PENNIE SPENDS A POUND

Just a short msg tonight,. I was a bit short of cash earlier because I missed the Big Issue office where my money is kept. So me and the dog went to Balham with 3 of last weeks mag. It took a while but I finally sold 2 (I told everyone they were last weeks,and would have the new copy tomorrow - tue). I headed to sainsburys with the £4 I had made to get a much needed bag of sugar and thought well I will give Pennie a pound to spend on a treat.So at the reduced section which I visit nearly every night I spotted some steaks reduced from £5 someting to 99p .Well as you can imagine Pennie just loved them and is now dreaming about what she will get tomorrrow with her £1.I didnt even have to open 1 of her cans of Pedigree Chum for her - I might eat it myself during the night if I feel like a snack .

WEEK IN BED .

I have been laid up since last friday with a chest infection , which makes breathing hard work . I feel a little better today so I may go out to sell some BIG ISSUES . I see the doc again on monday, and Im hoping to get my  life back on track then - this week Ive missed appointments and failed to do things I should have .So wish me luck - thanks.

BREATH BEFORE DISHONOUR

COPD - a group of lung diseases that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema most often caused by cigarette smoking.Also included is chronic asthma , which is hypersensitivity of the air passages .These three conditions have one thing in common - they limit the flow of air into and out of your lungs .

THE KEY TO CONTROLLING MY DISEASE - is to try and gain a better understanding of it.I must make changes in my lifestyle , this will be hard for me ,but will allow me to lead a more active life .

THE HARDEST AND MOST IMPORTANT THING I MUST DO IS TO STOP SMOKING

Ive tried all manner of things without any luck to help myself  stop smoking  . At the moment Im using a NICORETTE INHALATOR without any progress.What I really need is more WILLPOWER.

THE JOY OF COPD

COPDCOPDCOPDCOPDCOPDCOPD

CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE :

     CHRONIC = the fact that COPD is a long term condition.

     OBSTRUCTIVE = my airways are partially blocked ,I find it hard to breathe .

     PULMONARY = condition related to lungs + connected airways .

     DISEASE = illness .

  HOW DO I FEEL ?  *out of breath  *exess phlegm  *coughing  *tightness in the chest  *constantly tired  *depressed  *weak  *helpless - but in general I feel j...ju....just WONDERFUL of course .
 .

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     Ive been in bed since friday, too weak to go out selling BIG ISSUES until last night (tue) ,I managed to get to Balham and sell a couple of mags. Its wedensday night  9.20 and Im about to go and take Pennie to Balham to try and sell some magazines. I missed my hospital appointment on Monday morning. I have an appointment with my doc next mon afternoon ,whilst there I will make an appointment for a breathing test and see if I can get back into PYSIO . I stopped going a few months ago because watching people wheeling oxygen tanks about and thinking this could soon be me was doing my head in .Well got to go life is not all play and no work as you all know .

NEIGHBOURS ARE JUST not GOOD FRIENDS

You might have noticed that I whine about my neighbours now and again , but being too soft I tend to feel sorry for them sometimes . I shouldnt really because Im just as poor as them and I dont spend my money on drink,gambling and illegal substances . As a rule I avoid neighbours like the plague as I enjoy my privacy and some peace and quiet .I have to talk to them though to make sure they keep the gate locked,with Pennie being nearly blind and I suspect a bit senile she has started to wander towards Norewood High st . Maybe she thinks Ive gone there , because she goes to my old pitch or some of the charity shops or did do the one time she escaped. I also have a friend who lives up the hill she ran to his place started barking when he come out and she sussed I was not there she ran back home.Meanwhile I had woke all the neighbours up (it was 2am) and sent them off in different directions to look for the dog,. All this took place in a five minute time frame so I think it was a fast response time, but as it turned out I did not need them . Which just goes to show they really are good for ***k ALL.

Prepaid card for Pennies Stroller.

