Sue

Around 7.30 tonight there was a man lying on the ground outside the old Plough DIY shop, with a lit scented candle and what appeared to be a pile of books. He wasn't begging. I asked him if he was alright and he said he was. Just wondering if anyone knows him as it seemed quite odd, but I didn't want to pry as he evidently didn't need help.

There were two men sitting in the Grove site last night, again with the Dog Unit car. Are they security guards? They don't seem to do much Rubbish from that site is blowing all over the South Circular now. It's terrible. Isn't anybody going to remove it?

Minitoots, I posted this on your other thread, but the foods you are allergic to may be specific to you (though of course no harm in avoiding certain things to see if that helps!). https://www.burghwoodclinic.co.uk/ ETA: Eczema is specifically mentioned on their website. I was treated here in the past (not for eczema) and they are very thorough and helpful. It is not "alternative". To the best of my knowledge all the staff are medically qualified.

Every time I pass there is a car in there with "Dog Unit" written on it. The first time, there were also two men and an Alsatian. The other times, no dog that I could see. Can anybody shed any light?

That's good news.

Yes I realised this morning about having to recentre the shower. That might make the whole thing impractical. The shower curtain is pleated and folds up into a vertical container screwed to the wall and could easily be moved.

Robert Poste's Child Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Caravan outside the Grove Tavern. Woods, green > chain, golf course, tennis and lido on your > doorstep, yet close enough to pop home to check > you didn't leave the gas on. :)) :)) :))

NewWave Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm horrified to hear about the 30k rise in annual > rent. thats an extra ?600 pw after all other > overheads they need to find. > Surely a landlord would rather have something in > his retail space than an empty shop? > That kind of hike on that kind of tenant is just > greed and turns my stomach. > no wonder our high streets are full of such c**p. > My mother passed away in a hospice, those places > are run by angels and to see some greasy pawed > landowner trying to squeeze money out of a charity > like that..just evil! On the one hand, I totally agree with your sentiments. On the other hand, surely that wouldn't otherwise be "an empty shop"? It's in a prime position on Lordship Lane. If the landlord was to charge ?30k pa less because it was a charity shop, but could get ?30k more by renting it to somebody else, then effectively s/he is donating ?30k pa to the charity. I'm no capitalist, but I can see the landlord's point of view here.

diable rouge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sue obviously wants to keep the existing look and > arrangement, so perhaps the best solution is to > pull the bath forward as far as possible towards > the towel rail (which I think you will have to do > anyway to carry out the repair), and then build a > matching boxed-out shelf along the width of the > bath, to provide easy access for any future > problems. It's also a nice feature for scented > candles etc during those romantic baths...:) Thanks, I'll investigate that option :)

Citizens Advice Bureau. I'm wondering why your boyfriend would not meet his boss face to face to discuss things? Couldn't that have sorted out the situation much quicker and earlier without going through all this? ETA: Is there some past history between your boyfriend and his boss which could explain this bad feeling? As on the face of it, all this trauma over payment for a couple of shifts seems absurd, and I'm wondering why the employer didn't just pay up, if he's admitted he made a mistake.

Pugwash Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The big St. Christopher's Hospice Shop had it's > rent put up by around ?30,000 pa so prices had to > rise. They also have daily and weekly targets to > reach. Ah, thank you, that explains the hike in prices. But sadly, it now seems to have become a lot less affordable for those who need for financial reasons to buy their clothes in charity shops :( Which the Mind shop already was, compared to the hospice shop. I know this has been discussed on here before, probably more than once, but it seems (and I'm not saying this is wrong) that the charity's priority is to raise funds for its own work rather than to provide affordable items for people who couldn't otherwise buy them. I do wonder whether with a rent rise of ?30,000 pa the shop wouldn't do better to look for a cheaper site? Is it that it gets better quality donations in East Dulwich and that's why it stays here? Because I don't know what its turnover/profit is, but ?30k seems to me to be a massive additional amount of money to have to raise each year.

DulwichFox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It is possible that the foundations of the bay are > not so deep as to those of the house. > > May not be as serious as it looks. ??? > But the bay will still need to be rebuilt. Yes the foundations of the bay are different. That's why only the bay is affected, presumably.

I successfully tackled a wasp nest with a fumigating thing I bought from Dulwich DIY. However it was in my loft, which was somewhat different. Don't know how (or if) it would work outside. Have you tried googling? Googling for how to do it yourself, I mean!

ed_pete Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Any possible access from the ceiling of the room > below (the kitchen ?). A smallish square of > plasterboard cut out and then the floorboards > removed from below could be another option. > Certainly not ideal but less aggro than the hole > in the wall I would have thought. That's an interesting possibility!

