bawdy-nan

take a look here - scroll down for some discussion of it and its inhabitant

Zin Oriental is fine and dandy. The very best shop up this end is the little one next to the newsagents (before you get to the enormous cost-cutters). The veg there is brilliant - always very fresh. The people are great, especially the woman who is glad to give top tips on how to cook things (NEVER cook manioc with garlic apparently - NEVER cook manioc would be alternative suggestion). I really like the post-office costcutters too. Cash machine on this side of the road and a non-charging one to boot. Not so keen on the badger bakery - but I think I've been spoiled by lovely bread from elsewhere - if they could pull their fingers out and rustle up some deliciousness I'd be over the moon. The Plough makes me weep for its hideousness and I often have to walk past its clientele pissing in the alleyway of the strangest, most overpriced dulwichhouse for sale in east dulwich (behing the Zin Oriental - now boarded up, it was once where the street sweeper would park his trolley and settle down for a daytime kip, and where lots of posh kids hang out for illicit smoking and teenage shenanigans ...

Ah - sorry - lazy browsing ...have been meaning to do this for ages - just fantasy at the mo - you've spurred me on and I#m going to do it ... where d'you think would be a good place?

Have you seen this. Its a website that coordinates - "bookcrossing" (n. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.) East Dulwich is registered as a bookcrossing zone but it seems there's only one book on the loose at the moment. Maybe we should take up the practice (especailly with those doubles we end up with)

or nine wheelchair-using weeing old ladies and their grandchildren - all of whiom just wish to go into EDD to tast ethe delicious snacks on teh counter

I chose a purple squiggle but came out an orange triangle ...

oh no - K, are you Mr Militaria?

With regard to the spittle spattered anti-religious Gary Glitter innuendo driven explosion from H. Did anyone even suggest that Catholic schooling was a reason for moving to a particular street? In your quest for a rant you seem to have omitted to wipe the blear from your trendy specs and actually read the posts... I'm not sure anyone was suggesting that a vigorous Catholic education was a good one. On the contrary, it seems a shocking shame that a perfectly serviceable school building and state subsidy should be squandered on such nonsense. The school manages to acheive excellent exam results but at what cost to the psyche of the children in its care I wouldn't like to guess at. Still, at least the little lovelies will be getting a splendid introduction to high camp - bells and smells, the cult of a iconographic woman, all that dressing up and glamourous gold and beautiful statues.

To be fair, I think the door locking thing was more to do with the fact he was closing and didn't want anyone else in the shop. Nevertheless it made my heart beat faster as I realised my escape was blocked.

On Good Friday I popped into EDD near closing time to buy a piece of cheese. I was alarmed to be witness to a very ugly "discussion". A customer, who seemed to be spending a truly ludicrous amount of money on chocolate based egg-style tat, was being faced down by the Napoleon in charge. Apparently she'd knocked over some bunny/egg confection in the pile it high sell it even higher room of precarious display and damaged it. The squat wee fella in charge was insisting she pay for it. She insisted she wasn't to blame, rather the over ambitious display. Teeny tiny Tim pointed, stony faced, to the large bag of similarly damaged goods citing the "good" customers who'd paid up without complaint or even the desire to take away the broken goods. Our determined lady insisted she wouldn't pay and they haggled, humourlessly, until they reached an agreement of sorts. Meanwhile I'd persuaded someone to serve me my cheese. I tried to leave only to find he'd locked the door! He took her 70 quid and told her she was "out of order" she took her bag of fancy easter fayre. I secured the help of a lowly wiping assistant and legged it. Commerce won in the end, presumably because all other available chocolate egg outlets were closed and this woman had some serious confectionery promises to fulfil. I've found the man grumpy before but this was very very strange and possibly the worst and most ungracious exchange i've witnessed in a ED shop. Am I safe to return to EDD?

Sorry, I don't think I was clear. I was responding to redrouge who said St Anthony's was "catholic but not overly so". I know its a faith school. I know no-one is forcing me to send my children there. I have no problem whatsoever with people practising the religion of their choice. I'm an atheist myself but I recognise and value the place religion and the stories that come out of, or make up, a religion has. Religions and religious texts often seem to have a lot of interesting and useful things to say about how to be a human and in an educational environment that encourages curiosity this can't be a bad thing. I have a very big problem with state funding being provided for religions to run schools and for them to be able to act in an exclusive way. Some church schools have policies which make them open to the wider community. St Anthony's absolutely does not. St Anthony's is the school, closest to my house and in an ideal world I'd like my child to attend her local school. I know this has gone a bit off topic but I thought I ought to follow up. I think home schooling is a very interesting idea but I don't think I could possibly hope to have the resources and knowledge available to give my children the rounded education I'd hope for them. I think it might work in an interesting way in a community setting where those resources could be shared (ie different people with different skills take on different tasks for a group of children). But I think if I extend this logically this is just a school with good parental involvement! As far as greasing up (to) friars are concerned I don't which is his good side is and whether I'd be required to rub or simply baste it.

