Hilja

For anyone who's got a garden, some pots or a windowbox and can't get out to find anything to put in them: plantsavers.co.uk "We save plants from British garden centres and nurseries hit by COVID-19 and deliver them direct to your door" They offer 3 different-sized selections that include plants (no choice of type though), compost (20L; 40L), contact-free delivery and a donation to the charity 'Meals for the NHS' - and the satisfaction of knowing you've rescued some otherwise doomed plants and helped their growers... They also do separate larger bags of compost (120L; 140L). I've made an order and I'll report back on the selection and quality when they arrive!

I saw these two, and another man, in Lordship Lane around the Townley Road Junction at about 6pm on Saturday, walking in the direction of Goose Green. I thought they looked a bit dodgy as they were ambling very slowly and glancing into gardens but they didn't actually do anything so I thought no more of it. It might be worth keeping an eye out for them this Saturday in Northcross Road and other busy shopping areas (with a hand on your cash, phones, bags, etc.)

I went to a very interesting Gresham Lecture on Monday evening: "How to Avert a Climate Catastrophe - Professor Vicky Pope will discuss the challenges of climate modelling and reduction of emissions; Dr Damien Short will talk about why we need to legislate against Ecocide; and Professor Geoffrey Beattie will discuss the psychology that stops us from taking action." Link to the video & transcripts at: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/avert-climate-catastrophe

I saw my first live one ever a couple of weeks ago, at dusk in the back garden (close to Alleyne's playing field). It seemed to be eating suet pellets put out for the birds. I haven't seen as many slugs & snails around this year as in the past; eaten by hedgehogs or a result of the dry summer last year I wonder? Perhaps the current rain will bring them out. Advice from Hedgehog Street (www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/)is to leave meaty cat or dog food out for them (though that tends to get eaten by - cats or foxes...).

It's not Peckham Rye but BMF does 'Walkfit' sessions in Dulwich Park, which are low-impact and suitable for the unfit and people with minor health issues. The format and a lot of the exercises are similar to BMF proper, just at a gentler pace and without the running and if there's something you can't do because of, e.g., a dodgy knee, the instructor will find an alternative for you. Sessions are Tuesdays & Thursdays 9.30-10.30am, Saturdays 10.00-11.00am and the first one's free: www.walkfit.co.uk

As a happy client I'm echoing much of Marie2018's post above... Aria and the AFE Plumbing team recently re-plumbed, plastered, tiled, installed new basin/bath/loo, painted and floored my bathroom after was completely gutted to deal with extensive dry rot. The treatment (not done by AFE) was an extremely stressful experience, after which Aria's concern at getting the repairs and redecoration right for me was a breath of fresh air. I paid exactly what he quoted for the job, which I think was very reasonable - plus materials, of course, for which he provided advance warning and receipts. There were costs that I hadn't expected, mostly due to the knock-on effects of the rot damage, but he outlined all the options for what needed to be done and worked with my choices. There was a slight hiccup resulting from an error made by one of the team but they were up-front about it and resolved the issue without fuss. I'm very happy with the final results. AFE also re-did my kitchen (again, for a reasonable quote), parts of which were affected by wet rot. I believe this was their first big kitchen project but they've done an excellent job so I'd recommend them for kitchens too. The work involved stripping out the old cabinets, tiles and flooring, then plastering & painting, a new sink & plumbing, tiling, installation of flat-pack wall/base units & worktop and new vinyl flooring, while handling all the odd angles, uneven surfaces and surprise holes found in the typical Victorian property. They identified issues with the electrical circuits which I suspected but hadn't got round to dealing with, and brought in an electrician who sorted them out and installed a new fusebox. The boiler also had some problems, which their gas engineer contact resolved without my having to get a new one. Both engineers were properly accredited, gave fair quotes and supplied certificates after the work. Again, I was kept informed about charges for materials and extra work in advance. I appreciated Aria's daily updates on the work as I had to move out for the whole treatment and restoration process, also his patience in answering my questions during the works and following up afterwards. And I had complete confidence in the rest of the team, both when I was around and when I wasn't: Aria and Dan for the plumbing, the plasterer whose name I can't remember, Mark for tiling, installation of the kitchen units, flooring and some of the painting, Miles the electrician, Adam the gas engineer, John Wayne(!) for replacement of the laminate flooring in the hall and two other rooms, plus new skirting boards and painting - not forgetting Arron who cheerfully removed all the rubbish for (responsible) disposal. All thoroughly pleasant, hard-working people. A.F.E Plumbing Services: 07739 734895

