TV recomendation

[WHL]

Watched the first episode of Ridley Rd, based loosely on the 1960s British Nazi party and Jewish resistance groups, as a kid growing up in 60s London, the real footage of 60s London brought back many memories, although based on real events, its a thriller so has artistic license,

[Dominic]

I had student digs just off Gloucester Road. The houses around there were often used for filming period dramas. You could tell when it happened because the external hedges would all be wrapped in fake foliage, to make them look bushier and greener. I remember the walk to the Universtity campus, because it went past lots of Embassies as well. We were banned from having waterpistol fights in the area because it would alert too many police forces.

[WHL]

I had student digs just off Gloucester Road. The houses around there were often used for filming period dramas. You could tell when it happened because the external hedges would all be wrapped in fake foliage, to make them look bushier and greener. I remember the walk to the Universtity campus, because it went past lots of Embassies as well. We were banned from having waterpistol fights in the area because it would alert too many police forces.

Living in Kensington, how the other half live, your name wasn't on that Pandora's list, leaked the other day, was it?

[Dominic]

Believe me it wasn't a palace. It was a house that had been turned into bedsits. Sure, it was one of the old Victorian houses, but I shared a toilet and a tiny shower with about 6 other people. The shower was shit, too. In summer it was ok, but in winter the water wouldn't warm up so you would either have a cold shower or get a tiny drip of hot water. My bedroom had a gas cooker in it, and a small fridge.

There are actually quite a lot of houses like that in the area. Or at least there were in the late 80s. Otherwise the students at Imperial would have had a bit of a trek in. During my second year I lived in a house share in Fulham. I cycled to college then. In my final year I needed to be closer to the library though.

In terms of cost, it was £60 per week. Compare that to my first year digs in a Hall of Residence, that was only £17 a week! And that was in Knightsbridge! Mind you, that was a triple room I had two share with two people from the Far East. They left after a few days to find digs with their own race, or something. Anyway, soon afterwards two Malaysians turned up (Freddy and Asri) and we got on like a house on fire. They were both Muslim, and we each chipped in £5 a week for food. They did all the cooking and it was like eating at a takeaway every night. It was great during Ramadam as they would cook their meals late at night, so I could roll in from the college bar and have a hot curry waiting for me.

Good times!

[WHL]

Believe me it wasn't a palace. It was a house that had been turned into bedsits. Sure, it was one of the old Victorian houses, but I shared a toilet and a tiny shower with about 6 other people. The shower was shit, too. In summer it was ok, but in winter the water wouldn't warm up so you would either have a cold shower or get a tiny drip of hot water. My bedroom had a gas cooker in it, and a small fridge.

There are actually quite a lot of houses like that in the area. Or at least there were in the late 80s. Otherwise the students at Imperial would have had a bit of a trek in. During my second year I lived in a house share in Fulham. I cycled to college then. In my final year I needed to be closer to the library though.

In terms of cost, it was £60 per week. Compare that to my first year digs in a Hall of Residence, that was only £17 a week! And that was in Knightsbridge! Mind you, that was a triple room I had two share with two people from the Far East. They left after a few days to find digs with their own race, or something. Anyway, soon afterwards two Malaysians turned up (Freddy and Asri) and we got on like a house on fire. They were both Muslim, and we each chipped in £5 a week for food. They did all the cooking and it was like eating at a takeaway every night. It was great during Ramadam as they would cook their meals late at night, so I could roll in from the college bar and have a hot curry waiting for me.

Good times!

Great memories, I didn't go to Uni, I hardly went to school come to that, but my kids did, I remember visiting my daughter once in her digs at UCL, and she shared a fridge with a girl from Angola, and a lad from Yorkshire, the girls fridge space had all manner of healthy and exotic food, the boys space had rows of Baked beans and tins of beer, he even ate the beans cold from the fridge, happy days.

[Dominic]

In my first year we had a communal fridge. I remember once going for my milk. I took a swig out of it, only it wasn't my milk. It was somebody else's that had been there for a week or two. It was all lumpy and horrible. My roommates had visitors, and the first they saw of me was when I dashed past them all to cough up the mouthful of rancid milk into the sink.

It was utterly foul. Ever since then I have always, always sniffed a carton of milk first, and shaken it to check for lumps.