…and a half, to be precise, but, like the Queen, I have an official Birthday. Only just remembered. No virtual bumps, thanks…

Happy New Year, All!

It’s been so long since I wrote anything that this morning I feel as though I’m taking my first-ever, wobbly baby-steps into the world of bloggery rather than coming up to my official 6th birthday (unofficially I’m six and a half…) so please forgive the tentative nature of this post.

There’s no denying it – I’ve had my eye off the ball. Believe me it was not through choice. But if I don’t get back on the horse now, I never will, and what better day than today, the first ‘proper’ day of 2013.

So today I want to talk generally about hopes and fears for the coming year. As I say, I’ve not been paying close (read ‘any’) attention to local stuff (though I have been reading all my mail and I WILL get to all that on days to come) but I have noticed several stores, cafes and restaurants closing – for me the worst was the loss of Kum Luang, a big favourite of mine, but I also note that Zin has gone (re-opening as something else, I understand) Belle, and I have heard rumour of at least two more shops in the market that I use on a regular basis that will be going in the next couple of weeks.

I was intrigued by a sign in Bullfrogs saying it’s closing ‘for demolition.’ I was initially surprised, given that it’s on the outside of the market, but looking up at the building it looks like 1950s infill – perhaps Greenwich Hospital want to pretty it up as part of the upgrade.

I had a minor panic on Sunday night as I crossed Blackheath around 1.00am and noticed the tea hut completely boarded up, but the next day it seemed to be fully open again so at least phew for that one.

Dedicated Traf Road Co-Op customers will be sad to hear Jackie tells me that Mandy’s resigned – I have no idea what went on there, but she will be sorely missed by anyone she ever served. Buying groceries might be quicker in future but never so much fun.

The sprawling monstrocity that used to be two antique shops and a quirky French restaurant before becoming the bloated Bar du Musee is to be a Jamie’s. Heaven knows what what used to be Soteri (admittedly an awful Italian restaurant, which promised so much and delivered so little) will be, but I’m not putting money on it being anything other than yet another bland chain.

But there must be something good to look forward to?

Certainly the other thing I noticed over the last few weeks is that the bit of Blackheath that had the horses over it has reopened. I’ve only gone past at night so I can’t tell what kind of a job they’ve done of it, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Ditto the park – reopening at a rate of knots –  hopefully the Dwarf Orchard will be fully revealed  this year. I’d also like to see those fancy gates we’ve been promised at the Blackheath end. The ones we have at the moment can best be described as ‘functional’.

The market has its new roof coming in February, if memory serves. I don’t hold out much hope for the Durnsford Street buildings, which never looked lovelier than in the run up to Christmas, and when the shops re-open, I will be curious to see just how many of them will be the same as before (I suspect even fewer of them will still be quirky or independent in any way) but that roof is in desperate need of rejuvenation and if it’s just a simple glass version of what there is now, rather than the ridiculous out-of-town-shopping-mall affair in the original plans it could be rather lovely.

2012 was (Royal) Greenwich’s moment in the sun. 2013 was always going to be the morning after. But on the first day of Greenwich’s (and my own) hangover I would love to hear of stuff to look forward to.

So please – cheer me up. Tell me things that you are looking foward to in the coming year. Anything will do – exciting new shops, events, shows, restaurants – I’ll settle for very little…

Folks, Real Life is getting in the way of posting much just now so for the foreseeable future updating will be quite intermittent. There will be occasional flurries of posts of things I think you need to know – today is one of those days. I shall also updtate Parish News today so if you have events etc. you want to tell me about, now’s the time.

Otherwise, do keep coming back for the Phantom Advent Calendar right up to Christmas Day.

I promise I have some absolute doozies for you when I’m able to post again. Thank you so much to everyone who’s sending me such great stuff – it’s all in my pile of ‘stuff to do’ – I’m looking forward to sharing it.

