Pugwash

When we first moved to Barry Road, decades ago - our kitchen was very small and we had one work surface which was about 2 foot wide and 3 foot long. A turkey and it's dish took over all the space. I decided rather than to have pans all over the floor that I would cook the turkey well in advance, cool it and slice up the white and brown meat. I would calculate how many people would be coming to us over Xmas and portion out x number of slices and wrap up in foil and freezer bags and number the slices. That way we had turkey soup before Xmas and got rid of the carcas, and I took out the day before, the required package from the freezer. The turkey was well smothered in gravy and allowed to heat through well before serving. Have done this for over 30 years and works well every time. Also you do not get turkey every meal for around 4 days. I have also done the same with pork, beef and bacon. Last year, the cost of a decent turkey was so expensive that I decided to purchase a few packs of Sainsbury's individually wrapped chilled turkey breasts and froze them, They were cooked and sliced up on the day and everyone was happy. I do most of the veg prep on Christmas Eve. People are usually too full to worry about pudding. For the Christmas Day Tea/Supper - I just put out cold meats, pickles, small amount of salad and cheese, a trifle, few mince pies and cream, maybe a cake of sorts and let everyone help themselves - buffet style. We have a family of 13 but this year hubby and I are having Christmas Day on our own as daughters will be else where, our Christmas Day will be Boxing Day sp will have a little longer to prepare. I also have a dinner party for friends on New Year's Day which is more stressful in many ways as I cook several dishes to suit Jewish/vegetarian/Polish/English palates.

Try talking to people in CP Rd who complained for many years at the speed cars were travelling over the humps in their road. It was estimated at between 40 - 50 mph starting from the LL end

Many years ago I heard shouting outside at night and could see a couple in a car outside the house having a row, The man started hitting the woman who tried to get out of the car but was pulled back. I called the police and explained what I had seen and heard (it was summer and the windows open) said it could be a domestic. Police arrived in car very quickly and spoke to couple and took details - was with them quite a while. The next day the Police phoned me and thanked me for my call as I may have prevented an incident. They were following up with the woman that day.

If it is the old Housing Office, there is space outside which was originally used for Housing staff's cars - albeit only a few if parked well

They do not hate motorists out right but there are drivers who go down roads such as Crystal Palace Road in excess of 40 miles an hour over the humps. I have been overtaken near a Barry Road junction when I am doing around 25 mph by drivers who ignore everyone else on the road, and decide the 40/50 mph is what they need to do overtake 2 cars and a bus, narrowly missing an on coming bus.

Daughter No 1 left home for uni in Preston and stayed up there after degree as working, got a council flat as local council could not find any tenants. Within a year moved back to London complete with partner and 2 cats as fed up having their door and car trashed and torched by local mobs. Crime rate in area was very high and police had given up with the local teenagers. Stayed with us and paid towards bills for a few months then got flat themselves as went with partner's job. Split up with partner and came back home with toddler for few months, made up with partner some months later and moved to Orpington where still living. She was about 24 when came back to London. Daughter No 2 Brighton Uni, came home during holidays for first year and has lived away from home since - she is now 26. Stepdaughter was kicked out by her mother at 16 whilst still at school, could not live with us as school in Essex and has never lived at home since that time. Hubby left home at 18, went back for a few months, went into supported lodgings following several months in hospital. When first marriage broke up, moved back to parents but lived in seperate flat in their house for 2 years, themn moved in with me. I was a residential child care worker and lived with the kids 6 days a week so only home for a couple of days. Moved into own flat (in Ondine Rd) when 21, got mortgage at 25 and moved into own house.

Something was going on in Norcroft Gardens

Kings use the stroke ward at Lewisham as Friends Stroke UNit take people from A & E with strokes - lewisham can hold the people with strokes who have long rehab periods ( usually 4 plus weeks)if FSU is full

there is either a travel Lodge or premier Inn in Tower Bridge Road

Thank you for all your pm's - there does seem some interest in such a workshop. It is more when it is held rather than the contents that people want to know. Will post again after Christmas

Emma - Memory Clinic Specialist Nurse based at the Betty Alexander Unit - Kings is very experienced and very easy to talk with. Age Concern Day Centre at Stones End Southwark are specialists in Dementia

Not sure if there are any gadgets via Telecare that would help Alzheimers Society may be able to advise. There are various talking devises and alarms. pre recorded messages on timers.

Agree with previous poster - my friends range from their 30s - 90s, I am early 60s, but have been told my attitude to life etc is more like a 30 year old - even my kids tell me at times that I am more aware of events, music etc than they are - grandkids are surprised when I talk to them of recent groups/top ten etc. I would hate to live in sheltered housing or a retirement village ( available for all over 55 years of age) variety is the spice of life.

If a dog is off the lead it is likely that owners will not spot it squatting and therefore do not pick up the dog poo. As a former dog owner, the 'cricket or big field' ( the right sided field coming in from Court Lane) was always a designated dog area as the bowling green field and playgound field was nmainly occupied by family groups. I am surprised about the number of owners who still do not scoop up their dogs poo. Perhaps the way to have dogs on lead only areas is to 'catch out' non pooper scoopers with off lead dogs and report them, if this is the only legitimate means of curtailing this practice. What about the notices seen on beaches which do not allow dogs on them between April and September ? Local By lawss?

