Nigello

LTN in Private Eye's podcast https://www.private-eye.co.uk/podcast/58 15' in

I agree that this gel/spray is to be used in conjunction with masks, handwashing, distancing (probably the most important), ventilation, etc. I wonder whether smearing your nostril insides with Vicks or even petroleum jelly would help in any way in blocking viruses/baceria?

It has been suggested that because Macron and Merkel know that vaccines are in short supply they are saying that no 65+ will get an O-AZ jab - easier to say you can't have one because it is not approved, or "quasi effective", because it is too dodgy instead of saying there's not enough to go around. The vaccine's efficacy on 65+ is less known about because there were smaller numbers of this age group to test on: many wanted to follow the rules and stay at home. Lack of knowledge does not translate to lack of efficacy or, worse, hazard. Macron as elections in 15 months' time and there is a fear/acknowledgement that the far right will make gains on the back of national and EU-level poor performance on vaccines.

I support better facilities for cyclists (at the same time as castigating those who don't wear lights or who go through red lights, cycle on footpaths, etc.) but lament the lack of support for all of us - ie. pedestrians/wheelchair users. We all walk or wheel on footpaths whether or not we are cyclists or drivers or riders or bikes, yet we have shoddy pavements, dropped kerbs that pond when there is rain, a council that does not clamp down on householders who keep bins outside their properties and don't cut back branches. More people would be happy to walk if they felt it was that bit less of a hassle, perhaps. So, if you have a bin on the footpath or a bush that pokes out into the road, please do your bit. The council may, if asked, come along and do it for you if you don;t, especially as it tries to convince us to do more walking and less driving.

Sounds like a nice fixture - thanks for sharing the news and good luck if you go for it.

I disagree. Even without the ongoing and likely continued yuppification of LL and nearby, prices in indy shops will likely be higher and ranges narrower than in supermarkets, which have the benefit of allowing you to shop for several items at the same time. Some shops are great on LL but to think that they can be a supermarket substitute - especially when people need more space to physically distance - isn't right. (LL has good indy shops and a good variety of services, for certain, but some tend to the gift/more upmarket/speciality side.)

I emailed the address on the board in the park and attached a picture. IDNK the exact name or title but I got a response, also from the councillor I CCd, which was good.

Hands off CoOp. It is a good supermarket with patchy management. It's got a social conscience and puts its money where its mouth is with its loyalty membership that gives to charity. The products are good and the prices are keen, especially when there is competition from Lidl, etc. (though not within less than a mile). I much prefer to shop there than at the mega-corporate Tesco or Sainsbury's, especially as the local branches of those two are at best glorified mini-marts.

But it is NOT just about what "you" want to do. The fact that others are disregarding medical advice/regulations and meeting up for social light bites, keeping close to one another, etc. does have an impact on others, an impact that could copromiise somebody's health badly. So it is entirely invalid to say "don't go there and then all is fine". If the non-compliant people's actions had no impact at all on those who decide to stay inside or shop alone, masked and quickly, it would be fair to criticise them but this is the opposite of what is correct, namely that all of us a potential vectors to a new variant of an already easily transmissable and possibly deadly virus. Sheesh, nobody needs a pulled pork sandwich and weekend catch up au marche that much!

The snow melt adds to the problem. Parts of Dulwich Park are locally flooded but the huge puddle opposite the horse track near to the Court Lane entrance is much smaller. Maybe my reporting it to the park manager had an effect or maybe it is just a coincidence? Is it because we are on clay and it just can absorb only so much water?

It's a mishmash of a job which has insufficient powers and importance and the ones in the other big cities are an unnecessary layer of politics and politicians again because their powers are limited or are already there at borough/city leve. I vote in all elections but this one I may give a miss on. (If the LM was granted greater powers I would likely vote but at the moment I just see grandstanding and an extra way of opposing the Westminster government.)

It is really flowing much faster. I know that the recent heavyish rain will be behind this mainly, but the banks have been cleared of lots of vegetation and generally cleared out. It actually looks like a stream (not a river, though).

