Pugwash

I attended Friern Girls 1961 - 68. The first 2 years of school were in the lower school at Peckham Rye and the remaining years were at the Upper School in Goodrich Road.Hated the red uniform and even to this day I rarely wear read.When Miss Thompson went to become head of Peckham Girls school ( now Peckham Academy) Mrs. Pringle took over. 6th Form uniform was decided by the 6th formers and was classed as very fashionable (in 1966) turquoise blue or beige shirtwasher dress for summer, or grey straight skirt with pink blouse.Blue or emerald courtelle jumpers ( fashionable at the time from M & S) with either grey/navy skirts. Prefects wore silver medalions to denote their status.

It's not always the kids that are mouthy. During recent bad weather I travelled to work by bus, very crowded and I stood up for most of the journey. Noticed a spare seat next to a woman in her 20s near the front of the bus - everyone was eying this seat but not taking it. Went over and noticed the woman's hand bag on the seat, said excuse me can you move your bag. Was told to F off, I had no right to sit on the seat as she did not want to get crushed. Admittedly I am on the plus side but this woman was about a size 20 herself. I just picked up her bag, dumped it on her lap, said tough luck, these seats are for disabled passengers or those with young children, I am disabled, and have a freedom pass to prove it. She continued to swear at me for the rest of my journey. I got a lot of smiles and thumbs up from many of the other passengers, some of whom had been refused a seat by her.

THERE IS A SIZABLE POLISH COMMUNITY IN EAST DULWICH WHO HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR OVER 20 YEARS. MY HUBBY IS HALF POLISH - HIS FATHER CAME OVER HERE DURING THE WAR AND STAYED. MOST OF THE BOYS AT ST. JOSEPH'S SCHOOL DURING THE 1960S WERE OF POLISH ORIGIN. POLISH FOOD IS SOLD IN VALS NEXT TO RED APPLES. WHAT WE NEED IS A POLISH DELI SELLING RYE AND CARRAWAY SEED BREAD, HERRINGS AND VARIOUS MEATS BY THE KILO AS MORE ECONOMICAL THAN PRE PACKED STUFF. GREAT PLACE TO GO FOR A HOLIDAY POLAND - ESPECIALLY THE TATRA MOUNTAINS.

I too went to a party at Beltwood - a friend was a member of the Icthus group who rented/leased/owned the property and she had her 40th Birthday party there. Everyone had to wear a hat. I agree with the time warp feeling - the whole place was lit up with hundreds of candles very romantic and in another way, weird.

I was telling a friend about this lady and she informed me of other scams going round by a group of men. These were operating in the Crystal Palace Road area and Forest Hill Road. In one case they call and say they are damp course surveyors and that they had been in your neighbours property and noticed damp coming from your adjoining wall. Since the job was small there was no need to call your surveyor/building society/insurance, they would do the job for cash. My friend also go conned out of ?300 for fencing that never arrived by men pretending to work on the adjoining property. they had duped her sick husband a few days earlier in letting them into their garden in CP Rd as they were doing work on the garden which backed on to theirs. Husband had agreed that the fencing needed to be done and asked for a written estimate. They came back on a Sunday afternoon to the wife and demanded the money. As an elderly woman she was worried about their attitude and went over to the cash point, to draw out money. Next day gets a phone call from an alleged timber yard saying that they had been trying to deliver fencing, but no one answering door. Did 1471 got a blocked number. Realised that she had been done so rang the police. Following interviews with police advised that if these men turned up again, keep them talking or distracted and dial 999.

