Your last post has great wisdom.

We are rich indeed; but we must profit from our diversity, not squander it.

Om Manu Naraya Naya

Drew

Just to say that Ming Wah is my local takeaway and I have been going there for since 1981. My husband taught the children of the owners and every Chinese New Year they bring us Oranges, sherry and biscuits, taking their shoes off at the door as a mark of respect as they enter. Mr Ming Wah has an allotment-we swop news on vegetables and how the seasons are good and bad. The youths you see hanging out on the corners are my son’s friends. They come to my house often, bringing me flowers bought from the garage at the bottom of the road on my birthday. The old West Indian men hanging out iutside the bookies are my father-in-laws friends. They tip their hats to me when I pass. When my father-in-law died (he was 82) they came round every night to pay their repects and sit and talk of old times, giving us great comfort, until the “nine night” all night wake that takes place in Jamaican culture, where everyone stays up all night, drinking white rum, singing and playing dominoes. recalling stories of their dead friend, they honour and respect his life.

My neigbour brings me scarves and sandals from Pakistan when I look after his house when I am away. He is the old long bearded man that walks down Shenley rd, with the glasses and the funny clothes. People abuse him on the street, calling him a terrorist.

Mehmet in Bolus has watched my children grow up. We used to take my daughter there in a push chair when she was a baby, to have our kebabs in the back-it is still our most favoured place for a romantic evening.

See, I don’t find the area forbidding and I look at the mops with affection. As far as I know they have been there 20 years. I notice when they put on a new mophead. The look on the Chinese boys faces is only a reflection of your own fear. Try not to be afraid. Try to find out more about the people you live amongst.That’s all anyone has to do to make SE5 a better place.

What I do find forbidding is the distrust and suspicion I hear developing in our community which makes my family’s life poorer.It also makes young people surly and agressive. They sense the fear. They feel like lepers. They behave badly accordingly. Camilla is right. They do need love. If you expect the worst of them all, that’s what you’ll get. Some of them are bad apples. Not all of them are. They are not vermin or scumbags. They are little frightened boys. I know. I’ve got one just like them at home. He wears hoodies (mostly because he’s scared of other boys seeing him and attacking him, but partly because of fashion), listens and creates rap/grime etc and makes awful noises with it in his bedroom and sucks his thumb. He’s 2 ins taller than his six foot father and has to lean down to cuddle me. The police think this is intimidating (his height I mean) so whnever he is stopped and searched (which happens on a regular basis as he is going about his daily business) they put him in handcuffs. This upsets him somewhat, so now he scowls a lot when he’s out because he’s afraid. I expect he looks a bit intimidating. I keep telling him to relax and smile more but it’s hard for him really. Ladies cross the street because they think he’s a mugger.I am surprised the boy has the strength to carry on going to work and college, but he does. Even wakes up singing sometimes!

So if he can still sing and be happy, so can we. Next time you pass Ming Wah, I hope you see it a little differently.

That people want to leave and think there is something better elsewhere seems strange to me. How rich our lives are! How much we have! Let’s hope we can keep it and change our perceptions before it’s too late.

My camera, with all the pics of the burning moment, got nicked at a car boot sale in Kent the next day.

I Prefer Hastings myself.

But why?

Those little electric cars I’ve seen around locally are very cute.

But then I suppose it’s a social thing…

I’m pretty sure you have all missed the bus, as it were, regarding buying an old bus. As far as I know all of the decommissioned RM’s have been sold. And I hope you didn’t pay 12k for yours regeneguru..

I did a bit of a post about it at

http://mishmashbookshop.blogspot.com/2006/09/routemaster-bus-sale.html

and you can still have a read.

My sister taught photography at Glasgow school of art in the 80’s, and used to spend the summer touring in a routemaster round the western isles, whith a tiny prosc theatre downstars, and a kiln and colapsible dark room upstairs. They would park up in villages for three or four days at a time and run art/drama/craft classes, on a contract from the Scottish Ed Dept. Rural diyll or what?

If any of you seriously want to buy one, I’ll put out some feelers…

Chin Chin

Drew