KestonKid

The recycling men have been and taken everything away, two bags of paper, plastic stuff, tins and glass all being bunged in together. A separate lorry came later and took away a green bagful of garden refuse which was too big for our own compost bin, and two little bags of food waste from a 23lt brown box. Following my recent post here we have two spare kitchen caddies and a large number of spare compostable bags. Would anyone like them?

We are in the pilot rubbish recycling scheme. We have received a brown bin (large) and some compostable bags. I have sent 2 emails to Southwark explaining that as a 2 person household (one veggie)with a compost bin in our back garden, we do not have a great deal of food waste and don't want to have another large bin cluttering up our tiny front garden. Could I use the kitchen caddy for the kerbside collection? I have asked for one but so far it has not arrived. If they can sort this out and remove/recycle the large brown bin then I will be very happy with the new system. Ironically we have only recently managed to get a small green bin.

Slightly out of area, but does anyone know what is happening (very, very slowly)?

Get in touch with Eileen Conn at [email protected].

Another belated thank-you for this splendid and really useful piece of work!

Hi, We had been badgering Southwark for a year or two to have our road (Keston Rd) resurfaced. It was badly potholed its entire length and we thought merited complete resurfacing. Finally we got a campaign going and got all the residents to sign a petition. We then sent this with photographs and a dvd to the environmental people. At the same time we attended meetings of our Community Council(CC) to bleat at them. Luckily for us this happened to coincide with Southwark's deciding to give ?100,000 to the CC to be spent on roads and lighting at the CC'c discretion. We applied for a share of this and were eventually given ?50,000 for our road. We then got back to Southwark telling them the good news and asking them to do the whole road (the ?50k would apparently have been enough to do half the road). And two months back, the road was duly resurfaced! So some action on the above lines would I think be where to start. I'm sure that your own CC will have been given similar money by Southwark - and that this will probably be an annual excercise. So make your number with them, and if possible get at least one of your councillors on your side - have them come and haver a good look at the road etc. Good luck! Bill Guest 24 Keston Rd London SE15 4JB Tel: 02077320398

Oi Barry - No! Great place for a day out but not on a bank holiday with a pregnant wife and 20-month old, and especially not in early April. It'll be freezing down there!

Camden? Kentish? Acton?

We were called on yesterday late afternoon by a man with a North-East accent and a white van who asked if we wanted any fresh fish. We did not. This is most probably yet another example of the Geordie Fresh Fish Merchant who is offering fresh fish which will, as on earlier occasions, be a) from London and b) frozen. CAVEAT EMPTOR.

When we lived in north London some years back, some of these dish-cloth merchants did our road and, discovering that we were out, jemmied the front window and did a quick circuit of the house, finally making off with the video (natch) and a couple of gold fob watches, neither happily working. Call the police whenever you see anyone similarly employed; there may be one or two genuine cases, but they will just have to suck it up as far as I am concerned.

It strikes me that the area around Goose Green is particularly bad. Hinkley And Keston Roads are constantly befouled, despite vivid Bag it and Bin it markings and notices on lampposts. And it clear from (alas) close examination that there are several serial offenders. Stray dogs are rare, so it is evident that some owners - a small but noxious minority - simply do not give a stuff. The council are very good and clean up the mess quickly when informed, but this atrocious behaviour still continues almost daily.

Fish great; chips nul points.

We've lived on Keston Road for the last four years and love it here, for all the reasons given by others. It's pretty quiet and there's not much through traffic - most of that goes down Gowlett Road. It's as safe as any other SE London area. There is a good mix of houses and flats. And a good mix of people too. Finally, as has been rightly pointed out, the Gowlett is just around the corner. A win-win situation!

The Sea Cow'a fish is wonderful but the chips are dire.

The long-delayed removal of the fence for "public consultation", while absurd and costly, is now a fait accompli. It therefore now becomes even more important that all who are keen for their views to be taken into account go to the promised public meeting/s and kick up a fuss.

While I have no complaint about the care I have had since joining the practice three years ago, I am however experiencing a seemingly intractable problem with repeat prescriptions, of which I need several per month. I email my requests to the practice, and when the prescription has been signed by a doctor it is then sent direct to the pharmacy, where I pick up the drugs. That is the theory; in fact, fifty per cent of my prescription requests never make it to the pharmacy and I then have to go back to the surgery to ask what has happened. Usually the prescription is found sitting in a tray at the counter. I have complained on many occasions but the system seems incapable of improvement. Does anyone else have this problem or are they just making me a special case?

Been to the Montpelier a few times and found it a very welcome addition to the local pub scene. And we had an excellent meal at the Duke on Sunday night - reasonably priced and charming staff. Well worth a visit.

When I rang to ask Southwark Libraries late last year if they would accept books, I was told that they would accept only if they they already had a copy. Sounded pretty daft to me but there you go.

Let's keep the fence, thus ensuring that at least a part of the Green remains dog-poo free. It's great to be able to use the non-dog bit without fearing the worst.

Tandoori Nights for me, by a street. The Sag Chicken...