Albeit a little blunt, but the outcome is OK I guess.
See below..
<parking@bromley.gov.uk>
4:19 PM (20 minutes ago)
This Penalty Charge Notice was cancelled on February 11th 2014 and I give below a copy of our waive letter, correctly addressed.
Our Ref: BY04003116
Michael Snasdell
Forest Hill
London
11/02/2014
Dear Sir
Penalty Charge Notice: BY04003116
Date Issued: 16/11/2013
Place Issued: ELMFIELD ROAD, BROMLEY
Vehicle Registration: T103DBM
Served under the Traffic Management Act 2004
Thank you for writing to us.
We have reviewed the Penalty Charge Notice as part of our standard procedures and whilst the penalty was correctly issued, we have withdrawn it owing to an administration error.
Yours sincerely
Parking Support Officer
Bromley clearly have no intention of addressing their CPZ signage, and wanted to be a short on the matter as possible. I am left wondering what exactly the 'administration error' which caused the cancellation of the ticket was. They had 4 months left to respond to the matter and reject it, the information is STILL online to see now, so the pictures are still there, the ticket is still avaiable also with information on it.
Is this Bromley's way of saying 'we agree' without actually admitting wrong doing? I will be interested to see if any signage around the area has changed, or indeed changes. But with the run up to Christmas soon upon us, im sure they will make up for this ticket tenfold! So if you DO get a ticket and think it is unfair, don't be afraid to appeal, its your right!
Also very strange how the follow up ticket reminder, first appeal decision, and notice to keeper all arrived fine, yet this 'correctly addressed' letter has never been seen. Nor have any emails I have sent prior to this one ever been answered.
All in all Bromley, you have very poor standards when it comes to dealing with members of the public, who you have initiated contact with, regardless of its form. Its very sad that such a seemingly prestigeous local authority, deal with matters where people dare to question you in such a short, rude, and obnoxious manner.
I would reply to the email asking what the error was, but im sure I would be told it was a private matter and cannot be divulged.
Thanks anyway for finally getting back to me and cancelling the ticket, we both know it was the right thing to do.
Nearly a year on, I thought I would take one more crack at getting a response from Bromley about their parking ticket and CPZ..
This has been sent to their main complaints department.
Dear Sir/ Madam,
In November of 2013 I received a PCN from one of your wardens (ref above) which I chose to challenge on the grounds of poor signage in reference to the CPZ the offence was said to have taken place in. I received a formal response regarding my appeal, which rejected it, and gave me my options. On receiving my notice to keeper I decided to again appeal on the same grounds. Since this time I have not heard a word from Bromley on the matter.
My assumption, based on this being a year ago almost now, is that the ticket has been cancelled, and the appeal was successful. Some digging on the internet offered me this advice. After an appeal against Notice to Owner relating to PCN issued by civil enforcement officer - the council must serve you with a response either accepting or rejecting your appeal (Notice of Rejection) no later than 56 days commencing with the date they received your appeal. If they do not the PCN must be cancelled.
While I feel I know the outcome of this matter, some official confirmation of this would be appreciated.
Requested action...
I would be most grateful for a written confirmation of the outcome of the appeal I sent to Bromley. Stating that the appeal was received, considered and what the official outcome is.
Further to this, if the appeal has in fact been accepted, I would be curious to know what Bromley are doing regarding the signage for the said CPZ, which I sent detailed concerns about.
I don't know what the cause is, maybe its the new meds, Allopurinol for the gout, maybe its just poor health, I am really not sure right now, but what I do know is, I feel like crap right now.
The past couple of weeks I have had a lot of numbness in my right arm, and aches, as well as pins and needles in my hand. The ache has now reached the stage where even typing causes discomfort in the knuckle joint.Trying to grip the hand rail on the train on the way into work today, I noticed that the ache got worse within seconds, and my grip was quite poor. Last week while driving, I missed a turn I have been taking for 20 years now, my driveway! I was just slow turning, which could be to do with the grip.