You could not begin to imagine, the effect of not having a bank account is having on my life at the moment . I would like to sell things online to suplament my income ,but its difficult for me to recieve payments, unless I ask people to pay with Postal Orders (uncrossed) and I cant blame people for being wary about sending POs to complete strangers.Ive spent most of my life buying and selling all sorts of things at boot sales and markets, its all I know plus I enjoy it. Because of bad health and lack of transport , I think it would be better for me to start a online second hand shop. Im always picking up or getting given all sorts of things plus I spend most of my spare cash in charity shops. My rooms like a cross between Steptoes Yard/Blockbuster and Waterstones . With me being rehoused sometime in the near future I will be needing what ever money I can earn to fix it up , but thats in the future . Closer to home I am currently trying to raise the money to get Pennie her stroller and a digital camera for me , which I need in order to take pictures of the items I am going to sell . Yesterday I bought a Splash Plastic Prepaid Maestro card for £10 from Smiths in Balham and Im having difficulty regestering it , looks like I will be going to the St Mungoes office in the morning to use their phone to call the help line .My main reason for getting the card is to save for Pennies pushchair, everytime I get £20 I can put it on my card at apay-point . Pennie is not used to being on her own ,most her life she has gone everywhere with me . If I have to leave her with someone for a few hours she wont eat or drink and sits at the door until I return . She is happy to sit in our room on her own for a few hours, she usually gathers all my clothes and bedding and makes a nest for herself .I worry though when I leave her alone her eyesight is failing and she has accidents trying to climb on my bed and then jumping off , only last week she jumped into the TV and got wedged between the TV and the wall . When I take her anywhere I have to carry her beanbag(she wont sit down unless she has it) and other things ,which are a strain on me which is why I cant get out selling mags as often as I should .So the stroller/pushchair will be a great help to both of us . Some people think I spoil her to much saying things to me like "shes only a dog" which I can understand because until I got Pennie I myself couldnt fathom how some people get so attached to their animals . I nearly said pet but she is more than that , she is like a person to me and a very special one at that . With a bit of luck then by the end of this month you should see Pennie relaxing and taking things easy in her stroller. One last word ,if anyone has earned a comfortable old age , its her .

more RECORDS

STONE ROSES:One Love/Somethings Burning.(SILVERTONE,12".with limeted edition print).
SISTERS OF MERCY;Body and Soul/Body Electric/Train/Afterhours,(WEA,12")
PRIMAL SCREAM;Higher than the Sun(remix)/Higher than the Orb.(CREATION,12")
SUEDE;The Drowners/To The Birds/My Insatiable One,(NUDE,12")
SQUARE PUSHER;Vic Acid(hard and normal mix)/Lone Raver(live in Chelmsford mix)/Fat Controller(G7000 remix)/The Barn(303 kebab mix),(WARP,12")
HONDY;Hondy(no access),(MANIFESTO,12",promo)
FUSED:Spaced/Faded,(PLAYER ONE,12")
ALICI PROJECT;Dark Angel/Code Red,(INTENSIVE,12")
SANDER KLEINENBERG;Penso Positivo EP,(INFUSION,12")
TRAVEL 'Pray tojerusalem';Incisions Mix/Christian West Mix,(QUAD COMMUNICATIONS,12",promo)

ANOTHER 10 RECORDS

THE BEATLES:Please Please Me .LP.(Parlophone,stereo)
WINGS;Wings Over America, triple LP.(MPL. plus poster)
WINGS;Venus and Mars,LP.(CAPITOL.plus 2 posters)
THE WHO;The Who By Numbers.LP.(POLYDOR, no65051)
THE WHO;Tommy.double LP.(POLYDOR inserts with lyrics)
ROCKIN DOPSIE;Saturday Night Zydeco,LP.(SONET)
POP WILL EAT ITSELF;This Is the Day,,This Is the Hour,,This Is This!.LP(RCA)
TRACEY ULLMAN;You Broke My Heart In 17 Places.LP(STIFF)
T-REX;Ride a white swan.LP(MFP)
LED ZEPPELIN;Four Symbols.LP(ATLANTIC)

BeeBbdBBeen sorting through my records , thought I would have more to sell but the truth is I dont want to part with a lot of them.Here are some 12inch singles/ep that I can bear to sell.

