east-of-the-Rye

Quick reply about the "why are children coming for some distance to ED schools when they are all oversubscribed" comment. Children are at primary school for 7 years, and a school that is not very popular, may take children from areas with even worse schools, only to find a few years later, that it is oversubscribed but that the siblings of children who came years ago have a right to a place. Ivydale has had its ups & downs - the children who got places there in say, 2002 (when my second son started), even though they lived north of Queens Road, have moved on, but their younger siblings are still attending. I seem to remember that one government or other made a big thing about parental choice...

I've twice been frightened by Clarkes Coaches on Perry Vale in Forest Hill while on a bike - once one went really close to me, and the next time, I heard a coach behind me, and pulled into a gap before it whizzed by, very close. So I'm interested to hear that others have this experience with them. My experiences were a couple of months ago, (I don't cycle very often, bike currently waiting for a puncture repair...) but if I notice similar from them again, I will write to their office.

Don't know how many parents of older children read this section but if any one has any ideas, please respond. My 12yr old son was refered to an orthodontist in this area because of his crowded, crooked teeth.(Adult ones regularly appear before milk teeth fall out.) The orthodontist asked him how he felt about his teeth and whether he wanted them to look better. C. answered that he thought they looked alright - not an unreasonable answer given that his appearence is not of much interest to him at the moment, and I'd never told him his teeth were a problem. The O. said he could only work with children who wanted to improve their appearence. I said that I wasn't looking for american style perfection, but just a healthy set of teeth, which made things much worse and he's told us to go away and think. But quickly because if C is to have a brace it has to be soon because he's in a growth spurt. I do understand that a child has to co-operate with the whole teeth extraction/brace/extra cleaning etc., but although I think I can cause C to do this, I'm not sure I can get him to look the O. in the face and say "Yes I want beautiful teeth". Has anyone else had this experience? And how did you deal with it?

Probably a little too late for the beautiful day that was today, but a couple of suggestions: try www.walkit.com - it maps out walking routes, including less direct but quieter ones. Unfortunately, it doesn't usually include routes across parks (which might be locked at times,) although it does include open commons. Also check the walking part of the Transport for London site www.tfl.gov.uk You might have been thinking about the Green Chain Walk? I think there is a plan to expand it but I'm not sure either whether it is happening.

To answer 2 questions: why would anyone want to go to Bedford, and do people who've really missed their train/ lost their money/tickets etc ask for help...after A-levels in 1978 I went to the Rock Against Racism festival in Brockwell Park. Dashing off to buy something from a stall towards the end, I got separated from my friends, couldn't find which of the coaches parked in Milkwood Road was the one to Bedford, then realised I'd missed it. I used the very last of my money to ring my mum and get a train from Herne Hill to Victoria. I then thought very hard about approaching someone ro ask for some money for a bus to St Pancras but just couldn't bring myself to do it, and my memory tells me that I walked/ran instead. www.walkit.com says it's a 3 miles, 59 minute walk, so it's quite possible though I'm not sure how I knew the way. I did convince the guard at the barrier to let me on a train, and my mother met me and paid for the ticket at Bedford Station, and was actually slightly less angry than I'd expected. b.t.w, there did used to be an Italian vice consultate in Bedford, as lots of Italians came over after the war to work in the brickworks. But I'm not aware of any Greek connection.

when I walked past about 2 weeks ago I stopped and read the notice tied to a lamp post (which may have blown down by now) I think it said that it will be an improved barrier with cycle path through it. The council are just doing something similar at Waveney Avenue/Carden road on the other side of the park.

I believe the pool is closed: the planning notice for building work at the site (last year?) referred to plans to demolish it - good idea for a sports speciality college. Sports Centre - having failed to get through on the phone, my 15 year old and friend set off in trepidation to attempt to book a badminton court one day during the school holidays, assuming it would be booked up with play schemes etc. Although his card, that would have given a slight discount, turned out to be out of date, they were surprised to find the process straight forward, - several of the staff there are really quite helpful, - it is ?9 for a court for an hour, and they had a good game.

Dukes last night is tonight, I think.

My resident frogs have produced lots of spawn in my little (approx bath sized) pond and despite the recent frosts, yesterday I noticed the spawn start to wriggle and today it was a mass of little black lines instead of dots. They'll be alright as tadpoles (unless fished by crows,) but once they start looking tasty the cats and foxes will be after them... Several times plants have been pulled out of the pond, and assuming that the frogs didn't do it, I guess the foxes go fishing in the night.

what if you only want a few things from particular areas?

A notice announced that it would reopen on 29th January (I think). I sent my 11 year old and his friend off to celebrate/investigate. They came back disappointed - the new building is there, and there are activities of some sort (table tennis) inside there (or were on that day), but the actual grounds (surely the whole point of an "adventure playground"?)are taped off. The big wooden structures (swings, climbing frames etc) have not been rebuilt, although there was some new looking wood stacked up near them last time I went by. Looking forward to hearing any news any one else has about it.

I think Friern School existed at the same time as Honor Oak Grammar - my understanding from a couple of ex-collegues, who were about my age (i.e. did O-levels in late 1970's) was that Friern School was the non-grammer school, for girls who didn't go to Honor Oak. But there must be people still around East Dulwich who can confirm that.