I'm not going to write too much, as its quite uncomfortable now, but I will list the issues I am currently having. Thankfully I am seeing my GP tomorrow evening, and my physio on Mon, just in case the sensations are to do with the tightness I have in my back and shoulders.
So here goes, oldest symptoms first.
Numbness in right hand and arm (persistent and regular) Sensation of tightness at top of arm, like pressure on artery Pins and needles in hand Crush sensation in index finger Raising the arm, leaning on arm or using it to carry something causes symptoms to return. Ache, tenderness in middle knuckle of middle finger Lots of tension and tightness in right neck, shoulder, back.
More recently.... Blurry headed Slight occasional confusion, forgetting what I was saying, not thinking straight to write or speak Coordination hit and miss when doing things like typing.
So that's me, that is how my day is at the moment. Seriously hoping that its something simple like a trapped nerve causing my arm issues. But the latter issues are really starting to bug me now. Part of it is probably stress from worrying about my arm, and not wanting more CTS surgery.
Either way, my brain is fried right now, so I'm keeping it short and sweet and signing off. Thanks for reading.
...ok maybe quite a lot, but hey I deserve it I'm sure.
About 3 weeks ago my foot became very sensitive, with what seemed an irritated bunion. For the first week I did the true Brit thing, gritted my teeth, moaned a bit, and got on with day to day life the best I could.
By the end of that first week, the final trip home on the Friday night had me near to tears. Taking tiny steps I hobbled through the park to the station and got on the train to go home. Once home my trainers came off the second I walked in the door... and they have sat there ever since.
Some days walking is agony, others days it's just very painful! Since that Friday the only footware to come near my foot has been flip flops (Nike of course lol) It took a week to even get those on, and that was just for a trip to the doctors.
With the foot heavily swollen for the first trip to the doctors, it was obvious that I had gout in the joint, so I was prescribed tablets to deal with this. Instead of my usual Diclofenac I was given Indometacin which is similar in its treatment of gout. With some quite strong side effects, for the first week I mixed the Indo with Paracetamol to keep the pain down. Strangely, unlike usual flare ups of gout the pills seemed to have very little effect at all. The swelling went down a bit, but the pain remained.
By that weekend I decided I was going to have to see the doctor again, so the following Tuesday I went to see the doctor again. With no swelling left, but heat and tenderness in the joint I was told it's still gout, and told to keep taking the tablets. This time to counter the side effects I was given Omeprazol to calm my stomach a little. If they have worked or not is a matter of opinion.
So here I am gone is the end of the second week on medication and here is the third, and I have to say..... No different really. Occasionally I will get an afternoon or evening of little discomfort, get my hopes up, the POW it's back like a mofo! So this morning I booked an appointment to see the doctor again, and this time will ask for Diclofenac if they wish to continue treating me for gout.
This is effectively the 4th week of a single flare up, 6th if you count the occurrence shortly before. For me this is unheard of. At worst I have had 10 days worth at this level before.
So now I am left in a predicament. This is the start of my 3rd week off work, and I honestly am sick of it. Sitting around all day every day, from bed to settee and back again as a daily routine, it's driving me frickin mad here. So I have ordered some crutches off the Internet, and unless explicitly instructed by my GP to stay resting, I will return to work on Wednesday.
The biggest issue for me is footwear. I physically cannot get any form of closed footwear on. A flip flop right now is pushing my luck due to the swelling. Trying to put a very soft Nike trainer on yesterday left me punching the bed in pain. The slightest amount of pressure on the side of the joint of the big toe reduces me to a sobbing mess (almost). Walking out and about in flip flops is unnerving, especially the thought of being on a busy train with my toes exposed. Yes I know people do it daily, but more fool them I say!
It's not impossible, and people with far greater mobility issues manage on crutches daily, so I'm not saying I can't do it. But my biggest issue all along has been having the leg vertical. Be it sitting or standing, a prolonged period with the leg not elevated starts to hurt like hell. Including the commute to work, and the 6 hours at work, that will be about 8 hours a day of NON elevated leg. Hopefully the Diclofenac can ease the issues this will cause.
