PennyDreadful

I find the 'bad lip-reading' videos weirdly revealing about American politics:

This is on TONIGHT! Great line-up at The Ivy House, raising money for the Trussell Trust (food-bank charity). 6pm onwards, free entry - but donations requested.

We used Frank for the second time recently and once again he impressed us; treating a single-item job as seriously and professionally as if it was a full removal (texting his arrival time, etc). What's more, when sudden complications arose at the drop-off address, he was unflappable kindness personified - and went way beyond the call of duty to help out, without charging any more. Can't recommend him highly enough. Frank Forde: 07956 650 744

'We Shall Overcome' is a nationwide weekend of events in opposition to austerity and in celebration of culture, solidarity and not giving up. Political but not party political, these events have been organised by artists and promoters giving their time for free to raise money for foodbanks and homelessness charities. There are events taking place all over the country from 2-4 October (see www.weshallovercomeweekend.com) Our local event is this one: We Shall Overcome: Nunhead (a night of music, comedy, storytelling and poetry) The Ivy House, 40 Stuart Road, Nunhead, SE15 3BE Sunday 4th October 6-10pm Free entry, with a collection (of funds, not food) for The Trussell Trust, a charity which runs over 400 foodbanks. Even if you can't come along on the night, please consider donating via the 'Just Giving' page: www.justgiving.com/WSOLONDON - many thanks. Here - in alphabetical order - are the acts appearing on the night: BONESETTER Historic storytelling with a modern twist. Of the spine. Fables for our time. Coal pit pop to rattle your bones. JANINE BOOTH Co-Chair of the TUC Disabled Workers' Committee and a stalwart of the UK political poetry scene. "Wry humour and astute observations" (Peter Pinkney, President RMT) KEITH JARRETT Former UK Farrago Poetry Slam champion Keith Jarrett (not the jazz pianist) was born and raised in East London and began writing at an early age, inspired by hip-hop and jazz. He has grown into a performance poet of rare depth, power and wit. NJAMBI McGRATH Fresh from performing her show "The Devil's Door Bell" at this year's Edinburgh Free Fringe ("a little comic relief about an unorthodox African childhood") Kenyan-born Njambi is a rising star who combines comedy with powerful storytelling. "Trail blazing" -The Guardian "A must see" -The Scotsman JOE MURPHY Leader of indie-folk band Sergeant Buzfuz. "Perverse and memorable, modern-day folk music" -Morning Star "Absolutely brilliant" -Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music DAVE PICKERING Host of 'Stand Up Tragedy' variety night and 'Spark London' storytelling open mic. Fresh from performing his "What About The Men? Mansplaining Masculinity" show at this year's Edinburgh Free Fringe. Co-writer of Cbeebies Radio series "Ministry Of Stories". SLATE ISLANDS Caledonian chansons...quirky and eerie. (Slate Islands singer Polly MacLean contributed a track to the acclaimed 'Shirley Inspired' Shirley Collins tribute album.) ANT SMITH Ant 'The Game Cat' Smith believes poetry is a voice for all. From condemning Thatcherism in the 80s to fighting bullying and body-shaming in 2015 (with poems about male 'size anxiety'), he's been delighting and horrifying ordinary folk for over twenty years.

So glad this forum led us to Frank - the best 'man and van' we've ever found! We contacted him to help us move some stuff to a storage depot (while we do some decorating) and found him totally reliable. He texted to confirm his arrival time and arrived on the dot. His calm competence was a handy counterbalance to our stress! A lovely man - and very reasonable rates. You can reach him on 07956 650 744

Another recommendation for Clive from CD Plumbers. We rang him last week and he came round the next evening (at exactly the time he said he would) and sorted out a tricky leaking tap. Tricky because everything in our decrepit conversion flat is ancient / peculiarly-put-together / non-standard size, etc. To our relief, Clive was charmingly non-judgemental about the fact that we didn't know how to turn off our own flat's water supply; he just calmly set about figuring it out! Then he spent ages painstakingly working on the seized-up old leaky tap - and its partner, which was also a bit stuck - getting them both functioning smoothly again. Then he cleaned up before he left. A nice man and good work: we'd definitely use him again and would highly recommend him. His number is 07956 525 875 http://cd-plumbers.co.uk

