What have I missed since January 23rd?

While Egyptians rioted because Andy Gray asked Richard Keys to "tap his phone", what comical misunderstandings were happening in West Hampstead?

The Ham & High reported that neighbourhood watch is alive and twitching in West Hampstead.

Twitter, of course, is a sort of real-time neighbourhood watch, and reported an attempted break-in at the rear of a house opposite the park in Iverson Road.

There were also reports of conmen trying to convince people to part with their gold for pennies.

And of course something in Kilburn caught fire - this time it was the building works around Peacocks on the High Road.

Last week you may remember the link to a Kilburn poem. There's much more on the Kilburn poetry project here.

Also in Kilburn, a planning application was posted to fundamentally change a large part of Cambridge Avenue.

Two more bits of planning on Mill Lane - one to turn No. 60 (the former site of West Hampstead Community Centre) into flats and a shop and another to change the London Heath Clinic to residential use.

Did you enjoy the West Hampstead Christmas market. Find out how you can get involved with more local markets.

There's also news on Tesco's deliveries at the Fortune Green branch and a chance for you to have your say.

More Asian food action than you can shake a chopstick at: Vietnamese restaurant ladudu, due to open where Glo was on West End Lane, is recruiting, while a new sushi restaurant opened in Swiss Cottage.

If you REALLY like West Hampstead's train stations, this seven (count them) minute video is for you - it actually has a slightly amusing end.

The campaign to save Charteris Sports Centre continues apace. Keep up to date or get involved here (and follow @save_charteris &/or @11streets).

In sports news, once again the West Hampstead Wanderers were beaten, this time 6-3 by the Kilburn Wizards. The scores are getting closer boys.

And racehorse Kilburn finished third in Saturday's race at Lingfield.

Tweet of the Week

Wizards cast a spell on Wanderers

Matchday 2 of the 6-a-side season was a close-fought NW6 derby game as the West Hampstead Wanderers took on the Kilburn Wizards. Sadly the Wanderers couldn't find enough tricks to unlock the Wizards' defence. Dom Christie reports:

Match day 2. Monday 24th January. KO 6.30
West Hampstead Wanderers 3 – 6 Kilburn Wizards

West Hampstead Wanderers had a near-full squad available ahead of the game against the unbeaten Kilburn Wizards. @timcheese was forced to pull out thanks to "British Rail" while @martin_tse replaced the injured @djvectra between the posts. @thomhoffman and @nwsixdan were back from trials at (or "trips to")  Barcelona, and went straight into the starting lineup.

The Wanderers kept it tight from the start, and eventually took a well-deserved lead mid-way through the first half thanks to @thomhoffman. This good form continued with some superb saves from @martin_tse, but the Wanderers couldn't quite hold out and, on the stroke of half-time, the Wizards levelled.
It was the first time the Wanderers hadn't headed off for half-time oranges trailing their opponents, so optimism was high. The second half was feisty, and the Wizards were getting away with some pretty aggressive slide tackles. The quick tempo saw them slot home three quick goals and suddenly the Wanderers found themselves 4-1 down.

The referee sin-binned Wanderers' @onedavidlewy midway through the second half, and appeared to do the same to a Wizards' player a few minutes later; but the Wizard - clearly deploying some cunning mind spell - played on regardless. Despite being a man down, the Wanderers plugged away with @MatthewMargot scoring a second and @thomhoffman getting his second and the Wanderers third. Unfortunately the Wizards had two more tricks up their collective sleeve and also scored twice. Final score: 6-3 to the Wizards.

The Wizards are top of the league, but once again the Wanderers' improved on their previous week's performance. There's a long way to go in this campaign, and you can be sure that next time the two teams meet the Wanderers will be highly motivated to pull the rabbit out of the proverbial and turn the tables on their tricky opponents.

