Sue

Thanks all, and yes ed_pete you are quite right. I think I am probably going to stick to playing "my" music in the living room and playing "Amazon's" music in the kitchen .... JohnL, I have found out what sounds sloths make, and also that the only swear word Alexa seems to know is "knickers". (Childish I know, but highly entertaining :)) )

I have a non-compliant car, old but regularly serviced and always passes its MOT. I am hoping to sell it (for not very much) to somebody who doesn't need to visit the ULEZ, or at least not often. At present my intention is to get another car, because I need a car to ferry bulky and heavy stuff to and from my allotment, and to visit family (a lot more convenient than public transport, because of where they are situated). And to go to festivals etc. when having to transport a tent, bedding, etc etc. Hiring a car is not economical if it's sitting outside somebody's house or in a field for several days. If there was a scheme where I could drop a hired car off at my destination, and then hire another one to return home, I might consider it for stays of several days. But I don't know of such a scheme. The stuff I take to and from my allotment tends to make a mess of the car, so I'm not sure that a car sharing scheme would be suitable for that. I'm also interested to hear others' views. I'm also pissed off because so far the Covid situation has made it quite difficult to do anything about this, and so far as I know the ULEZ introduction date isn't being extended.

KidKruger Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Absolutely. > To treat this as some binary decision where only > yes/no will suffice is missing the point of an MP > (to represent one?s constituents). > HH has it seems indicated her priority is her > constituents and their concerns. Exactly. And it would be very worrying if she had some different priority!

Sorry to hear, but surely the fireworks are for New Year and nothing to do with Brexit?

Trouzapress, what your friend says is undoubtedly true. However the problems in East Dulwich are compounded by having moved the delivery office to Peckham, and had started before the pandemic kicked in.

garages2018 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi Sue > As to your message. First you write a card out, > put a stamp on it (first class) > walk to the post box, collected by the postman, > goes to the sorting office sorted > and then posted by the postman. There was nothing > said about door to door. > > ITS CALLED A SERVICE. 13 DAYS TO ARRIVE > (disgusting) CAN YOU SEE HOW IT WORKS I think you should read my post again. It is you who has misunderstood the process. There is more than one sorting office involved. And no need to use caps ..

Abe_froeman Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Seems pretty childish to me. > > As Keith Starmer himself said, voting against the > deal was a vote for no deal. > > Why on earth would she vote for no deal? Whose > interest is that in? Certainly not any of ours. She didn't vote for no deal. And if you read her long and informative letter in the link above, you will find out exactly why she abstained.

Don't know if Amazon parcels are delivered by Royal Mail but I just got one I only ordered yesterday (and I only ever get the free delivery - not Prime). So that's pretty good service!

Clutterqueen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I've always found Helen Hayes very negative in her > views on everything anyway, especially in her > column in the South London Press which has become > a Boris bashing newspaper lately. Boris has been > doing his best to get us through this pandemic and > now has to deal with the Brexit issue. > > She often uses the words 'difficult', 'painful' > and 'grief' which puts a downside on peoples views > on things. What words would you use? Boris's "best" is what many people would call "totally incompetent". And what do you mean, "Boris now has to deal with the Brexit issue"? It was Boris amongst other Tories who were responsible for getting us into this position in the first place.

I have quite an old HiFi system. It doesn't have built-in bluetooth. I was given an Amazon Echo 8 Show for Christmas (hooray) which will be in a different room. I want to be able to play music stored on the hard drive in the HiFi on the Echo, and preferably to be able to hear it in both rooms at once. My sister-in-law says I can put a Bluetooth thing (technical term) in the headphone port on the HiFi and then that will connect with the Bluetooth in the Echo. I have done some googling and I don't understand exactly what I need. Also, there seems to be quite a lot of advice the other way (eg playing streamed music via the Echo on the HiFi) which also involves attaching a bluetooth thing to the HiFi, but it seems to be a different kind of bluetooth thing. Can anybody help? What exactly do I need to buy? I was hoping to find something in the sales, some of which end tomorrow!

