Pugwash

Having lived with someone with bipolar since 1980. I have become accustomed to the highs and lows. The highs where hubby becomes hyperactive, 3- 5 hours sleep at night, swimming early hours of the morning followed by bike rides, breakfast, vulunteering for loads voluntary work, visiting friends, spending and giving away money. Hypersensitive to any form of rebuff - constantly picking arguements including with strangers, getting angry, having no social awareness or grace, saying wrong things to people resulting in loss of friendships.Endless phone calls and enormous bills, alternately not eating and over eating. Hubby currently in a depression since end of February - all day in bed, rarely eating, when does so - its fridge raiding, cheese, cold meats, bread, cereal. Refusing to answer telephone, reluctant to see childen and grandchildren. Constantly breaking previously booked social events ( we have lost a fair bit through cancelled theatre tickets - always at last moment so cannot find a replacement friend) Will not allow me to change bed linen as refuses to get out of bed. Speech is mumbled and incoherant and lacking volume, when up wanders around the house in nightwear, reluctant to wash and shave, walks out in to the front garden ( we are on a main road and bus route) in nightwear. Takes all appropraite medicines, and will attend GP appointments (Dr. Cliff at The Gardens) This week he has been up for a few hours in the evening, undressed, managed to go out all day to Essex on Thursday by himself to meet daughter and grandchildren, but since then has stayed in bed. Will reluctantly wash up and put washing in machine and hang up other wise will not do anything around the house or garden, (Grass is about 4 foot high - so having to get in our gardener who does a twice yearly pruning/cutting etc job). It is surprising how many people have bipolar. When well hubby attends a monthly bipolar group in Beckenham. We have a life, his, mine and ours. To stop me going mental - i have my own friends and social activities, I have always been open about his illness, as he himself does, people who know us well take it for granted that he will either pester them or ignore them.I have a very interesting job which is very demanding, so I often go to work at weekends and do 10 hour days just to keep me out of the house and getting depressed. My stepdaughter is also bipolar but refuses to seek medical help. Our other 2 daughter have a great understanding of mental health issues. One daughter recently had to do a presentation to a college for a job and did it on depression and how to help young people with this in an educational setting. (got the job). The other is an OT specialiising and working within the NHS with people with learning disabilities and with mental health issues

Cherrycroft has always had a difficult existance. Orginally known as Wilkinson House and then Cherry Croft. When through a series of owners ( small and large care home providers). Had a brillant manager at one time but when new company took over, they removed manager and put in one of their own staff. Standards gradually declined and with frequent changes of staff and ownrs, high quality care was not consistent. Was placed under 'guidance' via NHS/Southwark Social Services/Care Quality Commission who had regualr meetings to try and increase the standard of care. When this failed - it was agreed that residents moved elsewhere and the home deregistered and closed. Some one I knew who lived there was transferred to a home in West Norwood.

Long walk from the station at Brighton and part of the high street is hilly. Bournmouth is not bad if you have a hotel nerar the park and town centre.

Gumboots after school club will be holding their usual 4 weeks holiday play scheme in July/August for details call Dave either at the Goodrich School after school branch or staff at the East Dulwich Community Centre branch

Is the tabernacle the one near Underhill Road? If that is the one - they are very strict Baptist and I have never been to a 'happy clappy' service there. Admittedly only went once - it was very dull, long and miserable hymns. If it is the one in Upland Road - that was a noisy one

Went to the library for the 3rd time since it reopened, used the scanner ok for all books bar one which would not take, one of the staff came over and I explained the problem, she tried = still nothing. She opened the book and said did you know that this is not a library book! Like a pratt I had picked up one of my own books by mistake. I apologised feeling a right idiot, but she laughed and told me not to worry. Only complaint I have is that where the computors are you cannot get to some of the book shelves. last week an adult and teenage were using one computor but the teenage was in a chair blocking a whole selection of books. Stood by and 'accidently' knocked her chair legs with my stick and said excuse me - neither of them bothered to look up.