THE FALL; Creep/Pat Trip Dispenser (Beggars Banquet,12". Green vinyl .)
JESUS AND MARY CHAIN; April Skies(long version)/Kill Surf City/Who Do You Love (Blanco Y Negro,12".)
JESUS AND MARY CHAIN;ROLLERCOASTER EP;Rollercoaster/Silverblade/Lowlife/Tower Of Song (Blanco Y Negro ,12".)
JESUS AND MARY CHAIN;Sidewalking(extended version)./Sidewalking(7"mix.)/Taste Of Cindy*/April Skies*.(*=live in Detroit.)(Blanco Y Negro,12".)
JESUS AND MARY CHAIN;Reverence/Heat/Reverence Radio Mix/Guitarman.(Blanco Y Negro 12".)
JESUS AND MARY CHAIN;Blues from a gun/Shimmer/Penetration/Subway.(Blanco Y Negro 12".)
JESUS AND MARY CHAIN;Happy When It Rains(long version,)(Blanco Y Negro,12")
JESUS AND MARY CHAIN-SOUND OF SPEED EP;Snakedriver*/Something I Cant Have/Write Record Release Blues/Little Red Rooster (10" numbered 0073) (Blanco Y Negro)*taken from "the CROW" film-great track.
VIRGIN PRUNES-A NEW FORM OF BEAUTY 2;Come To Daddy/Sweet Home Under White Clouds/Sad World;(Rough Trade 10")
BOOMTOWN RATS;Lookin After No1/Born To Burn/Barefootin(Ensign,12", 1977)

Well theres 10 for now will list another 10 t0mmorow,time for a tea then bed.

Archive of A Jewish family, Europe 1930s.

A few yrs ago at a boot sale I seen 2 boxes of old photographs and documents it was raining they were getting wet so I bought them. They are from the 1900s till after WW2 and come from Poland,Germany and Austria and belonged to a well off Jewish family , I had to lay them out and dry them iy took me months . I plan to get them out soon get them translated and see if I can trace any of their family . Some of the postcards contain valuable stamps well £50-100 price range. They are some nice albums of mountaneering holidays in Italy and Switzerland in the 20s 30s . I will have to do a blog to just deal with this and would not mind a bit of help some one with a knowledge of German Polish And Czech language would be good,. One thing though Im not letting them out of my sight at the moment .

Stroller fund off to a good start

I have already sold £20 worth of records to a friend ,he will be paying me on wedensday, yes he is reliable and can be trusted . I gave him a good deal , he took all the drum and bass records, I think they were worth about a £100 but he does dog sit for me now and again for free . This weekend I will list all the other records Im going to sell ,and either this sunday or next I am planing to do some fly pitching at Brick Lane and am hoping that will net me £50+.So it looks like everythings off to a good start and with a bit of luck I will be half way there by the end of next week .Pennie and myself would also like to thank everyone who has shown interest in our little scheme and I know shes looking forward to being pushed around in the not too distant future. Will have to call it a night because shes hungry and Im cooking her sausages and dont want to burn them . bye

Pennies pushchair

I think its time I got a pushchair/stroller for Pennie as she is 15yrs old and has difficulty getting about ,for this I need to raise £150 -200. I plan to do this by selling things I have collected in the last couple of years. I am planning to try and do a bootsale asap.Pennie has spent most of her life at my side and does not like being left alone and I know she deserves to enjoy her old age in comfort. So pictured above is the stroller I am hoping to buy for her . Thanks for reading this .

Lamb Burgers

Tonight Ill have a change from the usual microwave meals and cook some burgers for myself and Pennie . What I used
300g lean lamb mince
80g mushrooms (blended)
1 medium onion (blended)
1 thick slice of bread (cooked in oven ,then made into breadcrumbs)
a touch of worcester sauce
Mix all ingredients together .shape into burgers , cook in oven until ready .
*cigerette ash optional.

Serve with Birds Eye Potato Waffles , cheese. tomatoes and anything else you can find.

