lizbells6

Thanks James. I'll get in touch with her, although this info should be available from Southwark for all local residents, not just Ivydale parents. My children left Ivydale quite a while ago. I've also contacted our local councillor.

I live nearby too and am furious that I had to find out about this meeting from the EDF after it had happened. How did people who attended know about it? There was no local publicity. I had assumed the school would use the existing buildings - I can't believe those beautiful old houses are going to be demolished. Do you have any more info? There is zero on the Southwark website.

The reason you are having to defend yourself, SJ4545, is that although you say you read the forum all the time, the first post you feel like writing is to start off a rumour which could be very damaging to a small local business and seems to be incorrect. Wouldn't it have been better just to wait until the next time you went into the shop and ask them, instead of posting something you later say you might have misheard? Perhaps you should edit the title of this post.

Are there any actual shops opening up? You know, those places where you can buy things which aren't food or drink?

Or maybe Congrats to the 2 students from Charter who got into Oxford.

Rudds is still going strong supplying excellent fruit and veg. I was in there yesterday.

Also there the Clockworks Museum in Norwood. It's actually a museum of electrical timekeeping (really worth a visit even if you're not into clocks just to see what they've done with the old building) but the founder Dr. James Nye knows everyone who is anyone in the world of horology and is really helpful.

Keith Harding's World of Mechanical Music are in Northleach, Glos. They have a museum and restoration/conservation workshop. They might be interested or have some advice.

Although it was done with the best of intentions, it's really not good to feed any bees shop-bought honey. This can contain diseases such as American Foulbrood spores, which is devastating to colonies. MannyManuel's remedy of weak sugar solution is best. Bog standard white sugar btw, definitely not brown, which can give them dysentery.

Some years ago, we employed a friend of a friend to strip and varnish our floors while we were on holiday. We arrived home late after a long hot drive from Cornwall in our Mini with 2 small children (the only day it hadnt poured with rain)to find a note saying the kitchen floor might still be a bit wet so don't walk on it until tomorrow. It had obviously just been varnished that afternoon. Then discovered our son's Xbox and games spread out all over his bedroom and our CDs had been gone through and scattered around. Floors looked good though!

Is Forest Hill too far away for you? There's the Forest Hill Space, Havelock Walk, (behind Sainsburys) which is a lovely place and very reasonable to hire. Two hours free parking in Sainsbury car park for the drivers.

There's another thread about this. Search "Tree Sculpture".

I love this thread. Thanks to everyone who posts all this fascinating info, especially flower.

Tallulah, I'm not against the CGS funding public art at all, I was wondering how it gets chosen. I'm sure lots of artists would like to have their work on show at such a busy location so there should be a transparent selection process to avoid suggestions of "commissions for mates". Maybe there is- I looked on the Southwark website but perhaps I missed it. And I don't think it was unreasonable to mention it has overrun, even allowing for nails and the fact that it is art. How do artists cost their work if they don't know roughly how long it will take?

According to an earlier post, it was funded by Southwark from their Cleaner Greener Safer fund after an application from a local resident. No info about the selection process for the artist and design though.

Only two months or so overdue so far.

We have a thick door curtain which we draw shut in the evenings. It's on a track fixed to the top of the door, and the pleating covers the gap at the top of the door and it's a bit wider than the actual door so it covers the side gaps too. It's wedged in place at the bottom with a draught excluder when everyone is in. You can lose a lot of heat through the glass and letterbox.

What astonishingly high handed and inconsiderate behaviour from the OP's neighbours. I would take lots of photos before the work starts and get it in writing that they will make good any damage the builders do on your property e.g. trampled plants, damaged brickwork, paint and cement drips. Surely they should also consult you about what finish you would like on the wall you will have to look at from your kitchen window. I suppose on the plus side having a wall there might cut down on the party noise.

We had a similar problem. Are you in a Victorian terrace? If so the drains are probably shared in pairs of houses. Ours go across to our neighbour's rear side return, join theirs and go out to the road under their house. Thames Water are responsible for the shared drain from the junction out to the road. In our case, they checked there was no blockage using dye and then went on about underground streams and London clay. Finally some nice TW man checked the rodding point in the front garden of the neighbour on the other side and found theirs was badly blocked so had been seeping in to our cellar. After that was unblocked we didn't have any more problems. Don't know if any of this applies in your case though.

If you google images 'wooden test tube holder' there are a couple of pics of similar tools showing them on stands, about 40th images in.

Test tube holder originally? Central hole clamps to vertical pole and two side jaws clamp glass tubes.

Thanks for suggestions everyone.

Im meeting an old friend who is in transit through Liverpool Street Station. Does anyone know a decent cafe/cheapish restaurant nearby where we could meet for lunch and a catch up?

As if the carbon footprint of this event wasn't big enough already.

Please note that the London Beekeepers DON'T collect wasps nests and I'm afraid we don't move bumble bees nests either. We can collect swarms of honey bees from gardens, trees, outside walls etc up to an accessible height, within a day or two of them arriving. The swarm is then taken to a local apiary to be quarantined and checked for disease and a laying queen. We have a waiting list of members wanting new colonies.