At the start of the year, I asked you via Twitter for your predictions for 2011. Most were silly, a lot were funny, one or two were semi-serious, and a couple were outlandish. But how many were accurate?

Transport
Tubes and trains were popular topics. Back in 2010, the Jubilee Line closures were a major talking point and if I remember, were due to finish in March. They ran until October. So @simontreanor‘s “The Jubilee Line will often be closed on weekends. It’s a long shot I know”, turned out to be pretty much on the money.

Meanwhile, It took 12 months for @Sparklegirl21‘s prediction to come true “They actually build something at the Thameslink station instead of playing with their diggers”.

We did however eventually get what @David_Stringer optimistically predicted “One weekend, just one, the tubes AND overground will both work”. In fact it happened more than once. Long may it continue.

We’re still waiting for@RandomCarlos‘s prediction that the “Jubilee Line will be converted into a moving walkway so we can get into town more quickly” to come true, or for @blueskyflowers‘ hope that “Mill Lane gets pedestrianised!”

It was always a gimme that @aktaraja would be right that there’d be more “roadworks/gasworks/electrical works on WEL”, but no-one foresaw the level of disruption on Kilburn High Road that’s only just finished.

Shops
The imminent arrival of a Sainsbury’s Local on West End Lane exercised many of you, but none of your predictions that Waitrose would move in, or that Tesco & Sainsbury would collapse in the face of revived localism came to pass. Perhaps the most accurate was again from @RandomCarlos: “The combined effect of both Tesco and Sainsbury delivery vans will cause national gridlock.”

Despite the recession, @Cyburn‘s prediction that a poundshop “or maybe a £2 shop” would open in West Hampstead didn’t happen either; and although @marmitetoast was wrong that more estate agents would open in West Hampstead, the one that closed (Brian Lack) was replaced by a new one (Goldschmidt & Howland).

@flyperson was overambitious in suggesting that coiffeurs would overtake estate agents, but he was at least directionally right as we saw the opening of Rock Men’s Salon and Geezers (which did not close down, despite @bobbymann‘s prediction).

Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for @leonora1 to “finally open my own craft shop!”

Food & Drink
Given that whampers seem predisposed to eat and drink out a lot, how were their predictions? 
@nickhudgell suggsted that “glo gets let to a mexican burrito joint.”. In fact it became Ladudu.
@sblower wondered whether “ShakeTastic will produce a drink mixing peanut butter with fruit, and… roast veg.” Not quite, but it is now doing herbal teas.
@gitfinger, ever prescient, predicted that “The restaurant formerly known as Le Petit Coin closes and reopens under a new guise. Twice” Well, it was Lite for a bit, but has just reopened as The Sea Lantern.

Sport
The WHampstead 7-a-side team didn’t have a great start, but once the league became 5-a-side, things took a turn for the better. @nickhudgell predicted that the team would win the league – and the West Hampstead Wanderers did just that. The following season Whamp Athletic (the other team that spun off from the 7-a-side team) picked up the title with Wanderers just behind them. Sadly, @SamWong1‘s assumption that the Wanderers would be bought by an Arab billionaire has yet to happen.

World news
Twelve months ago, Osama bin Laden was still alive. We only have the US government’s word that he was killed in Pakistan. Perhaps @DanDrillsma was right: “Bin Laden found directing global operations from the back room at Lower Ground Bar…”

So that was 2011 – any thoughts for 2012? Leave them in the comments below