In order to have a carer to provide or heat up meal at lunch time, your mother would need to be assessed and only those who meet the substancial criteria will get a carer. Gateway to obtaining services services is the need to have help with personal care. From what you have indicated is that Mum would have difficulty in cattying meal to table - she may benefit an occupational therapist assessment and the provision of a tolley or other aids. When she had a stroke, did the OT in the Stroke Rehab Team or ward do an assessment for aids and adaptations. You could also contact the Stroke Association for ideas. Your mum should be getting attendance allowance if she is pension age or DLA care componant if under pension age. If awarded either of the above - the money is given to allow people to purchase/pay for additional care. Has she a neighbour or a friend living by who would pop in for 20/ 30 mins each day to heat up the food? Your mum could pay a small fee to them. Rough costs of carers are around ?13 per hour from an agency but if she 'employed' someone locally she could pay them say ?20 - ?30 pw. Recently several cafes have been plating up hot food and taking them to their disabled customers. A cousin worked in Ozzie's cafe in Rye Lane some years ago before his death and one of his duties was to take a hot plated meal to a resident in Heaton Road who could not get out. With regards tot he Southwark MOW I should submit a written complaint re quality. If the Commissioning Section receives many similair complaints they then have to investigate further and quality and quantity control will be part of the contract they have entered into with Appetito. Better still if you can photo the meals as well to show how aweful they look. The problem is where there is a genuine complaint - people are afraid to write in so nothing gets done. (There will always be people who complain about everything).

In the 1990s, as part of my degree, I studied in Holland. There they divided the country up into 3 and had staggered holidays. This was more noticeable during the summer as obviously longer holidays. It was done, I was told,to prevent most of the country shutting down whilst families took their holidays. For instance Zone 1 summer holiday may be from 16th June to 16th August Zone 2 could be from 30th June - 28th August Zone 3 from 14th July - 16th Septemer. Each zone got their required number of weeks there was abviously some overlap but far more sensible that everyone jostling for end of July/August. My friend is a lab technician in a Kent school and 2/3 years ago they trialled a 2 week whitsun break and a one week October half term break, and cut down the summer hols by one week. There was talk about cutting down the summer hols again and having 2 weeks whitsun and 2 weeks October half terms, but this did not happen. From what I gathered from my friend was that the teaching staff liked the 2 weeks whitsun break - I think the problem was the exam timetables. Personally - I favour a 4 term academic year. Many Unis now are doing October - December, Jan - end of February, and April - June.

We have a frog pond and have had wire over it for a number of years. It's rigid with approx one inch squares so frogs can get in and out put also acted as a safety barrier for our grandchildren. the youngest can spend hours just sitting there watching the frogs.

Hubby has 60 plus oyster card for about a year now. Well worth the ?10 fee. Since hubby was early (medically) retired he does not get any benefits only a very reduced occupational pension and the Oyster card enables him to keep in touch with friends and extended family - probably saves him around ?40 per month.

As I work in Kings most of the time I enjoy watching A & E and spotting people that I know ( colleagues and patients). However one colleague informed me that the down side of the programme is that more minor accidents are coming to A & E to see if they can get on the programme. Increase in those who should have gone to GP surgery but probably could not get an appointment.

Brownie Group at Christ Church on Friday evenings - run by Jayne (8th East Dulwich pack)

My daughter rented a property in Orpington having spent a year reading OFSTEAD reports and visiting local schools. The school she originally wanted ( the top primary school in the area at the time) she disliked when visiting as felt it too rigid and conscious of it's league position. Having worked with people with learning disabilies all her adult life, she asked about the schools special needs provision and was told that they only had one child with sepecial needs (autistic) but that he did not stand out so no one knew of his needs. This upset my daughter and she went on to view 2 other schools who were lower down the league tables but were very open about their special needs provision. When she had viewed these, she looked at the secondary provision in the area and the catchment areas. After several months, she decided on a school which was also in the catchment area of the secondary school she wanted. Rented a property and her daughter was accepted in the infants of the allocated primary school. Within a year, she was able to putchase a house outside the schools catchment area but her daughter now in juniors was joined by her younger brother in infants. My granddaughter now 14 attends is at the secondary school of my daughter's choice and her brother will join her when he is 11. Daughter very happy having taken the long term view over her children's education. Moral of story really is that these days it pays to consider both primary and secondary provision in the area first.

