Sue

Thank you for posting (no pun intended) that. I'm not holding my breath.

OK, thanks, I must admit I hadn't looked at the website very closely yet!

Can anybody who has made a Lasting Power of Attorney offer any advice, eg anything I need to be particularly aware of? Do I need a solicitor or is that not really necessary? If I do, can anybody recommend a local solicitor who they have used for this purpose? Thanks.

A newt has laid eggs on the floor of my very tiny shed. I don't know how long they have been there, as it's a while since I opened the shed door. Surely this is a strange place. How can they survive if/when they hatch? I have a Belfast sink nearby with water and pond plants. Why would a newt go into a shed to lay eggs? The floor on that side was a bit damp because the roof felt was dislodged (now put back) and there was damp newspaper on the floor (now removed) Do the eggs need damp? Should I replace the damp paper? The actual newt scurried away down a hole when I opened the shed door. That was how I realised they were newt eggs (never seen them before, had to Google). Also, isn't it the wrong time of year? Will they survive the winter? And what will happen when they hatch? There is no water in the shed 😭 In thirty years of living here, I have never seen a newt before, though I have frogs and a toad in the garden.

A gnome with a well and a fishing rod, or some neon pink plastic seats and huge cuddly toys, would brighten the area as well. That doesn't mean they would be aesthetically appropriate. Having said that, the seats are growing on me. A bit. But I think they would be better somewhere else, like in a kids' playground for the adults to sit on.

Well done, but it really shouldn't have needed doing, should it? Who accepted this stall as part of the fair in the first place? I'm guessing not the headmaster.

Yes, and when they close the Clock House is still open 🤣

Excellent!

That's absolutely horrific. What is the college thinking? But also, who is still buying these things? Presumably the stallholder is expecting to sell them to people going to the fair?

Really Maria has a cat whose job it is to sit in the window occasionally 🙂😻

The Italian place on Lordship Lane has some in the window. No idea if they are "decent"! Also the cheese shop (the older one) has them at this time of year, I think.

I've just had a massive amount of post, including something dated 17 October and a package I was about to get a refund on. Hopefully they are whittling down the pile at the delivery office. Just in time for Christmas.

I was walking down East Dulwich Grove yesterday afternoon and heard a lot of high pitched twittering. I crossed the road and saw a load of long tailed tits in a tree. As I was admiring them, a woman passing by asked what I was looking at. When I told her, she said "oh, I get loads of them in my garden." GRRRR 🤣 I never get any!

I've also experienced quite hair raising journeys on the P13 travelling between the stop before the lights near Cox's Walk and the stop at Crystal Palace Road. Particularly at night, some of the drivers go at dangerously high speeds, in my opinion.

Lucky you! My favourite birds! I used to get quite a mix of birds in my tiny garden. I haven't seen (or heard) a robin, blackbird, blue tit, great tit, goldfinch or wren for ages. Less surprised about the wren, as they are very shy and hide in the climbers, so could still be there, but sorry about the others. I do get a regular flock of sparrows, and some wood pigeons, but that's about it these days 😭. I do put food out.

Someone told me the other day that it costs businesses £100 for every visit to the official tip. He knows a plumber who just takes his bits of pipe etc home and puts them in his green bin. Or, presumably, his blue bin if the bits are metal.

That really made me laugh 🤣

Does your friend know that you can get liquid henna? It is much easier to apply than the powder. You just apply it like a shampoo and comb it through. It can be a bit messy, but not nearly as messy as the powder method (in my experience over decades 🤣) Health Matters in Lordship Lane used to stock it, I don't know if they still do, also Baldwin's in the Walworth Road, or you can buy it online. It comes in the same colours as the powder eg mahogany etc. Here's just one place: https://www.worldsend.co.uk/auburn-henne-henna-liquid-hair-dye-colouring-cream-573-p.asp There are also other brands of liquid henna than that one.

That's brilliant that the fire service still do things like rescue cats stuck in trees! Best wishes to Bertie for a swift recovery ❤️

I actually got the latest one today - the first time it's arrived on time for possibly months. I also got quite a bit of post. Whether they somehow fished mine out of the chaos after I complained, I don't know. However, Royal Mail made an almighty f*** up with a 24 hour tracked item. I won't go into the lengthy details, but there were so many mistakes made it would have been unbelievable had it been any other organisation. And on top of the mistakes, the tracking system was down on both their website and their app. After I had identified the cup cakes and/or the crabs in the little squares for the umpteenth time I gave up. Apparently they know about it. Don't know if they managed to find somebody sufficiently competent to fix it 🙄

I've been trying to get a smart meter for ages. I've applied several times, and never hear anything. I'm with Octopus (moved there with no choice when Avro folded, but very happy with their service - apart from this!)