I think you probably mean England rather than the UK, otherwise I'd suggest Edinburgh, or... well, just about anywhere in Scotland, really! But sticking south of the border, I really liked Shrewsbury - lovely medieval town centre, peaceful riverside walks and a great wee independent cinema inside a historic building. (And there's a street called 'Grope Lane'!) You mention Bristol - don't know much about it, but was thinking of trying to go this year myself because it's 'European Green Capital 2015' and so there are lots of events going on, such as an art installation of (real) fishing boats in the woods... a floating 'seed garden' on the river...

Great gig this Friday (19th June) at the Ivy House: SERGEANT BUZFUZ: Brilliant band in the great tradition of eccentric English pop with folk influences...fantastic storytelling songs that make the feet tap while also engaging the brain. New album 'Balloons For Thin Linda' ranges across London (from the Aylesbury Estate to Harrods), up to Sheffield, over to Galway and back into history (where 'Henry VIII and his festering leg' make a cameo appearance). Poetic, political and pop sensibilities in perfect harmony. http://www.sergeantbuzfuz.com/ THE BIGGER FIBBERS: Delightfully daft duo The Big Fibbers added more band members and became The Bigger Fibbers. Their cover of 'Monster Mash' was the official Monster Raving Loony Party song at the last general election. A bit Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, a bit John Otway, a lot of fun. http://www.bigfibbers.co.uk/ Should be a great night - and it's FREE to get in! (Although a hat will be passed round at some point.) The Ivy House, 40 Stuart Road, London SE15 3BE.

Seems particularly appropriate on election day - 'Truth and Lies' by Sergeant Buzfuz:

empmak, I'm sorry about your mother's passing. Just wanted to thank you for your post, as it's something I've often wondered about and I've found the replies in this thread helpful.

Borough Chamber Choir concert: "Come Music, Sick Man's Jewel" this Saturday (28th March), 7.30pm Christ's Chapel of God's Gift, Gallery Road SE21. Tickets ?14 / ?10 conc. Further information here: http://www.boroughchamberchoir.org.uk/?page_id=75 Programme: Purcell - Music for a while Weelkes - O Care Thou Wilt Dispatch Me Tallis - Lamentations Part I Bach - O Mensch bewein? dein? S?nde gross (organ solo) Tallis - Lamentations Part II Byrd - Justorum Animae (Interval) Bach - O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht, BWV 118 Tallis - Miserere Elgar - There is Sweet Music Bach - Kyrie Gott heiliger Geist, BWV 671 (organ solo) Britten - Hymn to St. Cecilia

A colleague sent me the following and I wondered if it might be of interest to anyone in the local area? Please note that I'm not the person to contact with any queries - that would be: [email protected] NEW 'SINGING FOR BETTER BREATHING' GROUPS - FREE OF CHARGE SINGING FOR PEOPLE WITH BREATHING PROBLEMS. Do you know anyone in South London (especially Southwark and Lambeth) with breathing problems? I'm running two singing groups for people with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorders). The groups will become part of a research project measuring how regular singing affects lung function. There is some evidence which shows that singing helps lung function and supports people with COPD to manage their condition already - but there is a need for a better evidence base. One group is at Morley College near Waterloo and the other is in East Dulwich. A third group is being run by a colleague of mine in Surrey Docks. Details below. The workshops are free of charge. And they will be FUN! And as with all my singing workshops, you don't need to think you 'can sing' - complete beginners are very warmly welcome. People of all ages, genders and backgrounds are welcome. Young people and children under 18 will need to be accompanied by an adult. The venues are accessible for wheelchair users. The classes are also are open to the friends/family of people with COPD. Please do pass on these details and encourage any relevant people to come along! TUESDAYS 11-12 midday (Facilitator: Guillermo) Surrey Docks Health Centre Downtown Rd London SE16 6NP TUESDAYS 2-3pm (Facilitator: Shilpa) Southwark Breathe Easy Venue United reform and Methodist church centre Barry Road East Dulwich London SE22 0JU THURSDAYS 10.30-11.30am (Facilitator: Shilpa) Morley College 61 Westminster Bridge Road London SE1 7HT

