Louisa

I was walking across Goose Green at around 3pm this afternoon and I noticed what appeared to be a small terrier type dog jumping up at this lady with a small dog in her arms. The lady was obviously out walking her dog and she had a pram and child with her, the other dog appeared to belong to an elderly lady who could obviously not control the other dog at all. Eventually it took a few people to intervene and get the dog under control. The dog at one point had attached itself to the other dog in this ladys arms and was holding on biting. I saw the eledrly lady put the dog back on it's lead and she eventually walked off. It was very distressing for all involved and quite a scene. I was amazed that a large crowd of onlookers gathered and did not offer to help at all. One man reluctantly helped this poor lady in the end, but it was a little too late by this stage. I wish people could be a little more helpful and understanding by offering support in situations like this. To add to the situation, a bobby on the beat was on the oppostie side of EDR handing out a parking ticket!! I was gobsmacked! Sorry 2pm my mistake!!

Sorry Keef I just cant help it :)

I consider ED to be sat alongside such areas as Putney, Chiswick, Battersea and Clapham, therefore any major fluctuation in the housing market with long term effects will happen in the suburban areas of London long before an area like this. Having said that, it is always best to air on the side of caution so I disagree that Domitianus is doom mongering. I remember the boom and bust days of the 80's and 90's and back then before the gentrification areas like ED remained extremely vulnerable to the national trends on housing, but I believe this is much less the case today. But we shall see. Louisa.

I agree with dulwichbloke, leave the poor old chains alone, what is it with middle class people and 'independent shops'.. Dont get me wrong, I love small chains and local businesses, but for goodness sakes we need a balance. If all you people against chains stuck to your guns and only shopped in small indies then Sainsbury's and the like would be long gone, but the truth is the majority of you shop at both but are reluctant to admit it! Louisa.

Keef you let emotions get the better of you. The minute a child is mentioned alarm bells ring in my head, I find it disgusting when I see beggars with young kids or animals, trying to tug on our heart strings and using them as bate in their ghastly plan, disgusing. Louisa.

I would just derive pleasure from knowing that I could go through this process and enjoy the fact i'd be the winner in the end, and the bad guy would think they had me over a barrel, when in fact it was Louisa who was going to win the day. Anyway, a bucket is just one quick throw and you could miss and it could get messy, a hose is more direct and a shock to the system and I could chase her off with it down the road. Bitch. Louisa.

If this woman ever knocked on my front door at such an ungodly hour, I would be extremely polite, tell her to wait there whilst I go and get my purse, then calmly walk into the kitchen, grab my extended car washing hose, walk upstairs, attach it to the cold tap on my bath and turn the tap as far to the right as is humanly possible, walk into the upstairs front bedroom open the window and switch the side clip on the front of the hose, and drench her whilst calling her numberous rude words, and watch her run off soaked to the bone. I would then smile and get back into bed. The end. Louisa.

i'd recommend the winter ice fair at Hyde Park with skating and a German Christmas market. as for ED, I would always recommend the Dulwich Picture Gallery for a choir/carol service in mid December at the chapel. It's always very festive and some wonderful voices.

I would love Ann Summers to open up next to White Stuff, so much more interesting than some bland poncy boutique.

I remember the olde Sainsbury's in Peckham, which is now the Clarks show factory. It was the very last traditional J Sainsbury store with counter service for every product. A pleasure to shop in. It's a shame Chris Kennedy cannot find the urge to change things for himself, but I guess he has genuinely had enough of the business. The bizarre thing is the product is of a very high standard and if only he could diversify some of the product range it would survive. I think the biggest problem for them is that they are based in areas which no longer have the need for these types of traditional shops. Camberwell Green, Walworth Road, Croydon.. Very much like Peckham all these areas have undergone considerable change and I think they should have seen these changes happening and moved into areas like ED before it was inevitable they would lose their customer base. Such a shame, oh well thats the cut throat world of business for you! Louisa.

