Cillit Bang!!!!

Hi, I'm not Barry Scott.
I'm wrestling with the Cillit Bang phenomena. I've probably had four conversations about the wonder cleaner in the past six weeks, all with different people. And no, I haven't been starting these conversations either. I mean, I'm not some kind of subliminal Cillit Spy, putting the brand name in everyone's sub-conscious.
CILLIT BANG
The commercials are so cleverly bad, the garish colours of the product, the ridiculous name which is amusing yet doesn't describe the product whatsoever (does the name Cillit Bang derive from an Eastern Bloc country? Is the liquid spewed from a certain industrial building in Chernobyl? Come to think of it, do the Cillit Bang brand guru's have an office in one of the reactors?). On the subject of power, what about the amazing cleaning abilities?
Oddly, this is where the Bangster falls down.
Four conversations and I only know of one person who's bought it.
Research shows that 75% of people don't buy it because something that'll shine a one pence piece will kill a family of dolphins in Ireland as soon as it gets flushed down a loo in Thamesmead. In complete contrast to the ad campaign, this stuff is meant to be so good that it can only be bad. Here's a link to a scientific test under laboratory conditions.
I've yet to succumb to purchasing the big daddy of cleaning products, but I've certainly bought into Barry Scott's advertising campaign.
Bangloss

Plumstead Common moon

Sounds strange eh?

Well, let me explain myself. The other night, looking across Plumstead Common, I saw a huge red/orange moon, and a (sort of) flat cloud wafting across its' glow. The moon was massive, I mean unreal, which obviously caught my eye, but with the cloud too, it was just like that scene from the seminal favourite of art students, 'Un Chien Andalou'.
Remember this?









If not, I'm sure you'll remember this one.














Happy days eh?

Anyway, the moon did freak me out a tiny bit. The colour as well as the size, but it was a welcome distraction after wasting 2 hours of my life watching 'Pride And Prejudice'.

I'll be one of very few to dislike this film, but half an hour in and I wanted to perform the operation as shown above on myself. The film looked great, but even that couldn't save me from the continual close-ups of Ms Knightley. Stop pouting woman!!!!
See what I mean?
I don't mind films without lazers and a good car chase, but the dialogue in P&P gave me a real headache. Maybe it was the aroma de popcorn from row H?

Just to restore my faith in cinema, I notice there are some good showings coming up at the new magic lantern house in Greenwich. A local Art-house cinema; about time too.
Pangloss

If the bible can be shortened, so can this blog.

Dome was a lucky dip? You're telling me!!!!

Pangloss

Cars to be crushed

And whilst I'm on a roll, how fed up are we of the cars being illegally sold along the Common? On a scale of 1 - 10, I think we've reached 59. If I could work out the exploding custard recipe, I'd put it to good use.

The Ship pub

My oh my. The building works at the Ship pub goes on.

I've heard two versions of what the final building will be.

One
That the building will be a number of flats (note that I never heard the word "luxury" mentioned within the description, even though this word seems to be included with every new development). Also, the developers are going to shoe-horn a house or two behind the existing building.

Two
That the upper levels of the building will be a number of flats (not luxury), and the downstairs will become an Italian restaurant. Hmmmm, I'm liking that idea. The good people of Plumstead Common could do with a decent eaterie.

Winter isn't far off. Will the building works stop for the dreary season?

Fool of a Took!!!!

Parking a motorbike on a slope and at an angle is not a good idea. This I already knew but this evening found out exactly why.

Pushing my bike off its' centre-stand, gravity and the slope worked effortlessly against me and I felt helpless as I watched my bike fall sideways (in filmic slowmotion), onto the pavement. Fool of a Took. Down to the bike shop tomorrow for a foot peg then. I think I got away very lightly.

It's all for the best in this best of all possible worlds? Hmmmmmm.............

Pangloss

Custard unveiled

Thanks very much to the anonymous writer who REVEALED ALL about the explosive properties of custard. Even better, the aforementioned writer had linked it in with our local area!!!! How good is that?

I have also been notified by the eminent Sondmeister, that another innocent food, a poached egg has similar bomb-like qualities. Can this be true? I feel this blog about the hidden gem of South East London has taken a slight shift off the rails of culture. Maybe I should start another blog entitled "Dangerous Food"?

Can the day get any better?

Pangloss

Custard

Today has been a good day. Not because the sun has been out, or because I'm taking time out from work and can therefore do my own thing in my own time, but because I've had a couple of eureka moments.

Eureka 1
I've found a builder who is knowledgeable and 'is bovverd'. He was working on a house and I chatted to him. He went on to show me what he'd done and I was very impressed. He spoke with great knowledge of architectural history and construction and, blow me down, didn't speak condescendingly to me either.

Got your number.

Eureka 2
The Plumstead Common Co-Op didn't have a queue. I almost had to pinch myself.

Eureka 3
I discovered that custard can be explosive. It's a great discovery and if you see people with ruck-sacks in Co-Op, emptying the shelves of the great pudding accompaniment, contact your local bobby.

Hello

I distinctly remember when Channel 4 broadcast for the first time, 20 odd years ago. Strangely enough, in a much much smaller way, I have that same feeling now.

My first blog post.

Plumstead Common is my area and I hope to blog about Plumstead and it's environs, and other random thoughts, for as long as I can. I rather like this area and with additions of a bridge and DLR to the local infra-structure, can see that Plumstead Common will change over the next few years (hopefully not for the worse); it'll be good to be a part of documenting this.

Anyway, as you can see, it hasn't changed all that much for the past 100 years though.

regards,
Doctor Pangloss