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.

The council said at the meeting on Tuesday that the whole area would be 1 zone so anyone who lives up by the Plough with a permit for instance could park down by the station. I suspect a few people do that.

Hi all, I've tried to read all through this long thread, and honestly I do appreciate the parking issues around East Dulwich Station. This is how I use Lordship Lane - as an example of a user who will be affected by CPZ quite badly. I live in Nunhead and work in East Dulwich, and have done for over 10 years. When I can I cycle to work, and sometimes walk, BUT the reality of my life as a busy working Mum is that I am always chasing my tail, and cramming in a LOT. So, 3 times a week I go to ESPH Gym for about 2 hours, plus some post gym shopping time. In the week, I have to drop 1 child to primary school, and help my other, older child get to secondary school some way away - we used to rely on buses for her but the school is REALLY harsh on them if they are late - instant 30 minute detention, and the two buses it took to get her to school were to unreliable, and I'm not happy for her to cycle because of the route she'd have to take. So, I go to the gym, then at least twice a week I pop down Lordship Lane and pick up groceries, go to the Chemist, Falmers etc. and then on to work where I work 35-40 hours a week.... I finish work and dash home to feed kids, oversee homework etc. IF the CPZ comes in, and IF it is paid parking for 2 hours at ?2.75 per hour, for me that will mean ?27.50 a week, or about ?100 a month that I will be paying to be at work. If the CPZ is longer then that will increase. The reality of that is I may not be able to use the gym any more, and then I wont be using the local shops either. Work - well yes, I guess I can still do that and I will just have to drop the kids, then go home, then cycle or bus back if I don't want to pay for the parking - but that will reduce my working hours and my income (but if I pay to park that reduces my income too effectively). I drive an electric car, and I've lived in the area over 20 years. I am really proud to live and work locally, and I don't want any of it to change. If Southwark were to introduce free controlled parking restrictions I'd have no issue - by all means offer machine produced timed tickets that provide up to 2 hours free parking. That would get rid of the commuters, and mean people don't take up spaces all day. It wouldn't solve my parking for work problem, but surely this really only needs to be put in place down around the station anyway? The area they have included seems huge - I never have a problem parking (all week) anywhere from ESPH gym, through to Barry Road. The only difficult day is Saturday when the market is on. Do residents really want to be paying for permits? What about when you have building work and on top of the other build costs you're facing maybe ?30 a day for the workers vans plus the skip permit costs? Over an 11 week build that would mount up. What about when people come to provide you with a quote and you have to pay for them to park for an hour when they are only in the house 10 minutes? Won't that be annoying? I am not posting to say 'poor me' I am posting to try to show that it isn't as simple as saying 'people can pay to park for an hour and do their shopping'. There are others lke me who work locally, and lots of us have to use our cars because of life logistics. I know it's an irony to drive to the gym, but I have to get the kids to school first, and I have to get to work afterwards, so it is how I fit it all in, and it allows me to shop locally and support the local shops too. I have seen Lordship Lane transfer from a run down, tatty high street into a thriving community, it is wonderful now, and I don't want us to loose what we have. I love this area, and I've always loved the fact that unlike other boroughs we don't have parking restrictions, I've seen it as a bonus, even if it means I can't always park right outside my house. For me the Pros outweigh the Cons. If Southwark only want to improve our lives and reduce traffice and deter commuters they can find a way to do that WITHOUT it involving paid parking. Anyway, I wasn't sure if I wanted to raise my head above the parapet and post, and it's only one persons view, but for me, if it does come in, I hope it's only around the station and not all the way up the lane.

Hi, I?m trying to get hold of Dulwich Lofts just wondered if anyone has seen Pat recently? Thanks

Hiya, try Suzanne James Catering on Barry Road.call 020 8693 6331. They do everything from home BBQs to cook and collect,catering at venues etc. Very flexible & local too.

Hi there, Just wanted to tell you about Michael Lawless, who recently did some plastering for me, he did a really fantastic job. Very reliable, well priced and an all round nice guy. You'd have to look long and hard to find a better plasterer! He has done work for a few of my friends too and everyone has been very happy with him, so I know it wasn't just a one off! He's on 07930 678989 Amanda

Hi all, For those who have been wondering what is happening with the old pet shop on Northcross Road, when our East Dulwich Supper Club pop up will be returning and much more.....here is our August newsletter! http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1102873718224&ca=510774cb-4855-43fd-89f9-7debad4a7c83 Amanda

Hi there, Carl and Jason replaced some crumbling bricks at the front of my house, and then also came in and did some hard landscaping in my back garden, including laying artificial turf. They are wonderful - they worked until 7pm on Day 1 to get to a sensible stopping point. They quoted quickly, and at a really fair price too in my opinion, were friendly, polite, honest and went over and above the call of duty. Cannot recommend them enough. I only found them because they laid a lovely traditional Victorian geometrical tiled pathway in my neighbours front garden, I was so impressed by them and am so pleased I just had to share. Fork Andles (great company name)!! 020 8714 5949 email: [email protected]

At busy times most of the traffic is hardly moving anyway, so a controlled right turn wouldn't cause any greater delay than having a whole load of extra cars being forced to go considerably out of their way because there isn't anywhere to turn right. I really think that stretch of road is badly thought out, as Bobbsy said. If the road planners actually had to use it at busy times they would soon change it. Total madness.

Hi Bobbsy Last few times I have come back down Sydenham Hill I can't turn right to go down to the South Circular as cars are backed right up to the junction trying to get through the lights at the bottom and on to the South Circular. It's impossible. So instead I go down, left onto South Circular, then have to go all the way to Upland Road before I can turn right. Adding to the weight of traffic. There needs to be an allowed right turn before that, if need be they should put in a proper turning with lights or something. It's madness trying to get down and across the South Circular if you want to get over towards Nunhead. Thanks James (not) for sorting out that No Right Turn sign. Sigh.

This isn't the first time I have heard of a mugging like this in the Peckham Rye area - I know of two others very similar - knife point, forced to give up phone, unlock it and give the code / reset it to factory settings there and then. Please be careful people, it's always been 3 lads too, so does make me think it could be one group responsible and I really hope they get caught soon.