malumbu

Good stuff. However I made my own, hung it in an appropriate place two years ago, but no swifts to date. I've heard of someone doing similar with an audio device for attracting swifts. But again no luck. Great for advice.

They've been pretty good in my experience in recent times. Going on eConsult at 8 is better than phoning at 8, and this triage system seems to make sense. I've got my own gripes over the years, but I expect most surgeries have similar issues and pressures are only likely to increase with the ageing population and the funding issues across the whole public sector. I had a medical issue a couple of years ago which worried me and I phoned in the afternoon, a doctor called back, and after continuing worries the next week sent me down to Tommies A&E as he considered this an emergency.

ULEZ has reduced the number of polluting vehicles on the road, the mileage that they do and accelerated the move to cleaner vehicles. Not sure if anyone can say this will not improve air quality. You could argue that the improvements have been overstated, but not that in principle it wasn't a good thing to introduce this, certainly within the North and South Circulars. Government was ordered to sort out air quality by the Supreme Court, Mayor Johnson proposed this measure to help achieve this and Mayor Khan implemented the scheme. I'm more bothered about the backward move from supplementary vote to first past the post, we know why the government did this, A nice link to the electoral reform lot about FPTP https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems/types-of-voting-system/first-past-the-post/

Good to read that air quality is continuing to improve in London. I've just thought of another benefit of ULEZ, if you have a non-compliant vehicle, assuming that you keep it for occasional use, few car thieves would consider stealing it.

Think they score highly on Google reviews but on the bigger picture the CMA investigation will also show that as consumers shopping around helps keep prices down. Although like dentistry, hairdressing, and funerals this is quite personal and you will often stick to a provider you are happy with/feel comfortable with.

I thought from the title this was about child benefit, which is wrongly based on the highest of either parent's salaries rather than the joint salary. You get situations where one parent is over the threshold, but two parents both just below could be significantly better off, but still receiving full child allowance. Never understood the logic

I'd like to turn ours off ASAP. Separately I am a bit grumpy about government's campaign on heat pumps, we need to sort the insulation out first. And why are we still building houses with gas central heating and no heat pumps such as the new development in Dulwich Village. OK this is wider discussion on the Lounge.

In deed, the ballot box will show how popular he is. I've no massive issues with him, he could have been a bit more radical/braver. It may be worth reading his book on air quality www.theguardian.com/books/2023/may/07/breathe-review-sadiq-khans-climate-emergency-manifesto-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air

Cripes, wont be able to sleep. Good to hear that he is making friends with the President of Venezuela a bastion of liberal democracy and human rights.

My suggestion is Athenlay. Followed by Athenlay. And third choice is Athenlay. You may be able to get him registered, but certainly worth starting training. Also recommended for girls football. Ground is close to the Rye, and they train there, or older kids on the Rye. They have a 4g pitch with floodlights. All Credit to the former Chair Lee and his team who turned the fortunes of the club around about ten years ago.

Lambeth press release is that it is suspended: https://love.lambeth.gov.uk/streatham-wells-a23-update/ Mayor Khan says it has been suspended: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/sadiq-khan-streatham-wells-lambeth-council-ltn-low-traffic-neighbourhood-suspended-b1144176.html The Telegraph report that it has been scrapped. You can make your own minds up 😃

I appreciate the message and humour, but it should not be aimed just at mothers.

I'm not sure if any research that shows that parents parking outside schools on double yellows because of time constraints. That may be an assumption but it would be useful to quantify. Why do you park there? (a) Because I have a complex journey with multiple stops offs (b) because it is nearer. Maybe I should ask the next person doing it rather than telling them the rules don't apply to them. The majority of parents don't do this Not a scientific study but a mate in Memphis would drop his child off at a layby close to school gates where there was a person meeting the kids. Apparently most of the white professional parents did this whilst the often less wealthy non-white kids used to bus. I'll find out how the child got to high school before they passed their test at 16 and no doubt drove. I expect there is a massive variation across the US, but the concept of the school bus is a good one. I got coached to my secondary school, the closest one, being almost 3 miles away. I can't remember anyone being driven in by parents, but this was last century.