The site in Lordship Lane was originally a Co-Op and was there till around the early 80's. It stocked the basics of life - milk, bread, loo rolls etc I cannot even remember if it had a frozen food cabinet. It survived along with Cullens, a high class grocer ( on the corner of Landells Road where the Dry Cleaners is now) and a Green grocers ( where either The Moulin or undertakers is now) Vals grocers was also up and running - us locals got to know which offered the best price for certain goods and shopped accordingly. I remember as a kid and teenager having to go to all of the shops for my Gran, thus saving her a few pence on her weekly shop. I shop regularly in Somerfield in Camberwell as it is near my work and pick up a few bargains. Since I run the office tea club - I usually pick up half price or 2 for 1 bargins on Tetley or PG Tips. yet when I go to East Dulwich Somerfield they do not have these items on offer. The reduced range at the Camberwell store have a far greater reduction than those in East Dulwich. So I guess that they cater for different income brackets. I rarely go to East Dulwich Somerfields for this reason as I feel they are catering for those who sometimes have more money than sense! I do admit that a friend who is on benefit says that he can get some items cheaper in Somerfield than Sainsburys, he can walk there quickly from his home and the queues are less.

Not in the ED area but the traffic lights outside Kings - even the fit and non wounded can only get over three quarters of the road before lights change. One day - poor old soul with a rollator frame was half way and bikes were wizzing past her and cars hooting.

Many years ago there was a campaign to get a green man phase on these lights, This stemed from the local community and went to Southwark's Traffic Management Section. They tried to get something implimented but because road came under (then) Ministry of Transport and was being designated a 'red route' they were not interested. Suggest that our MP should take it up again or Boris.

All GPs and nurses I have been in contact with are helpful and professional

Some of the primary schools operate a catchment area - we are Barry Road and our eldest daughter went to Goodrich. When the youngest was born we found that Goodrich had changed their catchment area and we were now the wrong side of Barry Road. Our youngest went to St. Anthony's RC Primary but I believe they have tightened up entry 'qualifications'. Only one of us was Catholic and not a regular attender at Church, although the priests were aware of our names. I believe now that both parents have to be regular attenders and you need a supporting letter from priest. We had applied for Dulwich Village Infants for eldest but were told out of catchment area - hence the Goodrich entry.

Walking at dusk following a sunny day, especially in Dulwich Park, the stillness gets to you. Better still if you are with your dog(s). Sitting in my garden on a summers day listening to the sounds of people and music from the Plough pub.

We purchased a ex council house in Worthing area to be used by our daughter and boyfriend. She was a student in Brighton and paying ?650 for a tiny one bed flat per month. landlady was going to increase rent to ?750 pm. At the time of looking 1 bed flats were going for around ?80k with 2 beds around ?90 k. Within 3 months of deciding to buy a property - the prices rose to around ?90k and ?100K and kept rising. We eventually landed up in Worthing with a 3 bed exncouncil house. Boyfriend pays rent, and since we were committted to pay daughter's accommodation costs whilst at Uni - we paid rest. The aim was to rent property to daughter and boyfriend after she finished uni (to cover mortgage costs)and when they had a couple of years work behind them, sell them the house for the remaining mortgage. This way they knew that any improvements made was for their benefit. A second home as such but used 52 weeks a year. We also own our ED house but realised that daughter would have difficulty in getting on property ladder unless we helped her.

If it is overhanging the pavement and a danger to passer's by i.e. prickly leaves that could scratch a blind person's face. You can contact the council who will inspect and request owner/tenant to cut back. if they do not do this in a reasonable time,council will cutback and charge owner/tenant. Southwark used to have cards at the Library you could fill in and post off. I think it was the environment department -so long ago since I last did this.

Went to a party in Brockley the other week - a colleague put on a fund raising event in her house and garden, over 60 people there from babes in arms to OAP. Jazz group in the lounge till about midnight then on came the stero for dancing. She had catered for 100, so went around the next day and invited all the neighbours back for dinner and collected more money. She is aiming to have another do in August - no complaints from neighbours re noise. perhaps idea is to have plenty of young children around and a good mix of ages. A few people were merry but not overtly so. Was talk of the office for a few days.

There are many dietitians that work for NHS in GPs surgeries who can sometimes do non 9 - 5 hours. Check with your GP and they may have a contact. I do know a dietitian who works this way and does consultancy work as well.

