Article: Croydon lad made good

Hat tip: Mr Stevie
Apparently there is life beyond Croydon. In journalistic style, taking my life in my hands, I stepped over the borough boundaries to see the following in the last few weeks.
A round-up of places visited in Croydon:
So here's the first of my ward-by-ward looks at the election results from last Thursday. Long-time Labour marginal Addiscombe ward fell to the Tories on a swing of 10%. The new councillors are barrister Andrew Price, student Maria Garcia and MP's researcher Russell Jackson.
Andrew Price (Con) 1948 43.9%
Maria Garcia (Con) 1842 41.5%
Russell Jackson (Con) 1793 40.4%
Sean Fitzsimons (Lab) 1672 37.7%
Amanda Campbell (Lab) 1653 37.3%
Mark Watson (Lab) 1607 36.2%
Simon Barnsley (Grn) 850 19.2%
Paul Rogers (LD) 760 17.1%
electorate 11,087 : turnout 4,437 (40.0%) : swing 10.1% Lab to Con
Labour need 3% swing to regain
Well I think my prediction here was quite accurate. Labour couldn't hold on but their local efficiency and organisation mitigated against a bigger loss in seats and votes in those key wards. The Tories took control and at the count were cock-a-hoop but restrained and polite, unlike their nasty and insensitive supporters at last year's general election count.
Inspired by a photo quiz at the Croydon Society AGM last night, and having just discovered Google Earth is now available on the Mac, I've set a little quiz. See if you can guess which Croydon landmarks each of these are. Answers later...
This place sounds interesting, perhaps a little scary. Will let you know...
What's with the colour theme of the bars on Crystal Palace Triangle? First the Bluebottle, then the Black Sheep Bar, and most recently the White Hart. I went to the Black Sheep on Easter Monday, very quiet. Although it was a slow evening everywhere and the staff were helpful and chatty (in Croydon they'd use the absence of customers at the bar to go back and smoke, not clean up and offer table service), I was still disappointed. I'd fancied a bit of a buzz after a weekend of family and TV.
The Croydon Society is holding its AGM on Tuesday 2nd May at 7.45 pm at the Small Hall, United Reformed Church, Addiscombe Grove. After the meeting, there'll be a selection of the Society's slides and digital photographs. Admission Free.