My point was not about CPZs but what I consider selfish behaviour. If you must drive your child to school then please find somewhere appropriate to park. Ideally parents would do this because they are good citizens. Sadly some don't care. I don't buy into many excuses.

The word on the street is that Farage and Johnson will join forces, in Reform, leading to a mass exodus from the Tories and a few red wall, or former red wall, Labour. That's the unrepresentative sample on the BBC news.

Not discussing the CPZ here but how you discourage parents parking outside schools on double yellows, zig zags, often leaving engines running like they are a getaway car I don't see any value in giving abuse, not great outside a school, but I have gently asked when cycling past Goodrich, and Dulwich Village primaries. We had a campaign to encourage walking, and leafleted illegal parking when our kids were at primary. Well publicised with a police motorcyclist with us the first day. On day two drivers would clock us, look sheepish and then park elsewhere. We got a right mouthful from one parent. But a couple of years later it had returned back to 'normal'. The worst was parking on the pavement right outside the school gates. You could have zero tolerance but there could be a backlash against the authorities, or school. Police spending more time prosecuting busy parents rather than catching thieves etc. I like name and shame generally considered too authoritarian but I recall a school in Aberdeen having a montage of photos of parents consistently leaving engines running outside schools. Credit Alleyns who took action when I have phoned them to tell them a coach is sitting their idling, with the driver sitting their with his feet up. Most coaches turn their engines off. And the teacher going into Dulwich Village Primary who agreed, and said it is the usual suspects day after day

My prejudices go back to my work sports club donkeys years ago when the runners went on and on and on and on about their PBs. Not that us cyclists do that, of course. Do you want to know my quickest time from home to Lambeth Bridge☺️ But like the cycle clubs who annoy the leafy residents in Kent of a weekend, overall it's a good thing for society.

Sydney, the ULEZ has been debated over many threads on this site, particularly since it was extended (but less so when it was just within the South and North Circulars suggesting that the inner boroughs are less bothered). My point is that it was a Tory mayor who proposed this, not Labour (who implemented it) and Johnson, if he had continued to be Mayor would have done pretty similar in the first two schemes. I'm a transport professional who was involved indirectly and saw Johnson speak several times. As Mayor he came across as pro European, seeing Berlin and Paris as allies, and I expect not that pro intervention that affected car owners, but both were political opportunism and point scoring against his Eton Chum Cameron. The 40 year exemption for classic cars is an odd one, and goes back 30 odd years when it was 25 year old cars that were exempt from Excise Duty, which I understand was to placate a few crusty Tory Lords. I'm really not sure why classic cars are exempt from anything. If you are low mileage then it may have made sense to keep your older car and just pay. ULEZ is about reducing mileage of older polluting cars, most owners will trade up for newer cleaner models, but for some it would make economic sense to keep the car and just use it when necessary. There have been many discussions on this, with strong feeling from both sides. Hope this context is helpful

Yes all of these, quite brazen, but that may be once a month or once a day. Just be careful. It's no longer counters, so all self serve which makes people more vulnerable.

Saw the lesser redpoll when I came home. So excited. Indulge me will you EDF.... My views on bread and ducks, not at odds with consensus, can wait ☺️

The Johnson documentary on Channel 4 is a painful reminder of what an opportunist he is. Didn't believe in Brexit, but it furthered his aims. Didn't believe in ULEZ but ditto. And both were to take on, and beat, Dave C.

Lots of speculation. Maybe wait to hear what happened. It's a bit of a war zone there, despite all the great things that have happened to Peckham, and I am working there at the moment, lots of criminality at Barclays. Not speculation, but from a meeting had with one of the advisors. Not staff but old school thieves

Assuming that you live within the south and north circulars, it was Mayor Johnson's intention to extend the ULEZ to the A205 A406. He said this when he announced his intention of introducing the ULEZ at a large Guildhall event in 2015, which I attended. So any disgruntlement should also be applied to Johnson.

Hmm, gold finches don't breed till later. A quick Google suggests a lesser redpoll, never heard of this species but they are in the UK

Young goldfinches feeding today, it feels rather early to have the first brood. Also wonder where they nest. I've a dozen or more visiting the feeders