So fingers crossed tomorrow the GP will give me the pills I'm more familiar with, they will start to work, the crutches will turn up on time, and by Wed I will be back at work 🙂
Speaking of delivery of the crutches... they are being delivered by Yodel... God help me! I have instructed them to be left should I be out at the doctors, but im confident that some issue of sorts will arise to mess my plan up. I just don't want to have to hobble the 3/4 of a mile thru the park each way, as that's what starts to cause a bad day. The thought of hobbling all that way, then not being able to elevate my foot is making my foot ache!
Right, thats all that off my chest.
Oh re the pic at the beginning. On any given normal day, the veins in the foot are visible to the front, running into the toes and around the big toe... you can see from the pic where the swelling currently starts as the veins disappear.
So here goes, I have a problem, I know I do and I am so damn desperate to get out of it it's unreal.. but right now I honestly can't.
Depression comes in many forms, and manifests itself in many ways. One of the most common if for the person to lose interest in their own welfare, stop caring for themselves, and go on a downward spiral of self destruction. And right now, that's where I find myself.
Over recent months, probably stemming back to late Jan early Feb when life all got a little crazy for me, my eating habits have quite simply gone to shit. I have gone from a health crazy, pretty fit 39yr old, to a sack of crap, junk food eating, exercise dodging cuddly guy, and that's putting it nicely.
Each week I promise myself that THIS is the week I get back on the wagon, this is the week I start caring, but it doesn't change. I buy crap food, chocolate, biscuits, snacks of all kinds. Probably spending 3-4 times a day more than the sensible options would cost. By the end of the day, feeling sick from all the crap I have eating, I kinda hate myself for doing this to myself, and go to bed bloated and feeling almost physically sick.
But the next day I do it all over again.
I have proven to myself and others time and time again that I have willpower, determination and great mental strength, but right now the whole lot has simply abandoned me.
I'm not sure if it's a coping mechanism, just blocking out all the stresses and bad things in life right now, a co-conspirator with depression, or just a phase I'm going through. After all let's face facts, I do yo-yo when it comes to weight.
Whatever the case, I'm sick of it, I don't want to be this person anymore. I want my fitness back. I love that feeling of tight muscles, aches from training, definition slowly creeping through, and all around feeling good about myself.
BUT, yes, another but... I can't bring myself to fail again. I don't want to try and fail within weeks. I'm lacking motivation right now, even though health and longevity of life should be more than enough for me.
I need to draw a line in the sand, set a plan, find some internal or external drive. Right now, I need a life preserver, quite literally. To stop this spiral, to stop me heading for the gutter, and to get me back on my feet again.
I'm trying here, getting it out there. Recognition and admission of issues are usually the first step to salvation, so let's hope this blog entry is just that step.
Having had days to dwell on how im feeling right now, I have finally stumbled across this explanation which I might add is an old one. Have you ever stood in a crowded room, surrounded by people you know, yet still felt alone? If so, then welcome inside my head right now.
Its a strange sensation, feeling like if you screamed for an hour, no one would hear it or even know you are there. While you hold conversation with the people around you all day long, and spend the whole time talking, at the same time you feel like there are conversations within you that cannot be had, exchanges of words needed, but no one to share them with. Its like being trapped inside your own head, with no one else to talk to.
By not being able to mentally reach out, all the conversations you are having in there just bounce around aimlessly. As we all know every good conversation leads to other conversations. So now put that inside a trapped mind. Imagine a marble rolling around in a box, each time a new conversation arises, another marble is added. And so it carried on, until instead of having that annoying nagging thought, or marble rolling about, it is dozens of them, crashing around inside your mind, making so much noise that day to day happenings seem impossible to deal with.
Its strange, hard to explain, how I can carry on functioning with doing things like writing this blog in a way which seems to make sense, but at the same time, other things, simple things from my day to day life just seem impossible to cope with or carry out. This morning I found every excuse possible not to walk the dogs, to avoid interaction with people, as it would just irritate me. Yet an hour later I was fine to get on a train to come to work and sit in a noisy office. And maybe thats just it...
