Pugwash

Impossible at this point to get 2 buses passing each other.

i did consider a ZIP car a while ago but found that they did not do automatic - (have driven an automatic for 15 /20 years) Also as stated above - no good if you have an emergency. We are emergency contacts for our youngest grandchildren in Sussex- if daughter is ill etc, need a car to collect them from school etc.

Due to a leg injury I have not been able to get in or drive my car for over 2 months.Hubby has been doing weekly shopping at DKH Sainsbury's and getting a cab home (approx ?9 a time) I have not been able to do child minding of my grandchildren as although I can get on a bus for short journeys, I would not be able to get into my daughter's car at the end of a train journey as there is a limited bus service in Sussex where she lives. Whilst I could possibly reduce drastically my car usage around ED, I would need to take 3/4 buses plus a mile uphill walk to visit one daughter in Kent, it would also take 2 buses and another mile or so walk uphill to visit my best friend. With many family and friends scattered around Kent, Sussex and Essex where transport links are poor, it is essential to drive a car - I would not be prepared to give up my car but fully appreciate that within London it is possible to use public transport for 80% of journeys.

My teenage grandson loves Thai Green Curry - made with chicken. He makes this himself and does enough for 2 days. When his Mum had to go away for a couple of nights- he made a big chicken curry and invited all his friends round to watch the Euros. Not bad for a 17 year old.

I try not to order stuff on line as it is detrimental to our high street shops. It may be cheaper, but I prefer to look at the quality of goods first. Purchased my grandchildren's' Christmas Gifts in Just William.

Must admit seeing my eldest daughter off at Central Lancashire Uni, made me cry - it was her first step into independence. I had seen her accommodation and met a couple of her flat mates, but that final hug goodbye set me off. Was not as bad with younger daughter dropping off in Brighton - possibly the nearest to ED was a factor (compared with the 5-6 hour journey to Lancs).

Used Paul for the first time yesterday - had loads of garden waste from an earlier clean up as (at the time) the recycling centres were appointment only. Also 3 chairs and other bulky items. Turned up on time (actually earlier but he went for a coffee as did not want to disturb us). Took all the rubbish away immediately - charge was very reasonable. Will use again.

Having had 2 daughters and a granddaughter at Uni - I know the feeling. Eldest daughter went to Central Lancashire and she had to book into halls before midday. We went up the night before and stayed at a Travelodge type of place at one of the M6 motorway stations about an hour drive from Preston. Car loaded with duvets etc. Left ED around 4.30 am to avoid traffic on M1/M6. Next daughter was at Brighton so much easier. Granddaughter went to Leeds, her Mum also drove up day before and stayed with friends in Knaresborough and this became the routine for 3 years. Why not make a mini break of it taking your son up with you. If she is in Halls - check what they provide i.e. kettles/microwave etc so to eliminate what you need to take with you. With both girls - I took them to local supermarket and stocked up with non perishable food (pasta/tins of tuna/Beans/passata/pesto) etc Also supply of loo rolls and washing powder. Eldest daughter shared flat in halls with 4 others and they remained in touch for several years after leaving Uni. Grand daughter and a couple of her halls flat mates joined up together for next 2 years in a privately rented house. Despite being back in Kent since last September due to lockdowns, granddaughter kept in touch via email/zoom etc with her house mates who for the vast majority, living with family all over UK.

i had a client many years ago whose husband took out an Equity Release on their house in Upland Road. He died and years later the wife was admitted into hospital. My team were asked to help out sorting her finances- she had forgotten about the ER - the amount borrowed was more than the house was worth as she had not kept up with the maintenance of the property. We had to refer her to a financial advisor/solicitor who took up the case - we never found out what happened.

Government advice is that you may lower your mask if a deaf/partially hearing person requests this as they are lip readers. Equally if you are accompanying a deaf person who relies on lip reading - you are exempt from wearing a mask.

