Sue

Chern now sells alcohol including wine, and has Thai beer (Singha) on draft. And yes Chern is lovely and really good value!

You have an opportunity to set up a scheme to buy people's books,do you mean? And you will pay someone a huge amount to be allowed to set up the scheme? I don't understand. Is your final sentence unfinished? I buy a lot of books secondhand. If there's a particular book I want I always google to see if I can get it secondhand first. Quite often the book I get looks virtually new and unread, but much cheaper than if I had bought it new, even at a reduced new price. There are loads of places online with a huge selection of secondhand books. At least one of the websites sells them via a number of different secondhand booksellers who all apparently gain potential customers via their search online for a particular book. But I also give away a lot of books, either to friends or to charity shops (especially the Oxfam book shop in Herne Hill). It would be a huge hassle to send them somewhere like you are suggesting, especially if you have to put in the details first. I suppose at least these days you can easily google to find out if any of them are worth anything. When my dad died, on behalf of the family I took a carload of his books to Hay on Wye (I lived not far from there at the time) plus some of my old childhood books. They cherrypicked the ones they wanted and wouldn't take most of them, and I strongly suspect I wasn't given anything like they were worth.

I'm confused, sorry. Do you mean it's staying the same but just changing its name?

We enjoyed ravioli at Due Fratelli (near the bus stop on Lordship Lane which TFL for some reason calls Goose Green) the other evening. Though they seem to have more pizza options than pasta, and not many pasta options for vegetarians (though obviously that won't worry you if you aren't a vegetarian!)

Are you saying that if you are walking down North Cross Road from the direction of Upland Road that you can't hear it once you have passed the dentist? Because if so, it can't be the alarm next to the dentist which I referred to above (unless it coincidentally stops making a sound every time you pass it!)

Admin please move to lounge (or the nature thread in this section) if more appropriate. This article includes a link to a survey for people to comment on the reintroduction of White Storks to Greater London. I think this is a great idea, but the survey asks for all shades of opinion on various potential issues with doing this. Please read the article and fill in the survey if you are interested! It only takes five minutes! https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/04/rewilding-group-to-assess-possible-return-of-white-storks-to-london?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Just wondering if you had already used Russell Perring (Perrin?) because I've always found him very reliable,honest and efficient. In the unlikely event you still got leaks after he had done a repair, I'm sure he would sort it. It might be worth asking him to have a look at the roof, I'm sure he wouldn't charge you for advice. I have no idea if he still works in this area, but the number I have for him is 07852 972052 .

This may not be what you mean, but there's what I presume is a burglar alarm near the dentist on North Cross Road which keeps going off, but I don't think all the time. I don't know who "owns" the alarm, but if I lived or worked near there it would drive me mad. I'm in Ulverscroft Road, so not far away, but I haven't knowingly heard it inside my house (but I have double glazing). I've only noticed it on many occasions when walking down North Cross Road.

That sounds a bit worrying. Have you tried googling or asking Thames Water?

Someone may be able to make use of them eg on an allotment or community garden, even if painted etc Definitely worth offering then free on here first (unless you need to get them off your hands ASAP).

Not sure they are "exotic"? They've always been around in ED in the Summer!

Do you mean The Dream Machine? Used to sell vinyl and musicians used to go there and play? Don't know about the hifi repair! If that's what you are thinking of, I can put you in touch with the guy who used to run it if you PM me.

I may have misremembered, but I thought I had recently read (via a link on here) a newspaper article about these faked "accidents" which said that the recent arrests by police in London were related to a Brazilian gang?

I'm sure many people would look to see if someone needed help, and if so would do something about it, and at least phone the police if necessary if they didn't feel confident helping directly. At least I hope so. I'm sorry you don't feel safe, but surely ED isn't any less safe than most places. It's hardly a hotbed of crime, it's just that people don't post on here if nothing has happened! And before that, there were no highwaymen, or any murders at all .... In what way exactly have we become "a soft apologetic society", whatever that means?

I am sorted now thanks to a very useful PM, thanks everyone for your help!

What a truly horrible post.

I imagine Franco Manca's business dropped off quite a bit when Yard Sale opened (though isn't Yard Sale delivery only?) But in any case, both of those are chains.

There's a food bank off Dog Kennel Hill. Albrighton Community Fridge. https://www.albrightoncommunityfridge.org/ I'm sure they would welcome them, but maybe check first, as they don't actually mention fresh fruit on their website? But apples aren't that perishable. Drop off seven days a week 9 - 5. Be warned if you are going by car, parking can be very difficult, easiest if there are two of you so one person can take the food in while the other can move the car if necessary.

Another lost cat (hopefully soon to be found)? More postal delays? More sofas for sale? Actually, re the post, isn't this the week the delivery days change to alternate days for second class post and nothing at weekends (or something like that)? That must merit a new and exciting thread, surely 😀

Crikey, I had forgotten about that!

I think the East Dulwich one was one of the first ones after Brixton? It was very exciting when it first opened here, but yes they are all over the place now.

The shops selling gifts, interior stuff and clothes all sell different gifts, interiors stuff and clothes. They don't all have identical items, which would be ridiculous. It's a completely different situation. The coffee shops and restaurants mostly also have different vibes, different food etc and cater to different tastes and pockets. The two empanada places have virtually identical displays of identical looking empanadas. I don't think anyone has suggested this move is "malicious" - that would make it even worse. Cheeky, yes, given the proximity to the first shop. I agree this is good advertising, though most people in ED probably don't look at the ED Forum (I stand to be corrected). Re the "organic grocer", if it's the one on the same side as Chango, yes their snacks are very tasty. Unfortunately we were short changed there on several occasions when calling in late at night, and were once asked a ridiculous price for a few items (with no price tickets on the snacks) so we don't go there any more. Hopefully these were all genuine mistakes, and hopefully things have improved since their refurb.

No thanks, I've got enough spreadsheets of my own 🤣 But thanks for the offer 🤣

A Google search brought up eleven Chango branches, although they don't all seem to be listed on their website. In the order they came up: East Dulwich, Clapham Common, Mayfair, Wandsworth, City of London, Wimbledon, Parsons Green, Kensington, Highgate, Richmond, Hampstead. I think it is the positioning of this new branch that has mostly got to me. I accept that they would have to go for where a space became vacant, but Lordship Lane is pretty long, even just the part with shops in, and choosing to open a stone's throw away from Chacarero seems mean, to say the least. I wonder if they have made contact with Chacarero. It would be nice to think they had (in a friendly way, obviously!) As regards the apparent marketing spiel, at least one of the online reviewers also refers to a Chango branch (the Parsons Green one in this case) as a "gem". Probably just coincidence and a word in common use to describe such places. I wouldn't know. I'm ancient 🤣

According to what I can see online, Dynamic Vines and Cave de Bruno sell totally different kinds of wine to each other. Dynamic Vines "work with independent winemakers who produce outstanding wine using sustainable practices in the vineyard and minimal intervention in the cellar". Cave de Bruno specialises in French wines and spirits from small independent producers. So two different USPs, and no doubt two different but overlapping customer bases who can afford these wines. Probably different again to the people mainly shopping for wine at Majestic or the Co op. On the other hand, the two empanada shops appear on the face of it to be selling virtually identical products. But time will tell, won't it? Let's see how they are both doing in - say - a couple of years' time. Impossible, of course, to compare that with how they would have done if there had been only one of them. I just feel more sorry for the original one than for the one which can apparently already afford to have a number of shops in places like Mayfair and Highgate. I'm tempted to buy something there every week, and I don't even like that kind of pastry 🤣