Elphinstone's Army

Soup, yes, definitely, root veg, also baked potatoes and closing the curtains earlier - when we 'draw' the curtains, is that open or closed? laundered and put away all thin clothes, sandals etc, so summer is definitely over, all children back to school, or will be by next week, and the swallows have abandoned us for Africa.

Yes it is - yes! I forgot the Plough DIY, best key cutting service, friendly and knowledgeable staff and the large window with taps and showers is like a Tate Modern installation, although I think they are moving ??

the endlessly patient, tolerant and knowledgeable pharmacists and staff in the wonderful Lloyds Pharmacy on NCR - thank you ! the happy and philosophical Jamaican road sweeper who I pass on NCR/LL, all staff at The Gardens, so civilised East Dulwich Dry Cleaners for efficiency, high standards, cheerfulness and occasional cheeky response the tall Big Issue seller, now moved to Sainsbury near the Library, a man of gentle persuasion Yes, all Library staff, Alex and Scarlett especially, always courteous and helpful AJ Farmers !!! they should be open 24 hours - know where everything is, even when it is filed under something completely different Market Stall and Van regulars on Saturday NCR, and Linda with her cabinet of curiosities there must be more ...

Rosetta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Where to recycle textiles? If you can take a supermarket size bag into a H&M branch, it will be shredded, pulped, recycled and a ?5 voucher against a purchase for you, in appreciation, look online, it is all described. Old towels/t towels/odd socks, belts, woolly hats, all oddments, do not bin, claim your voucher

shelly2106 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > We used to be able to recycle textiles at the > mobile recycling van every month at Sainsbury's > but sadly the council has recently stopped this > service This is because people were climbing in to 'liberate' the donations and becoming stuck

Jacqui5254 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I totally get the.. 'any amount raised is a good > thing', 'charities are short staffed and admin > might be lax'. > However, if you regularly take many bags full of > very sellable items and over a year the amount > raised is just over ?13 there has to be something > going wrong somewhere. Something is very wrong - 'charity shops' the clue is in the title. Years ago, these shops were not only to raise funds for Oxfam whatever, but to provide cheap clothing and goods for the needy of the borough, few of those in ED now I would think, however - prices of lacklustre clothes and goods in CS have risen, volunteers and salaried workers both, believe that they are on a mission to extract as much money from the public as possible, and good for them, but who wants to pay more for an item (used) in a CS than when it was new, especially Primark stuff, an old chestnut I know, but true, and kitchen stuff - who is buying this junk??? The worst offender here I believe is the Mary's living and giving - my famiy have donated top quality unused, unusual clothes, belts, bags, cashmere, suede, silk, and never seen it out on the rails/shelves. hmmmm We did not take these goods in for the benefit of the staff, they were meant to help the children for whom the donations were intended, so I truly hope the 'recipients' put into the pot. I have taken cleaned washed, ironed, bagful of clothes into the Mind shop to be told - 'put it over there' as though I was a nuisance! and also been in the shop atthe weekend when people have staggered in with bagfulls of clothing/toys/books to be told 'we cannot take any more" so donators are sent away with their tail between their legs. Apart from a regular donation to the Cancer Research in Camberwell, take clothes/textiles into H&M in Brixton or Bromley, a small H&M bag recycled allows a ?5 voucher, which to us is of more value. Winter is coming we all need jumpers This is not good stuff, or saleable stuff, but clean worn out knitwear, socks, underwear, t towels, threadbare things, which are recycled. I totally agree with Lynne - I would rather pass clothes on to whoever needs them than use a charity shop as agent/middle man, creaming off the top, not to deny a worthy cause, but certainly to deny the fat cats purring in the cream. St Christophers - for whoever has visited their motheaten shop in Sydenham and seen the prices of the dirty worn clothes (which someone is buying) will realise, the whole situation is both invidious and unsatisfactory - everyone likes to be acknowledged, appreciated, and not made to feel as though they are being taken for granted or being milked. The LL shop is not renowned for it's bargains, although the hopeful keep looking...... Local charity shop managers - If you want decent prices- sell decent goods, not those which desperately need dry cleaning/washing/hems taken upas they have been badly adjusted/buttons missing/ washed to despair/bitty/wrongly sized/washed inappropriately/(so that the lining hangs lower than the rest)/holey/labels cut out so that we do not know how to best launder/what the article is made of/dirty/old/say St Michael when this has not been current for 17 years but you insist it's M&S ?! of an old vintage which has no value now/washed out/ shrunk/ boiled/hems hanging/parts missing - belt/hood/other part of a suit/moth holes!!!!! and learn labels, Secret Possessions is not the same as Rigby and Peller, it is Primark !!! and F&F is Tesco fhs!! but Principles Richards and Dickens and Jones are long defunct,and Jane Norman is not a designer brand. And measure trousers length and make some sort of effort - you want to make a sale, you want to be taken seriously, put the work in. You have taken us for easy targets long enough, acting as though you are doing us all a big favour, but the tide is turning and we will find other outlets, Emmaus, BHF, Sense in Peckham - this relationship needs effort from the shop in order to be symbiotic. In the Children in need shop, when whoever is on the desk answers the telephone, it is with the opening "Mary's Living and Giving Shop" - Mary's - feed the ego, dress the volunteers, keep your conscience clear, what we really need here is a Dress Agency. We all have a fundamental need to provide as much as we can and to look after those less fortunate than ourselves. However this is cynically exploited here. Anyone who shops in CS in other parts of the south east/country will know this - I bought a silk Jaegar skirt for 3.99 last week in Guildford, still with the dry cleaning label, I was thrilled, and will return to this shop when possible, I have to say though the standard was high. In Guildford. Donating here means that we are feeding the beast, which we could starve. I am not advocating denying the worthy - I am though suggesting that there must be a better and more direct way to benefit the needy. > I'm not the only one who raises questions about > where some of their donations end up, and if they > have a 'help yourself' policy for staff, or take > my good things to dealers who don't then use the > money for the hospice, then I want to know. > > Inefficiency or not, St Christophers Hospice Shop > is a huge place that is always full of customers > and it's not good business to tell your donors > that the huge effort they have made accounts for > very little. There are 17 shops associated with > St Christopher's Hospice which is great. They are > big business and they ask for quality goods. I > can't believe that they aren't able to have an > accurate recording system when the hospice relies > on these funds to help run their excellent > service. > > http://www.stchristophers.org.uk/shops/our-shops-i > n-numbers/ > > I genuinely expected my contributions to have > brought in at least 10 times the ?13.81 they > claimed. That's quite a discrepancy so either > their accounting system is way wrong or decent > goods are finding their way elsewhere. > I hear lots of tales about the latter so maybe > now it's time to take things elsewhere. And maybe > I won't be so passive and grateful, because I > genuinely made a big effort, thinking my > contributions would make a small difference. Not > a microscopic one. > > Thanks for all the good suggestions everybody.

