Penguin68

That's why I responded based on continuing symptoms. Ideally, the person with Covid would get a test which would show them clear (but still suffering from the after-effects). But if they still have a raised temperature, persistent cough, headache - I would assume unless a test showed otherwise that the virus was still active - however a symptom such as loss of sense of smell or taste might (and I believe does) persist after the infectious phase is passed. As might continued shortness of breathe. In a case such as this direct medical advice would be best to ensure that you are not risking others.

The person without Covid should continue to self-isolate for 10 days after the person with Covid's symptoms cease. Because they could have caught Covid on the last day of there being symptoms in the other. If they test clear 5 days after that, however they could, I think, then stop self-isolating, or wait the full 10 days. It used to be 14 days. My daughter was caught by that at the beginning of the very first lock-down.

Mice who live in the garden (and are slightly brown rather than grey) are wood mice. They can come into the house but not to stay. House mice preferentially live in houses,and are dust grey

Off the wall suggestion here, but why doesn't the OPs offer to babysit the toddler (if there is no other childcare bubble in operation) - give the parents a break if nothing else. They may either find just how uncontrollable the toddler is, and perhaps feel more sympathetic/ understanding - or even find some remedy to engage the child so he isn't so disruptive, and share this with his parents. With lockdown etc. at the moment, and in a small flat (I'm guessing) toddlers do get beside themselves with frustration and boredom. They will have no little friends they can meet and play with (and tire themselves out). My grandson is charming, but even for him there is only so much he can take. Currently in almost continuing lock-down, and with no safe outlets (you can only meet up with one other person with a child outside, and none inside unless in a childcare bubble) life as a toddler parent is, frankly, often awful.

The robins are in close proximity but don't seem to interact. If they are an established pair from last year this may be a period of armed neutrality before courtship (re)commences.

I thought robins were very territorial but see two in close proximity. When they pair to breed they lose that element of territoriality. An established pair (not that they live that long) may set-up early. They are quite cute when courting, with the male bringing titbits (robinbits?) for the female.

My postie told me today (Thursday 21st) that 'they were now all caught-up at the Delivery Office'. Whether that was in general, or just my walk, I don't know, but it sounds positive.

The One Tree Hill emplacement is too small for the WWII 3.7 inch gun, a fairly standard 'small' AA gun. There is an interesting quote I have found on AA use:- ""It isn't easy to shoot down a plane with an anti-aircraft gun...In stead of sitting still, the target is moving at anything up to 300 m.p.h. with the ability to alter course left or right, up or down. If the target is flying high it may take 20 or 30 seconds for the shell to reach it, and the gun must be laid a corresponding distance ahead. Moreover the range must be determined so that the fuse can be set, and above all, this must be done continuously so that the gun is always laid in the right direction. When you are ready to fire, the plane, though its engines sound immediately overhead, is actually two miles away. And to hit it with a shell at that great height the gunners may have to aim at a point two miles farther still. Then, if the raider does not alter course or height, as it naturally does when under fire, the climbing shell and the bomber will meet. In other words the raider, which is heard overhead at the Crystal Palace, is in fact at that moment over Dulwich; and the shell which is fired at the Crystal Palace must go to Parliament Square to hit it." Which may be locally relevant and suggest Crystal Palace as an AA site.

Surprised that the new entrance on Underhill Road doesn?t have a ramp for disabled or buggy access. The two extant entrances (when they are open, currently Forest Hill Road entrance is shut for remedial works until 21st) both have full access. The steps are quite steep from Underhill - I wonder whether the space necessary to build a user-friendly ramp slope was available, it would have to curve round quite a way? The new 'upper' surface is mounded over existing graves - maybe building a curving access slope would have interfered (or was feared that it would interfere) with old (and now 'buried') burials.

I'm guessing the CDC is saying that you can't catch Covid from a dog that might have it. But thinking of a dog as a collection of surfaces on which the virus can rest you clearly can. You're just catching Covid from a person via a dog, as you might via a door handle. Physics, not biology.

If dogs put people at risk (and, as they can carry the virus on their fur, they can) then they should be controlled at this time. I certainly agree that you shouldn't keep a dog without looking after it properly, and that does include exercise, but if your looking after it puts other people either at risk, or legitimate fear of risk, then you need to consider your position seriously. People avoiding exercise because they are frightened of dogs exercising out-of-control simply isn't acceptable, when outdoor exercise is the only option available to us. Of course taking dogs out, on leads, is fine and necessary. But I am one of these who puts people's need ahead of other animals (and no, that doesn't mean I am happy with poor or cruel treatment of other living things). You, AllisonAdler seem to be exercising proper care, but others clearly aren't.

After my bumper 32 item delivery - no letter-post at all since then, just parcels (and I know I have at least 2 items of post outstanding, as I know they've been posted, and possibly (probably?) many more.

If your trees are over 6ft (one bin guy told me the H&S limit was 5 ft) they may not take them unless sawn in half. Our guys sort-of ignored that ruling, but some crews may be more sticklers. I cut my tree up and put it in my garden bin anyway, no problems seeing it go. Do remember that an un-binned tree could have come from anywhere - so the binmen cannot be certain it is a garden collection household's tree. And they do fill the lorries up.

