peterstorm1985

singalto Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I wonder why it could take several years for cafes > to offer free refilling when I assume they must > already have running water. I have carried my own (multi-use) bottle with me for years and never once been refused a refill in any cafe, pub, restaurant etc, But I've rarely had reason to ask in places that I wasn't a customer (and when I did I think they were so surprised they didn't think to say No). I think the idea of the free refills is for anyone to walk in off the street without buying anything else, and although water may be running out of the tap it isn't free, so I can understand why there needs to be some incentive. And I guess most places make a lot of money out of selling bottled water.

bodsier Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What age is too old to change careers?...... We > are retiring later, true, but I believe there is > an issue with insurance if employers hire an older > person. Isn't that the reason why employment > ageism happens? The insurance thing sounds like an excuse. The only likely increase would be in health insurance post normal retirement age and even then is only likely to impact small firms. The greater cause of ageism is the perception that older people are slower (can be true) and have less IT skills (can be true) but both of those really only apply at 50 plus, and are usually set aside if you load your CV with evidence that they don't apply. I also took redundancy at 40 and went back to Uni. I now earn far more than I ever could have done in my old job.

Help-Ma-Boab Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I went back to Uni aged 34. Took a course. changed > direction completely. > > You wont be retiring until you are mid to late > 60's -plenty time. That's hopeful. By the time the OP retires I suspect mid 80's will be the minimum pension age.

Take regular photos of the problem and send to the Southwark environment team. Each time you send new photos add them to a forwarded copy of the last email you sent them. You'll finally wear them down and they'll take action.

Plenty of senior managers in the construction industry started out as tradesmen so the fact that your CV says construction industry may be a good thing. Sales is a good idea but what about estimating or surveying? These are office type jobs (even if sometimes it's a portakabin on a site) and might suit. Contact any of the big Contractors/Housebuilders for details of their trainee schemes - they will often pay for college/university and as you've got a family it may be a safer way to go. At 27 you are certainly not too old to go down that route.

BT - costs a fortune but always works well. Slight drop at 1630 for half an hour but otherwise facilitates any amount of downloading and allows me to work at home on a regular basis.

rendelharris Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > KidKruger Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > 'principle', 'fair', 'presumably' ?! > > > > If you say so, please extrapolate as far as you > > want fella, I guess at least it bumps the > thread > > ! > > > > Banks can afford it, would be a nice gesture. > > But no, I wasn't proposing a national solution > or > > application of principles across the UK (or > > Europe, or World, or Universe - before you > carried > > away). > > I'd guess 90% of people commuting from ED to > London Bridge are working in the City, why > shouldn't the banks pay for improvements on that > line then? If it's not a general principle, then > why do you think it should apply in this instance? Uh? I'm absolutely certain that the number of people commuting to LB who work in the city is nothing like 90%. Just watch the stream of people heading off in other directions. And of those who do head towards the City only a small proportion are even vaguely related to banking. The City is full of business of every sort imaginable these days. And if the 'banks' (not sure what type of bank you're referring to) were charged for transport do you really think they wouldn't simply pass it on to their customers? So the cost would trickle back to us one way or another, and like as not to those who can least afford it. If you catch the train to LB you're probably heading off to a decently paid job, so it makes sense that the user pays; there's always a cheaper alternative: the bus.

NewWave Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Greedy B*****ds this is why our high streets are > all becoming hideous homogenised parades of coffee > shop chains and > estate agents. > Im starting to hate London...why can't we be more > like paris with neighbourhoods boating lovely > independent traders? Is it really greedy landlords or cheapskate punters? There are far more people living in ED than when Bonnie's first opened and a proportionate increase in trade may well have supported a higher rent. But if those extra people choose to buy their flowers somewhere else it doesn't work. The Co-op sells flowers and now M&S; no independent will ever match their prices. We all make choices in how we spend our money. If we want local independent shops we need to use them. Unfortunately in this country we often value cheapness over customer service (which is why Amazon does so well).

