Blog 516 12th February 2026

As planned I went out to Feltham to meet Afghan Radio. As I probably said before I had not engaged at all until recently but I find them very welcoming and friendly people and I am happy to do what I can to support them in integrating and contributing to our country, as they did when we made our (in my opinion) well-meaning but unwise intervention in their home country.

As it happened Katherine Dunne was at the same event and by the time I arrived (I had warned them I could only come briefly) she had already spoken as a member of the panel with some local radio advocates. I did speak for about 30 seconds which I am sure was a great relief (when I closed my trap) but the audience were evidently delighted I had made the effort.

Some (I presume!) some Afghan food on offer. Yes to the spicy, no to the sweet stuff - too sweet for my taste.

On Friday I was hoping to meet a resident who has some health problems there, because I thought he might get some help from the services there in the Community Hub. Unfortunately he was too ill to get there but it was good to see the hub in 'action'. As ever, there were few 'customers' there - only one as I find the regular picture - but I had a good chat with the community health people who persuaded me to have my Blood pressure checked. 112 over 79 which is very normal, like my personality.

Reminds me of one of my preferred bands in the last century, the Bonzo Dogs. The track "We are Normal" is a bit long to bore you with, but the picture makes you realise how correct the title is.

On Saturday I had a meeting with one of the Conservative members in Chiswick. It was a bit like the possibly imagined Christmas Truce in 1914.

Neither Jack Emsley nor I had remembered our football boots so we spent our time gossiping about politics. I congratulated (😂) him in having attracted Vickram Grewal to the Tories after Labour deselected him in 'safe' Cranford and awarded him the 'opportunity' to stand in the (safest Conservative ward) Chiswick Homefields. Very surprisingly Vickram has discovered his inner right-wing affiliation and now has been selected to lose Chiswick Gunnersbury to our other Green catch from Labour - Aubrey Crawley. Enough political slapstick. We have some common ground, observing that most local politics is not very political. I wanted to talk about Dukes Meadows, which I think is mismanaged by the council and is in his ward. He was supposed to send me a document about it and need to remind him, but basically we are on the same page.

Sunday started with my 'collective' surgery at Digital Dock. A couple of people (eventually 3) from a block on Baltic Avenue attended to talk of problems with their freeholder, A2Dominion. I had started investigating a similar problem in another block with the same freeholder but not got very far as all the people I used to know in A2D seem to have departed. Writing this reminds me I have work to do, and no progress yet mea culpa. This is mainly about service charges and poor service - not a good story.

In the afternoon a group of us Greenies were knocking doors up and down Brook Road South. Responsive is always positive even though it always surprises me how few people respond to the knock or ping. Reassuring that Jeff Bezos is following my movements via Ring and no doubt my youthful face and my movement is stored in 100 places in Amazon's files. I was listening to a podcast this week about how he is destroying the Washington Post as well as bookshops and High Streets worldwide. To prove I'm no biased lefty ...

https://spectator.com/article/how-jeff-bezos-destroyed-the-washington-post/

I started boycotting Amazon at least a decade ago but it seems a lonely campaign judging by the piles of junk piled in the foyer of my flat block, a proportion of which is of course nicked.

There was this repetitive mess outside the shared property at 1 Brook Road South. That place has been a blot on the landscape for many years and we seem incapable of doing anything about it. I have raised casework (again)

Meanwhile across the road a black bag investigated by Special Waste Service a week ago is still there today, has attracted some extra mess and somebody with teeth to see what's inside. As I took this picture this morning I met Tawakal (the TA from the label) who told me he had checked for evidence in the bag but found no address. I don't think the policy of leaving stuff as a warning is a good plan. It makes people think the problem is even worse than it is.

I spent Monday on emails and leisure and on Tuesday I spent the day wandering around the ward as I do. Somebody had asked me about arrangements for waste collection in the newly closed New Road.

The work was more extensive than I expected and as far as I can see I have had no response to my enquiry about waste collections. Must follow up.

Also, us Greenies thought we would think about extra street trees in the ward. I went around Challis and Whitestile Roads (amongst others) to revise my knowledge and found a lack of logic - lots of trees on one side or in one stretch and none in other sections. I invite ideas of where more trees should be planted!

Tuesday evening was a meeting with the beleaguered residents and leaseholders in Holly House. This took place at the University and involved a number of council officers.

This was a fairly contentious meeting - hardly surprising as they have been under notice of works since 2018. There was a big hole in the wall I found when Holly came into my ward in 2022.

Scaffolding appeared in I think 2023

The contractor went bust early last year and absolutely nothing has been done on site ever since. They told us there was a new contractor appointed but there is still no contract. They said 'this month' I said that is far too slow. We need a proper project plan, a council project manager on site regularly and on the contractors' back and a real commitment to get this done. Well, I write the letters and make the demands. Whether anyone will take any notice is another matter. They really must. This is completely unacceptable for residents and even worse for leaseholders. Their flat is very unattractive to live in and impossible to sell. They are even getting parking fines for parking where they were told to park (whilst the car park is full of construction junk) but the officer omitted to sign the contract with Great West House, who have now gone bust. Actually, looking at that is a labyrinth of dozens of companies owned by mostly the same individual (and his other half) many with overdue accounts and attempts to strike off. Reminiscent of the Moffat companies that have plagued me for years whilst not building our Watermans marina. I lost the will to live with this one but the officer agreed to pay the fines and get an actual contract with someone or other!

Nothing much yesterday but I went up to the Big City for a lecture at the RSA where I am a Fellow. This was about an Azerbaijani writer with links over the barrier to Armenia. A very troubled part of the world. It was a moving talk about people from, to coin a phrase, a long way away of which I know little. I do know a bit about Armenia from the Armenian Church, a respected outfit in Brentford after people were worried when they arrived!

Bike news: some charmer tried to nick the light off my bike and succeeded on only breaking it. A lovely new Dutch light now fitted by Brentford Bicycle Works for a very modest fee.

I was pleased by their Victorian-looking Bike stand which looked like it came out of t'mill in Heckmondwike.

Today, a preview of the presentation with Brentford Voice on development matters.

This will be at the Free Church on 24th February starting at 6.15 - don't miss it!

I was in my grumpy mode for this because I am dismayed by the slow progress on nearly everything in Brentford (apart from Printmakers Yard aka Heidelberg). My main issue currently is the shops. I readily accept that the shop (and flats) market is 'slow' but our shops are extra slow because we are trying to market them via an uninterested estate agent in Regent Street who can't be bothered even to put most of our shops on their website. Local estate agents (who would be a lot more interested) are not allowed to partake in this, and local businesses desperate for premises are not given any opportunity.

I will write as constructively as I can to the powers that be over this.

Ah. Trees

I have started taking regular pictures of the trees across the Brent from my flat.

I am trying to take the same picture regularly to study and enjoy the way they grow over the year. A big element in why I love living here (like the people).