Pugwash

Had an out patient appointment at Kings yesterday and although people booking into the clinic were wearing masks, nurses were asking them to change from cloth masks to the blue/white disposable masks - no explanation given.

I returned a book to Dulwich Library last week and was asked to 'swipe' it myself. Asked the staff when they would be reopening and was informed that they were open for people to return books only. I explained that it took an hour for me to order 2 books on line and that the system was poor. Was informed that I could give them a list of books I required and they could order for me. They also suggested that if I gave them an idea of the type of fiction/non fiction I would normally read, they could set up a 'mystery box/pot luck ' for me to collect.

Walked down Melbourne Grove to Grove Vale yesterday and was intrigued by nets in trees and mock gravestones tied to trees with 'Be very afraid' and other comments. After seeing this several times realized that many of the houses and gardens were decorated with pumpkins and other Halloween items. So assume that these local residents were indicating that they were up for trick and treating.

Notify your local ward police officers. The man may not have committed a crime, but may have some mental health issues. Our local police officers (who also work with Southwark anti social behavior officers) know many local residents whose behavior may be suspect. The police also have good contacts with the community mental health teams.

Whilst travelling on a bus the other day, spotted another passenger wearing a lanyard with the words 'I am exempt from wearing a mask' She also had a plastic card attached which I assume gave more details for her exemption. I think this is a good idea, this lady was obviously genuine and had gone to the trouble if getting this essential information. Perhaps all those who have a genuine medical need to be exempt should follow her actions. Those who could not be bothered to wear a mask would easily stand out.

Have also used Garry for work in the house. New socket outlets, replaced extractor fan in bathroom, and new ceiling lights. Very happy with his work and costs are reasonable.

i do wear masks when weather is windy as I am fairly law binding. Just been given an audiology appointment which has been 8 months in coming to repair my hearing aid, which is strapped together with tape due to it being caught in the straps of a mask and falling off in the street. Kings College Hospital out sourced its audiology services to In Health several years ago which are based in Lancashire but have clinics all over the country. Chadwick Road MC is my usual clinic but they have not had any audiologists since March and nor had the next nearest clinic in Streatham. My ability to hear others and to have a working aid is more important. I will continue to wear visors with a fall back to masks in certain weathers. My other half, when out with me, will always wear a visor so that we can communicate, when alone will wear a mask.

As far as I am aware, there were 2 AA groups in ED- one during the day and one on a Sunday evening. The evening one has resumed. Under the Covid rules, support groups can have more than 6 people indoors providing SD and masked.

GPs tell me that if sharps box is small they would take them but if you have a large box it is the council. I tried my pharmacy and they refused to take them.

Since none of the other candidates for London Mayor appear to have knowledge or experience in running a transport system, nothing will change. If I recall correctly that Susan Kramer, who went onto become MP for Richmond, when she stood for GLA/Mayor - she at least had knowledge of the administration of transport systems as was her paid employment when she was working in USA.

Having the same problems with mask wearing as I wear a hearing aid and the ear straps catch on aid. I now wear a visor which is better but no good in windy weather as it takes off. Far more comfortable to wear over a long period. Being a lip reader, I wish more people, especially shop/store staff would wear visors as makes life much easier for those of us who are deaf.

We used to attach a flashing fob to our dogs when they went out walking at night. Easy to attach onto their collars and taken off when got home

I have had my sharps bin collected during covid through the council. As far as I know, that is the only option. What previous poster has said, GP to give you a form to send to Southwark, it will ask whether you want a regular collection of if it is a one off. It come under clinical waste. T

In some local areas, pensioners paid an annual fee of around ?25 to get their free travel pass. My father who lived in Sussex did this when his eyesight failed and he could not drive. He lived in a village which was 8 miles to nearest town and in the late 90s/early 2000s, the return fare was ?9 by bus which ran every half hour. Not sure what the procedure is now that Freedom passes can be used all over UK. Not sure about removing free travel for under 18s- we had to get a weekly bus pass for our girls when they went to secondary school. The argument for removing it would be to stop youngsters hopping on bus for a couple of stops.

Cricket Match report showed Rye Lane not LL, Video taken from Heaton Arms area down towards Choumert Rd.