Another recommendation for Aston, who disassembled, reassembled and reinforced a wooden Ikea kitchen trolley that kept collapsing - now solid as a rock. He also put new hinges and a bolt on an outhouse/shed door. He's efficient, professional, friendly and calm and I won't hesitate to ask him to tackle other tasks in the future.

I've just had dry rot in the floorboards of my ground-floor flat confirmed by a surveyor. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, faced with having to move everything out of the flat for a month or so while it's treated and repaired. Does anyone have any advice from experience to offer with regard to dry rot companies - local or national - to consider/avoid, storage facilities, removals people, general things to be aware of, etc.? It would be much appreciated. Thanks!

I've got a couple of Squirrel Buster feeders - a Mini one and a Plus version - which are spring loaded so that the feeding holes slide down and the feeding tray is covered when something as heavy as a squirrel or a large bird lands on one of the perches. However, with the Mini feeder the squirrels and parakeets have worked out how to stop that happening by hooking their claws over the tray? With a domed plastic guard over the feeder now, the squirrels can't get to it - but the parakeets still do and get through the seeds in no time. I bought the Plus version recently (quite pricey), which is excellent in terms of deterring squirrels and parakeets, but so far (after a month) it has't been popular with some of the other birds which flocked to the smaller version. Chaffinches and greenfinches like it but the feeding holes seem to be a stretch too far for the goldfinches and bluetits, which still prefer the small one. It has six holes with metal rod perches that can be adjusted for length and a 'Cardinal ring' that can be fitted around them to allow bigger birds to feed (Squirrel Busters are made in Canada where they've got cardinals), and you can also adjust the spring mechanism according to the weight of creature you want to discourage. Have a look at both of of these on Vine House Farm's squirrel-proof feeder page: www.vinehousefarm.co.uk (supporters of the Wildlife Trusts)

Lots of useful information on The Fox Project website too: www.foxproject.org.uk

I'd always understood that the original breeding pair of ring-necked parakeets escaped from a private aviary in Richmond but I didn't know it was that long ago, rendelharris, so it seems they're pretty much native now. There are two pairs that visit my garden feeders every day - one pair an adult male (they have a pink ring round their necks > their other name, rose-ringed parakeet) with a female, I'm guessing (females and juveniles don't have rings), and the other pair an adult female (probably) accompanied by a smaller version without the long turquoise tail. I suspect they're mother and offspring as the bigger one seems quite solicitous of the smaller one - but I'm probably anthropomorphising? They're surprisingly quiet, considering the racket they make in the parks. Probably don't want to alert the rest of the flock to their secret food supply. They love black sunflower seeds and fat balls but eat quite slowly and carefully, not what I would have expected, and spend a lot of time just perched on the washing line looking at what's going on around them or doing acrobatics, apparently to amuse themselves. The other birds in the garden don't seem to be affected by them, in fact I saw a great spotted woodpecker feeding just a couple of feet away from one of them a couple of weeks ago. I also saw two blue tits dive-bombing a parakeet on their favourite feeder, but none of them seemed too bothered and they all got what they wanted in the end. The smallest parakeet likes to sit on a branch by the kitchen window and watch me doing the washing up, with its beady orange eyes and head cocked to one side.