fishbiscuits

worldwiser Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Please bear in mind that nurseries operate on a > razor thin margin as it is, especially where many > attendees qualify for 15 or even 30 hours 'free' > childcare. Yeah but surely many (most?) London nurseries don't really give you those hours of free childcare. My recollection from the nursery days is that they said they simply couldn't give children those free hours, because the govt funding is just nowhere near enough. So they just passed on an equivalent reduction. But yes, I agree that the margins are thin when you consider the staff-to-child ratio, and assuming you're paying staff at least the London living wage.

malumbu Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I make a better curry than the ubiquitous/formulaic UK curry house Well yes, I'd like to think that I do too. I am fairly experimental with curries, and like adding different things into the paste mix... roasted onions, chillies, ginger and garlic are always there in the blender in various quantities. Plus various roasted and ground spices. Then maybe tomato puree and a glug of vinegar, or maybe maybe some coconut milk and a handful of cashew nuts, or maybe even some mango or papaya with a bit of tamarind and brown sugar. Before cooking out the paste. But unfortunately while some people seem to be finding themselves with lots of free time these days, I seem to be suffering from the opposite. I spend much of the day looking after my daughter, and trying to provide some semblance of education and entertainment. I've been spending the evenings catching up with work, and the thought of spending the time making a curry from scratch... at the moment, it's in the realms of fantasy. Dulwich Tandoori is still delivering, and is probably my favourite of the various old-school local curry places.

I did notice a very bright "thing" in the sky last night... it appeared close to the moon. Same thing? Generally the sky was very clear (for London) and you could make out quite a few stars in the sky.

I agree. Actual cases could easily be 10x the official confirmed cases. The mortality rate is nothing like 6%.

Birds Nest pub (Deptford) are delivering all over SE London. Originally beer and hot food, but have now branched out into fruit and veg.

se22cat Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You can get the roux from The Rice Wine Shop or even from Amazon. Yes we sometimes get those blocks of Japanese curry sauce. But they're quite expensive, and it's easy to make from scratch.. butter, flour, spices.. that's about it.

sugarkanedee Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi, have you checked with the general store in > Bellenden road They have ran out of bread and pastries today.

se22cat - I think that's a bit of an exaggeration! If your neighbour has ventured into their front yard, then maybe stay inside the house. If the coast is clear, head out for a minute or so. Common sense..

KidKruger Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > So it takes two to tango, as they say, but it > seems fair to expect the faster party to lead with > the distancing indications / behaviour. Agreed... which is why I take the initiative and clearly step into the road (after checking over my shoulder for traffic). But perhaps it would be a nice touch if the walker moved a little to the inside of the pavement too!! (some do, of course...)

I was out running this evening, and stepped into the road whenever passing someone. But what I would say is that if a runner/jogger and a walker are heading towards each other, it's both of your responsibility to make space. Not JUST the runner!!

Well.. the "common" itself has no perimeter fence. But anyway, I agree, best to leave the gates open at the moment. Or at least leave them unlocked/unlatched.

Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > How are they counterproductive, Shell? Putting them on and taking them off involve touching the face. Also (some) people are likely to subconsciously fiddle with the mask and the elastic while wearing.

I have one large "bag for life" full of cans, dried stuff, cereal bars, etc. It is stored out of the way, and should keep us going for a week or so. To be used in emergency, if we're all sick. Depending on the events of the next week, I may consider doubling it. But I doubt that will be necessary.

I think maybe there's an element of enjoying the last days of normality for a long, long time. I did that over the weekend... out for beers and curry both Fri and Sat night. Next weekend that probably won't even be possible.

KidKruger Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Very sweet how people still can believe this Govt > has the peoples' safety and interests at heart. > Bless. Yep. Government priorities are first and foremost economical. Maybe they're even hoping for a faster spread so we're out on the other side quicker?!! Who knows.

binkylilyput Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't agree with stockpiling at the expense of > others, of course not. > > What I find more interesting though is our > propensity to point fingers and blame others for > shopping.....when we are in the shops shopping > ourselves! Generally my feelings are that having a 1-2 week supply of food in the house is pretty sensible. If you need to isolate your family for two weeks, you will be very, very glad you did it. I think there is a line between sensible precautions, and "stockpiling" crazy amounts of canned and dried food, as if you were going to be spending the next two years in a nuclear bunker.

As others have suggested, getting food and essentials to the elderly and vulnerable should be a priority. I doubt the council have the power to forcibly intervene in the supply chain, but if there's any way of convincing supermarkets to earmark n% of non-perishable food for this service, that would be amazing. Ramping up Meals-on-wheels for the absolutely most vulnerable? e.g. over 80s or those with health or mobility issues, living on their own? Another thought - when schools close (and also during Easter holidays), medical workers and other emergency services are going to need childcare provisions. They absolutely should NOT rely on grandparents for this. Maybe some schools and nurseries can temporarily be re-purposed as childcare for essential workers?

DulwichFox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am approaching 70 but get out most days. > I have regular essential hospital appointments . > 20 + over the last 2 years. Well I have a feeling that those hospital appointments may face some interruption... If you are ill and/or feel you need to self-isolate, and don't have anybody to bring your food and supplies, why not post on here. In fact maybe we could have a dedicated thread, perhaps even pinned to the top of the forum?

Trinnydad Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > This being the case, China needs to get a grip. There's a couple of problems... superstitious (or pseudo-medicinal) beliefs that lead to the import and trade of exotic animals in China. And specifically the selling of live wild animals within food markets. It will be hard to stamp out the former without a major cultural shift (or until there's no more tigers, rhinos, and pangolins left to take penises/horns/scales from). But the latter should be fairly simple to enforce/regulate.

Spartacus Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > whilst the very worst case scenario could > see over a period of time that a majority of > people will catch it (much like colds and Flu's) Hmmm. If most of us catch it - say 40 million in the UK - doesn't that indicate around one million deaths, based on current estimated mortality rate? Most of us will know someone who dies. Minimal impact?

Oh look, a thread about you!!

Sounds perfect, then!

Sephiroth Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > (reflecting on comments fishbiscuits has made in > the past, I know people do tend to say that > anyway. But it's very much true) Yeah.. the number of times I've read "we've moved to [ insert nondescript area of Kent ] and it's amazing, we couldn't be happier". As if they had this sudden epiphany and discovered that Dungeness is cheaper than Dulwich. And I just think... yeah, keep telling yourself that... > The Lewes/Brighton/south downs combo has been a real winner for us. Sounds like a good mix of town/outdoors/coast, still vaguely close to London. As I said earlier in the thread, that's probably the direction I'd head in. But I'd need the comfort of knowing I was still within walking distance of an outlet selling ?3 coffee and ?5 bread, with a nice large window so people could watch me buying them.

I can just about get on board with Lewes and Hastings even, but Rochester? ROCHESTER!!!

Corbyn racist? No. I'm not a fan of his policies by any stretch, but I think as a human, he's a good egg. Maybe he failed to understand the problem within the party, maybe he failed to take sufficiently strong action, but to call him a racist is insincere.