Second Hand?

I spent too many hours proof reading business documents at work not to spot this.

This should be "secondhand" because it is one word in this context, when written as two words it means part of a clock face. To make matters worse, the very tight kerning of the letters with some even overlapping, e.g. the final "O" and "P", means that the erroneous space between the words is more obvious.

Gunam Cottage

A famous red brick has got some company.

The red brick at 7 Upper Ham Road featured here in 2009 and pops up in local forums from time to time. Following extensive renovations of the property it has been joined by both a house name, Gunam Cottage, and a rather pretty number 7.

Individually all three signs have their merits but I think that they clash more than the compliment each other.

Immaculate fence

This is the second time that I have commented on the fence on the north side of Dukes Avenue by Craig Road.

Way back in 2008 (!) I admired the haphazard nature of the fence that was then made up of uneven lengths of grey wood. It had its charm but its days were always numbered and that day has been reached. The new fence is uniform and pristine, it looks like a photo from a "how to construct a fence" article.

It is very different from the old fence and I like the new one too, just for different reasons.

Incident at Mervyn Smith

Just a few months after tastefully rebranding their shop, Mervyn Smith have had to stop using it, and a look through their front door shows why.

They moved into action quickly and the empty unit two down, formerly The Ballet Boutique, has been taken over and is now open.

Porch reconstruction

Most of the work on Gordon House is hidden behind hoardings so it is nice to be able to see the scope of the work being done to the porch through the front gate.

New bollards

I had not noticed bad parking being much of a problem in Buckingham Road but somebody thinks it is and has installed bollards to address the problem. As with bollards elsewhere, it will be interesting to see how long they remain intact for.

Light down

This street light is lying down on the verge of Ham Farm Road, presumably after being hit by something substantial.

Twins

There is always a risk when one half of a pair of semis gets renovated but when two do then the results are unlikely to be sympathetic. It is too early to cast a verdict on these houses in Dysart Avenue but the different window choices are already an issue.

Worn out bridge

Earlier this year I noted that the bridge connecting Douglas Footpath to the towpath, constructed in 2008, was starting to show its age, other people noticed too and now it is being repaired. At least I hope it is and it is not just going to be closed for ages because it is unsafe.