IlonaM

Thanks Spartacus, you've made me smile. Fridge unusable and rather fed up ...

Thanks Alice. I knew you could via the App (which I don't have), but will check my online account to see if it has caught up!!

Can you pay cheques in?

'Energy bills in Great Britain forecast to fall by 16% in April Charges will plunge by equivalent of more than £300 a year as price cap drops to £1,620, say consultants' https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/jan/22/energy-bills-great-britain-fall-price-cap-cornwall-insight

You might be surprised how clever they are ... 😉 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/michigan-dog-rescue-ice-lake-b2481910.html

MaryT - I'm very pleased that's she's none the worse for her experience. Very clever girl to get to the island! Many years ago (back in the '70s) my cousin's very new puppy chased a stick thrown by someone on the otherside of a lake near West Malling onto the ice and fell through. My uncle waded out to rescue her and luckily all was well and she lived to a ripe old age. I posted the story remembering that incident as things could easily have been so different. I think the emergency services attend animals in distress to avoid owners or other potential rescuers getting into trouble effecting a rescue, but FOUR fire crews!! Must have been a sight to behold.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/dulwich-frozen-lake-dog-animals-rescued-london-fire-brigade-b1133548.html

'Home Office U-turns on rights of EU citizens who were in UK pre-Brexit ‘Lack of awareness’ of EU settled status scheme restored as reasonable grounds for late applications by permanent residence card holders' https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/19/home-office-to-allow-eu-citizens-who-missed-residency-deadline-to-stay-in-uk Link to FreeMovement post about change of policy: https://freemovement.org.uk/changes-to-treatment-of-some-late-applications-to-the-eu-settlement-scheme-in-new-guidance/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=changes-to-treatment-of-some-late-applications-to-the-eu-settlement-scheme-in-new-guidance&mc_cid=8f304b7b0f&mc_eid=bcf851a85d

John Pilger https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-67853392

You could contact Celia Hammond Lewisham (Rescue and Homing Centre tel no: 020 8694 6545 Rescue centre email: [email protected]) - they might be able to collect when in your area or know of a local volunteer.

Guardian article re: 'Energy price cap in Great Britain to fall by 14% in April, says forecaster: Cheaper oil and gas expected to fuel drop in annual bills by £268 to £1,660' https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/20/ofgem-energy-price-cap-to-fall-by-14-per-cent-in-april-says-forecaster

'Pioneering British writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah has died, aged 65, after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor' https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/benjamin-zephaniah-dead-poetry-racism-birmingham-b2460061.html https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/07/a-sandy-place-a-recipe-for-a-nation-and-a-christmas-plea-three-poems-by-benjamin-zephaniah Just been looking at his website and found his penultimate blog post, 'I've Cried a Lot Lately', from the beginning of 2020 which contains some wise words, 'In my last post, or blog, (or whatever you want to call it), I said that rather than ranting on about politics I was letting my music speak for me, although I found that I was spending more and more time on demonstrations. This is still true. With courts, (at home and abroad), accepting that the Chagos islanders should have the right to return, but being denied that right by the British government, the West Papuans and Yemenis struggling for their very existence as we arm their oppressors, and the Palestinian people still living under a brutal occupation that just seems to be getting worse, we should be taking to the streets. It’s the least we can do. The so called ‘international community’ are doing very little. At home I am absolutely disgusted the way the Brexit referendum was conducted. I was absolutely disgusted with the scheming and conniving employed during the recent election, and I am horrified by the corruption of many of our politicians. I understand that there are a few that are not corrupt. If you’re not sure who they are, they’re the ones that stand no chance of survival in this cesspit of political iniquity. Also in my last post, or blog, (or whatever you want to call it), I paid tribute to our teachers, nurses, refugee workers, cleaners and doctors, who hold our country together. After all I’ve saw last year I have to extend that to all the volunteers around the country. I have seen them in bookshops, hospitals, hospices, on the streets with the homeless, in shelters with the homeless, in women’s centres, children’s centres, in food banks, soup kitchens, on helplines, in animal rescue centres, and in almost every theatre I performed in on my last tour, there seemed to be an enthusiastic team of volunteers making things happen. Anyone who works in these areas, paid or volunteering, knows that we are heading into dark and difficult times, but verily I say unto you, don’t get disillusioned and downhearted, don’t feel overpowered and defeated. Do what you can. Do the little, (or the big), things that make a difference you can see. The tangible stuff. Or take to the streets to do something for the future. Do anything. Just don’t give up. Don’t let them grind you down. Rise up all ye sisters and brothers who know better. Stand firm in the downturn. Benjamin Zephaniah' [https://benjaminzephaniah.com/ive-cried-a-lot-lately/]

Shane MacGowan of the Pogues https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/30/shane-macgowan-pogues-singer-dies

Guardian 23/11/2023: 'Ofgem energy price cap: what does the new year rise mean for households?' https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/nov/23/ofgem-energy-price-cap-what-does-the-new-year-rise-mean-for-uk-households

Article in today's online Guardian re: digital switchover and vulnerable customers: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/nov/20/as-uk-landlines-go-digital-fears-grow-for-vulnerable-people-whose-home-phone-is-a-lifeline

Money Saving Expert advice re: fixing your energy tarif (updated 16th Nov 2023): https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/-are-there-any-cheap--fixed-energy-deals-currently-worth-it--/ I looked it up having just read a report in the Guardian on the latest predictions on the energy cap: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/nov/16/energy-bills-great-britain-rise-january-cap-gas-prices

Southwark Council COL support website updated for 2023-24: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/cost-of-living-support/financial-support-and-advice/southwark-council-cost-of-living-fund-scolf See also: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/cost-of-living-support

For those interested there is a third march this coming Saturday in central London: https://palestinecampaign.org/events/national-march-for-palestine-ceasefire-now/

Hadyn Gwynne of a favourite show at the time, Drop The Dead Donkey https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/oct/20/haydn-gwynne-actor-dies-aged-66

Woken up at 1.45 or so to noise of someone trying to kick in our side gate which luckily held. He then appears to have popped next door to the empty house under renovation and managed to open a window. By the time I noticed half an hour later (feeling jittery and checking windows and doors!) and police attended (very quick response) no-one found on site. Description: Middle-aged (?) white, average height male, short dark hair with a distinctive bald patch. Wearing white/light grey trainers and dark clothing with longish, hooded dark padded jacket. Letting neighbours know in case anyone else had any problems overnight and warning about local activity. Stay safe.