kiera

James. Several forumites have had their bicycles stolen. I remember that you recently dealt with an abandoned bicycle and arranged for the council to recycle rather than scrap bikes in future. Do the council take any action to check whether an abandoned bike is one which has been stolen?

I've always assumed countrlass to be someone for whom English is not a first language. I don't have a problem understanding her posts and she makes good points.

I can well understand cyclists finding it difficult to cross from Green Dale because of traffic turning right from Townley Rd, but surely this could easily be resolved by rephasing the traffic lights. I don't know why the council can't make simple adjustments without spending a fortune on a total and unnecessary redesign.

Nick - Thank you for that - I now understand the levels you have in mind, and that it will still be necessary to cross Queens Rd at street level. Thanks.

In answer to your question, I think a built out kerb would be potentially hazardous to traffic heading uphill in Lordship Lane. Because of the bend, they may not see it until the last minute and anyone on the inside, such as a motorcyclist would have nowhere to go.

CoalLine - where do you envisage the high level park coming down to ground level after the Gordon Rd.bridge? You say that Kirkwood Open Space starts in Gordon Rd, but doesn't it start after the next bridge, in Kirkwood Rd? And it's at ground level.

CoalLine, thank you for your informative and reassuring reply.

CoalLine - A very attractive idea, but before I support it, I'd like to know the effect on the scaffolding firm, which has been there for at least 30 years. Could you please say whether you would expect them to move out and whether you have obtained their views. Thanks.

Re.Lordship Lane road junctions 1/ Northcross Rd. Is this a consultation? It's listed as one on the council's website, but, as pointed out on the other thread, there is no facility for anyone to contribute an opinion. 2/ It is now a year since I raised the issue of poor visibility at the Whateley Rd junction. At the time, you said you were already dealing with this. Later on, when I asked what, if anything was happening, you said it was "a work in progress". In fact, nothing is any different. Removal of the railings and all the items lined up against them would improve the visibility at this junction. The council seem unconcerned about road safety at this junction. Could this be because they intend to close this end of Whateley Rd to traffic once the school is built, as they did with Friern Rd, once the Harris Boys' Academy had been built?

Our first encounter with ticks was shortly after my family moved into their house in East Dulwich in the 1960s. As we had never seen ticks before, we didn't know what they were - one of our cats had what looked like lots of lumps on her skin and it was the vet who told us these were ticks. Nowadays it only happens very infrequently, but twice in the last few weeks I have had to remove a tick from the head of one or other of my cats (and they don't go in Dulwich Woods, so I don't know where they pick them up). I'm very glad that I have never had a tick attach itself to me.

A bird which cannot fly is very vulnerable to being killed by a cat or a fox if it is left on the ground. It's best if it can be picked up and put in a box or cat carrier in a safe place overnight. The best place to take a pigeon, where it will be cared for until its injury has healed is Pigeon Recovery in Sutton. 0208 644 7349. For other injured birds/wildlife, call Willow Wildlife in Chislehurst.

The winged ants only survive in that form for a day or two. They want to fly away to set up home elsewhere - it's an interesting life cycle. I would suggest you allow them to fly out of the house. They always come out and fly off on a nice sunny day at this time of year.You could catch them, using a beaker and a piece of card, and release them outside or out of a window. You don't want ants to be living in your kitchen, but they are part of the natural, harmless and interesting wildlife in a garden.

Maybe they are wood-boring weevils - a type of woodworm. They like damp wood.

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust's website contains information re. bumblebee nests. http://bumblebeeconservation.org/ about-bees/habitats/bumblebee-nests or you could phone them for advice. Your bees are probably tree bumblebees, as they are the only species to nest so high up - there is information about them on the website. I hope you decide to leave the nest to die out naturally. Best wishes.

Sue, That sounds like a good idea - much more satisfying to take the time to create a wildlife pond to be pleased with. There are no hard-and-fast rules - soil, gravel, sand ( as long as it's pure) are all o.k..Or you might prefer to just put in some plants in pots, using gravel on top of the soil to stop it muddying the water. If your sink is big enough, you may find this guidance helpful - http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/ponds_minipond1.shtml You'll need to ensure the froglets will be able to get out and to get back in again, remembering that they are very vulnerable to predators, usually birds, at that stage, so need some cover round the edges. Have fun!

Sue, the chlorine evaporates quite quickly. I wouldn't advise that you add anything to the water. There's no hurry anyway - you can take your time setting up a nice home, with stepping stones and oxygenating plants for aeration and protection from predators for the new arrivals - toads?

Sue, I'm sure it's okay to use tap water to start a pond, as long as you don't put live creatures in it straightaway. The chlorine evaporates.

BBC travel news states 8 buses on diversion due to accident in Peckham Rye, at junction with Kinsale Rd.

So, James, the council have done as you requested and relocated the recycling bins - but only from one end of the railings to the other. I do appreciate now being able to see the road instead of the bins (where they were before) but they are now very conspicuous as the first thing you see, rather than the road, when you look to the right at this junction. Do you think the council consider this resolves the problem of the obstructed view at this junction. Perhaps you could take a look and see what you think?

The putting green is the grass area on the park side of Strakers Rd before the main park gates, coming from the Barry Rd direction. Until relatively recently, it still had railings around it. We think it had a little hut on it, where you could borrow the equipment for little or no cost.

According to the byelaws (as outlined above by ianr), the central landscaped area is a 'dogs on lead' area, therefore the signage at the gate is correct, so why is it being removed? Dogs are only allowed to be off-lead in the fields outside the central landscaped area of the park. What IS confusing is the new sign to the Sexby Garden, which should not read 'Dogs on lead'. The Sexby Garden is an ornamental garden, so should read 'dogs prohibited'. Are the council too afraid of the dog lobby to apply the byelaws bonniebird?

I hope the 'Seamaster people' don't extend their new diner to take up the whole forecourt, as they have done with their fish and chip shop, leaving no accommodation for their bins. There's hardly room for two people to pass each other on the pavement outside Seamaster, with the bins on the already narrow pavement.

Queen bumblebees go into houses, sheds etc to hibernate and they are coming out of hibernation now, so are a bit dozy. They will feed on early nectar, if they can find any,then look for somewhere to nest.I found one this week which had been hibernating in my living room. Another one was buzzing outside my bedroom windows, looking for a gap where it could go in with a view to setting up home. Although most bumblebees nest in holes in the ground, as EDmummy has said, tree bumblebees nested in next door's roof last year. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust's website is a useful resource for information about bumblebee life-cycles and aids to identification.

Probably not, unless he sometimes switches from being a butcher's to becoming a hotel/guest house.

Frog spawn has started to appear in my garden.