Team:
@NickHudgell, @Martin_Tse, @nwsixDan, @ThomHoffman, @SamWong1, @oneDavidLewy, @MatthewMargot, @DomChristie, @Talalb01

Goal scorers:
@thomhoffman x 2
@MatthewMargot

League standings:

Kilburn Wizards          P2 W2 D0 L0 GD +6

Abacus Athletic          P2 W1 D0 L1 GD +1

The Gym Utd              P2 W1 D0 L1 GD 0

West Hampstead Wanderers P2 W0 D0 L2 GD -7

What have I missed since January 16th?

While the media obsessed over political resignations, what was happening in West Hampstead this week?

MISSING PERSON: Daisy has been missing from Kilburn, London since January 10th.

The battle over the development of Gondar Gardens continues.
At the same end of town, there are some changes to the proposed development at No.1 Mill Lane.

Further down Mill Lane, newcomer The Private Space has popped up on Facebook, and is also offering 20% off an initial hair appointment. 

At the other end of West Hamsptead, roads and pavements in the Swiss Cottage conservation (soon to be officially renamed South Hampstead) and West End Lane area are going to have maintenance work this year.

Two local community centres are upping their online game. Kingsgate is on Twitter, while the West Hampstead Community Centre has a website.

The local women's centre received more than £340,000 in lottery funding, while the children's centre in Acol Road looks set to be a victim of local cuts.

Also at risk of being cut is our local 999 police response unit.

Here's a postcard and a bit of backstory of a major fire that happened by Kilburn station in 1910.

Astonishingly, one of the screenshots promoting Google Places on the iPhone worldwide shows our very own Lately.

Culture news
The run of small hours at Hampstead Theatre has been extended to Feb 19th. I reviewed it.
On Wednesday, Kilburn was on Homes under the Hammer and then West Hampstead was on Will My Crash Diet Kill Me?
The hunt is on for Camden's unsung musical heroes.

Sports news
The local men's hockey team is aiming to remain unbeaten this season - they've won 12 on the trot so far.
West Hampstead Wanderers meanwhile lost on Monday, but the season is young.

Coming up
This Wednesday is the Swiss Cottage Area Action Group. 

Tweet of the Week

small hours at Hampstead Theatre - review

small hours is different. It would be as at home at Tate Modern as it is in the Hampstead Theatre's Michael Frayn space. Indeed as the small audience (restricted to just 25 per performance) assembled in a hallway, we were told this was an "installation". We were then asked to remove our shoes.

The play, directed by the sometimes divisve Katie Mitchell, takes place in a closed off large living room. The audience sits around the sides of the room on furniture; the atmosphere is intensely claustrophobic. Over the course of the hour there is almost no dialogue, but the play is far from silent. There is a palpable sense of the uncomfortable as actress Sandy McDade paces around the room confronting her inner demons. The interruptions come at first from the radio and then a phone ringing that makes everyone jump. Then we hear a baby crying.

As we move through the small hours of the night, the room becomes filled with noise to drown out the crying child. Nigella's perfect life blares from the TV, the vacuum cleaner hums and, finally, music is cranked up high as the woman seems to force herself into a series of trance-like states. She checks on the child once or twice; then the dawn chorus begins and a new day begins.

This work by Lucy Kirkwood Ed Hime is a play wthout drama - it creates a mood but does little with it. There are references to all the (en)trappings of many women's lives: children, husbands, mothers, cleaning, cooking, make-up. But empathy is hard to come by with such a stark production and a performance that switches strangely from the naturalistic to the stylised.

I'm glad I saw small hours, but wouldn't choose to see it again and would recommend it only to people who are prepared for something a little unconventional and deliberately lacking in exposition. I found it intellectually interesting but not especially stimulating.

small hours is now playing at Hampstead Theatre until Feb 19th
Book tickets

Wanderers start the season (again)

Another Monday, another first match of the season. As the league began again, the Wanderers were able to wipe the memories of last week's defeat and start afresh with a match against Abacus Athletic. Matthew Margot reports

Match day 1. Monday 17th January. KO 6.30

West Hampstead Wanderers 7 – 11 Abacus Athletic

West Hampstead Wanderers second first game of the season was against Abacus Athletic. The league format had undergone a slight reshuffle with a team dropping out and the games changing to six-a-side.