The workshop will be during the week - possible Mon/Tuesday morning - in the New Year. Weekends at the Community Centre ar very booked up with dance classes and a Saturday School. with Sunday being home to 3/4 churches and a evening group. Kate our dietician is happy to do the workshop if enough people interested - she has many years experience with children and has worked in Guys Hospital. She was instrumental in setting up a project in Goose Green School some years ago - teaching children about food and food production and general healthy eating. The teaching material was adopted by Southwark Education to use in their primary schools. I will try and keep this post up to date so to attract more hits. Please pm me for more details or information.

Best bet is to go by bus. I work at Kings but due to my job, I travel around a bit so have a Southwark parking permit as most of Southwark is now residents permits only - which include the bulk of Camberwell Grove, Grove Lane. You can park on a meter in Windsor Walk usually - not sure how cheap it is but the parking wardens patrol very regularly in the area so if you are a minute late they will book you

I would hate to live in Clapham - cannot find anything attractive about living there.

feedback please

I read so many questions about food ideas for children who have various intolerances/allergies or just plain fussy that I wonder whether it would be helpful to have a workshop put on where parents/carers could get professional advice. The East Dulwich Community Centre's Development Project works with many Health and Social Care professionals and we are considering putting on a 2/3 hour workshop in the New Year to look at children's diets with focus on special diets and general fussy/picky eaters. We have a state registered paediatric dietician who is also a state registered nutritionist with many years experience, and she is prepared to run the workshop. It would be held in the morning at the Community Centre and would be free of charge. Before we organise a date and time etc - need to get some feedback from you. Would this workshop be helpful to you? Would you prefer it to be held during term time or half term holiday?. Would be held in the morning i.e 10 - 1 pm approx - is this a good time? Any other questions you may have. Please reply on this thread or pm me.

I frequent an ED cafe and were surprised to hear from cafe owners that trade has gradually been going downhill. A few regular clients set out to ask former users why they never use the cafe any more. The answers were that mums, buggies, children had taken over most of the tables. No problem with buggies as a clearly defined pram park in the cafe. It was groups of mums who came for a coffee and spun this out for almost 2 hours whilst they chatted with friends. The children were left to wander about the tables. some running, some crying/screaming. Other people were being put off by the numbers and noise of mums and kids. The cafe was being used as a meeting place by a dozen or so mums. The cafe owners did not want to impose a minimum charge as felt this would discourage those who just wanted a quick drink and be in and out in half an hour or so. Wheras some of the mothers may purchase a cake or sandwich to eat, others would bring out packed lunches for the children and sometimes themselves! When approached by staff who point out the notices which state only food purchased on the premises could be consummed, one mum had retorted that she could not afford to eat there as too expensive and had only come in so that she could see her friends!. Whereas having gone through 3 children and 6 grandchildren - I know the difficulty in finding a child friendly cafe/restaurant, but I can also see the cafe owner's point of view that free meeting space to meet friends is not viable if you just have a ?2.50 drink - where could you hire a meeting venue for ?2.50 an hour?

If I recall correctly there have been several community council meetings which have asked about the proposed use of Dulwich Hospital. Also NHS Southwark/PCT have also had public meetings re health care in Southwark and people have put in various proposals re school/police/care home etc. Despite being in a LD ward - we get leaflets from labour and Tory councillors informing us what is going on in Southwark.Perhaps someone wanted to wind you up a little by posting the LD leaflet!!

Dr. Dewji at 306 is rubbish also Dr. Doha. Dewji has a good female Gp though and good reports. Is melbourne Grove in the Elim Lodge, Burbage Road area? I am with The Gardens after defecting from Dr. Dewji - got through on Monday morning within a few rings and appointment for this morning,

Suggest you report this to Police

Just to clarify. our 2 girls went to Sydenham Girls as both they and us felt it was the best school for them. Waverley and Peckham were the only other local schools at the time. Both girls did well and went to Uni. Our grandaughter lives in Orpington and thats why she applied for Newstead. She is now in Darrick Wood school and in January will have to choose her exam options. At the time of application to Newstead - the first 100 only were accepted - perhaps there were building works or something ( especially since the anticipated intake is increasing) Some of my youngest daughter's friends went to a catholic school in the Croydon area - they complained that they were up at 6 am every day to catch a train about 7.30 from Forest Hill to be in school by 8.30 am and getting home around 5 in evening, 3 hours homework and bed around 9.30. They envied my daughter getting up at 7.30 and home about 4. In bad weather they were still expected to arrive near enough on time. I recall one mum saying to me that heavy snowfall had cut some trains and the girls had to wait nearly 2 hours for a train home. I was criticised by my eldest daughter's head teacher at Goodrich school for not supporting my 'local school' which at the time was Waverley but visits etc to the school made us so depressed as the state of the building ( it was still housed in the old Friern building at peckhan Rye and hardly changed since I was a pupil in the 60s)and that they openly admitted poor exam results and had no former pupil attending Uni. Sydenham offered us a lot more. Every parent wants the best for their child, my stepdaughter's eldest boy had some learning difficulties and in the Harlow area the local senior school holds in excess of 2000 pupils. Although not a catholic, he was accepted at the local catholic school with around 800 pupils a size which he could cope with. His 2 yoinger siblings now attend the same school. Some kids can cope with large schools, other's cannot

Places like Newstead Woods are very over subscribed - my grandaughter sat the entry examin and family were warned that only 100 pupls would be accepted and they would need to have a pass rate of 97 - 100%. Over a thousand pupils sat the exan with my grandaughter, and they took the highest 100. The vast majority of which had had private lessons for over 2 years. Granddaughter was 135 in exam ranking. A friend's daughter got accept this September and lives in Catford. Work Colleagues inform me that their children have applied to Bromley and Bexley Schools as do not want their children to go to Lewisham Schools - one child has sat 6 exams for different school.