So the people who live in the houses on that street, who may be going out once or so a day, did they also get tested ? I would assume that they will be socially distancing and will be avoiding people closer than 2 metres, and possibly, if they are worried, wearing masks. Why should they be tested when they do not form part of a working bubble? Should they be demanding tests if they walk into or past shops or garages or GP surgeries where people are working? Or should they be taking responsibility for their own lives? As the film crews are as they work together.

walking off lead is quite important excercise So, no doubt, is coughing your lungs up in ICUs. I'd rather the dogs lost that opportunity so that the ICU patients could as well. I'm not suggesting a permanent ban, but one that sat with Lock-down, and perhaps Tier 4. I am clearly unusual in rating people's health needs higher than dogs'. But I do. Sue me.

During these times of infection I wonder if the council could ban dogs not on leads from everywhere in the parks (and council cemeteries), at least until infection rates fall dramatically. Dogs don't understand social distancing and can run up to anyone, neither do small children who can pet them - creating disease vectors quite unintentionally. A general ban on dogs off leads would ensure there was no room for confusion as to which areas may be OK - all wouldn't be.

They are also at work. Work rules are different.

Trees naturally root differently - some are shallow rooted and spread (like poplars and silver birches) - clearly those are less suitable to be near properties, but others are naturally deep rooted, going down before they go out. These are more suitable to be close(er) to buildings. [it is true that roots tend to spread as wide as the tree is high, but from where they are spreading - how deep down, is key]. Additionally pollarding trees to reduce the crown will tend to reduce the root spread as well. Much of the area here is quite hilly, so trees planted down in a (comparative) valley will have roots which naturally don't impinge on foundations higher up a hill side. Conversely, of course, where the roadway is higher, then roots are more likely to impact houses which are lower down. I suspect Robin's list assumes that the road-way and the houses adjacent are broadly at the same level - but any hillside planting can make a difference, allowing some trees which might otherwise be avoided, but (on the other side of the street, as it were) meaning that even otherwise 'safe' trees should be planted with caution. But, and in general, having trees is infinitely better than the alternative, in most cases. In the last couple of years the cherry blossom around ED streets had been superb, and quite uplifting in a time of gloom.

Without taking any action = unlikely. They may well have not been able to do anything physical and/or visible ast night but I am sure they will have taken action to solve it but behind the scenes, ie. taking notes, pictures, lining people up to do the work today. Even where work couldn't have commenced that night, the hole should have been coned off/ otherwise marked. Not only are such holes likely to damage vehicles, but with two wheelers (bikes or motor bikes) they can cause serious injury.

Well, I've just had a delivery of 26 letters, of which 9 were Christmas cards, the earliest I could find posted on 12 December, and 6 parcels. Maybe they are beginning to clear the backlog?

No, but there will be if they rely on the post to alert candidates!

As the government announces they intend to write to the over 80s (and later no doubt the over 75s and over 70s) to alert them to their place in the vaccine queue I become incredibly depressed - I wonder whether anyone will bother to check why the low take-up in SE22 is related to no one receiving the bloody letter because the Post Office is hopeless. One delivery only (of one letter) the week after Christmas, one then last week, with 7 Christmas cards and a late (very late) penalty notice! The postman apologising because he knows there's more stuff there waiting. My age and vulnerability suggests queueing in Highshore Road on the off-chance is not a 'necessary' journey.

It is worth noting that there is a huge upsurge in issues surrounding mental health (including self-harm and suicide attempts) fuelled by fear, loneliness and isolation. Seeing other people (ideally of course in a fully socially distanced manner) offers some remedy to this. Like other strictly non-Covid conditions which Covid-19 is exacerbating we should not be condemnatory of people because their entire being isn't fixated just on Covid-19 and Covid secure behaviour. This is particularly relevant to younger people, whose careers and education have been put on hold, or severely jeopardised, by this pandemic and who have far less, materially or experientially, to fall back on. Of course the market is a risk, of course 'socialising' is a risk, but so is isolation and not socialising. Young adults are not in line for the vaccine early on, perhaps ever (they don't normally get flu vaccines after all) - and one of the government experts has started to talk again about herd immunity amongst this age group.

Are any of the stalls there currently selling non-essential items? In which case these should probably be closed, but otherwise open air sales of essential items would seem to be both legal and a service. It is up to individuals visiting these stalls to socially distance, or if vulnerable to choose not to visit.

It occurred to me, perhaps incorrectly, that many pharmacies and GP Practices will not be set up to store the Pfizer Vaccination and so wondered if there was a sense of those that are equipped. The Pfizer vaccine is being distributed via hospitals, in the main, or specialist centres with enhanced cold storage, which do have cold storage facilities - it is the Oxford: Astra Zeneca vaccine, which can be stored like flu vaccines, which is mainly going to GP practices and pharmacies. Where GP practices have had the Pfizer vaccine (before the other was available they had had to issue it all within 4 days or suffer wastage - hence stories of patients in 'the next tier down' being offered shots when otherwise eligible patients miss appointments. Hopefully that won't be an issue in the future as the Oxford vaccine becomes more available.