garages2018 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi Is this a record _________ > Received letter today , post mark 17th December > 2020. > This letter has taken 13 days to be delivered from > Oglander Road, se22 to > Heber Road se22, not even one mile. > COME ON IS THIS A JOKE But the trouble is, they don't deliver straight from house to house! The letter is collected from the postbox (I presume it wasn't collected from the house), then goes to a mechanised sorting office (not in East Dulwich) where it is sorted to the delivery area, which could be anywhere, then from there to the delivery office (in this case in Peckham), then from there to - eventually - delivery to your house. It is the final stage which is presently causing the delays. As for the rest of it, if you have a more efficient method of getting everyody's post to them I'm sure Royal Mail would be very happy to hear it :)) I deliver all my local Christmas cards personally, at least then I am sure they reach their destination safely and on time!

/forum/read.php?20,2093860,2174736,page=37#msg-2174736

Just received this from Helen Hayes: 14:48 (55 minutes ago) to me Helen Hayes for Dulwich and West Norwood Dear Sue, This is a very difficult day for many of us. In 2016 Labour Party members and local residents in Dulwich and West Norwood voted overwhelmingly to Remain in the European Union. Many of us campaigned as hard in the referendum as we have done in the series of critical general elections over the last decade. We did so, fundamentally, because we believe that our common ground is greater than our differences, and that in all its imperfections, the European Union has been an embodiment of our values of internationalism, cooperation, friendship, tolerance and social justice; and because we have seen the many benefits of membership over forty years in peace, prosperity and many different spheres of collaboration and shared experience with our closest neighbours across international borders. I know how painful the referendum result has been in the years since 2016, and how much grief there is today, as Parliament agrees our future relationship outside of the European Union. It is a privilege to represent one of the most pro-EU constituencies in the country. I am proud of our diversity, which makes our communities outward facing and internationalist to our core. I have stood as Labour?s candidate in Dulwich and West Norwood in three general elections since 2015, and in each I have made very strong personal commitments to stand up for the internationalist, pro-EU views and values of the vast majority of local residents. In the short period of time since the UK-EU trade deal was announced on Christmas Eve, I have done as much as I can to engage local Labour Party members and my constituents in order to understand your views. Thousands of people have been in touch and I am hugely grateful to everyone who has filled out my survey or contacted me by email, and especially for the many thoughtful and reflective views which members have shared. It is clear that this is not a factional issue within the Labour Party. Members who share the same perspectives on many other issues, from all parts of the Labour Party, have different views about the right way to respond to the bill today. This reflects the fact, which we must not forget, that Brexit is a mess entirely of the Tories? making which creates many complex dilemmas for Labour and no completely straightforward route through it. A clear majority of members who responded to my survey supported a position of abstention, although a large proportion also supported voting for the deal. A tiny proportion of both members and constituents ? just 5% - thought that Labour should be voting against the deal today. It is utterly disgraceful that Boris Johnson has allowed just five hours, during which fewer than a tenth of MPs are likely to be able to speak, to debate the bill and the treaty today. As a consequence, despite applying for a slot, I am unable to speak in the House of Commons, but I have published the speech that I would have delivered here. It is with great sadness and after much deliberation that I have concluded that I cannot reconcile voting with the Labour whip today, to accept Boris Johnson?s trade deal and implement it, with the commitments I have made to both members and my constituents on the EU. While I know that there will be members who take a different view ? and I fully respect your views - I believe that this position also carries the support of a majority of local Labour Party members. The trade deal that has been negotiated is the only deal on offer and it is clearly far, far better than leaving the European Union with no deal. For that reason, I will not vote against the implementation bill today, but I will abstain. This deal, the only trade deal in our history which will leave the UK more isolated from our trading partners is Boris Johnson?s deal, it is supported by the Tory European Research Group and would be carried on Tory votes alone. I fully understand that in abstaining today, I will not have complied with the Labour whip, and that I cannot therefore continue to serve as a shadow minister on Labour?s front bench. With great sadness and regret, I have therefore written to Keir Starmer today to offer my resignation as Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and will return to the back benches. In taking this difficult decision, I want to be clear that my primary concern is being true to the personal promises I have made to members and my constituents. This is an impossible issue, created by reckless Tory ideologues and I make no judgement of Labour colleagues who have taken a different approach to this most difficult of issues. I will work tirelessly from the back benches to represent my constituents in Dulwich and West Norwood, to contribute to the Labour vision that we will take to voters at the next general election and to campaign for a Labour government with Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. I hope that we will all be able to unite around this goal. With warmest wishes, Helen Helen Hayes MP http://www.helenhayes.org.uk/ Helen Hayes for Dulwich and West Norwood ?