St Anthony's is gob-smackingly overly Catholic. For a, very big and pretty insurmountable start, you have to demonstrate that you are a practising Catholic. I'm horrified that the state pays for exclusive and religious schools. I don't want to be greasing up to a Friar to secure a place at the school closest to my house. We've just been through the schools admissions rigmarole and as far as I can see our options are pretty limited but pretty ok. There's the village schools with excellent ofsted reports but a worryingly limited social range of pupils and there's Goodrich - long standing "good" local reputation but big and reputedly in decline (though I'm not convinced) and Heber long standing poor reputation but recent excellent reputation (amongst parents who've sent their kids their recently) and which is much smaller than Goodrich. Really, I'd be happy with any of them and I don't think school is the only place you learn (though, of course, its extremely important.) I'm also hoping that with the surreptitious sending of 3 and 4 year old kids to private schools for testing and grading I've seen amongst parents of my children's peers we'll see a clearing up of places in the state sector. If you've got to be utterly loaded to live in ED maybe they'll panic and send their children to fee paying schools. I'm not convinced the children of the over-worked and cash-hungry consumer happy clan are the best company. Playground chats about the excellent rise in house prices and the best place to get your super snazzy flim flam trainers aren't what I want for my children. If you read this forum too much, you may be forgiven for thinking that many EDites have an unhealthy obsession with money (theirs) and the ways to spend it. I'm not at all convinced that's the case. I think its a lovely place to live and there's a good sense of community. We've an annoying council but an active local councillor (Richard Thomas). I also think, in answer to your original post that pretty much all of ED has much to recommend it.

I do think you should have badges - I think you can hire a button badge making machine from southwark council at a teeny tiny price

Will you have a drunk sniping area? Maybe arm-wrestling to finally decide whether house price rises are a good or bad thing? Jousting by the big chains to decide who shall be allowed to set up on Lordship Lane and you need a throne so you can be crowned the benign Goose King of ED.

I did a bit of research about the closure of the emergency clinic. I spoke to SLAM (the trust) who say that the service wasn't good enough and that only a limited number of people were using it. They said that people were better off being treated at home. They also said that Kings A&E (over the road) could replace the emergency service. Users of the clinic say that the service is vitally important especially because the staff are able to manage people in mental health crisis so they don't end up being sectioned. They also say that the A&E at Kings can't cope, that its already overstretched and in any case a very busy A&E is too terrifying a place for someone in mental health crisis to be. They say the provision of care at home is being cut (I don't know about this). Some were very wary about the removal of "safe" emergency provision thinking it might be part of a conspiracy to enable the "enforced" treatment of people with mental health problems at home. I believe there's some proposed legislation at some stage in parliament which will allow for "enforced" drug treatment of people suffering from mental health problems. As I understand it the "cuts" being made aren't solely because of being cash-strapped. The trust seems very keen to be putting forward the cuts as part of a broader "reconfiguration" of services which is happening through out the NHS. They say its not just money, rather, making services work better. I don't think that releasing capital woud necessarily help much in the medium to long term. Once its sold its gone and can't cover ongoing costs. I agree that its a shame the properties aren't being used but more because I think its scandalous when property is left to ruination when there's such desperate housing need.

oh and there is a fantastic fruit and veg place. Pretty Traditional on on Northcross Road is utterly splendid I think. Lovely forced rhubarb, celeriac , broad beans, those lovely apples. Granted the organic premium can mount up but they don't only do organic. The nursery where I'm treasurer has an account there and its bargain. You can get a veg box delivered weekly or go in place your order and have it delivered later. I think its my favourite shop in the entire postcode

