Blog 549 29th October 2026

Quickly: I am back officially on the Hounslow website as a Green and group leader. I will say no more as this is all still being discussed.

Phew. Back to normal stuff.

This will be a short one because I have had a long session in West Middlesex's over-stressed A&E after a minor accident and other events made me busy on Wednesday evening (accident) and all Thursday supporting an old friend who is in a care home in Walthamstow.

Late Thursday afternoon I had a walkabout with some senior officers. This is an innovation by the council team. I was slightly unconvinced by the idea, and poor Craig couldn't make it because he was unwell.

This was with two senior women officers. One is the Director of Public Health. I knew her predecessor well but had not met Liz Brutus before. Sarah Filby is Director of Strategy and I knew her a little but had not engaged much. We met at the Library and I suggested we went up Windmill Road and into Orchard. Immediately we were surrounded by 3 residents from Orchard and Glenhurst and I wanted to show these two officers about the plan for a new car park/small park there which I was promised to be made before March 2023. I have been nagging everyone down from the CEO about this failure for years so I thought 2 more in the know couldn't hurt (though in truth, I doubt it will help much!) 2 of these residents are enthusiastic to make this happen but the third is equally against it. The councillor's life. I don't really buy "You can please all of the people some of the time etc". As A councillor I sometimes think I'm capable of disappointing all the people all of the time (though I do occasionally do something people like!)

Then I moaned about the pavement outside the 'London Hospital' the constant roadworks on the next bit of Windmill. But we came down through Enfield Walk, Adelaide Terrace and York Parade. These have been a mess for years but they are much better now in fact there was no flytipping or overflowing bins at all, only the abandoned bike frame that has been on a Sheffield stand on the A4 (where neither Hounslow Highways or TfL will act!) Last moan was about the public realm by the Ealing Road roundabout.

This picture won us the prize for Public realm

What it really looks like

Anyway it helped I think to actually get council officers coming here, Few of them live anywhere near: one of these in Lambeth (I think) and the other out in Berks or Bucks. I think that is a problem for the council. Someone (anonymous) from Lampton 360 told me not one of the top 20 people lived in Hounslow Borough. Don't know if that's true but doesn't surprise me. I think that is a problem, but it was good chatting with these two and I hope they learned something!

After that I went straight to St Paul's for the People's Emergency Briefing film (4th time for me!) It was well attended and I think I espied Ruth Cadbury in the audience.

On Friday evening I tried out Ami's Indian Flame next to Brentford bridge. I thought food was good, service also, and we were able to sit next to a babbling Brent below our table. Luvly.

On Monday I had a coffee with a local journalist and lunch with Rashid, who was my election mate in Brentford West but lost to Craig. He is a very good man and very clever too - looking to start a new business.

On Tuesday I went to Darkest Uxbridge to attend the Magistrate's Court. No, I was not up before the Beak (yet) but Cllr Athwal, Jasmine's ward partner was accused of fraud. He pleaded not guilty but it is I think too serious to be heard by Magistrates so was referred to Isleworth Crown Court on 24th November. I couldn't hear much (nothing new there) but the journo from MyLondon and the young fellow who said he was from the Conservative party couldn't hear well either. I worked out what I could. Was interesting and a new experience, I was educated by being on a Jury in Birkenhead in about 1975 and we 12 angry men acquitted an elderly lady who was accused of stealing a tin of mince valued at 65p from the Coop.

I put up a nice pic of this but it occurred to me that this may not be allowed and I do not fancy standing in the dock. You’ll have to use your imagination.

Craig picked this up from the press and I told himI I thought I should familiarise myself with a magistrate's court in case they ever catch up with me

That aside it has been rather a tough week for me, dealing with political stuff which infuriates me. On Wednesday evening I strolled to Morrisons and on the way home with my shopping I tripped on a kerb in Dock Road.

That kerb. The foot is mine but my shoe had taken a holiday. I ended up in A&E thanks to an angel who gave me a lift (and took my shopping home including dealing with the tub of yogurt that broke my fall (I suppose). I fell on my nose (making me even more handsome, and I dislocated a finger which drew to an alarming girth

By Thursday morning I needed to go out and decided my nose needed a professional dressing.

Clear talent at dressing there but I have decided not to enrol as a nurse. It was an even less pretty sight without that, I assure you.

Thanks to Katherine Dunne (and Ballymore) the kerb had changed colour this morning and a gorgeous planter located there to deter idiots like me.

There is a nice side to all this. A bunch of guys who were trying to go home stopped to pick me up, find a chair, ring the NHS and generally kept my spirits up. Angel 1 bundled me in her car and took me to W Middx and Angel 2 (my daughter) came down at midnight to deliver me home. And every member of staff at the hospital were fab despite the place being packed in, and my care was so professional.

Drove to Walthamstow (a pain) but my finger and face were OK (no pain) and I spotted this on Chiswick roundabout.

Worn out now. See you next week.