Nigello Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It?s never there long enough to sprout. Mine gets dropped underneath the bird feeder by birds who presumably prefer something else and discard the stuff they don't like :( I've seen them doing it :( ETA: Resisting the temptation to post weevil jokes :))

I got three items today. But still not the one I'm waiting for.

Nigello Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The pound shops are great for suet balls, suet > pellets and seed (including Niger). The one just > opposite station on Rye Lane has 800g of seed for > a quid! But does the seed sprout when it is dropped on soil?!?!? Niger seed has not attracted a single goldfinch to my garden, so far as I know 😭

I have a dunnock who comes to my garden. The sparrows do feed from my feeders, though! Dunnocks have a different bill (beak?) to sparrows - longer and thinner. Also they don't go around in groups. "Mine" hides at the side of the garden, then darts out to feed, then hides somewhere else, sometimes on the ground in the "undergrowth" :) I can't remember if it feeds from the feeders, though I think so. ETA: On a different note, I stopped buying bird food from Tesco as although it was convenient (came with my groceries) it was producing a wheat (?) field below the feeder. So I bought at vast (ish) expense some premium non-sprouting bird food from elsewhere, and so far the bloody birds (apart from pigeons) have not been near it so far as I can see, though the sparrows still come to the garden. At my sister's suggestion I mixed the two lots together to wean the birds onto the new kind, so I will see if that works, GRRRRR :))

offspinner Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Took the attached picture in Belair Park today. > It's either a redwing or a fieldfare! Pretty sure that's a redwing. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2018/09/redwings-and-fieldfares/

So are they redwings or fieldfares or both?! Easy to confuse, and I'd be happy to see either :) Would make a change from sparrows :)

singalto Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Nic Basher, I saw two postal worker at the corner > of my road at 2.30 this afternoon. Probably > parcels although none of mine! No letter post > thought! Nic Basher? Who he? :))

Lynne Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Just had a reply from Stephen Buckley, the > Chairman and CEO of Royal Mail > > "Some areas may get covered for delivery rounds > only every second or third days" Ha! We should be > so lucky. Every second or third week, more like. > > [email protected] > > if anyone feel like expressing their views. Thank you! I shall be expressing my views (but not till after Christmas .....) I doubt it's him answering his own emails anyway :)) They'll have a standard response and some minion will be churning them out in his name.

Lynne Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > We got a strange papery thing through the > letter-box this morning. Rectangular, with our > address written on it. Reminds me of something I > saw a long time ago. :)) :)) :))

The whole of our street didn't get any post at all for a week. So if some people are getting post "most days" there seems to be a somewhat unfair division of the available labour.

Someone in our road spoke to a postie in a van and they said they weren't allowed to talk to anyone or answer questions. 😮😮😮 Apparently the postie also looked very stressed. Not surprised!

Spartacus Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sue Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > All very well for those who are able to go to > the > > delivery office, but in the present > circumstances > > many people can't. > > > And as post is a paid for delivery service, why > should we have to go and collect it? > > I do hope the sorting office manager is held > accountable for their lack of actions over this > dismal failure to provide a service that so many > rely on. It's very hard to know where the fault lies. The post is bad all over the country at the moment, and although the move to Peckham has made ours much worse, it's hard to know how much autonomy the delivery manager has. For example, was it his decision not to take on more temporary staff, or is there some edict from above? It seems to me that privatisation is at the root of all this, as with trains etc. As soon as there are shareholders, profit comes before service. In almost all cases. Like many things, the country got what it voted for 😭😭😭