The Nappy Lady

I know right?! But the advice and support is amazing. Like all areas Of life there are clearly people who are entirely devoted to their specialist subject and not much else I guess! I quite enjoy ours but I?m definitely not obsessed thankfully!!

Hi, please don?t keep them in the garden it is too cold for them in the winter Please join the Guinea Pig Forum for help and advice. I know people used to keep them that way but these days it is strongly advised against as is keeping them in with rabbits which used to be really common. Rabbits jump on them and break their limbs and also (trying to be delicate here), can get ?too friendly?. All pretty horrific. So much animal husbandry has changed since we were children, I was surprised too when we looked into it all before getting ours. We have two lovely boars, now two years old. They live in my children?s bedroom. Unlike hamsters etc they are active in the day (actually only sleep 2-3 hours in any 24 but are quiet and only squeak when begging for food - at which point they are quite noisy!! They need quite a bit of space - more than the hutch most people used to use / tend to imagine - our two have a run equivalent to the size of a single bed - actually under a mid height sleeper. This ensures quality of life and avoids them fighting which happens if they don?t have enough room. They live on fleece bedding which is changed and washed weekly. They need fresh veggies daily and a constant Supply of hay and pellet food once a day too. They are lovely pets, they get quite tame and like / love to be hand fed but most piggies don?t like being picked up or cuddled very much (some are better than others). Average life span is 8 years. There are loads in need of rehoming - and it?s a good way to do it as they are often more used to being handled and calmer than young piggies. Here?s a link to the forum I mentioned. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/ You?re welcome to come and meet our boys after lockdown or to ask more questions in the meantime. But honestly they can only go outside in summer and you?d need an eglu run I would say to be sure of keeping them safe from foxes. I?ve heard of foxes getting into wooden hutches many times. Best wishes.

Hello everyone, Lots of you on here know me as I've lived in the area for 25 years! I started out as the local cloth nappy advisor (hence my 'name' on here) back when my children were little. When they started school, I started working for Suzanne, and have been with her for over 12 years now. She has been an amazing employer, allowing me to work around family life, poorly children, school assemblies and the like. Of course working in the events industry is full on so it is give and take - you do the huge days when you need to willingly, because of the flexibility that is offered at other times. Everything Suzanne has said above is true. Myself and the team have mostly been furloughed since end March and we really, really do need your support now, as whilst many things feel they are getting back to normal the catering and events industry really isn't. Suzanne is the most determined and inspiring woman I know, she built her business from nothing by saving ?10 a week for a year all those years ago, and I've been anxiously watching her find ways to adapt the business over the past few months to keep us ticking over. Thank you so much to every one of you who has supported us on social media, bought brownies, afternoon teas, BBQ packs, Picnics and more....... it really does mean so much. We can't wait to be back together and planning those wonderful big parties for 120 plus...... Amanda

Trees at the Clockhouse, bottom of Barry Rd are excellent as always. Rather hidden by the current roadworks but business as usual. Much cheaper than that place on Goose Green too (I was curious & hadn?t seen this thread so popped in when I was passing. Stupid prices for the trees there.

Just want to say Ben is really great, he gave lessons to my daughter for a year and I would highly recommend him. I am not the same Molly as the one who asked about lessons above, just a coincidence!

Hi there, I can recommend Andre from Little Blue Fish. He is local and would definitely be able to help you. This is the company website: http://littlebluefish.co.uk Tel Contact: 07595 991656 Good luck!

Hi there, Can anybody recommend a local company to install air con in a private property? Many thanks, Amanda

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James, I?m not talking about employees, I am talking about companies that HAVE to have vans in order to operate - eg without the vans the business would have to close. I know several businesses in ED that will be effected in this way. So again, I don?t feel your explanation is acceptable. Furthermore, it is my understanding that as an employee I cannot have a business permit for my car as obviously it is registered to my home address, not my workplace in ED. So to be clear that is absolutely not why I am pursuing this point. However, it is the case that I am anxious about the cost of the business permits for the small independent company I work for. If CPZ comes in I will have to reduce my hours and take a pay cut to allow myself the extra time needed to walk or bus to work and back, or take an effective pay cut by paying around ?30 a week or more to continue to work in the way I have for over 11 years. So either way I am facing stress, despite the fact I always manage to park within two minutes of work, five days a week, at varying times from 8am to 11am, and sometimes later if I?ve had to run errands. Strange then to consider CPZ is needed don?t you think? -------------------- Molly

James, I?m not talking about employees, I am talking about companies that HAVE to have vans in order to operate - eg without the vans the business would have to close. I know several businesses in ED that will be effected in this way. So again, I don?t feel your explanation is acceptable. Furthermore, it is my understanding that as an employee I cannot have a business permit for my car as obviously it is registered to my home address, not my workplace in ED. So to be clear that is absolutely not why I am pursuing this point. However, it is the case that I am anxious about the cost of the business permits for the small independent company I work for. If CPZ comes in I will have to reduce my hours and take a pay cut to allow myself the extra time needed to walk or bus to work and back, or take an effective pay cut by paying around ?30 a week or more to continue to work in the way I have for over 11 years. So either way I am facing stress, despite the fact I always manage to park within two minutes of work, five days a week, at varying times from 8am to 11am, and sometimes later if I?ve had to run errands. Strange then to consider CPZ is needed don?t you think?

