Nigello

CoOp treacle tart is especially good, and with cream (or custard) it is even better. When it is on offer at ?2 you have to buy two. #TheFightbackBegins

Why not return them to the Dept of Health, with a covering letter, or at least a link to this thread? Could make a good picture story for a magazine/newspaper/campaign group, if you are interested in that kind of thing!

It could be that some of the houses in question are rented out and the landlords/landladies simply CBA. It could also be that they belong to people who are not physically able to do it, so a gentle offer of help could work here - if you know that is the case. Perhaps, though, even the most able-bodied house-owners are just too lazy to be bothered. The council can and will cut the bushes back but they'll do it in a very utilitarian way and then charge you for it. Some of the spots are dangerous because the foliage grows out to such an extent as to make people have to leave the pavement, not a great idea if you are pushing a buggy, walking a dog or are not as nimble on your feet as you were (or are in a wheelchair, etc).

Seen at least four ED Sainsbury's-bound 42s in forty minutes as I sat outside La Scala. All were empty, save for around five passengers on either deck. Perhaps they were especially empty because they are new and they were at the end of the route?

Louisa, is that a guess or cold, hard fact?

"Believe the Boris bus is around 12 so lighter than your average single decker." Red AND green - how clever. Still think SE22 needs a couple of express services/services served by smaller vehicles at certain times of the day but have been told by GLA trsnsport highest-up that because the current services are not jam packed - people can still board - they are not needed.

I agree with Take Note. We have - very sadly - any number of neglected, unwanted, abused pets who are much more cheaply and with less impact on CO2 levels housed here. Tackling the problem in Greece and other places with education, neutering etc would be a better way of going about things, though I understand why people want to help in any way they can.

I am not keen on tropical/sub-tropical species, mainly because they look out of place and are not as likely to support the wildlife we have here. Having said that, any tree pit that needs feeling should be filled soon and more trees, whatever kind, should be planted on streets, in "pocket parks" and in private gardens, for that matter.

Only take what you need! Most gardens in ED are pretty small and wouldn't need much more than five bags, but some around the library are likely to be bigger.

Alas no such courtesy, old fashioned or new. It may well be after the fact, but go and talk to them and - reasonably - tell them you were upset about their lack of communciation in the first place and about their too loud jolly japes. It may be a tad uncomfortable, but it at least shows them that their actions don't exist in a bubble and that their will be consequences, even if it is just a bit of an ear chewing.

I'm slightly suspicious as it's removal makes an application for a dropped kerb and off street parking feasible . I thought that as well, but do acknowledge that that bit of the pavement had been semi-blocked because of the tree so perhaps it was a coincidence or the planning people decided to let it go given that a bid for a dropped kerb had been put in. I thought the square-metre requirement had been quietly dropped, after certain dead or removed trees were replaced even after I was orignally told they would not be because of new rules.

What is DN bus stop?

Good decision. (An equally good decision would then be to decline calls on public transport and other public places so that you don't get ear/head/hair cancer and fellow members of the public don't get cheesed off.)

Phone conversations with the phone on speaker, especially in confined spaces. (See also - miffed off looks and stroppy remarks when you ask perpetrators to cut the volume.)

Do ToastED/Brickhouse add a service charge for daytime drinks/breakfasts? I don't drink normal coffee but the decaf at La Scala is good (as is their breakfast tea, but I don't know which brand it is).

There are some charities that will take both tapes and recorder. I think there is even a thread on this forum. Why not contact them and ask them to collect?

Maybe the parents ought to have picked up the glass and allowed their children and other children to play in safety. A responsible adult ought to be able to remove a relatively small amount of rubbish - even broken glass - without coming to any harm, but most folk simply CBA. (I speak as someone who CBA and who does pick up cans, bottles etc.) I agree, though, that the police ought to be told and asked to patrol there at the times in question.

Ham House in/near Richmond is good and is open from midday till four, usually.

A new pizzeria, brought to you by the Peddler people, will be opening in a fortnight on Bellenden Road, where the short-lived Trio cafe/children's play area was, according to the man I spoke to in there. I think it will be called something like "Beautiful Boy Pizza". Seems light and airy and roomy inside. Good luck!

The one just behind the church near to Brockwell Lido was very good, too.

RRR, I share your frustrations and cannot see it getting better, what with the uptick in numbers of people moving to SE22 and on bus routes that serve it. (Have you seen the hundreds of new flats, which are very welcome, along Camberwell and into Walworth?) This is what I wrote on an earlier thread. (NB email address that may help): I wrote to Helen Hayes earlier this year (March, I think). She passed on my queries and concerns (and suggestions, such as more buses or express versions at certain times) to Mike Brown, the London Transport Commissioner who in turn wrote back to me (via Fiona Lampard whose title is Assembly Management Manager, Government and Stakeholder Relations, Group Public Affairs (her capitals). In essence, what I learnt is that Camberwell station could be reopened but it would have a knock-on effect on other train movements and that it is being looked into; that 40s and 176s "are well used during peak periods but....below capacity as passengers can board these buses at these times. There is not sufficient demand to justify the cost of introducing more buses along the routes. The major cause of bus delays is traffic congestion, rather than dwell time at stops. Therefore an express service would not necessarily be quicker than a service that stops more regularly." So, if you want to get in touch with Mike Brown vis-a-vis the extra pressure on bus routes given the Southern debacle, please do so via [email protected] . Why not copy in the Mayor and Helen Hayes too?

The council cannot/will not even put right poor work done by its own contractors (see ponding along shops opposite ED Picture House on LL and near to Goodrich School) so I am not surprised it won't always hold outside firms responsible for their actions.

A staff memberat the library told me that the new five-per-person limit was because there was a shortage of bags from the manufacturers. The library person told me that some people would come back to try to get more - another ten, the old (extravagant) limit - or say they were picking up for a housebound relative.

Saw a very small bird - about the size of a champagne cork - at ground level on Choumert Road. It disappeared into a hedge. It was dun coloured and very fast. Was it a wren? As for jays, I saw one about seven years ago in my back garden and none has been there since. I think I saw one last weekend on Court Lane in the gardens near the private road.

The shop next to Mr Bao had its shutters up and people were inside this morning, measuring up. Not sure what it will be.