The Wanderers started slowly conceding an early penalty. Abacus were moving the ball quickly and their superior fitness was on display in the early stages of the game. A couple more goals from Abacus saw the Wanderers trailing 3-0.

The Wanderers had the advantage of three subs and brought on some fresh legs. @Talalb01 scored a tidy goal and the comeback was on. @MatthewMargot also added a goal with a mishit left foot volley but with halftime approaching Abacus added a few more goals and the score going into halftime was either 5-2, 6-2 or 7-2. Without @DJVectra's excellent goalkeeping it could have been much worse.

Following an encouraging team talk from the captain/manager/player @NickHudgell with instructions to press further up the pitch, pass the ball quickly and shoot on sight the Wanderers returned to the pitch.

The second half started well with the Wanderers dictating the play. @TimCheese and @Martin_Tse were strong at the back and @SamWong1 and @DomChristie were pulling the strings in midfield. The instruction to shoot on sight meant shots were flying in from all over the place and it wasn’t long until @Martin_Tse had a long ranger fly in courtesy of a massive deflection. @Talalb01 added his second of the night with a good shot from range and then @MatthewMargot scored from the edge of the box. The deficit had been reduced and the score was 7-5.

The Wanderers were pushing for more goals but unfortunately got caught on the break a couple of times by Abacus. @oneDavidLewy added one for the Wanderers from long range and with the clock running down @MatthewMargot completed his hat trick following in on a rebound but it was not enough to complete the comeback. Final score 11-7.

In summary it was a very good second half performance. The Wanderers grew as the match went on adapted to the conditions and style of play required, with more time the game could have been levelled. The extra three subs probably helped a little.

Team:

@NickHudgell, @TimCheese, @SamWong1, @oneDavidLewy, @Martin_Tse, @DomChristie, @Talalb01, @DJVectra, @MatthewMargot

Goal Scorers:

@MatthewMargot x3, @Talalb01 x2, @Martin_Tse, @oneDavidLewy

What have I missed since January 9th

While waters rose around the world, what were the good people of NW6 getting up to?

Locals' sporting prowess was put to the challenge in the first match of the season for the new West Hampstead Wanderers. Unfortunately it was a 10-4 defeat.
Fortunately, the league system was completely changed at the end of the week and that result was wiped.
Hampstead cricket club announced its winter indoor nets training.

Rachel's hand-drawn map of West Hampstead (and its tweeters) was a big hit with locals.

The Tricycle Theatre's political play The Great Game will be performed for (but not at) the Pentagon.

In crime news, a local described as "violent and dangerous" was jailed for six years.
While the man charged with the stabbing last week has been remanded in custody following his court hearing.

Cuts news
Read preliminary details of Camden's formal consultations on its cuts.
(the next local area action group meetings are Jan 26 for Swiss Cottage and Feb 7 for the combined West Hampstead & Fortune Green meeting).
Here's an update on the (non-development of) Fortune Green community services.
And some longer-term local planning issues.
Across the border in Brent, you can discuss the cuts at Brent area forums.

Here's a poem by Aoife Mannix about Peel precinct.
And in other literature news, West End Lane Books has free Story Time sessions for kids 3-7 every Thursday at 4pm with the recently retired assistant head of Beckford School


And finally, The Railway announced that all its deliveries will take place after 8am

Tweet of the Week
Some astute observation on the challenges of modern life in West Hampstead by Tim

Tough first outing for West Hampstead Wanderers

Yesterday, the newly formed West Hampstead Wanderers kicked off their season in the Hampstead 7evens League with a game against The Gym United. Player/manager Nick Hudgell reports:

Match day 1. Monday 10th January. KO 7.15.

