Yog Sothoth

Just need to get rid of the last bookies and the pawnbroker, and do something about the vile little scrotes who seem to have occupied the subway and steps leading down from it - pretty intimidating bunch and I bet they aren't shy of violence. An aggressive "Y' lookin' at, fam?" if you catch their eye, as if you've insulted them in some way just by looking. Be interesting to see what's in their pockets. Then there's the corned-beef faced alcoholics outside the Shop and Save on Arundel Gate. Less of a threat than the teen scrotes perhaps but equally unpleasant, and far smellier.

Seen a few deer in the woods at Norton Lees and on Newfield School fields.

I went to Greggs on Angel Street for a vegan sausage roll. They were clearly labelled: £1 to take out, £1.20 to eat in.

I’m quite happy at 50, ta.

According to The Chip Diaries, Codrophenia has closed, which is a shame, as it was a good chippy. http://thechipdiaries.blogspot.com/

I feel far safer here than in Leeds. And I’m from Leeds! The only time I ever feel a threat is the West St/Dev St area on a Friday or Saturday night, or down near Tank or Howard St. - all the drunk Lads and Blokes ready to get aggressive with anyone they don’t like. Most of Leeds is like that but in Sheffield it’s very localised and easy to avoid. Doesn’t stop me going into town though.

He reminded me very much of Contador when he attacked. Chapeau to him.

It's hard to say who the owners re. I own one which I use as an orchard for cider making, but I rent the one next door. It belongs to a woman who lives in Oxfordshire who inherited it from her husband. It had belonged to his father many years ago. I pay her £35 a year for its use but there's no water supply. However, I have a well on my own plot so I get water from there. Several users have just occupied overgrown plots and used them. Those plots are owned by someone, somewhere, but unless the owner turns up and chucks them off, there's nothing to stop them. Some of the overgrown plots do have local owners however, so be unwise to occupy them. When I say 'overgrown' I am talking forest, in some cases. My rented plot was covered in 12 year-old ash trees up to 10" in diameter! Not to mention brambles as thick as broom handles, nettles, bindweed etc.

I live at Norton Lees. Along a lot of the roads here, the old orange sodium street lamps used to be supported on the rather decorative 19th century cast iron gas lamp standards, complete with T-bar for the lamplighter’s ladder. When Andy replaced them all with the new LED street lamps on their plastic poles, all the venerable old standards were taken out, except for the sewer gas lamps. Anyone know what happened to them? I’d imagine their resale value would be considerable.

Watching it at Church in Rutland Road. Interesting beers and the best vegan food in Sheffield!

Yes they are all vegan. ---------- Post added 11-07-2018 at 08:02 ---------- The MNB team now do the food at Church. Lovely stuff.

I ride over there daily but I wait for the change or if it's busy, use the cycle path. If you go through on red you have to stop at the Matilda St lights anyway; the St Mary's lights are timed so if you wait for green there, then ride at a moderate speed on to the Matilda St junction, those lightschangetogreen just as you arrive at the head of the traffic, so you can carry on without stopping. Seems some of my fellow riders haven't worked that out. Riders in both directions have independent cycle traffic lights to indicate when it's safe tocross St Mary's. I think some people take that as meaning carry on through, as long as there's nobody on the crossing. I'm not sure if that's right or not. However you interpret it, you should always stop for pedestrians.

It was lovely cycling to work this morning with no traffic on the roads.

I was disappointed they missed the opportunity to install colour-changing LEDs. Imagine.

'Please: 'metre'. Other than that, I like the cut of your jib.

Glad the 19 is coming back. However, I do hope that the 18/19 will have more pre-9 a.m. services than the current 0749 number 18, which is the only option for commuters. Add to that the ludicrous 1640 and 1740 on the reverse route, which are no use to the majority of people who finish at 5.00: I do hope First see sense and put some sensible timings on the service. A late service to Woodseats might be helpful too. The last number 20 is now at 2315 from Moorfoot, and there used to be various services running to Woodseats after that time, which were lifesavers for me living at Norton Lees, just up the hill. It's like First don't want to cater for people out to see bands or regular pub goers. You'd think it was all about money.

The only real noise you may get, and all night at that, is the deep boom of the big hammer at Forgemasters. Personally, I find it beautiful.

Try here https://www.shu.ac.uk/study-here/accommodation/find-somewhere-to-live/properties/charlotte-court Charlotte is nice, perhaps a little basic compared to some of the modern private sector blocks in town but it's cheap, all bills included, with a cleaner too, and is in a secure compound. Someone mentioned fines and yes, there are some, but you have to be pretty badly behaved for that - setting fire extinguishers off, breaking furniture, setting fire to your room, and the rules are clearly set out in the tenancy agreement. SHU Accommodation Services are also very straightforward to deal with, unlike many private landlords!

Meersbrook Garage are where I went last. Good job and not badly priced.

I ride about 3.5 miles each way. The only problem I've ever had apart from the usual were getting smacked in the face by the toe-rags and low-lives that hang around in the subway under the railway near the Sheaf View and Skeleton Bridge. I don't ride that way any more.

Funny how the pigeon haters love the peregrines. The peregrines which feed largely on said pigeons and thus share the same diseases, if any. I think you'll find your own dog or cat carries far more diseases transmissible to humans, than do any bird species.

I quite like pigeons me. I don't mind rats either, as long as they don't come in the house. People, on the other hand...

I sometimes have a beer in my lunch hour. It's my free time so I don't see a problem.

I do hope the Council take note of the comments on this thread. I personally don't think convenience or otherwise for drivers should be anywhere on the agenda. Pedestrianisation is key yo making this area attractive as a recreational space. However, as someone pointed out, making it more easily accessible is also key: the central railings on Arundel Gate and Commercial Street are a physical and psychological barrier which keeps people away. Removing these or making more simple crossing points would be a benefit for people wanting to access the square from those directions. Similarly, I applaud the removal of the grotty shops and archway steps at the top of Esperanto Place. They provide little more than outdoor toilets and shelter for the sometimes rather threatening dodgy characters who lurk there and deal in weed and other things. I've been threatened there just for glancing at someone. They may not all be like that but the people who occupy the square and the top of Esperanto Place are the main things keeping the public away. The crossing from Norfolk street is as confusing as it is dangerous. making it a pedestrian/cycle crossing with shorter cycles and response times would be great, and leading to a gently sloping, pedestrianised Esperanto Place (or rename it Norfolk Street, which it is), it would be great, giving views down to the square. The other thing that's needed is revocation of licences for the bookies,, abusement arcades and pawn shops. The Antics model shop was the only decent place on the square, and now that's gone. The square (and Haymarket) has some lovely buildings. Some sheds too, but they could go. At the bottom of the stairs in the corner is a lovely little cobbled street, Bakers Hill, which could be a useful space for a market or other street activity. Repurposing the buildings alongside this could encourage people down there, with then a potential to open up that part of Pond Street where it dips under Commercial Street - why not pedestrianise that? Open up the old Barrowboys pub as well, a pub, bar or cafe, whatever, but life could be brought back to that area, is my point. Yeah it'd take money, but look at Manchester's Northern Quarter, or Camden Lock, as examples of how forgotten and run-down quarters can be revitalised without handing them over to big developers and major brand retailers. Are you reading this, Sheffield City Council?! Leave the trees alone and put your energies into this instead. Win some brownie points with the people you represent!

I can recommend the Market Chippy and also Woodseats Fisheries. I've been to both recently and both were superb. Along with Brenda's, they could hold their own in Leeds, chippy capital of Yorkshire. I believe they are all owned by members of the same extended family mind you, so it must be a genetic thing.