Confused messages re reason for closure - many bus drivers were told not to stop there as with the barriers on the other side of road, there was insufficient space for 2 large vehicles (buses?)to pass. Also with food shortages in supermarkets plus long queues, more people were shopping locally especially at Roses Butchers, queues going past cinema and down to Blackwater street.

Chairs/tables outside shops. Having a couple of friends who are partially sighted, and being the occasional wheelchair pusher myself, many of the eateries in LL have increased their number of tables and chairs to the extent that they cause obstructions to pedestrians. Whilst I can understand the need to recoup/recover income by having more customers outside, there is a need for caution and for some diners to have better 'manners'. bags/buggies/kids scooters etc are seen to extend into the path of passing pedestrians. Originally you had to have a table permit from Southwark to extend onto the pavement beyond your official frontage, whether that has gone by the board since covid. Outside the Ice Cream parlour, many people are queuing but others are just standing around chatting, add a sprinkling of children and you easily have 30 plus people in this small area. One friend will only go down LL if she is with someone who is fully sighted as she cannot see clearly enough to negotiate a safe pathway. Disabled people have enough obstacles in their everyday lives and inconsiderate people add to this.

I heard from a resident at Bradbury Oak that the person stated that he/she advised tenant that they were a representative from the tenants cleaning company who wanted to check the cleanliness of the flat. The resident had a regular cleaner and did not query the information. Apparently another resident's door bell was also rung but thief did not get an answer.

Lancers of Beckenham - family have purchased 4 cars from this dealer over the past 12 years.

We complained about the Leisure Centre's IT system last year and James Mccash advised that you could book at the centre if you did not have a computer. We told him that staff had refused to do this on several occasions previously. Staff, like most of Southwark, automatically assume you have access to IT - talk about equality!!

BARA has asked that this be put on EDF. ARE YOU COMMUNITY MINDED? BARA NEEDS YOU! Over the past year East Dulwich has seen a tremendous surge in community action. Many of you may have heard of BARA (Barry Area Residents? Association), which operates in the area bounded by Crystal Palace Road, Upland Road, Friern Road and Lordship Lane. BARA first came into existence in the 1970s along with two neighbouring associations. All three had senior citizens groups and a large membership, but in the late 1980s they saw a decline in membership as the older folk got too frail to attend events and the younger members left the area. BARA was revived in the early 1990s and has played an important role within the local community ever since. We have organised coach trips and, in partnership with the East Dulwich Community Centre, have held social events such as the popular ?Curry & Jazz? evenings. Workshops covering retirement planning, energy conservation and gardening have proved popular. On sometimes controversial issues such as planning applications, the proposal for a needle exchange, traffic management schemes, road safety and other residents? concerns we have hosted public meetings involving interested parties and public officials. In 2020/21 we have seen changes where people recognise the need to ?be involved? and BARA is seeking to embrace this community spirit. We are in search of new members, some of whom may wish to join our committee, and new ideas on how we can reach out to our residents. Do you have an idea to retain this community feeling? Are you able to run a daytime or evening session at the Community Centre? We are interested in hearing from individuals and groups who wish to promote and run projects. We particularly welcome proposals that challenge the isolation, anxiety, loneliness and poor mental health that have affected many within our community. BARA is holding their AGM on Tuesday 13th July 8.10 for 8.20 start. East Dulwich Community Centre, Darrell Road. SE22. Email [email protected]

As a former health and Social Care professional, I regularly visited Greenhive over many years and can confirm that it has been a good home with plenty of activities etc. Can also recommend The Elms in Barry Road. Private carers seem to range from ?15 - ?25 per hour depending on agency etc.

The pavements outsides shops/businesses opposite closed bus stop have increased numbers of pavement tables and chairs. If you remove some of these - there would be sufficient space for pedestrians and no need for the barriers. There was discussion recently by a health person on TV stating social distancing is being taken too literally by some people - the few seconds it takes to pass people in the street is unlikely to pass on covid. However, if people stop and talk or queue for shops etc then social distancing is essential. People were lining up for Roses' butchers along LL and down past the Picture House. This caused a bottleneck at the bus stop with those waiting for buses, those just walking past and the shopping queue. If they took the bus shelter way this would free up a little extra space.But we would of course lose the seats etc. Having visited the Picture House last week for the first time since lockdown, I struggled with my arthritis to walk from the Post Office stop. Have spoken to several people who have membership at the picture House who have stated that the walk (and dodgy pavements)from Post Office had but them off seeing films. (These are mainly older folk and some with disabilities).