Two and a half hours wait this morning/afternoon (started at 10:30) by the time I finally got my parcel. At least I got what I waited so long for; two people in front of me left empty handed. Thank you to everyone who was in the queue with such good humour, it would have been a miserable wait without so many people happy to have a chat. It opens at 06:30 tomorrow so if you need to go that may be a good time.

Perhaps a specialist diamond (core) driller is coming at a time when the builders won't be on site so the vent has been put on (with loose screws/bolts for easy removal) to identify the precise location that the hole needs to be drilled and so the vent can be put back on afterwards.

Stanley Gibbons - definitely best option (and the easiest, 176 to the door).

The difference between portrayal and perception. Sadly, you are perceiving that anyone who looks is ogling in a perverted way, whereas I suspect that very few are.

JohnL Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > I can't think of anything less appropriate to ogle > - are there really people who would ? Are the supposed 'oglers' all ogling, or are they just watching the beauty of a small infant feeding (in much the same way that we all are happy to watch other baby animals feeding from their mothers) and forget that they are also looking at a woman's breast.

JohnL Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > > Saw an article where someone got let off putting > it in a grating - but it went to appeal. What was the outcome of the appeal? In principle I would have thought it was fly-tipping as the storm drain is not a waste receptacle for public use.

Abe_froeman Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Is a hostel like this not usually aimed at > backpackers / tourists on low budgets. Maybe > school trips too. My thoughts exactly. But where would these backpackers/school trips be going? Seems all very odd. Other than possible stag/hen dos (but is East Dulwich really a desired location for them?) I can't see who it would be for. Is there any chance this is just a planning application designed to make all following applications (after it's rejected) look appealing?

uncleglen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > when I had one opened up the installer put a > smoking pellet in the grate to see if there was an > updraft and he swept it and made sure the > brickwork inside was sound since it hadn't been > used for years. > This area is a smokeless zone so you can only use > smokeless fuel but if I remember correctly you are > allowed a Yule log over the Xmas period. Doesn't the chocolate make a mess in the grate?

Mouse in your flat = a visit to Dulwich DIY for a trap Rat in your flat = phone call to Pest control

fishbiscuits Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > singalto Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Why shouldn?t people who work hard to send > their > > children to private schools be able to do so > > without being criticised? > > I agree, in that it's a personal decision, not an > easy one and certainly not one I would criticise. > But not sure about the "work hard" bit... lots of > people work hard - harder than I could even > contemplate - and cannot dream of paying 15K a > year in school fees. The private schools round > here are great and any child would be lucky to get > in, but sometimes it's good to acknowledge your > privilege... I agree entirely with this but would add that it's good to also acknowledge your privilege if you are able to buy a house at an inflated price near to a good state school. In some ways I'm minded to be more understanding of those who send their children to private school for the reason highlighted by uncleglen.

With regard to the fence, it's worth being aware that there is no legal requirement to even have a fence unless there is a covenant that requires it, or if you have something that needs to be held back (e.g. livestock,pets,children). That means that if your landlord kindly provided a fence then it is his responsibility to maintain it, on the basis of H&S or if it retains your livestock etc. That said, ignorance is a useful tool sometimes so I'd just politely ask the neighbours if they were intending to maintain 'their' fence and see what happens. Obviously if your landlord made any agreement with the neighbours at the time he put the fence up, i.e. that he was only paying for the fence but they still owned it, then the H&S aspect would stay with them, and if it retains any of their livestock you can insist they prevent escape onto your property. You can apply to the land registry for the title deed (only a few ?s) and it may show which fence belonged to which house in the past (by a 'T'), but it may not. If you are in a row of identical houses it's worth asking the neighbours which of their fences they think they own as that may establish a pattern in the street, if they were built at the same time, but they do change as new owners take on responsibilities by putting up fences and maintaining them regardless of who originally owned the boundary fence. With regard to the knotweed, if you have evidence that it came from the council property then you could pursue them for allowing it to escape but it raises the question as to where it came from in the first place and I would be very surprised if they did anything unless you went to court, so I wouldn't even bother with that. I'd just try and kill the knotweed yourself. You can eat the new shoots like rhubarb, so they say - never tried it myself. As to the blocking the light issue - that's just as tough. There are some rights to light inside your property, but they are very limited and you must be able to demonstrate that the light has changed. Again, best to try ignorance and just write to the council. If you can see any 'dangerous' overhanging branches that might be helpful.