Joe says:

I enjoy Gerald Dodd’s photos as a fascinating time capsule, but they don’t seem to elicit comments in the same way as some other topics.  Based on the preceding post, may I suggest the following amendment to one of the photos might work:

Someone who works for Alcatel has just told me staff have received a message:

“Please be advised there is an ongoing incident close to the Site and Police have advised us to stay in the buildings until advised further.

We will put out another notice when there is an “all clear”. 

Latest in is just rumours but that it was a drugs bust at a house in either Christchurch Way or Mauritius Road. Also rumours that the police had a sniper on the roof of our factory. Makes sense – the police have been doing several raids round here.

Apparently all is clear now. Thanks Oh, Anonymous One…

Folks – I’m back, after another bout of self-inflicted purdah, blinking into the late-autumn sunshine and wondering what the hell just happened there…

Thank you for all your messages, listings and intriguing suggestions – at some point I’ll catch up with actually listing the listings and, oh, boy, have I got some interesting stuff for you over the next few weeks.

But I need to ease myself back in – I have been almost Greenwich news-free over the last couple of weeks. I know that the evil developers have cut down the lovely mature trees on the old hospital site (and yeah, I also know that they’re ‘going to plant fifty more’ but I’m willing to bet my tricorn they’re going to be those stupid little apologies for trees that don’t grow higher than 20ft and’don’t make a mess’ – we’re never going to see handsome, mature limes like the ones they just massacred).

I know that if you try to walk along that bit of path at the moment and meet a pushchair or wheelchair, you’re in the road. In fact there are bits, where the kerb is dropped, where I can’t see how a wheelchair would actually manage to negotiate that bit of walkway – forcing them to play bus-queue-slalem on the other side. Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad something’s happening there at last – and from the top of the 177 I can see quite a bit’s happening – but the amount of path left outside is rubbish.

I know that Bar du Musee’s going to be a Jamies – a chain, where I’d rather see a (good) indie, but I just can’t mourn what BdM became in the end – a soulless maw where once true eccentricity reigned. If the indies that are there now (and by that I mean most of them in the town centre itself) up their game to somewhere locals would want to eat rather than just attracting tourists they have nothing to fear.

I know INC are selling up all over the shop. I know there’s a petition to get another proper pub in Woolwich (I’m rather hoping it’s not too later for ANTIC to rebuild the Old Friends once the new heart is built – which makes me a bit of a hypocrite but I maintain all chains are not equal…)

Apart from that I know very little. So today, I’m hoping you’ll tell me what’s going /been going on in the last couple of weeks. I need to catch up…

Sorry guys – Real Life has taken over again. I won’t be able to post for a good two weeks. I may not be answering email either. Sorry.

We haven’t had one of these for ages and since it’s the bank holiday this weekend and Phantomising will be minimal,  let’s have a bit of fun.

You know the drill.

As many Greenwich things…

….beginning with the letter H…

…that we can come up with together.

Happy Holiday, folks…

Guys – I guess it’s rather clear I haven’t posted for a while – or, indeed, replied to any of the, ahem, dozens of emails that lie gathering virtual dust in my inbox.

Apologies for that – I recognise it’s annoying and yes, there are some really interesting/shocking/important things going on just now, not to mention some exciting new books, shows and events but I’m not currently able to devote any time at all to spectral matters. Sometimes life just gets in the way.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. I hope you can stay with me.

Meet Pip, a British Blue cat who lives in Greenwich South Street. Her human, Maureen, hasn’t seen her since the 22nd May and is getting very worried about her. It’s possible she’s gone up to London to see the Queen, but more likely that she’s found her way into a garden shed whose door’s been left open in this heat and got stuck in there. If you live around West Greenwich, would you take a peek in your garage, shed, lock-up etc and see if there’s a rather sheepish (probably hungry) moggy trapped inside?

I know, this should really be going in the Parish News, but I have a bit of a thing for pussycats and hey – my blog, my rules.

If you do find Pip, do drop me a line; I’ll be only too delighted to pass you on to Maureen who will love you forever.

One thing to note – just to confuse things there is another British Blue who lives on South Street, somewhere around the almshouses.