Attended meeting in rear hall at church. 40 odd people there. Very orderly meeting - many objections to proposed development - traffic, subsidence, design of building, collapsing streets under weight of buses and heavy traffic, a very informative letter read out by a BARA Committee member from the Head of St. Anthonys school who was worried about the impact of a lengthly construction period would have on pupils and school generally. Child Protection issues raised as flats would overlook infants play ground, height of flats would restrict light into 3 classrooms - traffic, pollution, higher risk of accidents etc. One parent from St. Anthonys was present and she will talk to Fathers John and Roy at St. Thomas Moore's Church. Suggested by some attendees that Head circulated his letter to all St.Anthony's parents and ask them to write in. Also is this the correct financial climate to do new builds if other properties are not shifting Those of you who want to get details of plans/object/support quote 08/AP/1536 Planning Caseworker Rachel Gleave, Chiltern, Portland Street. SE17 2ES. objections by 25th July according to local notices) Alternatives - 2/3 bedroom houses, not higher than existing properties in street, with own car parking spaces on site. same financial risk but possible more pleasing design

Yes Mona Lisa film crew were based in the East Dulwich Community Centre (previously called Alleyn Community Centre) Darrell Road for a week or so many moons ago. Some of the car chase scenes were filmed in E Dulwich and a resident in Darrell Road was thrilled when his/her front door was featured in the film

I wonder if the planning department will check the covenants? I did hear that 21 Etherow Street was originally part of 259's garden. The owners of 21 Etherow lived in 259 whilst 21 was built.

WHERE WOULD YOU FIND SUCH A COVENANT? I ASSUME THIS WOULD BE IN THE DEEDS OF HOUSE? IF YOU DID A REGISTRY OFFICE SEARCH WOULD THIS SHOW UP?

No vouchers in Barry Road, but someone popped into the Fair Trade Centre at Christ Church on Saturday morning to collect her bags, forgot to ask he which road she was from. Bags look good by the way.

At the 'consultation' - attended by various residents of Barry Road and Etherow Street the objections to the scheme were; Design of building proposed, although we were informed that this was an artist impression and could change. Size being out of character with rest of street. Entrance for cars in Etherow Street which is one way, and very busy with not just the bendy buses every 5-10 mins. but nos. 40, 176, 197 and the odd 185. The mini buses (around 6 of them) in and out of Barry House Hostel, at least 100 vehicles using Etherow St between 8.30 - 9.15 for the school run , often double parked. Underground parking - this is a high subsidence area which has been made worse by the heavy traffic in Barry and Etherow, digging down this deep could have effect on foundations of other property. When Richard Balfe Euro MP owned house, he had some building work done and rubble entered into the sewage system causing other houses with cellars in Barry Rd to flood with raw sewage. Many of the top end of Barry have combined sewers (linking 3 houses with one sewage outlet) We not only had sewage in cellar, but because the main manhole was in our front garden, sewage spilled out into garden and into the road. I gather that St.Anthonys School, whose grounds back onto all three houses, are unhappy with the proposals as school will be overshadowed and lessons several disrupted during 15/16 months of constructions. The Barry Area Residents' Association also leafleted the area as they found some residents had not been informed of the proposals or the consultation meeting. If requested by local residents, they will call a public meeting. The problem is that Government Housing Policy is such that local councils cannot always turn down a scheme outright. There has to be an element of affordable housing ( which Bradfield properties say will be some of the 1/2 bed flats and the 3 bed units) There will be various eco features incoporated i.e. solar panels, sedum roof etc. From experience with other planning issues, local residents need to come up with alternative proposals as to what can be developed on site by Bradfield properties. The corner house (the ex Balfe/ex GP surgery) was on market for over ?800.000 and would imagine the other 2 houses (all with large gardens) would have cost at least another ?800.000 jointly. Bradfield currently have tenants occupying a couple of the houses, and will want to vastly increase their profit margins with new build. An alternative solution would be to have 3 bed houses there, I imagine you could proabably get 10 on that site - visually better than a solid mass of 3 storey flats, and probably more acceptable to local residents. Also, next to St.Anthonys on the Barry Road side there is an electricity sub station. The last major build in the area- henslowe/Underhill Road - the contractors managed to cut off the electricity and gas to an elderly tenant for several days, damaged the foundations of several houses in Henslowe , disregarded H & S with insufficient shoring up the excavations. And caused havoc with the water pressure.