Pugwash

Posted card to Grandson in Harlow 3 weeks ago and he still has not got it. No post in Barry Road for almost 3 weeks.

None of the dozen or so Christmas Cards received came through the post - our friends are hand posting theirs and we have done the same for local addresses.

Friends and I got talking about food items rarely seen now - and discussed where we maybe able to find Lemon Puffs and Bath Oliver Biscuits. I have looked in Co Op, Sainsbury's, Marks and a couple of independent stores. Have found lemon wafers but not puffs. Was surprised to find in Co Op - Abernathy Biscuits which I had not seen for years.

Monkey. FAce to Face meetings of SNT were supposed to have re commenced Sept/Oct for Dulwich Hill ward, but nothing happened. Found out later that Gavin and Mark had been moved to another patch and it was not until Simon came into the Bread of Life cafe that we were aware of this. There was also very poor 'attendance' over zoom meetings - I think the last one in the summer just had the 2 officers, myself and 2 other people.

I gave details of the Dulwich Hill SNT and PCSO details - I have met with Simon PCSO over the years and have found him very responsive in connection with local concerns. The 2 other officers (Gavin and Mark) were moved to a different patch and I am not sure whether new officers have been drafted in to replace them. I suggest your daughter email in with all details.

East Dulwich for many years was known as bedsit land, due to the high number of rentals. Many ED residents are renters of private properties and I would imagine that combined with tenants in HA/half way homes etc that percentage is high. There was a theory some time ago that those in transient properties, rarely have the community commitment of their surroundings and therefore do not take pride in their environment hence graffiti, fly tipping etc. Fly tipping has gradually got worse since Southwark introduced charging. We have ended up paying private contractors to take away our bulky rubbish.

Forest Hill Road comes under Dulwich Hill SNT - try emailing [email protected] or ring 0208 721 2447. The officer for this ward is PCSO Simon Johnson.

The Tooley Street HQ is home for 2,000 staff and is all open plan. Officers have been working from home since March 2020. Staff were recently informed that only 900 employees could be in the premises at any one time. I would say that most of the dissatisfaction with the council relates to staff not being allowed to have face to face contacts with local residents and not being able to phone the council sections directly. Councillors have only recently been allowed to hold their surgeries. All local councils have restricted finances as the Government have cut back the amounts allocated to local authorities.

The ones i have seen have been 'issued' by appropriate organisations - i.e MIND. Alzheimer's, RNID etc and bear official logos etc.

During last lockdown, security staff at doors were reminding people to wear masks, One guy got very angry and was aggressive to staff and a few customers and said he was not going to wear a mask. He challenged everyone to make him and then said he was exempt. I have seen a few people wearing lanyards saying that they were exempt for medical reasons- perhaps this should be mandatory for 'genuine' people.

My daughter who is an NHS employee in hospital, is required to take covid test twice a week and it is recorded on her records. If she does not record it - she gets a message to remind her. She wears a mask on the wards. Staff do not wear gloves unless they are physically handling patients, but sanitise several times a day

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Bread of Life cafe in Christ Church has poppies - purchase them when visiting cafe or Fair Trade Centre. (Not open Mondays)

When I worked, I was an essential car user and my local authority provided myself and other colleagues with an all borough parking permit. Frequently called out to respond to an emergency (or to transport a non car user colleague)and needed to be in areas not accessible by public transport. Sometimes I had to call the emergency services to attend. I imagine that the same situations now still require workers to 'access all areas' in the quickest possible time.

Last month's SE22 had a good recipe for pumpkin and ginger tea bread. You can also use squash (which I did) -hubby not to sure about it but I liked it.

I found out in March when I had my MOT done that my car was not compliant although the garage did say that mechanically it was very sound.Have been looking for a 'compliant' car since that time but having driven an automatic for nearly 20 years I have forgotten how to drive a manual. I am informed that 2nd hand automatics are very rare and this does seem to be the case as have been looking at my prefered showroom (Lancers of Beckenham) every couple of weeks. Unfortunately due to a leg injury in July which stopped me driving for 2 months, I have not been successful in my search as yet. I have decided that will keep current car and pay the fee and try to organise that I do everything that requires a car (visiting/shopping etc) in one day. I do use public transport regularly (buses) but a car is essential to visit friends and family as many of them live in areas which are not covered by public transport.

Sainsbury's have a good Polish bread section and the vast majority of the bread is sourdough and rye. I love the bread with caraway seeds in but Sainsbury's seem not to stock this any more. Sausages, mince and chicken thighs we purchase from Rose's. Both Lidl and Aldi are good with fruit and veg, fish and some meats. Jams/marmalade good from both stores also some sweets and chocolates. I usually start my 'Christmas Box' of non perishables in October - so far it has only got biscuits in but will gradually fill up as I buy a few extra items each week. Lewisham market has a good choice of fruit and veg at very affordable prices. Prices in NX Road are too high and no way would I pay ?5 for a loaf of bread. I have only been in Borough Market once - spent around 10 minutes and although I loved the variety of food realised that it was out of my budget. When I was working in Camberwell used to love going to the Greek/Turkish bakery opposite the Green for bread and cakes (they did great sandwiches as well)

Our 17 year old grandson lives in Orpington and has tried for several months to get a few hours of work without joy. He is at College 3 days a week but has to do 2 half days online learning during set times. He would like to earn a few pounds to save his single parent Mum having to fork out for him. He enjoys cooking and would not mind doing catering work.

Lady in Barry Road seemed to have connection with Barry House as staff were coming over to her and it looked as though it was a staff member who went into ambulance with her. 3 police cars and paramedic in attendance for over an hour. Also plain clothes officer with stab vest.

Has anyone had a meal or spent the night at the Bromley Court hotel - what was it like?

Ward should complete a property list when a patient is admitted, when I worked in hospitals, this was a paper copy and went into patient's file. However most hospitals now use Electronic Patient Records. False teeth are frequently lost as many patients took them out and wrapped them in tissue paper which cleaner then assumed as rubbish.

We have the same postman for at least 90% of the time and he always pushes the post (when we get it!) through the letter box. Some weeks we appear to have no post then we have several days of daily post. Most annoying is that important letters re hospital appointments arrive after the appointment date or within 24 hours of the appointment.

The Elms are advertising for catering staff.