Have you tried speaking to the Anti social behaviour officer in Southwark Council. Trying to remember her name as she was a frequent attendee at the SNT Ward Meetings prior to lockdown. She dealt with concerns relating to drugs.

All members of the Dulwich Society received details of the AGM by email.

Up date on my relative - he is still in hospital - I have no idea of the diagnosis. His sister spoke to him on the phone yesterday, and his other sister, on the spur of the moment came down from Scotland - not sure if they are both going to visit him in hospital. I hope they identified the cause of his 3 week old sore throat and high temperature and that he is being helped with his panic attacks. Since he is spending more time in the Dartford area, he may decide to change GPs. He kept his ED GP as he was under Kings since he had a burst ulcer in 2019 and they found other significant medical conditions which reduced the quality of his life.

Many thanks for your replies. My relative went to stay with his girlfriend in Dartford and on Tuesday she found him collapsed and unconscious (his panic attacks can be very severe and he can faint from them)called 999 and he was admitted to Darenth Park Hospital where they kept him over night.We advised her to insist on seeing a liaison psych before he was discharged. He is registered with a Dulwich GP whose practice has been quite good upto 2020. He is under 2 specialist consultants in Kings who have been monitoring him with regular brain CT scans since 2019. Not sure as yet the diagnosis from Darenth Park.

BARA has been registered with EDF since 2010 - originally linked to my work email. We now have a dedicated email set up for the organisation and wish to use this instead. We cannot remember the original password set up in 2010. We still wish to use BARA as our name please advise as to how we go about this. Thanks

Had to contact a relative's GP last week as he had a temperature of 39.7 and a sore throat for more than 3 weeks. He has a history of anxiety and depression which manifests itself in panic attacks. As a recovering alcoholic who has been dry since 2019 prolonged series of panic attacks results in him returning to drink. He also has a diagnosed medical condition of pre cancerous cells of throat /stomach. He spoke to the GP asking for a face to face appointment to diagnose the sore throat if strep throat/mumps (as swollen glands) etc or whether his medical conditioned had got worse. My relative explained that he was having numerous panic attacks a day and that unfortunately had returned to drinking again, he wanted reassurance that his medical condition had not deteriorated. GP not interested so I spoke with her and said regardless of the drinking and panic attacks - having a temperature of 39.7 over several days needed investigation. He had done a covid test which was negative. GP refused an appointment and told me to take him to A & E as he was dehydrated. I explained that the last few times he went to A & E the long wait brought on panic attacks and he had fainted. If after examining him she was still concerned we would go. She refused again to give an appointment With high incidents of poor mental health, I would have expected more sympathy from the GP who had my relatives full medical history over the past few years and even a recent letter from Kings dated May. My daughter who works in a mental health unit was not surprised at the GP's reaction as admissions to her ward had increased over the past few weeks as patients unable to get face to face appointments with their GPs were turning up in A & E departments as last resorts. Unfortunately to get referrals to a mental health professional, you need a GPs letter. There are Liaison Psychiatrists based in A & E at Kings but from experience it it the few hours wait in A & E before you see them. I am in two minds as to whether to make a complaint re GPs reaction - all my relative needed to calm the panic attacks was reassurance that he had a sore throat which could be helped by medication.

Gumboots Holiday Play Scheme- The play project will be available to primary school age children and will operate from the East Dulwich Community Centre. ? The daily fee is ?37.00 per day per child ? Times and dates - 8am - 6pm for 4 weeks from Monday 2nd August to Friday 27th August 2021. ? More info: [email protected]