I'd be surprised if there is anything specific in the 'H&S regs'; safety law is rarely that prescriptive, it will depend upon the design of a safe working method for all persons involved. Workmen often say that they cannot do certain things because of H&S law but it's usually because their company safety officer has written a method statement that they have to follow. That said, scaffolding may be the only practical solution; will you need to repoint, or change a stone cill? You may find that having scaffolding reduces the numbers of workers required to make the process safe. The additional reason for scaffolding for windows next to the road would be to prevent even the smallest piece of debris hitting a pedestrian - they always forget to wear hard hats.

Emily Mackenzie Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > We have a small hole at the back of the garden > next to the fence. The foxes seem to like it / > lurk around that area. Yesterday I saw a rat run > out of it. Our dog also goes crazy / barks when he > is near the hole. > > Does anyone have any advice or pest control > recommendations? > > Thanks so much Fill the hole. And I'm being relatively serious about that. We often get small holes at the boundary of the garden, and if you leave them a rat hole becomes a cat hole becomes a fox hole and then the edge of the garden gives way, so I fill them with roofing slates or bricks and usually whatever it was goes off to annoy someone else.

Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > What I love about places like Farmer's, is the way > they're just so friendly and make your day a > better one. No pretence, just genuinely nice > people. I never go in and don't come out with what > I need. Useful shops like these are becoming less > and less, until we end up with a handful of > trinket shops open 2 hours a week. Farmers is a great shop because it has kept up with gentrification and stocks what the new residents want as much as the old. Dulwich DIY is the same. The only shop that I miss is the garden centre but I believe they owned the building so no one can blame gentrification for their demise. I can't think of any shops that only open a few hours, or perhaps they only open when I want them to be open, which is OK by me.

DulwichFox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Loz Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Angelina Wrote: > > > -------------------------------------------------- > > > ----- > > > > > Gentrification tends to be a cleansing of an > > area > > > making it slightly sterile. > > > >Or a cleaning of an area to make it safer and > nicer. All a matter of perspective, really. > > Safer ? Nicer > > There has NEVER in the history of East Dulwich > been more Burglaries.. Robberies.. Attacks on the > person.. > Bike Crime... Littering ... Dog Fouling .. as > there is today.. > > I have lived in the immediate area for 37 years.. > > > DulwichFox I've only lived here for 30 years and perhaps I arrived at a particularly nasty time but I know that I feel much safer now, and I spend far less on taxis because I'm much happier getting off a bus or walking from the train station late at night. Of course certain types of crime have increased, if only because there weren't any smart phones 30 years ago, but I remember the frequency of the yellow crime boards that thankfully are now a rare sight. I agree entirely with Abe; unless reinvented as something else, the typical newsagent has too few customers to sustain it, whatever the rent may be.

Yes, it's well worth you getting a builder to price the works specified by the structural engineer, but be aware that the price you get won't be much more than an rough estimate as at this stage of the proceedings (i.e. before you've bought it) the builder won't hold out much hope of actually getting the job and therefore won't spend that much time on putting the price together. But it's still worth it just in case the structural engineer's estimate is a long way off. By the way, if you need a mortgage to buy this house, you may need to have all the work done before the mortgage money is released - have you investigated that? And have you checked out whether you can get buildings insurance at a reasonable price before the work is completed? When you say that the sellers will deduct the cost of the works from the price, what about the cost of not having a habitable property for the time the works are being done? That should cause a hefty discount too.

intexasatthe moment Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Does this really damage the pavement and services > underneath ? Over time yes, although the degree of damage will depend upon what type of pavement you have and the level at which there are services beneath. If you're only driving a car over it (not loading a skip) on an occasional basis then you may get away with it. > > Do Southwark ever take any action ? Only if someone complains as far as I know but it may not be Southwark that takes action. If you do damage the services the utilities may come after you. Never heard of it in London, but have out of town. Don't forget that it may be your own services that get damaged.