?The business permit rates are benchmarked against other boroughs. Southwark's are cheaper than Lambeth, Islington, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Tower Hamlets. Furthermore, Westminster, City of London, and Kensington and Chelsea do not have business permits at all so local businesses have to pay the more expensive pay-per-hour rate.l But again I ask, why should the businesses pay FIVE TIMES more for a permit than a resident does? Businesses pay high business rates, I see no argument to justify why their parking permit should be higher than the residents permit? Saying it?s comparable to other bouroughs is, with all due respect not an acceptable argument (if I said your neighbor pays her cleaner ?50 an hour so you should too I?m sure you?d have something to say about it)! We were told the cost of the permits is set in order to cover the cost of implementing & running the scheme. Someone please do the maths for me the income will cover these costs many times over & yes, yes we know the surplus will be used for road repairs etc .... So is the suggestion here that the local businesses DESERVE to contribute more to the scheme than the local residents do, and if so, why? The shops & businesses make the area vibrant, they bring revenue to the area, they employ local people, they already contribute so much. I don?t understand the rationale, does anyone else? Yet more proof, as if we need it, that the CPZ is nothing more than yet another money making, arbitrary tax on the local people & local businesses. I?m sorry James, you haven?t answered my question at all.

James, I asked about different times zones on different roads within the area and was told it wasn't possible and if it comes in the entire zone will have controlled parking across the same times. BONKERS!!!!

James, At the local business meeting with the council last Tuesday re the CPZ consultation I raised a question as to why the business vehicle permit rate is five times more expensive than a residents parking permit & was told that this rate is set by central government. After further investigation I am led to understand that whilst that answe was true, what we were NOT told is that this is the MAXIMUM amount that can be charged and that every council has the ability to reduce that rate as they see fit. Given that Southwark council claims that it wishes to work with local businesses, and to support them I would like you to explain the rationale behind the business permits being so much more expensive than the residents permits. As the cost of the permits is (we are told) intended to cover the cost of implementing and running the CPZ, with any surplus being used only for road repairs etc it seems to me that the amount the council would be making, if all permits were equal at ?125 per vehicle would be more than enough with many thousands to spare.Why are local businesses who bring revenue and employment to the area being penalised? Please speak to whoever you need to in order to be able to clarify this and if need be to explain why the cost of the business permits cannot be reduced. Thank you.

Something else I have found out. At the local business meeting with Southwark Council I asked them why the business vehicle permit was so much higher than a residents parking permit (?575 versus ?125). It?s a huge discrepancy and as they claim to want to support local businesses doesn?t make sense. They say the permit fee is to cover the costs to implement the scheme, well the revenue raised is going to more than cover that and leave many thousands of pounds to be put into road repairs etc. The council replied that ?the rate for business vehicles is set by central government not by them?. This is true.....what they DIDN?T say is that that rate is the MAXIMUM that can be charged. Every council has authority to reduce the rate - so there?s no reason they can?t reduce the rate for business vehicles. Imagine for instance some of our lovely Northcross Road stallholders who come to run their stall once a week, I can?t see that many of them will afford a business parking permit. Why should the businesses who are serving the local residents, employing local people and helping the community to thrive have to pay five times the amount to park a vehicle on the road? A vehicle that already has road tax, that serves a business that they?ve also paid huge business rates on? Personally I think all vehicles should pay the same amount if the CPZ comes in. I think we need to challenge Southwark on this and remind them they CAN REDUCE the cost of the permits. In fact for everyone the permit could be less, though I fear we have little chance of them reducing it. Do the maths of just how much money they are going to make on the permits. It?s a lot of money. Way more than it needs to be to ?cover the costs of the scheme? and as I?ve said before there are free controlled parking schemes they could bring in that would have the same effect without ?taxing? the local residents & business owners.

At the local business meeting with the council the other day they told us they were collecting anonymous data from mobile phones to work out where people who park are coming from and if they are then commuting into town etc!!! You see they all seem to be saying different things at different meetings. There?s no reason they can?t implement a 2 hour free parking with times ticket from a machine to deter commuters and free residents permits. But they need to generate revenue. Don?t be fooled.