Maybe the noise around the office, the strangers on the train etc all add up to be a distraction from ME! Not needing to engage in personal conversations, not having time to think about my life and myself, is just what I need right now, So for that I am very grateful.
But at the same time I am still left with the marbles. Ultimately they all need a way out of my head, all need dealing with, however at this time there is no logical way to get them out. Offers from friends to chat are gratefully accepted, but I feel like a burden to sit there saying 'me me me' all day long. It reminds me too much of people I already loath for doing just that. So I am still left with the quandary of how to get these thoughts out. The big issue is the sensation of loneliness even WITH company. Dog walks in the evening have recently fallen silent with me just keeping my thoughts to myself, not wanting to touch on certain situations and conversations which have already been had a thousand times. But the problem is, half of the marbles in my mind are about these matters. Matters I cant control or change, but are driving me insane and eating away at my actual soul on a daily basis.
I guess time will take care of most of these things, then when the root is killed off, the weeds will die, or at least I hope so. If not I might just go completely crazy.
So for now, as I close this blog, its like a snail going back inside its shell. I just came outside into the wilderness to share these thoughts, and maybe even try and feel a little better by putting them out there. But now its time to go back inside, and back to the darkness of my mind, and the noise of the marbles crashing about inside my mind.
Once again my demons of depression rear their ugly heads, and the pit of despair opens wide to try and swallow me up. Small things becoming the teeth of the demons, ready to consume me in a single vicious bite. An all too familiar feeling for me, and as usual there is no true reason for them to have broken free of their shackles.
My part here is to know what is happening, fight back, and refuse to allow them to catch me this time. Knowing all the warning signs of these bouts is key for me to fight back like this, and getting a grip on it early is important if I stand a chance of escaping without a mark on me.
Lack of energy, happy to sleep forever, no drive, and a touch of self loathing from time to time. Not to mention being emotionally delicate, and living on a short fuse. All the signs that things are going badly wrong in my head at this moment.
Why you ask? I have NO idea at all. Yes I have some stress in my life at the moment, but nothing worthy of feeling like shit. But I have a plan.
Not ignore it, not run away and hide, but to fight with every conscious thought I have each day. Refusal to let these little things weigh me down with doubt, anger and sorrow. Instead, turning negatives to positives, making the most of any situation thrown at me, and working towards the brightness of sunshine and happiness that awaits me on the other side.
As Waiting all Night (Rudimental) suddenly cues and plays into my ears, I picture the video and remember that the key to overcoming adversity and barriers in life is a two step progress. Positive mental attitude, and surrounding yourself with great people. Well I have the people, and I have the self belief, so it's just a matter of mixing them properly now to make it work out for me.
Typing furiously here, trying to get all these thoughts out of my mind and onto the WWW is a battle in itself, but something I need to do from time, now more than ever.
My name is Michael Snasdell, and from time to time I struggle with depression. I'm not ashamed, embarrassed or afraid to admit it, and nor should anyone be.
Thank you for reading. That in itself helps, believe me, being heard, seen and recognised is part of the process here.
As I board the train for one last trip to work this week, a smile radiates from within, with the knowledge that after the next six hours I will be free to be me again. And I can't wait!
Drifting off into my own little world on my BlackBerry while travelling to work, with the sounds of Chris Brown in my ears, I'm ready for whatever the day has in store for me. I know it's not going to be a pretty one, and the weekend is going to seem a long way off in half an hours time, but the goal is worth it.
Tomorrow afternoon I start another tattoo project which I have named the 'Welshanese Dragowl' The name explains it's roots and meanings really. A Japanese themed piece with undertones of Welsh. Featuring a Japanese Dragon in the pose of the Welsh dragon, and an owl in the background.
I am hoping that having these first three hours of the piece will help me work towards the closure on the matter that I really need right now. Dragging on forever is the only way I can describe what's happening right now. And like all other big things in my life, marking it with ink is a must, and always helps me remember why it's important to me. The bleeding during the inking is almost the bad of the situation bleeding out of me and freeing me of its poisons. Thats my thought on it anyway.