My friend has been a lodger with an elderly lady for many years. She has a bedroom and a kitchen and shares loo and bathroom with landlady. Until last year she had no central heating, outdated electrics which meant she could not have a fan heater or electric fire or a cooker, and an unuseable bathroom. It was not until the landlady went into hospital and needed carers when she came out that the hospital OT did an access visit and asked social services to step in and also to obtain a Housing Improvement Grant to update all the facilities. 2 years later, my friend has a warm bedroom, but only a hard chair and no arm chair to sit on, she has no oven but cooks on a hot plate. The rent is cheap as facilities are basic, she purchases her own food and cooks herself. Over the years she has been less of a lodger and more of an unpaid carer as her landlady has dementia.

Have had many family events at le Moulin - sad to see them go. Was going to go there tomorrow lunch time but obviously cannot do that now. However we had a group meal in April. Income was not steady and large enough for them to plough back into decor etc. They do not consider themselves as going for retirement - just going to see how they feel. I thought they were closing on 31st may?

Bromley Council many years ago decided that it would not operate any council social housing and hived all their housing stock off to Broomleigh Housing - a Housing Association. I think Broomleigh has now dissolved. Housing Associations rents are far higher that council rents. With the 'bedroom tax' looming for those council tenants under pension age, plus the changes in Housing Benefit (being paid monthly directly to tenant via bank account), and getting rid of council tax benefit as we now know it, we need to have a variety of rented accommodation options that offer alternatives to private highly priced homes. Southwark is the largest ( or one of the largest) social housing providers in the country.

Lino is based in Barry Road we have used him several times including taking furniture to our daughter in Worthing.

lambeth and Southwark Social SErvices used to be on the 1st floor of Dulwich Hospital but when the wards closed they moved nearer Kings. Another social services team were due to be based there pending a more permanent venue being found, however the move was delayed several months as surveyors found that the structural framework of the floor ( which was originally one of the old wards) was so dangerous, the floor was coming away from the walls and was in danger of collapse. We heard later that many of the old wards were in a similiar state. Much of the building which was in regular use was in prefabricated units attached to the old hospital. If the fabric of the hospital was in better shape, it would have been retained and a very expensive refurbishment taken place. Many of the external walkways linking the various sections of the building could not be used as crumbling. Southwark COuncil as far as I can recall do not own the land - was NHS Southwark and with the new change over from April this year I cannot recall who the new owners are

We put ours in their wire cat basket out in the garden for around 30 mins and placed in different areas over a number of days. Have also tried on harness and lead walking up down garden

The litter bins around the area are usually full and over flowing - the one near the Sainsburys local was bulging over and wind was redistrubuting the papers

we have some very helpful and efficient local coppers who know ED and its occupants inside out and also know the local trouble makers and their 'lines of crime' When I had my bag stolen in Sainsburys a couple of years ago, the police were there in less than 2 minutes. When i found a WW11 gun whilst clearing out my parent in laws house, it was to our local bobby that I rang for advice and handed it in at ED Police station. Over the years our SNT have served us well and many of us long term residents are on first name terms with our officers and can approach them with any concerns which affect our daily lives. We need to have confidence in our police and the more time they can spend policing the area and less time travelling the better for us all.

In response to some PMs you can enrol at the first session at 10 am

Cannot add on the 2nd attachment as too big - basically topics to be covered are design, fabric paint uses, patchwork measuring and cutting a block, fabric manipulation to make bowls using a sewing machine. All materials provided at a small cost per pack. Tutor demonstration.1-1 teaching, instruction hand outs, health and safety info re equipment.

Whilst the children are at school do you have 10 - 12.30 free to learn a new skill? The WEA (Workers Educational Association)is trying to set up classes in the ED area and have commisioned the East Dulwich Community Centre in Darrell Road, to hold a Craft taster Course from 22/4 - 20/5. Please see attachments for further details. Will also put this in Whats On

has anyone tried catching a bus from Camberwell to ED after 3.30 pm during the week - it's standing room only from the Green to ED. If I leave work at Camberwell anytime between 5. - 6.30 weekday, it takes me nearly an hour sometimes to get to Dulwich Library. On a good evening being able to get the first bus 30 mins. Last Friday I had to go on a training course at London Bridge. Left home at 8.15 am caught 40 bus straight away, ended up going by train from ED as it was 8.45 by the time I reached the station so knew I would not make the course at 9.30 am