Not sure there are many derelict shops up by the station are there? I quite like there being the odd ones - I mean cigar puffing hurumphing posh second hand dealer and shoe-maker with lasts. I'm probably very unimaginative but I can't think what else would work on Lordship Lane or rather, whats missing from the high street. I think a more adventurous stationers or kid friendly art supplies shop would do well. Maybe one that ran workshops too (thereby also satisfying the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Baroness types who don't like the ED children swarming round their feet whilst trying to sip their coffees). I'd love to be able to go somewhere to buy big slopping tubes of poster paint and knock together a giant robot with my two squidlings whilst snaffling bacon sarnies and swigging from a large mug of tea of a saturday morning /afternoon. I had a terrifying experience in "Puffin Crafts". I went in trying to find emergency face paints for a kids party. A group of stern ashen faced crocheteers were gathered round a table engaged in their crafting. There peered round to tell me that this was an "adult crafts" shop. I fled muttering something about their not being very customer friendly and secretly fearing a gimp-mask workshop area out the back. Ideally I'd love to see more seafood - though my preference would be for door to door / pub to pub winkle-type seller.

Bike shop excellent idea - there's a strange but marvellous place hidden away near Loughborough Junction. It has an online presence - Discount Cycles but they do exist and were very very helpful when I bought my new bike (they do free delivery). They do free follow up services etc. Which purveyor of flim-flammery provided you with the skirt. I spent a very hideous couple of hours at Selfridges on Sunday trying to spend birthday gift vouchers. I came away empty handed concluding that I hate all clothes and shoes. I absolutely hate shopping but find the small flim-flammers of ED much easier to cope with. Small selections much easier. I once nearly fainted in John Lewis when trying to buy a kettle only to faced with a giant wall of at least 40 to choose from. FORTY! I had to call home for instructions on how to choose. Surely, in light of the need for reduction in energy use, pegs are, truly, a vital tool in the responsible urbanite's box o-tricks ...

I don't think I've ever seen a plod in east dulwich, except in the olden days when they had the horses there. The people strolling about in their bright kagouls (community something or others) are supposed to be some kind of visual reassurance, but its odd that since they've been Lynda Snelling it around the bridlepaths of ED there's only been an upsurge in big yellow boards. Hmmm maybe thats one for the SLP and their super sleuthing ways.

Not sure what's meant by shops getting their act together. What kind of shops do we need. Surely we've enough gift and novelty shops to satisfy even the slackest of flimflamophiles. There's not much I can't get within walking distance even avoiding the supermarkets which make my mind go fizzy. I'd like to see a decent bread shop and, possibly, a much bigger second-hand / recycling kind of facility - a kind of East Dulwich freecycle non-stop round about of useful things. We've got fish, we've got meat, we've got veg, we've got books, we've got a fine selection of boozeries (in and out), we've got pegs and pharmacists. By the looks of things at the station end it appears, to my ill-trained eye, that we even have a shoe-maker (am I right?). Surely we're in need of nothing else ...

What about the "dapper bums". They're often to be seen enjoying a carrier bag full of super strength something at the top of Landells Road of a morning. They are always smartly dressed and very polite. The older man has grey hair (and occasionally a t-shirt from a West End show). His compadre is a bit more Friar Tuck - ruddy of face and wide of girth. I've seen them sometimes in the charity shops presumably restocking their wardrobes.

Interesting to hear about the scary shop next to William Rose. I've always wondered about it. On the day WR opened its doors I queued with the rest, chanting "we want meat", under our breath. I was alarmed and intrigued to see a bony hand extending from the low lying letterbox of the dusty, black mystery shop. I'm sure it used to have a sign - Marie something or other .... Assuming I wasn't suffering blood-lust induced hallucinations that bony hand must have belonged to the current resident. I've never seen it again or seen anyone leave or enter the building ....

Oh my god - I spy the Elvii --please let them come to East Peckwich Rye or at least the Dulwich Festival. They are my favourite sign of a London summer...

Ah - the measured responses of media-sales moguls. Hope you had a good night and your sorry head isn't too swimmy this morning. Its a shame you feel it necessary to make personal attacks. You make assumptions, but you know very little about me. Whatever you think, I'm convinced I'm correct in this.

Not a lawyer actually. I'm doing a post-graduate diploma in broadcast journalism. Media law's an element. I did my first degree years ago. Over the course of the year I've come across loads of instances where people (not just media organisations) have unwittingly landed themselves in trouble (and often big, lawyer-subsidising trouble at that). Its generally the legal fees that are the most eye-watering part of the whole thing as far as I can see, especially as now, claimants can sue on a no-win no fee basis (ie you don't have do be loaded to go to law).