I think that corporate advertising is going to be with us for a lot longer than the OP wants. I object more to private firms that use railings, etc. to house their own banners, usually tied on with plastic ties that break in the first windy weather, thereby leaving banner to slowly wilt and break down as more ties get blown off. Lost cat A4s on posts, etc. are fine, if a bit sad, but not those ads for men-with-ven or home sales (whose put-uppers never take them down).

I love boring! I live for it! So, to add to the mind-eating tedium I give you the next instalment. Get nice and comfy, Trolley! You know you are loveable and sweet and vulnerable under that sociopathic exterior! Fluffy bunny slippers on, Troll-ey? Good. Then I'll begin. Lindt replied, saying it is likely to do with storage at too high a temperature so I will be getting a fiver in vouchers. (Not usable, alas, at Tesco and CoOp.)

I doubt that any operating protocol would negate the basics, especially when the offender was off site and amongst non-staff members.

I just passed a film crew at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Unfortunately, Penguin68, at least one was not adhering to the basics, which supports my thoughts. It is human nature to want to break free, to not mask all the time, and to think that the rules don't apply to you if you are one of the few groups of people that are being allowed to work in groups and teams, much like they did before the restrictions were in place.

I agree with RoundTable and am glad they are earning and paying taxes but would add that the very fact that they are being allowed to work in this way, when many are not, may suggest they are somehow special and that could, unconsciously, lead to their not wearing masks, getting too close, being excited to be seeing colleagues, etc. I fear that complacency can easily set in in such circumstances though choose to give them the benefit of the doubt because I have no evidence that this is the case. (This applies to all of us - laxness is easy to slip into: just look at how many people are out and about this time compared to the first lockdown, when we had a less transmissable strain and good weather. We stayed in in our droves, unlike now...)

I think the CoOp on LL has got better. The staff are friendly and will go and check for items without making you think you'd asked for their firstborn, and the shop itself is rarely crowded. There are bargains to be had and the CoOp gives to local charities and gives back to you if you sign up for its loyalty card. I don't want and do not expect a red carpet when I go to buy my teabags. M and S is crowded nearly always because it is a small premises after all, and the management have crammed in many items in too many aisles. Staff are on the whole helpful, even if some don't wear their masks properly or at all (which I mentioned to a member of staff who was supervising).

Please could you, Cllr, turn some of your attention to unattractive/vandalised shop fronts, etc. such as those on Lordhship Lane (empty chemist at the corner of Shawbury, for example, whose estate agents I have called) and EDG (the nail shop on the corner which has been closed for a while) etc. Thanks

I welcome them all and also welcome more diversity - not within a type of vendor (food, drink) but in general. I do think saturation point is really near and too many posher (dearer) comestible shops detract from the high street, making it seem more and more the place for a certain type of shopper (eater?) to go. I know this is not a reality but it is fair to suggest that the look and feel of place can put off some shoppers and, by extension, some would-be business owners.

I just got some stuff at the LL branch and there was no problem.

The lane and its environs is obviously suffering, which is why tenants (and estate agents that represent them) must do more to keep the place looking attractive. There ought to be a zero tolerance to vandalism (eg. spraying, etc.) on the part of business owners who often do nothing to make their frontages look nice when the shutters are down. The upper, more commercial bit of Melbourne Grove and that corner of EDG are tatty and some LL shops likewise are messy. The council does clean up shutters free of charge generally - all a business needs to do is sign a waiver. Please ask Cllr McAsh and/or the businesses themselves if you agree. Thanks

The G is guilty of speculation. Surely it would be a better idea to ask the question "is this the book of the year" at the end of 2021? Sounds like a press release story, which is not to denigrate the effort needed to achieve this or the novel itself.

There is tagging and litter at that end of Melbourne Grove on shop shutters and commercial bins, as well as on the shops that are on that corner. If anyone wants to encourage more business and footfall I suggest tackling these problems and keeping on top of them. (And, yes, I have pointed this out to James McAsh, so please, those who say they are invested in the area, please do the same and do something to keep the area as attractive to business as you wish it to be.)

To be fair, it is unknown whether it will stop you passing it on or just reduce the severity of any illness should you catch the virus. I agree, though, that anyone who has had it ought not to abandon the regulations. https://www.wsj.com/articles/does-getting-the-covid-19-vaccine-stop-you-spreading-it-scientists-dont-know-yet-11610989882