Morley College (at the Elephant) runs various courses for people who want to know more about starting their own business: http://www.morleycollege.ac.uk/courses/search?keywords=route+to+business&department=enterprise&sub_department=&term=&time=

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SZ2eT_T0AI

I'd highly recommend Nick Williamson http://www.nick-williamson.co.uk/ He has a local clinic in Barry Road and really helped my partner with both a frozen shoulder and a cat allergy.

Another great, authentic, non-hypermarket place in Calais itself is Le Bar a Vins, 52 Place d'Armes, Calais 62610. Very near the main ferry terminal, but completely 'old worldy' and lovely. Don't think there's a website, but you can phone proprietor Luc (who can speak English) on: 0033 (0)321 96 96 31. I've been to two weddings where all the wine and fizz came from there at bargain prices and was delicious! Think it's closed on Wednesdays. More info here: http://www.calais-guide.co.uk/wine-and-beer-outlets/bar-a-vins.html

Count me in!

Care needs to be taken when pulling ticks out because it's easy to either: (a) snap them, meaning you pull away the body but the mouthparts stay buried in your skin, causing horrible irritation, or (b) squeeze them so that they basically vomit their contents into you...which is dangerous, because they can carry awful diseases. (Believe me, Lyme Disease can really mess up your life good and proper.) There are cheap but brilliant little gadgets you can get which sort of twist the tick out (a bit like taking a cork out of a bottle). If it's getting ticky around here, might be worth tooling up! Here's a link - hope it works, I'm not very good at this - to the official UK Lyme Disease website page which has advice about tick removal with or without these wee gadgets: http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/about-ticks/tick-removal/ Like they used to say on Hill Street Blues: 'Let's be careful out there'...!

Ah yes, just seen your newsletter giving this project a mention - fantastic!

Given the thriving folk scene locally, just thought people might like to know about this kickstarter campaign to fund a documentary about folk icon Shirley Collins. The team behind the planned film seem to have some solid work under their belts and it looks like a really interesting project. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shirleycollins/the-ballad-of-shirley-collins What's more, there's a local angle (which is how I came to hear about it), in that one of the pledge rewards on offer is an album which features two East Dulwich-based musicians: Joe Murphy of Sergeant Buzfuz and Polly MacLean of Slate Islands. (They're in good company: the album also includes tracks by Alasdair Roberts, Graham Coxon, Will Oldham and Sharron Kraus, amongst others.) Anyway, the crowdfunding thing is only running until 22 July, so get pledging! Shirley Collins is amazing and her story deserves telling...

Very sad to hear about the loss of this lovely little local character. I always enjoyed my encounters with her.

Just up the road in Camberwell, there's a wonderful place that does gluten-free savoury crepes: Cafe Maloko, 60 Camberwell Church Street, SE5 8QZ (near corner with Camberwell Grove, look for blue awning with orange lettering). Great for vegetarians and vegans, too. A bit further afield - but on the 12 bus route - is a good, authentic Italian restaurant which offers gluten-free versions of almost every dish (the owner is coeliac himself) - Cotto, 89 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7HR (top of Kennington Road). You might also be interested in this blog by a Camberwell-based coeliac nutritionist: www.glutenfreerosie.com Good luck - and please post details of any useful places you discover!

Blimey, within minutes of me posting that, the thread moved to the Businesses section!

Since it's a fee-paying school, doesn't this thread belong in the 'Businesses' section?

Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert's radio show 'The Truth About Markets' on Resonance FM, Saturdays 6.30-7.30pm. (104.4 FM within London or listen online at http://resonancefm.com.) Also TV show 'The Keiser Report' on Russia Today (channel 85, if you can get it, or just look for 'Keiser Report' on youtube). The style may be somewhat histrionic, but Max and Stacy do know their stuff!