Bread of Life cafe at Christ Church Barry Road uses china mugs/cups and plates with stainless steel cutlery. If you require sugar or condiments, they will be brought to you by staff. Open Monday to Fridays 10 - 3 pm. Laminated menu, sanitized after every use, as are chairs and tables. Basic menu but you can check what specials they have each day.

bank statement posted late September arrived yesterday, but hubby's statement from same branch arrived end of September.

I like many others were caught up yesterday in the long queues of traffic in LL from Goodrich Road to Goose Green and wondered why the P$ and P13 buses were going up LL. Hubby had been down LL earlier in the day and had commented on the traffic. I noticed at junction of LL and EDG there was a diversion sign, and on my return journey noticed another diversion sign at junction LL/Barry Road. All well and good if you know what the problem is and why diversion is needed, but to stick up signs diverting traffic who have no idea why, where they are diverting to etc is useless. It peeves me and I have always said if I got invited to Room 101 on TV - this would be my hate/dislike to be binned! I did follow a diversion sign some years ago between Beckenham and Bromley - Had not the faintest idea where I was going and after several minutes went back on myself and ignored the sign and carried on my normal route. Whatever/Where ever the problem was it was not apparent on that day.

My GP surgery is not using their waiting room, GPs collect their patients via a side door

Above is all good advice and people are more in tune to current rental prices than I am. I was basing on advice some years ago by estate agent for our own 4 bed house they quoted ?1500 pm. Since then ED has become more desirable and housing costs have risen. If I remember - Orpington goes to London Bridge/Victoria as my granddaughter uses this line frequently.

Last chance to nominate yourself or others as candidates for election. Meetings are generally held (under normal circumstances) 10 times a year.

I would imagine if you are looking for a 4 bed rental property in South East London you are looking around ?2000 per month. Child Minders charge anything from ?7 per hour, nurseries around ?50 per day and generally have long waiting lists Council tax for a 4 bed house is likely to be around ?1599 - ?2000 per year depending on area. Judging from own experience with family, with 2 children assuming you do not purchase very expensive food, you will probably have to allocate a budget of at least ?3000 a month but this obviously be influenced by housing, transport and utility costs. Cheaper areas near ED - Forest Hill/Sydenham, Penge. If you want to move out further - Orpington is quite good having a variety of housing stock.

University Libraries are gradually opening for their students and have a maximum number of students allowed in to undertake work etc. In Leeds which has student population of around 14,000 over several sites, they are only allowing 100 students in their largest library (which holds several hundreds) and these have to be booked on line in advance. Upstairs in Dulwich Library where most of the users are - could operate a booking system and limit numbers. Downstairs in the lending library, I rarely saw more than 15 people - most congregated area was by the computers and photocopier. Most people just want to get books and leave - the most time I have ever spent in the library is 20 - 30 mins. A queuing system at the entrance hall could easily be introduced.

I tried to find this earlier in year but nothing.

SE22-2020 writes;- i don't think many people disagree that we all need a lot less car journeys in our cities (more difficult in the countryside). so what we need is more buses and things like boris bikes. Then disabled and old people should be able to drive if they have got a proper blue sticker showing they can't use buses and tradespeople get permits to drive. the rest of us get off our arses and use public transport. if they can do it in skandanavia then we can do it, right? Old and Disabled people should be able to drive if they have a blue sticker - I guess that this is a Disabled Persons Blue Badge. Does he/she not realise that nowadays it is extremely hard to qualify for a Blue Badge. I have several friends with varying disabilities ranging from Alzheimer's Disease, severe arthritis, partially sighted, wheelchair users who do not qualify for Blue Badges. Those like my mum, who needed a wheelchair outside had great difficulty getting a badge as she could walk slowly around her flat. She eventually got a Badge when it was revealed that she was on CAPD (renal dialysis undertaken at home/in community twice a day) and she had to carry all her dialysis material around if she went out for more than 4 hours). As a car driver, I have cut down on my driving now that I have retired and tend to use the car mainly for a large shop (I like to see what I an buying so do not do on line)visit family who live in Kent and Sussex. I use buses to get to Rye Lane, Forest Hill and Lordship Lane. I do volunteer to drive elderly friends at times especially in the evenings so they can attend meetings/social events. Due to my own disabilities I cannot ride a bike, and am limited in how far I can walk. Whereas I agree we need to have less polluted environment - there has to be a compromise.