The Gym United 10-4 West Hampstead Wanderers

 

The first game of a new season, let alone for a new team is always hard. The Wanderers took to a cold and dark Fortune Green Playcentre for their first ever 7-a-side game against the ominously named ‘The Gym United’. Despite a slight delay while the floodlights went off and the Wanderers practiced some 1-touch in the dark to hone their skills, the game started fairly promptly at 7.15pm, a light drizzle making the ball move quickly across the surface.

 

The Wanderers, used to playing on the more spacious Fortune Green park, started slow but, despite some early pressure from TGU, they opened the score sheet. The goal will undoubtedly go before the dubious goals committee, but was claimed at the time by @nwsixdan. The lead was short-lived as the red-clad Wanderers conceded a penalty that was swiftly converted to bring TGU level. 

The Wanderers regrouped and quickly got back into their stride with a goal from @Talalb01 to go 2-1 up, but under sustained pressure from TGU the Wanderers lead couldn't last for long. TGU’s main player (and league organiser) showed some impressive striking ability and a flurry of goals put them quickly into the lead despite some superb efforts from @DJVectra in the Wanderers' goal. Thankfully, before the half was up, a sloppy pass across the goal from TGU’s defence allowed @nickhudgell to steal in and grab a goal - a lifeline on the stroke of half time.

 

A second half “impact substitution” brought on a flu-riddled @thomhoffman, but even operating on just one lung, he gave the Wanderers a bit of pace, some more movement, and put TGU on the back foot. However with only one more Wanderers goal from @nickhudgell, and a couple more from TGU – the final whistle blew with the score 10–4 to The Gym United.

 

If the game had gone on longer, the Wanderers could have come back into it. They learned and adapted as the game went on. The team certainly learned a few lessons, but also took away a lot of positives, with some fantastic individual performances from @samwong1 and in goal from @DJVectra and @Martin_Tse.

 

Thanks to Chris from @TheRailwayNW6 for a meal-deal offer that was taken up by four of the team – a good way to end the day.

 

Team:

@NickHudgell
@TimCheese
@SamWong1
@oneDavidLewy
@Martin_Tse
@DomChristie
@Talalb01
@nwsixdan
@DJVectra
@ThomHoffman

The next match date will be announced very soon.

What have I missed since January 2nd

While everyone was heading back to work, and breaking New Year's resolutions as fast as possible, how did 2011 start in West Hampstead?

The major local news of the week was the stabbing of a 24 year-old woman in broad daylight. A man has been charged.

The local sport of Ken-spotting was made much easier when he protested outside the tube station.

Talking of local luminaries, two West Hampstead residents received New Year's Honours: Gerard Oppeheimer OBE, chair of Camden Society and Bert Kwouk OBE, actor.

Cllr Andrew Marshall discussed pedestrian crossing issues on Greencroft Gardens.

There was a fire above the T-Mobile shop on Kilburn High Road.

Racehorse Kilburn won the 3.10 at Lingfield on Friday at 15/2. @Cyburn was smart enough to have placed a bet.

Talking of races, a West Hampstead teacher broke the consecutive marathons world record.

Two art courses for kids were announced at Kingsgate Community Centre. One on animation and one with clay.

The Daily Telegraph reviewed the Czech Restaurant. Unfavourably.

Mill Lane Vets had a website overhaul.

The Google Street Car was in West Hampstead yesterday. Did no-one get a photo?

For those of you on Twitter, a new hashtag started - #whampflat - for people with rooms in search of rooms/or with rooms to let. 

Photos of the Week
Two photos this week - firstly, these hyperlocal inspired cupcakes made by Lauren and Sarah:

And then this treat, snapped off the TV (is it legal to post this?) by Jess:

Tweet of the Week
For once, the Tweet of the Week also contains actual local news about a new men's hairdressers on West End Lane.

What have I missed in the past two weeks?

