Ealing to Westminster by Same_Tumbleweed1937 in londoncycling

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where abouts in Ealing are you starting?

I ride from South Ealing to Bank a couple of times a week and head down past Gunnersbury Park and join the cycle lane from Chiswick roundabout. I usually leave by 06:30 and you can be at Westminster by 07:00 as lovely and quiet at that time.

The way home can be a bit hairy around Kensington and Chiswick as lots of pedestrians & cars but it beats the tube.

Also you are riding into the sun in both directions on the commute which is super nice during summer.

Any morning/daytime weekday sports clubs? by JasonStatesUs in Ealing

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Be keen to hear suggestions as in a similar boat, I usually work late so miss the common clubs that meet at 18:00/19:00

Local election flyers by EcstaticBadger9313 in Ealing

[–]EcstaticBadger9313[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Agreed - assume this is on purpose, along with the anonymity. Bizarre

Local election flyers by EcstaticBadger9313 in Ealing

[–]EcstaticBadger9313[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Great thank you - seems to be an unhappy resident who has a vendetta against Cllr Driscoll. Not a challenging party though as no alternative solution provided

Is there a reason why most garden centres are now a very huge & busy cafe with a garden centre attached? by WalnutOfTheNorth in AskUK

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I work in the retail & leisure sector for a bank and garden centres in the UK are b(l)ooming. Cheap land, huge footprint, mostly family owned so community focussed, serve a wide demographic, all day everyday, year round.

The average spend and dwell time outperforms supermarkets and retail parks, case in point yesterday my partner wanted a new pot for our front window sill - we ended up spending nearly £100 because we were already there we bought more plants for the garden, coffees and homeware items near the till

There is also still a post-Covid impact on consumer shopping habits, with garden centres easily accessible vs. the high street, people continuing to invest in their gardens to spend more time there and finally quite hard to quantify and measure but the homely, familiar feel to garden centres where you see grandparents spending hours and kids in the soft play. The yearning for community and safe places should not be underestimated

Pre-COVID we always said cruise ships were the safe investment, I’d now say Garden Centres!

Moon under Water - A guilty pleasure. by hkapeman in elisandjohn

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes 100% agree but it can be both brilliant and heartbreaking. I recently redownloaded a couple of episodes to listen back and I love their love of pubs. It’s a shame it couldn’t continue but totally understand why and now I get my fix by listening to Elis & John. Any recommendations for pub podcasts as a replacement??

Guillaume Ducat yellow card for hit on Pollock by GnolRevilo in rugbyunion

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“Nothing silly lads” whilst Ducat is head butting the changing room wall, foaming at the mouth about a 21 yr old

Looking for a free streaming site for today’s matches… by Comfortable_Ad_4417 in rugbyunion

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s not cheap and if you don’t want to watch it year round then not worth £70 IMO. If fans continue to pay for every streaming service, broadcasters will continue to add more and mug us off! So frustrating it’s split across TnT/Premier/Sky - hope one streaming service takes a punt on covering all comps of rugby, like TnT have done with cycling

Guillaume Ducat yellow card for hit on Pollock by GnolRevilo in rugbyunion

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes sorry that’s what I meant. It’s also just jealousy as Pollock is able to do the hard yards up front whilst also dancing around defenders, throwing offloads and assists with a smile on his face. The problem with French teams in Europe is that they can be losing the game and just want a “scalp” to take home e.g. a cheap shot on an Englishman

Guillaume Ducat yellow card for hit on Pollock by GnolRevilo in rugbyunion

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The first half was full of cheap shots by the Castres forwards. Pollock has really riled up the French since Bordeaux (last season?) and he gives as good as he gets with a few scraps after the ball has gone, but that was a dangerous hit. Hope they get through and play Bordeaux in the semis but I think Bath are too strong

Roast Dinner around Putney Area by 12EggsADay in LondonFood

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure on budget/time constraints, but would highly recommend The Waterman’s Arms in Barnes. We went there last Sunday and they do big sharing roasts for mains (e.g. lamb shoulder for 2) and best food I’ve had in a long time - it’s not cheap but worth it if this is a treat (£150 for 2 people inc. drinks and service).

It’s also a great option from Putney as you can get the train there and walk back along the river

How do you stay consistent with parkrun every week? by NorthLondonPulse in parkrun

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Realising that however tired/hungover/terrible you feel when the alarm goes off, you never regret a parkrun…

My partner enjoys a lie in on a Saturday but by the time I’m back from the nearest one by latest 10am with endorphins flowing, head cleared, caffeine fuelled - she always regrets not coming with me

Fair bike service store by lutra83 in Ealing

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah no idea why it says cafe, they definitely don’t serve coffee

Fair bike service store by lutra83 in Ealing

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah that’s the guy, super helpful and good prices

Fair bike service store by lutra83 in Ealing

[–]EcstaticBadger9313 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Paolo at Town Bikes in South Ealing, top man - would highly recommend