singalto Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I take lots of stuff to local charity shops and > find these posts disheartening.. explain

which shop? either way, this cannot be correct : we (as a large family) stopped donating/buying/entering either shop after donating to the smaller more select shop, good quality books of particular interest, to find that they were part of a buy 17 get 14 free offer, and wished we had walked up to the wondrous Oxfam bookshop at Herne Hill. We bought a small table for my MIL which had china ornaments on when we examined it and assured it was 'fine' then at home discovered that it was unsteady, unsound, unuseable, (and sent it to Brixton BHF) We now donate to Cancr Research, as without a doubt, this evil affects everyone, if not directly then indirectly, and the shop seem to be quite fussy in accepting donations and keeping the shops neat and tidy.

The aircraft noise is indeed louder, as though they are flying lower - (in Kew Gardens you can reach up and touch them) we are at the periphery of their descent - I cannot see East Dulwich/Dulwich having a voice here, especially as many residents affect not to hear/notice/be disturbed by aircraft, noise, pollution or risk.

" I thank the Lord that I've been blessed, with more than my share of 'appiness " - sung smirking

Seabag Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Its a toss up for me, between which is the more > depressing > > Londis or Worcester? > > Actually what is Londis handy for, apart from > shoplifting ? If you think Worcester is depressing you should try Gloucester on a weekday. I do my shoplifting online now.

Jennys Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Holland Park is lovely and could be combined with > a trip to Leighton House. and Linley Samborne House - 18 Stafford Terrace, or the new Design Museum in the old Commonwealth Institute building

too late Malumbo - this genie is not going back in the bottle

Eurythmics - When I've tried everything and Bob Dylan - It's all over now, baby blue - sob

Him -

Minitoots, I had a replacement from eBay, a dealer in South Norwood - it burnt out within days, so he replaced it, and the same thing happened. He refunded. I only just ! two days ago wiped the pics from my phone or would have been happy to show them. I bought a new one from the Apple Shop in Bromley, all's well. It is an expense, but necessary. I am careful with both mac and cable, treat them gently, like the thoroughbreds they are.

rendelharris Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If you play U2 where others can hear it is it pro > bono publico? most certainly !

wroed Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Can someone please confirm how busy the 8.30am > East Dulwich to London Bridge is during the week > under the revised limited timetable? > > I've been catching the 6.17am, which despite > always being a few minutes late is fine, but > checking whether it's even viable to head in > later. Cheers. Perhaps you should try this time (8.30) for yourself one morning, as one man's packed train is another's plenty of space.

DulwichLondoner Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am honestly surprised. Why do you think trains > are not more packed? When trains used to run on > time, I remember they were mostly OKish, i.e. not > super-packed like on some other routes but never > empty. Have people sort of given up and found > alternative ways to get to work (eg buses, trains > via Denmark Hill, etc?). If one needs to get to work/whatever near London Bridge then East Dulwich is the station requirement, unless on the Thameslink. alighting at Blackfriars/Bankside, and walk, as Denmark Hill is the Victoria Line. Buses from 8-9 are usually packed, and slow. As many commuters posting here, I have tried different permutations over the last couple of years,and come unstuck a few times, and totally lost once or twice, it's frustrating of course and time consuming and nerve wracking - this is all well documented here. Squashed standing should not be a condition we are required to tolerate, immured in the morning is not a good start to the day, and why are the trains so short?

BrandNewGuy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > There's no problem getting on the 8.30 at the > moment. A seat or two free in most carriages and > plenty of standing room. Were you on the 8.30 train this morning? I was in the front carriage with a million other standing commuters, luckily all showered and clean clothes - a few alighted at Peckham Rye, but more took their places. It was packed tightly - the notion that there are seats available at that time on a busy commuter line seems fanciful.

hello KK, was fine thanks, left the house at 8, bus to DH, packed train, tickets at machine, Pret for breakfast, and on my train. Painless. I had it in mind that I would have to change at Blackfriars and relieved that this was not necessary.

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. The train from PR to St. Pancras it is, then.

dbboy, a generous post, thank you

Natty, there are good articles in the Guardian about bereavement and coping, written by men who have or are experiencing pain and loss, which hopefully might help you - one day at a time is the usual kindly meant advice.

hello, I have a train to catch from KX at 9.30 on Friday : can anyone please suggest the quickest route, from CPR, I need time to collect my tickets from the machine and sustenance from Pret, so don't want to cut it fine. Thank you