So tomorrow at 2pm it all begins, as ever with the wonderful Michelle Collenette of Innocent Needle Tattoo's in Croydon.
So that's me, as we approach my station, it's time to face the work that stands between me and my freedom. As usual, expect pics and text to follow with updates on the ink.
So, it's been a long journey that's for sure, over the past 6 months I have gone from visiting my aunt for her final Xmas with, spending time with her as she declined and moved into the home for a very short stay, and then finally spent time in Wales again to tie up the formalities and deal with all her affairs, with the assistance of Chris, for which I am eternally grateful.
Following the funeral in March, and the following visit to clear the house, the only remaining thing to come is the boat trip to Puffin Island to scatter the ashes of my mum and Aunt Joan.
I have to admit, for a multitude of reasons, this is probably the biggest dread of mine to date. So much going on, so many emotions on tap, and a few unknown quantities, which is something that always un-nerves me. So going it alone it really gonna suck.
The plan is to spend the weekend in Wales, and to spend the respectful amount of time in the right places, and spend the rest of the time unwinding, reflecting and relaxing. With the date set towards the end of July, the weather should be quite forgiving, so the chance to spend some time in the wilderness will be nice.
Alone or with company, I'm sure I will cope, but one thing for sure is making the most of the time there, as this will be the last time I really visit Wales for something family related. There will be the sorting of the headstones etc, but this is the last specific family duty that will be carried out in Wales, period.
Right now I am just reflecting on the trip, thinking about what to expect, and filling up with a little dread and a hint of depression and stress about it all. All of which I'm sure will pass soon.
Lots of thinking to do right now, but that probably explains the poor nights sleep, and the hours spent listening to music til the early hours.
This was my greeting this morning from two guys outside the illusive 6 Church Rise this morning. A little startled I cautiously confessed I do indeed blog, and blog about this site. Strange opening over with, and the introductions made, it became apparent I had finally met the developer of the site. So perfectly timed too, with the project coming to an end. So with that in mind, I thought it was time to do another little blog about the place.
First up, lets look back a bit, 2007 and Earlsfield Estates started what would turn out to be a doomed project. Having not lived next door to a site of such size before I didnt know what to expect, but as the weeks passed one this was apparent, it wasnt going very well. Late 2007 the scales tipped and the house begun to collapse, and that is where the real journey started. By the end of 2007 the house was surrounded by structural scaffolding, pumped full of concrete and looking very sorry for itself. Here are a couple of pictures of its journey to becoming a clear site again.
Excuse the photoshopped arrow, but this is the day it all started to happen. I have an archive full of these pictures somewhere, but speaking to the developers today inspired me to dig a couple out. This was a very sad and scary day for those of us living near by.
The following year, once all the concrete was set and all the safety checks had been made, it was time for 100 years of history to be wiped from the street forever. Here it is a little way in.
Needless to say, a LOT has changed since these pictures were taken, and a lot has happened in between 2007 and now in 2013.
I will keep this brief, and try and avoid sounding too biased, but I have to say. Apart from a few scares and moments of confusion about what was going on, it has been a pleasure seeing the resurection of 6 Church Rise. With all the worries about how the hell the tonnes of concrete would be removed, to how the finished product would look, I have to say as the final few days of work are done on the place, its looking amazing. Never did I imagine that the replacement for a beautiful Victorian house would fit in so well, while being so well executed.
How it looks now is great, and with the invite to have a nose around inside being issued, I cant resist but seeing how things are looking inside too. The view of the street from my house restored after many years, its almost like the end of a prison sentence, and one I should impress was NOT imposed by the current developers, but more by the greedy and poor attitudes of Earlsfield Estates.
So a few pics of the new place will wrap this brief blog up nicely. To anyone viewing this due to researching with the view to buy. I have seen this place built from ground up and not a single corner has been cut, and I am really not as nosey to live next door to as it might seem, I have just been immersed in the whole building process... Honest 🙂
