Applespider

There's a party going on - I can hear music from that direction. Looked like somewhere around one of the cricket/sports clubs along Dulwich Common.

I've taken the bus for the first time in the last week (also to go to/from KCH). There are regular reminders about masks, not standing, don't sit near the driver and keeping a safe distance. Upstairs/downstairs didn't seem to make much difference in distance other than that there are more up there to choose from. The seats on the three I've been on weren't marked off as usable/not so you are reliant on your fellow passengers to make wise choices. The 176 I got on mid-afternoon did feel quite busy and there was definitely not 2m between passengers possible even upstairs tho people had tried to leave a row of seats between them. You'll also discover an alarming number people who appear to have no idea of how to wear a mask. If you can see that there are two buses coming along within a few minutes of each other, perhaps wait for the second or third. Just make sure that you give your hands a good wash as soon as you get off; it's hard to avoid touching the poles etc. I do use Uber and had thought about it but thankfully, two of the trips I had to make were outside peak times and there's no guarantee that the Uber will be any cleaner although I'd expect most drivers to be cleaning well for their own safety too. Best of luck and stay safe....

I saw one chap at the Horniman the other week head to the bushes clutching a dog poo bag (but no dog). Still not great but definitely better than just leaving behind.

yorksgirl Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It is an awful moment when you realise that there > is nowhere, absolutely nowhere open. Didn't they > invent some ingenious device for astronauts? Agreed. If you suffer from urge incontinence, the current situation must be very difficult with so many places closed. I'm not entirely sure I'd call it ingenious and you'll definitely want a secluded spot and some sanitiser but a SheWee makes using a plastic bottle possible. It's proven invaluable at festivals when camping at a distance from the facilities.

Thanks Southwark for cutting back the vastly overgrown hedge by the old church at The Grove. It was getting to the point where one person could barely pass but it's now clear. I said thanks to the two guys doing it - what a difference!

Sainsburys in Forest Hill had eggs on Thursday last week but only in boxes of 15. They weren't there at 8am when the shop opened but spotted them in someone else's basket as they passed me so double backed. As I was only planning on buying a pack of 6 to free them up for others, I'm now being eggstravagant with eggy breakfasts! And yes, they were still selling Easter eggs for between 10p and 60p

Not who I am, Penguin68, and your interpretation of my post is wrong as my views are actually far more aligned to what you've written.

LoulaRose Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I saw (what I thought) was a peregrine falcon in > Dulwich Woods this morning! Quite likely. They nest in the church spire at the bottom of Cox's Walk. I've had a pair of jays take up residence in the woodland behind the house. I wondered what the odd call was and then spotted two of them in one of the trees... although one has taken to visiting my window box for a rummage in the mornings.

I'd be surprised if what most people mean by 'cyclists' (i.e. people with road bikes and all the gear) were using the grass to cycle on - it's not generally a pleasant experience to ride on and I'd say that all the cyclists I know would far prefer to be on tarmac and actively avoid grass. If you just mean people with bikes, then yes, I'd agree it's ridiculous and they'd be better off practicing on the roads while they're so quiet. Any news on the ones along the South Circular - being able to jog around those would relieve the pressure in Dulwich Park.

On a slightly different note, if you do see someone who stops and waits to one side until a narrow pavement section clears, do please acknowledge them with a smile or nod. And consider doing the same; we probably all know a few spots on a local route where there's barely room to pass and it just takes a little looking ahead to avoid it. I'm thinking particularly of the stretch by the old church near the Grove where a hedge is massively overgrown and stepping into the South Circular (even though it's relatively quiet) isn't always possible.

I have a new bugbear when out for my daily stroll or jalk (it's still definitely more walk than jog) that seems to be more prevalent than joggers or cyclists coming too close. Pairs (presumably who aren't social distancing from each other) who seem entirely oblivious to anyone walking in the opposite direction and make no attempt to go in single file while I squeeze into someone's hedge to keep maximum distance. And a plea to acknowledge people as you pass. In normal times, moving so deliberately out of someone's way would feel like ostracising them and with so many single households, your smile or nod might be the only social interaction someone has.

Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > But partly I think this is a result of an > extremely poor public health campaign by the > government. There has still been nothing delivered > house to house spelling out exactly what people > have to do (and why) to keep themselves and others > safe. > > Not everybody watches TV/listens to the radio/uses > social media (and in the case of the latter, there > is a lot of fake news going about, anyway) The text message that went out to 88m mobile phones was probably quicker and safer than a leaflet drop. 95% of adults own a mobile which feels like a pretty robust comms strategy. If they'd had leaflets printed it would probably be out of date by the time they got delivered. I'd be astonished if there's anyone in the UK (unless seriously ill, very young or a true hermit who always practice self-isolation) who isn't aware that they should be staying at home. But there will sadly always be a few who think they are either special cases or breaking the odd rule won't matter because they're always healthy who I suspect would ignore it until you actually locked them up.