Well thats the end of the cooking lesson .I better go before I burn my dinner. bye

Two weeks ago I get a call from a friend , who Ive not heard from for 18months , he has not been well and needs a new liver, hence he is on the transplant list. Now if thats not bad enough about 7yrs ago he had his leg amputated just below the knee ,and before you ask his name is not Lucky.
It transpires that with all of his medical problems he needs a carer for 1 day a week, to help him with such things as shopping hoovering ect. He has asked me to accept the job , I told him I have no qualifications or experience at this sort of work, but says I will manage. He is due to go on holiday on mon so this week Ive been helping him get ready for that and have been asked to house sit for 2 weeks . Basically just go round every other day water the plants open the windows to air the house and check the mail . Thats part of the reason Ive not been out selling Big Issues this week . Ive to call on him lunch time friday to discuss what to do while he is away and arrange when to see him on monday to get the keys. Apart from the house watching Ive agreed to work 1 afternoon a week from 12-4.30 , we have not really talked about wages yet, but I know I will at least get min wage . It might not seem much ,but its a start and achange from selling mags and you never know it may lead to other things .
On friday I will be back in Balham with the 30 mags I am buying and a lot of patience as I try to sell them , so take care and buy your copy from a genuine vender - me if possible .

WHERE DO THEY COME FROM

As I am writing this I take it for granted that you all got my retweet and may have read the Big Issue code of conduct.
Licensed Venders such as myself sign this code and agree to abide by the rules . Now I am not perfect and admit at times to have broken some of the rules myself ,but on the whole I stick to them and try to get every person that pays for a magazine to take it ,some wont and tell me to resell it , I thank them for their kindness.
UNLICENSED VENDERS- often forge their own Big Issue ID, as they are not allowed for a number of reasons to sell the magazine , I imagine they get someone they know to purchase magazines from one of the distribution points.They move from pitch to pitch usually at the peak selling times sometimes in a gang. Every magazine they sell means 1 less magazine a genuine vender will sell ,so as you can imagine they can be a hinderance to someone like me trying to get their life into some sort of order .Usually the Big Issue may inform the police of their activity as has happened in Balham , they then check their ID and pitch passes maybe give them a warning 1st time or confiscate their magazines . I did have a problem with these but In my opinion the community police have done a good job of putting a stop to this .
BEGGERS ON TRAINS/USING 1 COPY of the Big Issue as a blagging tool.These dont cause me any direct problems ,but do get the Big Issue and bonafide venders a bad name .Some off them may be suffering genuine hardships and may be in desperate need of money,all I can say on this is that they should get badged properly Ive even offered to take a couple of them to Vauxhall to do this .You could also look at it this way at least they are not mugging or robbing people - but that could be avery thin line .
BEGGERS SAT AT CASHPOINTS OR STATIONS or any other place.I dont feel Im in a position to condem beggers as it is something I have done myself in the not too distant past , also I have known some of them for years and they were my friends. That was until they started sitting round the corner from me with an old copy of the big Issue and messing up my sales. I have talked to the 1 concerned and asked him to make his mind up about what he is doing i.e. either beg or get badged up and sell the Big Issue properly on a designated pitch . I am hoping he takes my advice. because I dont really want to argue about this with anyone .
Sometimes I may get pensioners say they paid someone for a magazine and that person just ran off with the money. I tell them I will report it and if I can afford it I give them 1 of my mags. Its not just old people that can be conned its anyone it could even be YOU so take care and check the venders ID .
I WAS ASKED WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE COME FROM- well there is a big hostel at Ceders Rd-Clapham that takes homeless people directly from the streets, I spent some time there myself . Also Wicks lane ,a couple of places in West Norewood ,Streatham
plus all the ones I dont know about . The staff in these places do everything in their power to make sure residents in these hostels dont disrupt the lives of the locals, but I dont think you can blame the hostels and the troublemakers are a minority.

Being naturally lazy , hungry and wanting to watch a dvd I think Ill cal it a night and hope this has awnsered some of your questions Matt. ps watched Whole Lotta Love vid ,best cover of that song Ive heard.

Offline

I have been offline for over a week this pay as you go mobile broadband eats up quite a bit of my money ,desperatly trying to open a bank account with out one Im excluded from a lot of things (will write about that in a few days) ,.Have not seen my keyworker yet so dont know anything about my flat , hoping to see her this week then I can let everyone who has been asking me know whats going on .I may have a part time job as a care assistant , will write about that tommorow night .Really tired so I will say goodnight tonight.