Yes, it's catch-up time. While you were all gorging yourselves on mince pies, feeling like death warmed up while forcing yourself to be nice to elderly relatives, and then seeing in the New Year, what was happening in West Hampstead and surrounds?

There was snow of course. Lots of you commented on Camden's response on the blog.
Cllr Andrew Marshall wrote his own thoughtful reaction.

Andrew also commented on the cuts in Camden, and on the alterations to the High Speed trainline route out of Euston, including a detailed map of the proposed route through the area.
Talking of things coming up this year, I collated everyone's local predictions for 2011, and also set a quiz based on 2010's news

Not a lot happened over Christmas, although Kilburn's St Augustine's Church featured on Sacred Music on BBC4 on Christmas Eve. Sadly, the concert doesn't appear to be on iPlayer.

Down in that part of Kilburn, there's been a pop-up art project underway for a few weeks.
Back up the High Road, there's a planning application in to turn the Luminaire and King's Head into flats and a shop.

Remember Conservative PPC Chris Philp? He has a new role in the AV referendum. It also turns out he was the highest spending PPC in England!
The Private Space - the new stylist on Mill Lane - is offering a 25% discount to people from local businesses starting from January.

With the Jubilee Line closed for much of the holidays, it was delays on the Met Line that made the news
And finally, Belsize Road's popular cheap restaurant Little Bay is on Twitter.

Tweets of the Week
As we're covering a fortnight's worth of news, two tweets today. First up, this observation from Bill Glover:
 

And then a New Year's exchange between former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan and Atiq Ghafoor:

What will happen in 2011?

Happy New Year!

So here we are in 2011, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. But what does the next 12 months hold in store? Rather than speculate wildly I thought I'd ask my Twitter followers to speculate wildly instead. And they didn't disappoint.

Here's what some of you think will happen this year. You're a sardonic bunch aren't you (it's why I love you).

Transport
Unsurprisingly, the tubes and trains were popular topics.

@RandomCarlos Jubilee Line will be converted into a moving walkway so we can get into town more quickly
@simontreanor the Jubilee line will often be closed on weekends. It's a long shot, I know
@mermayden the Jubilee line will be closed entirely until the Olympics. So NOT a long shot.
@gitfinger the Jubilee Line will be shut most weekends all year. :-(
@Sparklegirl21 They actually build something at the Thameslink station instead of playing with their diggers
@mermayden They build a tunnel from the Thameslink to the Jubilee line. It takes three weeks with no disruption to the local folk.
@David_Stringer One weekend, just one, the tubes AND overground will both work
@Warmachine450 The new Metropolitan line trains will be fitted with extra seats instead of the current design of less seats more standing

Am disappointed though that no-one predicted Boris Bikes arriving in West Hampstead (or us getting our own hyperlocal bike hire scheme), or a new shuttle bus service that connected Kilburn, West Hampstead and Hampstead Heath. Your ambitions were greater, however:
 
@blueskyflowers Mill Lane gets pedestrianised!
@PrioryTavern Belsize Road actually gets cleaned and the traffic wardens move office...
@fac203: #whampers will finally get an international airport...we do need an international airport...
 
And the most plausible prediction of all:
@aktaraja Roadworks/gasworks/electrical works on WEL

Shops
The imminent arrival of a Sainsbury's Local on West End Lane inspired many of you to foresee a dystopian retail future - and in many cases to rebel against it.

@daveeeeeed Waitrose, Morrisons, Asda open up small branches in the plots between Sainsburys Local & Tesco Metro on WEL
@Daljit_Bhurji Atlanta Food & Wine becomes a Waitrose Local
@RandomCarlos The combined effect of both Tesco and Saunsbury delivery vans will cause National gridlock.
@mermayden I predict that the residents of West Hampstead will go postal on WEL Tesco's arse and it will be forced to close.
@blakeconnolly We'll all go to the new Sainsburys and ignore Tescos (everyone I know has a bad story about that place!)
@thepickyfoodie how about we ignore them all & support local shops instead?
@churchnw6 Locals successfully boycott the evil Tesco & Sainsbury Local and save local shops. WHamp flourishes again.