Was pleasantly surprised around Wood Vale. More houses than not clapping of those I could see from my window. A few started early and were loud enough to alert me to the time!

As always some people get it and some don't. 90%+ of people when I was in the park yesterday seemed to be trying to stick to it and, as always, it would be horrendous to punish the majority for a few who aren't. I do believe the level of risk in fresh air such as Dulwich Park is less than if people aren't distancing indoors. My personal choice is that the benefit of fresh air and some light exercise outweighs the risk of having odd person inside a metre for a second or two. Having said that, I'll do all I can to mitigate that by moving aside if necessary. While going around the carriageway yesterday, there were a few thoughts that sprang to mind. If you are going to stop to look at your phone, think about moving to edge of the pavement so that you're not suddenly a 4m obstacle in the middle of the path. And if you are taking a slow meander through the park, consider using the pavement over the carriageway (unless you've got a buggy or wheelchair) so that those who are moving faster have more room to overtake. Similarly, if you are a household exercising together, think about using 'lane' of the carriageway rather than walking down the middle. If you take up a couple of metres, it doesn't leave much room for anyone else to overtake while still given you space.

My wishlist for the Dulwich Beer Dispensary * that it stays open. I'll do my bit by going in more often than last time * post a tap list with your guest beers on it - even if just on social media. I'm more likely to drop in if I know there's a beer I'd like to try. And make the tap list more visible in the bar than it was last time where there were some on a pillar, some on the bar and some on a blackboard behind. * get a few comfier more seats/armchairs. The tables/chairs feel left over from Barcelona and it feels a bit formal. * post a flyer through doors within 5 minutes walk. Many of my neighbours didn't realise it was open last time until after it had closed. In terms of price, craft beer is dearer than mass produced stuff. It takes a lot more hops to make a craft beer than a Carling. There's a lot of craft beer that isn't designed to drink in pints; you drink it in thirds or a half. Means you get to try a lot more too... And the Harvester was a dump for its last decade; it was only worth going to on a sunny day for the beer garden (not for the beer). I'm hoping that the Dispensary stays open long enough this time around to use their outside space.

Train to Clapham Junction or East Croydon and hop on a bus or get an Uber/cab from there?

The old boating pool has goal posts in it but I've rarely seen very many kids in it. The new kinder cafe and adventure playground is in the corner with lots of residential properties around it which are suddenly going to become a lot noisier. There's already an adventure playground in the Horniman Triangle. If they want to redevelop it to something other than an old concrete pool, it would be lovely to make it something designed to be quieter. A well-being & mindfulness garden perhaps that's designed for people to slow down and take time out? The rest of the site could potentially become so manic that a quiet space might be very welcome for visitors.

Agreed on Brick although I too am mourning the burgers. The hog roast isn?t the same. BBNo does feel a less welcoming space.

Real shame but not entirely surprised as it was rarely (ever) busy. But pity for it to close before the summer allowed for the outside area value to kick in. I got caught out a couple of times taking friends and being told no food that day so we didn?t stay long. I think not being on Untappd or posting their beer list anywhere helped either in terms of getting beer nerds in. Will take my share of the blame though - I only made it in monthly despite being around the corner.

School holidays can be frustrating for another reason. Because there?s little traffic, the buses get ahead of the timetable. This means they wait at bus stops for several minutes to regulate the service. However, it?s definitely quicker; 25-30 mins.

I go to Victoria from that area although I don't have to get onto the Victoria line; at the moment, that's painful with the one-way system. My quickest way is on my bike... although I do take other routes reasonably often. The P4 from there is often packed and there are days where you just can't get on. The bus tracker apps often suggest 29 minutes but it's usually closer to 40. The longest part of the journey is the bit to North Dulwich - it can take 10 minutes to get to Dulwich Common and then another 10-15 to get to North Dulwich Station. If you don't mind the one-way system at Victoria (top tip - queue for the lift down rather than joining the very long line for the escalators), then I find it faster to go along to Denmark Hill and get a train - or go to Sydenham Hill (nicer walk through the woods than to West Dulwich)

Good luck in finding someone interested. Given that it?s unlikely to re-open, I?d be half-tempted to rock up with a high vis vest, some cones and a ladder and liberate the sign. You?d get more attention from people praying it?s the first step in a refurbishment than anyone official.

Mikeb, I think it depends where you are in the area. Personally, the Heathrow flights are less intrusive than the city one so am becoming more and more keen on Westerlies!

Just wanted to say thank for the links to action groups; it made it a lot easier to work out what the consultation meant for SE London and easier to work out how to put it in writing.

TFL Traffic and Bus Alerts have both Tweeted in the last hour to say that the South Circular is open again. Normal service for a week until the next set of roadworks start on 16 Feb.