I have sent numerous letters to Kennedy ltd since I became aware of the closure, urging them to relocate to ED just to see if they could struggle on with just the one shop. I am very hopeful that if the business came to ED and perhaps expanded it's variety and offered a few organic products it would make a bomb. I have yet to receive any response which I find very sad. How can they watch a 130 year old business just pass into history without even trying to relocate or change the product line. I am pleading with you Chris Kennedy to keep just one shop open, I will miss not being able to come to your shop for my handmade christmas pudding which I have done year on year for so long, and the wonderful chipolatas to go with my Goose. Louisa.

Why do we need all these poncy versions of everything? A bakers - bread and cakes maybe some pasties and sarnies.. Paul's? Good grief, what a snob hole this area is turning out to be! There is nothing wrong with the bakers we have, very friendly staff, good bread and oh yes they sell sausage rolls, I can see the snobby folk squirming at the thought as I type lol Louisa.

How dare anyone try to build yet more housing in an area which is becoming stretched as it is. The buses (which I refuse to use) are now filled to bursting point, the roads are congested, the post office and bank (mine anyway) are always packed and it takes me hours to queue. We cannot sustain yet more housing affordable (whatever that is) or not! Plus I buy my spring bulbs from the Dulwich Garden Centre, I dont wish to be forced to travel to Homebase in Penge every March thankyou very much. Louisa.

Curse the men/women who worked on that bloody road, I had a very bad experience late this afternoon with a massive waterfilled pot hole possibly the same one? I've got a nice new car now as well, not happy, I could bitch slap whoever re-opened the road in such an atrocious state! Louisa

What difference does living in Peckham make? I actually live close to Goose Green so I border ED and Peckham, but even if I did live outside of ED I recognise a decent shop front, and funnily enough Peckham has some very decent traditional victorian shop fronts. Whats left of the old J&H department stores (above MK one and another shop) is absolutely beautiful.

Poor old estate agents get such a bad rep, I really think we should just live and let live when it comes to dodgy professions. I know many people who have done dubious stints in various legal and erm not so legal areas of our wonderfully flexible economy, and I think EA's are probably the most misunderstood and stereotyped of the lot of them! Foxtons make the area look nice, great shop front, yes slightly agressive but for god sakes your getting 0% atm on a sale so be bloody thankful! Louisa

Shooting apples off of trees I would imagine to be quite a long winded task with very little to show for your efforts at the end. Do you take the bullets out before creating a nice fruit salad?

*Bob* anything? ;-)

Iceland have in previous years sold whole frozen geese, they always have Duck, sometimes even fresh and stuffed. A lot of people underestimate this place.

A devestating air raid in 1940 destroyed large chunks of the Peckham Rye area, including the ladies munitions factory, the Kings Arms pub, and all surrounding buildings. Most of the site close to the former pub is now a council estate. I always remember being told about a bomb which dropped on a row of terraced victorian houses along Fenwick Road, and it killed 26 people one evening. The former row of terraced houses at the bottom of Fenwick bordering Amott Road is now a small 1950's development of a block of flats. A psychic lady I know often is called out to hauntings in flats at this location where audio/visual paranormal activity has been reported, very spooky stuff!

I am having Goose, Duck and Ham, a kind of posh homemade carvery if that makes any sense (I wont be getting the meat from WR though!!).

Sounds great MitchK, some pretentious shops for some pretentious shoppers to make them feel good about themselves. Dont you just love progress!

I brought this topic up months ago! If you take a comparable look at the 1991 census compared to the 2001 census and then the mid-census estimates on ethnic makeup of wards and boroughs (as listed on the national statistics website), the white population of southwark as a whole as risen by 6% between 91' and 01', and then shot up another 5% on the estimation done in 2005. At a time of mass immigration and a shrinking white population across most other London boroughs, it does seem to fit in with the gentrification in ED. Southwark has bucked the trend on diversity since 1991, and this process appears to be accelerating into the 2000's. It's very interesting for sociologists and people into their demographics, but it also makes worrying news for people with concerns about social cohesion and community relations.

All this talk of Sugar is making me crave chocolate for some reason.

Who knows, and frankly who cares? I couldnt figure it out myself when I glanced in on the opening week, all I know is it looks nice. Probably wont last five minutes due to high rents and lack of customers but lets make the most of having a reasonably attractive shop front by the roundabout for now. It's a luxury that end of the lane has not had since forever!