A couple of years ago, we acquired a "To let" sign, probably intended for a house a little futher along, when we weren't to let. I rang the EA, they didn't move it, so we adapted it to advertise the school fair, naturally covering up any mention of the EA. By some co-incidence, the following year, lots of "School Fair sponsored by XYZ EA's" appeared all over ED and Nunhead. Even the school Friends group I was in, jumped on the band wagon. I didn't have one outside my house - my personal experience of EA has been uniformly negative. If you really get fed up of a sign: [a] alter the words to say what you think of the EA cut it up for fire wood

A few points related to the various threads: The Street Audit was done in February 2007, I don't know why it has taken so long to be acted on, partly inertia in the council, partly the actual work of drawing up viable plans - e.g. the Audit recommended that "improved crossing junction of East Dulwich Grove and Lordship Lane,: but apparently the officers in the Council (or maybe in the consultants, Mouchel) were unable to come up with a solution that Transport for London would accept, because of the issue of delays at this junction causing a jam to tail back to the roundabout. You can see the Street Audit here: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/uploads/FILE_40766.pdf Loss of parking if a Zebra Crossing is installed outside Somerfields: on the day the Audit was carried ( a Saturday,) at least 2 of the cars, if not 3, were estate agent owned cars, hardly shoppers. The discussion about whether the suggestion for installing a crossing is related to fatalities: whether or not there have been any, the Council is looking at various places in the borough with a view to improving things for pedestrians, the LB Southwark Travel Plan talks about "promoting and encouraging sustainable transport" - i.e walking and cycling. I guess a few of you will be outraged by this, but when the oil runs out you may have to rethink your travel plans... By the way, I don't live directly on Lordship Lane, and didn't get a consultation form, but do shop there. I'm all in favour of a crossing outside Somerfield, there are so many places where cars dominate and it will hardly reduce the overall speed of traffic in the area, if some cars have to stop at at recognised crossing point, instead of in a traffic jam a few feet further on.

I'm confused: what was the reason - frozen locks? or H & S, and if the latter, what were the actual grounds? (On occassion, the park has been closed when the park rangers have felt very severe winds could bring trees down.)

On Peckham Rye this morning (Friday), a young woman (in jogging kit) told me that she'd lost some keys, and said to hand them in at the cafe if I saw them - I'm not sure if they can be the ones you found on Upland Road yesterday but if no one else contacts you, they might be.

They were on Nunhead Lane on Tuesday - I was cycling and asked to pull over and tell the guy where I'd been and where I was going (Peckham Sorting Office to Nunhead - I'm not a long-distance cyclist). I'm disappointed that they didn't ask pedestrians - most journeys involve some element of walking, but by not including this in surveys, it's easy for "them" to ignore pedestrians needs....

I was at the meeting too - the report about the street audit was very general but of the results, the first item mentioned was "install additional uncontrolled crossings" (I think this means Zebra crossings rather than out-of-control crossings) Yes, "install uniform paving" in also on the list, but the man went to on to say that more details will be posted on the Southwark website and people will be invited to comment on how the ideas should be prioritised. I, for one, do want more crossings, and as soon as it's on the website, I'll let people know here. There was a street audit in Lordship Lane last year - apparently there are definite plans for a crossing outside Somerfield, and on the third arm of the Lordship Lane roundabout. This will also apparently go on the website so again, once I've found it I'll let people know.

There's a Walking Audit of Evelina Road Nunhead (yes I know, another blurring of the East Dulwich /Nunhead borders)this Saturday, next Monday and Wednesday, to look at how good the road is for pedestrians - full details on the "What's On" section of the Forum.

The junction of Lordship Lane and Dulwich Common - by the Harvester is another one: traffic lights for the cars but nothing to help pedestrians get across the road. If you can think of any more, log on to www.southwarklivingstreets.org.uk and add them to the collection we're campaigning on, especially if you've got photos to show the problems. Southwark Living Streets put a proposal to the Community Councils re. the Adys Road/Crystal Palace Road junction to increase the time allowed for crossing - it's currently 9 seconds - and encourage diagonal crossing. The proposals seem to have got stuck between the 3 Community Councils that join here.

After enduring a high speed trip along Brenchley Gardens, when it was particualary undulating, friends of ours (from Austria but who'd recently holiday'd in Italy) declared that the P in P12 stood for Pericoloso.

2 Police people outside a house on Ivydale Road (there at 3.45pm, and 8pm)one with a large gun - the rumour is, Jacqui Smith has moved in - any one heard anything?

I had a response from the Planning Department to my objection to the swimming pool being demolished. The officers are recommending approval of the whole proposal (I think - there were quite a few pages!) although the decision is made at a Planning Committee on 15/4/08, 7pm Southwark Town Hall. One of the parties consulted was Sport England who said "... the existing swimming pool is an old building with poor insulation and lacking changing rooms. It has not been used for a number of years. Although the loss of a sports facility is regrettable, this pool is in poor condition and the school's needs for swimming are met by Dulwich swimming pool" So that's alright then. Actually, I think this is a wider problem that just East Dulwich - apparently, academies can get money for rebuilding but not swimming pools, and Stockwell Park School is in the news due to plans to rebuild, but without the exisitng pool.

There is a swimming pool at this school,(Homestall Road SE22) which is, amongst other things, a sports academy. I don't know if it's still used - my son used to go there for swimming lessons when at Ivydale School a few years ago (and complained about the green slime on the walls) I've just noticed a Planning Application for the school to do various things including demolish this pool. I've checked and they don't intend to replace it with a pool. This seems crazy for a sports academy in a city due to host the Olympics in 2012. In addition, Dulwich Baths in due to close for renovation, which will affect not only casual swimmers but also the many primary and secondary schools that have their lessons there. I accept that the HGAED pool may need a lot of work carrying out, but this must be cheaper than building a new one. Is anyone out there doing anything about this? Does the boys school campaign know about it? http://planningonline.southwarksites.com/planningonline2/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPSESSION=%7B%5B%2A%211D1A020B050304731D3C3D31617C041E28360020373B2D3A033A2131681B1102001216030D02040A06016F691120283F3A3606243629243A06176F767176787E777660017662122B3C203B2A2A0705737E63677D707B76767B67%21%2A%5D%7D