Plumstead station

It is such a shame that the coffee hut closed at Plumstead station. I need an injection of caffeine first thing in the morning on the way to work (and I was quite partial to their pain au chocolat too)...I know there is a new drinks/can machine there but I don't understand why the coffee hut wasn't viable. It was cheap, decent and more importantly on the run up to winter, warming....

The Golden Arches

are I see arriving in Plumstead. Yes that's right, a McDonalds is due to open on the roundabout by the bus garage just by the station..OK so it's not quite a Cafe Rouge but it's a start....
From what I understand the post office sorting office is also moving here. I hope this rumour is true as I hate having to get to Woolwich to get post. Long queues, nowhere to park etc so it makes far more sense..
Now I'm thinking retail park...M&S, Next home (with Costa Coffee)...Oooooh could this large roundabout be the next Charlton retail park...I hope so!

Charlton Toy Library

The last I heard they were having problems securing funding for the toy library at Charlton House so I was pleased to see that the Sainsburys down on the Peninsular has adopted them as their charity of the year. Hopefully this will allow the library to remain open and for them to continue their work.

Conkers

We have been out collecting conkers most of the weekend in the lovely sunshine. I can't believe how many there are in Greenwich Park. Spiders shall be non-existant in this house for the rest of the year!! (Am on the hunt for those green-fanged arachnids)!
We've had them threaded on string and played good old fashioned conkers. Something which no doubt the children won't experience when they go to school because of the elf n safety police...

M&S

I love M&S and use the one by Blackheath Standard on a regular basis. I can't believe the one by Charlton at the BP garage closed though. What a shame. Who buys food from petrol stations unless it is something like M&S/Tesco Express etc. I would have thought Charlton would have been a good catchment area for it as well. V depressed that we don't have a BP garage anywhere near SE18 so assume an M&S won't be popping up anytime soon..

Dial Arch pub

I trotted off to Dial Arch recently for some food and drink. What a lovely new addition to the landscape. We went midweek and I am pleased to report that it was still relatively busy with a really nice mix of people. Much more Blackheath than the usual offerings around SE18....A good mix of alcohol on offer and the food was lovely.
The place has really been nicely designed. It is a Young's brewery pub which are Wandsworth based, hopefully it is making them a tonne of money and they might look at opening other local venues. Woolwich really is a funny area, like most of SE London I guess with some hideous council blocks, some lovely old terraced streets and then the very trendy Royal Arsenal with its deli, boat service and riverside walks. The regeneration is long overdue but pleased it has started. Now if it can just extend to Shooter's Hill and Plumstead that would be great too!

Child Benefit

I have always been pleased to receive this even though I have secretly thought it a bit daft that it the same amount is given to all and sundry despite your income and I can see why given the state of the economy that benefits need to be stopped somewhere and rather than cutting jobs cutting a bit of income from people might be a better answer.
What I can't understand is how it is done on ONE persons salary and not joint income. Therefore if one of you earns in excess of the higher tax bracket (roughly 44k) you lose the benefit but if both of you in the household earn just under it (so your household income could be in excess of 86k) you can still claim it. Madness. So people with twice as much family income still get it and those (predominantly I am guessing) with a stay at home Mum won't get it if their husband/partner earns over 44k.
Stupid.