I have received this from Helen Hayes today - it is hard to think of anything that she could do about this sorry situation that she has not already done or is doing: Dear Thank you very much for writing to me regarding Royal Mail services in the SE22 postcode. I am very sorry to hear about the current unacceptable level of service you are receiving. It is particularly concerning that you have not been receiving vital hospital correspondence, or time sensitive documents. I have been raising my concerns about the serious failings in local Royal Mail services for many years, and constituents across a number of different postcode areas are currently raising concerns once again about poor and infrequent service. As you mention, we have seen particularly poor service in SE22 since the disastrous decision to close the Silvester Road sorting office by Royal Mail. I would like to reassure you that I had nothing to do with this closure. In fact, the local ward councillors and I warned at that time that moving delivery services to Highshore Road in Peckham would create huge problems. Highshore Road is a long way from the furthest parts of SE22 and the topography in this area is challenging. We campaigned vigorously for Royal Mail to open a new fit for purpose delivery office in the SE22 area, but they refused. I wrote about the Royal Mail last year in 2021, and I am saddened that we are still facing the same issues. If you would like to read this article, it can be found here: https://www.helenhayes.org.uk/royal_mail_0221 As your local MP, I have been urging Ofcom to take action against Royal Mail for its poor service. I have also been calling on Minister’s to intervene to improve the Government’s oversight of postal services and ensure Royal Mail is accountable to the public. Locally, I meet with Royal Mail frequently to raise the concerns of my constituents, most recently earlier last week. I am concerned that we appear to be seeing a deterioration just as we are entering the peak Christmas period for deliveries. I made the point to Royal Mail that I do not believe that these issues are related to strikes. I have also recently written to Royal Mail on behalf of many constituents who share the same issues in SE22. In my emails, I set out concerns about delays of post and the reduction in the frequency of deliveries. Many constituents face missing out on vital information and time sensitive packages, which I find unacceptable. I have asked that these concerns are investigated and that Royal Mail set out the steps that are being taken to improve services before the busy Christmas season. Please let me know if you would also like me to write to Royal Mail on your behalf also, as I would be happy to do this. With best wishes, Yours sincerely, Helen

Sadly the vet couldn't even find a vein to get fluids into the fox. It had to be put to sleep. The vet thought it may have had a hernia. The Fox Angel Foundation is a charity staffed entirely by volunteers. If anybody feels moved to make a donation, the money goes entirely to the foxes and vets' fees.

I did get a response from the CEO's office. It had gone into my spam folder. Here it is: Rebecca Redmond <[email protected]> Fri, 4 Nov, 18:11 (5 days ago) Dear Thank you for your email to the CEO Office. As part of Royal Mail’s senior team, I have been asked to respond to you. The Customer Operations Manager for your area has asked me to pass on their sincerest apologies. Regrettably, due to the ongoing industrial action, the Delivery Office working hard to deal with a backlog of mail which must be cleared. In order to most efficiently minimise the impact on our customers, rounds are looped to ensure that no particular walk is without a delivery of mail for too long a period of time. I realise that this an unfortunate situation, and I am very sorry for any impact which this may have on you. Please be assured that we are doing all we can to continue providing the best possible service to our customers during the current negotiations with the CWU. Regarding your comments of there having been issues previous to the industrial action, I can see we in the CEO Office were contacted at the end of last year into the beginning of this year, but nothing over the last 8 months. Customers may have contacted us via the usual Customer Service channels within this time but I won’t be able to locate those unless the customer comes directly to us. So I can only apologise for any inconvenience this has caused you and others in the area. If the issues do continue after all the industrial action has finished, please do not hesitate to contact us again and we will make further enquiries. I hope this helps to address your concerns, and thank you once again. Kind regards, Rebecca Redmond Royal Mail – Chairman and Chief Executive Office So basically, it seems that if we want this situation to be taken seriously, instead of going through the "usual Customer Service channels", we need to inundate the Chairman and Chief Executive Office with complaints every time items are lost or delayed. That might help concentrate their minds ...... Also, surely the industrial action has finished, hasn't it???

Completely agree with all that. Possible sites for a new SE22 delivery office were suggested to Royal Mail at the time. Unfortunately some of the local posties were quite keen to move to Peckham. I went to a meeting with their union rep, which Helen Hayes was also at, and there was a definite half heartedness about backing the local residents who were trying to get the decision reversed. I now understand (read it on here) that this is because they get Inner London weighting in SE15 but not in SE22.