No-one mentioned the rumour that M&S has been sniffing around the Pizza Express site (long-time readers may remember that Pizza Express categorically denied that they were looking to offload the WEL restaurant when I asked them about it early last year). Mind you, in these straightened times, maybe we should be thinking more downmarket than Marks & Spencer's

@marmitetoast Pound shop WARS in Kilburn when someone undercuts the 98p shop with a 97p shop
@Cyburn maybe a £1 shop will open in west hampstead or maybe a £2 shop which will be more posh.

Of course, 2011 can't be all about supermarkets - what about the rest of the retail sector?

@marmitetoast More estate agents in West Hampstead; more bookmakers in Kilburn
@flyperson The number of local estate-agents will be eclipsed by that of coiffeurs.
[self-promotion alert] @RentalflatsNW6 We shall build on our core business and continue to offer a superb service for our current and new landlords in 2011
@giornalista1 After being shut for about 4 yrs, The Flower Mill on Mill Lane finally reopens - as a fabulous shoe shop
@bobbymann the new 'mens' hair and beauty salon that is due to open next to the station will shut down...
@netinyahoo I see Lately's becoming a super club and taking over the parade of shops it is in!
@ichaloner I predict that Achillea Flowers will provide the flowers for at least 10 celebrity weddings
@leonora1 I will finally open my own craft shop!
@CharlieSnow Foxtons in Willesden Green fixes its window and then it gets broken again, and again and again.
@giornalista1 A shop opens on Willesden High Rd that doesn't do fried chicken or payday loans.

Food & Drink
Despite it being a tough climate for the restaurant industry, you were relatively sanguine about how West Hampstead would fare with its fayre. With one notable exception:

@nickhudgell glo gets let to a mexican burrito joint.
@sblower ShakeTastic will produce a drink mixing peanut butter with fruit, and... roast veg.
@RandomCarlos The Indian takeaway by Oddbins will offer chicken curry & rice as 'special of the day'... every day.
@gitfinger The restaurant formerly known as Le Petit Coin closes and reopens under a new guise. Twice.

Culture (sort of)
Sadly, no-one predicted that anything would take the place of The Luminaire, nor that a bunch of aspiring part-time actors would get together to form a WhamDram group.

@BBetter 30% of the residents will understand that hiphop is a culture and lifestyle, not just a music / dance etc. :o)
@gitfinger someone who has appeared on Dr Who moves to West Hampstead
@cathusmax Blue plaque for former resident Stephen Fry 's house? *it is the sleb centre of London REALLY*
@gitfinger West Hamstead library stays open! YAY!

Out of the blue
Some of you were less beholden to the traditional concerns of locals and came up with some good predictions for life in general

@mermayden Chloe Madeley and Ken Livingstone bond over a Starbucks latte and get it on.
@JessOutGirl A Whamp baby or wedding
[both subsequently confirmed before 2010 was even over]
@chinmj Official pronunciation of Kilburn to be confirmed as \'west-'hamp-'sted\
@trintrax 2011 snow will be just as slippery

The best predictions for 2011
As the WHampstead 7-a-side team gets going, the team is optimistic

@nickhudgell I predict that #whampkick team win the league..
@SamWong1 West Hampstead Wanderers to win the league, then get bought by an arab billionaire.

It will be 10 years since 9/11, and Osama bin Laden is still in hiding....

@DanDrillsma Bin Laden found directing global operations from the back room at Lower Ground Bar...
@Moyasarner ...but no-one would ever know - What happens in Lower Ground Bar... *chorus sings* "Stays in Lower Ground Bar"

But my favourite prediction for 2011 goes to @Lewis_Hill

"I predict that getting punched or groped inside the Brondes Age will be re-named a "Kilburn Cuddle""

So, see you here in 12 months time to see what came true and what... er... didn't.