KestonKid

Thank you for good advice re 101 - will do. NB mis-spelling of 'stalky' it should have been 'stocky'!.

A man knocked on the door around midday claiming to be working on a tree behind our house with noisy machinery - all a bit garbled. He said that if anything dropped in our back garden he would clear it up and could he come in through the house to look/show me. That was the only clear statement he made. I said no need to come in as we wouldn't worry about any noise and closed the door to his obvious disappointment. He looked like a man engaged in building work, stalky, white, 40-ish, London accent. There has been no noise yet and there are no trees near our garden which could possibly need this sort of work. We have warned our elderly neighbour not to be taken unawares.

Whereabouts?

Three weeks.

For some years now I have accompanied a very elderly lady for her regular appointments at the Eye Department, and she always tells me that the care she has received there over many years has been exemplary. I myself have been through A&E as a patient once, and found the same kindness and professionalism that is shown in 24 Hours in A&E (to which I am devoted)! One minor grouch though. Over the last couple of years I have separately accompanied two people to A&E, both experiencing severe abdominal pain. Both cried throughout their one-hour-plus wait (after triage) and although I enquired at the desk, more than once, whether some pain relief could be administered I was told not. However, when I recently took up the cudgels about this, and finally reached the matron in charge of A&E, I was told to my surprise that the policy is that pain relief should be given in such circumstances. He was unable though to tell me why this had not happened in my cases, except to suggest that "there must have been sort of mis-communication". But other than that I have, as a patient, found nothing whatever to complain about.

Safer Neighbourhood Team?

Trodding? Think I like it.

Eh?

In the 'Pool we used to call it a Jigger.

Yawn....

Another hurrah for Dulwich DIY - the very helpful staff have never failed to produce what I want even if - like Lynne - I only have the vaguest description of what I am looking for!

Makes me look at Tesco in a different light.

Check out today's Guardian Notes and Queries.

Air ambulance or police perhaps??

You bent down I see. Perhaps this is linked to the fart?

Fond memories of Monkey Music with Rebecca - still going on at Goose Green Community Centre and also at the centre in Dulwich Park.

If you google Downhills Primary School there are several items explaining what happened there. History now, as it was given by Mr Gove to Harris Federation to run. It all depends whether or not you think that state schools should be run by an elected local authority, or by a private organisation. The Guardian today has an article by Rajeev Syal about a free school and its troubles.

Thank you to LondonMix for the info about the National Literary Trust. No problems at all with what sounds a thoroughly good thing. Forgive me for being slightly suspicious. I am sure there is a hidden agenda circling Heber School - the situation sounds so similar to that at Downhills Primary School in North London. My interest is that of a Heber grandparent (Year 5 now). Zoe Williams in today's Guardian says it all far better than I could.

May we know for which educational charity LondonMix volunteers?

A fine structure. And we do need a cheap hotel don't we?

One local charity you might consider is Dulwich Helpline & Southwark Churches Care. Based at Dulwich Hospital, it supports isolated older people in Southwark. I do some volunteering for them and find it both rewarding and fun.

Yo Zebedee!

Uncle Ben - may I join others in thanking you you for your helpful and sympathetic post. Always a pleasure to hear from you.

Not quite sure that knotweed is no threat to buildings. Our insurance company takes a dfferent view about the weed in our our two neighbours' gardens and asked me to contact their housing associations to suggest that they took action. This duly took place (twice) last year - a contractor came and injected it all - yet it has now reappeared and further treatment is being arranged.

No Virgin reception on Melbourne Grove this pm. Anyone else affected?