Well, it depends how picky you are about what the bath and bathroom look like, I suppose. I didn't go for the cheapest options and probably wouldn't again. And a new bath would still have to be got past the towel rail.

ianr Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sue, if you could find the replacement part, new > or used, from another source, would that resolve > the problem? If so, I'd suggest putting quite a > bit of effort into that course. For a start, how > about a query on Usenet group uk.d-i-y? If you > don't have a news reader it's also accessible via > https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/uk.d-i-y. > > Would making a replacement part be out of the > question? Unfortunately the person who tried to mend it has now caused other problems, so just making a replacement part wouldn't solve it :( Also I don't think it would be aesthetically pleasing :)) Good idea though, I should have tried that path in the first place (trying to find the part by other methods, I mean).

To be fair to all concerned, it was pointed out to me at the time that there would be problems if access was needed to the plumbing. However I particularly wanted taps in the middle of the bath, to enable two people to share the bath without one having the tap end (sorry if too much information :)) ) So I said I would cross that bridge if I came to it. Sadly I have :( This problem has only arisen because the stupid tap company (English Heritage. Don't use them) said that parts would be available, but they aren't, and they have removed that statement from their website (though I have a screenshot of it). I don't know if I have any sort of claim against the company. A relative broke off the diverter lever (? diverting water between the spout and the spray) because when he couldn't immediately move it (it went up and along) he forced it upwards very hard and broke it off. He then claimed it would have happened soon anyway because of metal fatigue :)) :)) :)) It would have been a two minute job to replace it, as it just screwed in, but the company had "run out" of the part, despite their advertising that parts would be available. The taps were discontinued shortly before they ran out of it, so I can't even match the replacement taps to my basin taps. A friend tried to mend the lever but made things worse as water started leaking out of the bottom of the spout where it joins the bath. Sod's law striking again, my insurance company said that this would count as two separate incidents, and as (bad) luck would have it, I had just changed my insurance company, and the new policy kicked in between the two incidents, so I would have had to deal with two companies, probably wrangling over whose responsibility it was, and I couldn't face it. The relative is paying for this work, but it's been an absolute nightmare.

Thank you, I will ask one of the plumbers if that looks possible, however it would be a very small gap. One of the issues is that there is virtually no space underneath the bath.

Angelina Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Yes Sue, they are a minority and therefore are > privileged with tolerances because we're so scared > of being labelled as racist/ intolerant Sorry but that opinion does not explain what Hitler's killing of gypsies has to do with this instance, does it? Or am I being particularly dense?

BrandNewGuy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hmmm, the heatwave makes it sound more like > cracking in the subsoil and below due to the > moisture content decreasing ? which is the cause > of most London subsidence. And birch roots are > very shallow. Further investigation need, I think. The guy I spoke to on the phone was going on a video which somebody who came last week made, inside and outside, so they are coming to investigate further (digging down to the tree roots). The video maker told me it was highly unlikely to be the tree because neither of the adjoining houses has similar cracks. However today's person (can't remember whether he said he was a structural surveyor or a structural engineer) said that the tree roots would have drawn the moisture out of the soil. He said the person who made the video was a technician and implied that his own view was superior to the technician's opinion. My main concern is that the cracks are getting wider and I'm worried the windows may fall out :( Because of the number of claims due to the heatwave, things are taking longer to investigate and resolve. The guy said I may have to have the front of the house propped up temporarily, AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH :(:( :( ETA: Anyway, they are sending me a letter which may (or may not) shed more light.

Flux capacitor Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I would recommend > > MIND 96 Grove Vale, Dulwich > London, SE22 8DT > > Opening Hours: > > Mon: 10:00 - 17:00 > Tue: 10:00 - 17:00 > Wed: 10:00 - 17:00 > Thu: 10:00 - 17:00 > Fri: 10:00 - 17:00 > Sat: 10:00 - 17:00 > Sun: 11:00 - 16:00 > > They stock all manner of goods from bric-a-brac > pots and pans to clothing and CD's. > > > https://www.allinlondon.co.uk/directory/1225/56831 > .php That shop always seems very expensive to me, at least for clothes, though I have bought a mirror and a coffee table there at reasonable prices in the past.

se22cat Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Can I interest you in some fork handles instead? :)) :)) :))

Rianoo Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Remove bath panel and wooden frame work (front > only) - disconnect waste and taps (probably on > flexible connectors) - remove any silicone around > edge of bath to free it up then slide the bath as > far towards to towel rail and you may have enough > room to remove taps and replace. If the bath has > adjustable feet drop that may help. It could be > possible, pain though. Leave the wall alone. That's an interesting idea. I've just measured, and there's a 13cm gap between the edge of the bath and the beginning of the towel rail. I suspect that if the bath was pulled forward there wouldn't be enough room at the back to get in to replace the taps :(

diable rouge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > How did the taps get fitted in the first place? > :)... They went in before the bath, presumably. Or at least, the bottom parts of the taps must have done, then the top parts were screwed on once the bath was in position.

Well. As of this afternoon, I have been told that the cracks all over my front bay and down the sides of its windows are due to subsidence and are "100%" due to the Birch street tree outside my house. Somebody will shortly be coming along and investigating re the roots. So I imagine the tree will have to be removed. So the blocking out of the sun is now the least of my problems :( I gather similar cases are arising all over this area, following the heat wave :(