would find 'our voice'. A second point about the 'we' that run this blog, one of us already has a hugely successful blog with over 1 million (yep you read that right) readers a year, one of the 'we' speaks on blogging to people around the world. However we felt we wanted to write our Blackheath one as a way of giving back to our community.

The last week has been odd, my partner and I have thought today 'f*ck it, do we need this sh*t?', but then we decided, we're doing this for the many people who enjoy what we do and from our stats so far, that's quite a lot of people.

Furthermore, if you think you need to defend the established blogs, then you may be doing more harm than good. We feel sure the other bloggers wouldn't want to be associated with such petty parochialism and we don't imagine for one minute you're their stooges.

Sorry to inflict this crap on most of you, we just had to get it off our chest. So no comments, we don't have the energy to sift through silly, self important crap. If you still feel the need to email that sh*t to us then please feel free to do so, although don't expect a reply.

Don't Forget It's Blackheath Farmers Market On Sundays

Yes, every Sunday at Blackheath train station car park you can sample the delights of the Farmer's Market.

So head down and have some fun and grab some yum!

Blackheath On BBC News

Sharp eyed Blackheath telly watchers may have spotted a news item on BBC London News.

It featured businesses affected by recent riots and Michael from Raffles the clothing store was interviewed.

Not the best reason to be on TV, but good to know Blackheath was not forgotten.

More Works On Blackheath

It's full steam ahead with the new path across Blackheath. It also looks like it is going to be wider, which we feel is long overdue.

We have also spotted some mysterious new mounds of soil running along the side of Prince Charles Road. We will have to do a little more digging (he he) to find out more.

Meet The Southeastern Managers This Thursday 18th August

Although we can't help felt this is primarily an exercise in PR, we still think that it may be worth some of us taking the opportunity to let off steam and make serious contributions to the discussion about Blackheath rail services. Let's be honest the chance of any Southeastern managers reading the local Blackheath blogs is not that great; yes we know someone may cite exceptions to the rule, but on the whole it's still worth some of us making time to talk to them face-to-face.

Especially as today there has been the announcements that fares may go up 8% this year!

Senior Southeastern managers will be available at Charing Cross station on 18 August between 8am and 10am to answer any questions you may have about our service.

If you would like to talk to them, please make your way to the Southeastern stand located on the main platform concourse.

Puccino's Blackheath Opening 7 Days With Extended Hours

You may have noticed that the Puccino's coffee shop at Blackheath Station has been open longer.

We have spoken to the new owners who have confirmed that they are now opening 7 days and also extending their hours up until 10:00pm on some days.

This, we guess, is an experiment that will need support to continue. So please think about them when you need a nice ho drink or a snack. Far better than the awful, overpriced vending machines on the station.

Simple Yet Brilliant Site To Help Looted Businesses

De-Loot London’s mission is to make sure that not a single shop that was looted during the riots is forced to close. While a small number of people did the damage, we can all help our local, independent businesses recover by spending our money with them.

This is exactly how we feel help can be given to affected Blackheath business owners.

On their site is a map, this map will show you where your money will do the most good.

If you know a looted Blackheath shop that’s not on the map, send details to help@delootlondon.co.uk and they will add it. Let’s go shopping, and DeLoot London!

Fergus Noone Photography Comes To Blackheath

As reported last week by us here at My Blackheath; the newest shop to open in Blackheath is Fergus Noone Photography. The new signage was being put on the front of the shop today in anticipation for opening soon. Welcome to Blackheath.

You can find out more about them here on their web site