MY NEW COUNCIL FLAT

Seen my keyworker from St Mungoes earlier today , seems Lambeth council are giving four tennencies away this year and one of them is coming my way. I did not realize Ive been in the supported housing scheme near West Norewood stn for just over four years Im the longest staying tennant(its meant to be a short term thing) , they let me stay so long because of illness and the dogs age . Im going for a ground floor place with a garden the areas I have chosen are West Norewood,Gypsy Hill,Crystal Palace and Balham , you have to nominate four areas and at the moment I dont know how many refusals I have before I make my choice . It works like this the council give me a pin number thyen I go online and view all the available properties in my chosen areas . So I dont know how long it will take but Im hoping to be in a new place before christmas .
Looks like I will have to start saving to furnish the place thgough I have been told that if I do a pre-tennancy course I will qualify for a grant , which would be really helpful .Dont know what to do about my stray cats yet , I think they give Pennie a bit of excitement she always wags her tail while growling at them, her eysight is so bad I think she can only see about a foot in front of herself . On the subject of eyesight mine is really bad , I have appointment for an eye test in the morning so over the next week will be working to pay for my glasses . Im not going to specsavers its too far and anyway I believe in supporting small local bussinesses , Im hoping a £100 will be enough , will find out tommorrow .
In the afternoon its down to Vauxhall to pick up thirty big issues , thats £30 after paying my fares , so Im in for a busy night selling I hope , after five when the suns not at its hottest . All though there is plenty of places at Balham to sit in the shade . Im also hoping that all the abusive people get sunburnt tounges .Well got to go no time to check for spelling mistakes ,not that I really care , I am what I am .

The angel of St Roch .

I have not been out a great deal this week due to illness . Today though I went to my local Sommerfield which until recently was my regular pitch. Its been quite hot in London this week but I took my dog with me not expecting to be out in the sun for to long with only one magazine to sell . I usually take a stool with me to sit on as I suffer from arthritis,back pains and COPD . I was there for about ten to fifteen minutes and had to rest so I sat leaning against the bin . I tried to get my dog to sit in the shade , but she kept coming to sit near me so I put a bit of water on her head and neck to cool her down , she was panting slightly but ok and it was my intention only to be there for half an hour . Pennie my dog is fifteen years old and wont sit down or remain still when she wants to go home . So I look at the time and think to myself only ten or twelve minutes to go then Im off home for a cup of tea .
She descended upon me from nowhere screaming like the avenging angel of St Roch (patron saint of dogs).
"you shouldnt be sat in this heat with that dog , its cruel blah blah yip yap you are wicked blah blah " . She did not even give me a chance to say anything but went and stood at the cash point about twenty yards away from me with (a failed science project) her daughter I presume .I have had my dog a long time and am anything but cruel to her. So shes at the cash point with her mouth breaking the world speed record , every second or so her arm flys up and I see her finger is pointed at me . Well by now I gesture for her to come over to me and ask what her problem is . She keeps nagging non stop so I say the RSPCA is right across the road why dont you go and tell them about it , she gets hysterical saying she will have my dog taken away and that white dogs are more affected by the sun than black dogs and she has a white dog and does not take it out (her house must smell awful I think what with her dog doing a life sentence), Im about to call a exorcist when she leaves for the RSPCA across the road .
      What got to me was the fact that she did not see a person , all she seen was a piece of dirt she thought she could bully nag and abuse and I meet people like that everyday and usually they dont bother me. and what angered her the most was the fact that I awnsered her back in a polite manner and did not speak to her like she did to me .
     Ten minutes after she left I called it a day (I was there a total of 28 minutes) and walked over to the RSPCA shop and offered to give them my details in case they wanted a Inspector to investigate me . I knew I had no cause for concern and the people in the shop said they knew my dog was well cared for and she is .
At the same time though I do think that if a person thinks a animal is being mistreated they should report it even if they are proved wrong in the long run . You never know one time they may be right .I never got to sell my magazine ,but thats another story .

