Duncs

Thanks for the suggestions. Went with a simpler approach in the finish up. Pirate scroll with instructions then photos of locations dotted about the arboretum for clues. Resounding success!

Bit of a long shot but does anyone have a rough plan/map/sketch of the layout of the arboretum in Peckham rye park? E.g. location of prominent trees, picnic benches etc. It?s for a map for a treasure hunt for my son?s birthday. My artistic skills are far too shocking to get anything in even vaguely the right location, perspective etc. It doesn?t have to be particularly accurate, anything rough and ready appreciated! Tried google images but it only has the overall park, rather than the arboretum specifically. Thanks.

Do you actually need to print out tickets bought from seetickets or can you show it on your phone? Thinking of taking my 3yr old for the first time tomorrow and don?t want to risk missing out but also don?t own a printer!

Does anyone know their opening hours? They don?t seem to have a website or even a telephone number that I can find online. I?m wondering if they?re open at 5pm...

Our water is down too, on st Aidan?s road. Called Thames water and the automated system said there was a known problem in SE22 which is being addressed...

We also used Bromley and Ellis by Brockwell park for bathroom sanitary ware and kitchen appliances. Really good customer service and prices. I would definitely use them again. Worth phoning to make an appointment rather than just turning up.

We've been swimming in the main pool with our 20 month old son several times. First time was probably when he was just a over a year old. It's not as hot as the baby pool but he's always enjoyed it. There's usually plenty of other families there too when the general swim session is on. Definitely worth a shot.

Another recommendation for Danny. He came round at short notice to re-plaster part of our kitchen ceiling. He did a great job and his rates were very competitive. He was very contentious in clearing up afterwards which particularly impressed my wife! He also got in touch later on to follow up and check we were happy with everything. I wouldn't hesitate to use him again.

Hamish. He did a great job pruning a few trees in our (small) back garden. He was very professional, efficient and friendly. Left no mess. Really nice bloke and good at what he does.

The charitable arm of the AA actually offer a free 2 hour session for nervous drivers and you don't have to be a member of the AA or even pretend that you are considering becoming a member. I did this a few years ago when I hadn't driven for a similar amount of time as you and thought it was great. It's also popular with overseas drivers who want to get used to driving in the UK. There was no push to try and get me to join the AA at all but it did leave me with a very positive impression of them so they've got some credit in the Bank of Dunc. https://www.theaa.com/driving-school/improve-your-driving/advanced-driving.html I don't know whether they allow you to do it in your own car but definitely worth enquiring and even if they don't, this would be a useful first step to getting you used to driving in London.

Just because you don't like rugby doesn't mean you need to put it down. Much friendlier atmosphere than you'll get at a footie match. Usually get some good banter between opposition fans rather than agro. And loads of folk hate it when the footie World Cup is on. Take your medicine peacefully. Now for tomorrow's big match, will the French House or any other partisan venue be showing Scotland take on our Gallic friends?

I don't post often but this has irked me somewhat. I've lived in a few places in London and across the UK and this is the only place I have ever lived where the bin men take the bins from the front of the house onto the street. EVERYWHERE else I have lived, it has been my obligation to take them out onto the street for emptying and take them back at the end of the day. Also, when I've had extra carboard boxes and things like that which won't fit into the bins I have been able to give them to them as extra items. Elsewhere, if it won't fit in the bin it doesn't get collected! I think the bin service we have here is by a long way the best I have experienced anywhere I've lived. I'm not sure people appreciate that service levels here are way above what most people expect of their binmen.

I'd also like to add a recommendation for Jeff. Another roofer who is highly recommended on this forum let us down several times and was very unresponsive. As a result we looked into who else was recommended on the forum and came across Jeff. He came round quickly and provided a very reasonable quote, less than the other roofer had quoted. He was also pragmatic when saying what work was "need to have" versus "nice to have". Jeff worked to a very high standard. Tasks included replacing guttering, pointing, missing tiles, etc. When he was doing the work he came across various other small tasks that needed some work but which he hadn't quoted for. He did these without asking for any more money. He is also a really friendly genuine guy who it was a pleasure to have around. I would not hesitate to recommend Jeff or have him work on our house again.

Also a big thanks to Andy for getting us out a tight hole when our toilet stopped working. He responded quickly and was incredibly helpful and thorough. Very highly recommended.

I've been meaning to do this for a few weeks but I'd like to add another recommendation for Vinny. We had quite a bit of work needing doing which Vinny helped us with: removing an old shed, removing some decking, levelling the ground underneath and laying some paving, taking up old turf and laying a new lawn as well as recommending and planting some new flowers, bushes, climbers etc. So there was quite a lot to do! Vinny dealt with all of the suppliers and made lots of great recommendations for combinations of plants. Vinny was very professional and courteous throughout. I'm not the most experienced gardener in the world so he took the time to explain the different considerations and how to care for the various plants. We ran into a number of unexpected problems such as the ground being on a massive slope (previously hidden by the decking) which Vinny came up with solutions for. The quality of his work was excellent and we can't wait to see the plants when they are in full bloom! He has also checked in with us some time after he finished to check we are happy with everything. We are very pleased with hs work and would highly recommend him. PM me if you want more info.