Nigello

I just noticed that the branch of William Hill on Forest Hill Road, next to the launderette, is closed and has whitewashed windows. Is it being done up or has it closed permanently, I wonder.

Stop! The message was written on the spur of the moment, it was four sentences long, it said something like "be a good neighbour/citizen. Do not fly tip. The council will be informed" - you no longer have it so don't embellish. It was not aggressive or threatening, not even "potentially"; it was to-the-point. You were in your bed, so I didn't knock (it was way before 0800 on a Saturday). Your cleaner or someone who has access to your house had dumped rubbish. I never knew who you were before I "bragged" on the forum, so please don't take it personally. I still don't. Noone knows who you are or where you live - it's an anonymous forum, remember - so you can't take offence when people say "nice work" etc. - they're not talking about you because they don't know you. They're talking about a person in their imagination. I wrote- without any suggestion as to where exactly the "culprit" lived - to show that there is a problem with fly-tipping and to encourage others to not just walk on by. There's way too much of that in SE22. Get a new cleaner!

DunstansChap, I came around early one morning, but all the curtains were drawn, hence my message - which was not aggressive: "Be a good neighbour. I have reported this to the council. Do not fly-tip." I wasn't going to leave the bag there without action: far too many folk do that, and given that I was on my way out for the day, I didn't want to leave it to come back to later. I'd do the same again if I came across the same but I still wouldn't rap at the door to have a go if all the signs were that people were in bed.

I saw a large bin bag left (fly-tipped) on the corner of Goodrich and Upland. I peeked inside and found empty Amazon boxes with the names of two residents of a nearby address. (I'd love to put the details of the offenders - or at least the cleaners who work for those people - but think the admins would not like it.) I took one of the boxes out, wrote on it "do not fly tip. I have informed the council. Be a good neighbour" and then took it round to the address and put it on their porch. Any other fly-tipping success stories out there?

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Dumpertruck and others, The council will spray bright yellow "Bag it and bin it" signs, complete with defecating hound, if you tell them of a recurrent problem. It's not a great help but it's something: 020 7525 2000 and press 1 for "anti-social behaviour" I think.

Of course they did: it will be still waiting!

People who see potential dangers (like soon-to-be-falling walls) or social no-nos (like people not cleaning up after their dog or people who litter) and then race to the keyboard to moan about it rather than tackling it at source.

Do you really think this will make the offender clean up after his dog? It'd've been much more effective to yell at him from your house, or go and speak to him yourself. People, take action!

Vandam, If it looks like there is an accident waiting to happen, it really does fall - no pun intended - to you to report it. Asking others if they know anything about it on a (broadly) anonymous chat forum really doesn't do it.

If only the 176 were front (and back-) loaded at the start and end of the working day, with slightly fewer between, say 0930 and 1600. I did fill in a form I had through my door to suggest this, but can't remember whether it was from a political party or a consultative body. In the short term, bus passengers that "move right down and take all available seats" would be very welcome.

It might sound trite, even glib, but if you want to hear, you will. There's no doubt that aircraft noise can be disturbing but don't underestimate the brain's ability to tune out from sounds you'd really prefer to hear. Use wax earplugs, improve your sleeping regime and just accept that the noise is there. After a while I think you won't be half as disturbed as you are now.

I gargle with salt water as soon as I get a tickle in the throat, then drink fizzy Vitamin C/Zinc with ginger and garlic and honey. It sounds bad, but it's OK. Lots of sleep is a must, as is lots of water. Boots chesty cough syrup is good to dissolved the phlegm. Muninex Maximum Strength is really good, but it's only available in the US. It contains about six times the amount of guaifinesin, the stuff that loosens the catarrh, than UK medicines. http://biovea.net/uk/product_detail.aspx?PID=3652&OS=204&KW=mucinex%20&cp=4&NAME=MUCINEX?-12-HOUR-EXPECTORANT-Maximum-Strength-48-Tablets

James, Ticketing parkers who park illegally outside the Sainsbury's (Dulwich Plough) would really help prevent tailbacks there between 1600 and 1900. Just one parked vehicle can really make the traffic back up at already busy times. Can you work on this and let us know what action will be taken? Thanks.

Doodle1 You must report this. It's discriminatory.

http://www.peckhammarket.com/ It's at the Harris Academy from this Saturday (1/11).

Danes

Cruel Summer - Bananarama

I (i?)

Ships

You can still work to a tight budget, yet be thoughtful about aesthetics. <<<< Solipsistic claptrap. An eight year old, unless s/he is precocious and of a prodigious design sensibility, really does not care about fineries of the building they're learning in (unless, of course, that structure is unsafe, dilapidated and uncared for, which the new school - despite its functional looks - will not be). Stop thinking about yourselves and how important design and aesthetics are to your life and think of the education, safety and development of the child. I love things of beauty, but I don't want the baby of good education to be thrown out with the bath waters of design-fetishism. Make the school strong, secure, well-lit and reasonably attractive and then fill it with great teachers to instruct enthusiastic children of parents committed to their education and bin the aesthetic-anxiety, please.

Thanks Yes, I have a fern which has done well but never really gets past a certain size. At least it's healthy, so thankful for small mercies/small ferns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAoRAwNFYfo&index=3&list=PLSbrUjOxz7HjBlEveH_KUC-LKBMetI-1W It's a nice tale with nice pics and a mini-interview. Have a look.

I really don't think the minds of four or five year olds are ready for the alleged inspiration a school building designed to an aesthetic so lusted after by EDF types. They want it to be clean, safe, secure, well-lit and with good facilities and teachers. The adults - of a certain kind, at least - want the added beauty, not the children.

Time (Clock of the Heart) - Culture Club