22.52.I am hoping to go to Brick Lane this sunday to do a bit of fly-pitching . Most of my life Ive been my own boss believe it or not before I had a run of bad luck I used to have a stall at Brick Lane on sundays another one at The Stables-Camden sat+sun and used to employ 3-5 homeless people to help me every weekend .I didnt take the piss or exploit them I used to give them £25 to help me between 7-2.Were talking the 90s here . I used to work non stop doing auctions ,boot sales checking skips buying stuff from squats ,.I used to sell bricabrac and collectibles but my passion was ephemera advertising collectables and comics.In the old days at Brick Lane most of us stall holders used to help each other. example-a stallholder gets a comic collection cheap he could sell it make a nice profit its not his thing so he sells it to me cheap . I then owe him one so when I have something he wants even though I can more than double my money ,it goes to him at cost .I used to love working there , then the developers move in and a lot of us were pushed out, killing the character of the area. I stopped going because the council were harassing us too much .Anyway I hear theyve eased off a bit so I think Ill try my luck .

JUST WOKE UP

12.21.Just woke up and Im having problems breathing , I was going to write about a gang of rouge Big Issue sellers in Balham , but think I need to rest for a while .Was meant to see my keyworker ,dont feel up to it have sent her a message to ring me.Will write about rouge venders later after I have been to Balham ,.I want a ciggarette - but really shouldnt have one -torture.

23.29. Just got in , made cash for 20 mags tomorrow ,fed the stray cat that sits on my window everynight fed the dog , I am tired and my feet are killing me (ingrown toenails,the nails on my big toes are shaped like the letter C and the two ends are slowly growing towards each other have to see a chiropodist hope he/she pulls them out . I dont drink or take drugs - that would be the smart option . With my breathing problems I smoke cigarrettes like a stupid c**t that I am .Ive tried for years to give them up , they have got to be the most addictive habit known to the human race . Ive tried patches ,gum (not suprised about that failing - I f-ing detest gum) well later today I am going to try a nicorette inhalator . If the lord had intended us to smoke he would have put a chimney on our heads- thats what Granma Walton used to say , but I wont pay any attention to her I reckon she was a closet crackhead . Got to open a bank account you cant imagine how hard that is to do when you have been living off the grid for over 25yrs I'll try Barclys I hear they are not to fussy . Well then of to cough my lungs out ,then have my dinner ,.Maybe even watch the INSIDER staring Russel Crowe to help take my mind of the ciggarrettes - sorry about the spelling I did not finish school a lifetime ago .

Twitter / Home

19.22pm Missed the Big Issue office today , spent my mag money on dvds from the charity shop in West Norewood got a good bargin though,3 box sets and 6dvds plus 5videos for £8.50.I still have 5 Issues left from yesterday so I think I will head to Balham to sell them , my dog wants to go for a walk aswell. Badly need some glasses have got an appointment with optitian on tue . Tommorrow I see my St Mungoes keyworker about getting my own flat , should have that sorted by the end of the year .PENNIE (my dog) is pacing up and down think its time for her to go out , with a bit of luck I will make enough to get 15-20 mags tommorow £17 for 20 back later....

Twitter / Home

10,22pm Just got home its took me 6 hours to sell 10 Big Issues, fcin shit my dogs just been sick right next to my feet after drinking half a pint of milk and water I wish she would do it in the yard the doors open . Good job I asked St Mungoes not to fit a new carpet till I leave , which should be in a few months .
Anyway for my 6 hours work I ended up with £29 after fares and cost of the magazines thats about £18.50 profit = £3.08 per hour . I spend a lot of my time looking round charity shops for bargins - books,videos,dvds,records,cds and after two years of collecting find I now have a room full of junk . Think I will have to do a few boot sales before I move . I might even make enough to partly furnish my new home,. The kettles boiling and I have dog puke to clean up - put my meal back for an hour or two now ,later..

INTRO

Im a Big Issue vender based in Balham, Im 50yrs old but feel like 90 especially when Ive just woke up .Need at least three cups of tea before im ready to leave my room.My dog is nearly 15 she's a bit slow now usually I take her everywhere with me she does not like to be on her own .Its hard work just getting to my pitch in Balham ,I have to carry abean bag for the dog a stool for me ,water ,magazines,and all my shopping from sainsburys on my way back. Now this may sound easy and it is if you are healthy but I suffer with COPD which can be very stressful ,until a couple of years ago I had always been fit and healthy and now find it hard to accept that my breathing problems place limits on my daily life . Well I must finish my tea and toast and get to work .