Penguin68

You've just made an identity theft maven very happy... Hope not!

I'd suggest it is likely to have been stuck in traffic along the south circular from the Harvester. This will only get worse (and a permanent fixture) once the Village traffic is re-routed along the South Circular - with no options for local diversion.

If you are anticipating the possibility of 14 days self isolating having sufficient food in for you and whoever is with you doesn't seem unreasonable. There is a very fine line here between prudence and panic.

There's a kitchen roll shortage as well.

Quickly, buy toilet roll!!!!!! Well, if you're using it to blow your nose into, or dry your hands having thoroughly washed them, well, I suppose, yes!

For the vast majority (80% +) of patients the virus is mild - no worse than a heavy cold or flu - fewer need hospitalisation and those that are very ill tend to be older, male and with underlying illness apart from Covid 19. At least that is the epidemiology so far, although the sex bias may reflect Chinese experience - where older Chinese men are more likely to be smokers. The death rate figures (which are worrying, and worse than seasonal flu) may have been distorted by earlier under reporting of infection. Let's hope the local cases are (a) mild and (b) that self isolation has reduced the spread. People who are legitimate contacts have probably now been traced and alerted. Speculation as to identities seems pointless. Actually, those who have been identified aren't really the problem, it's those who are symptom-less with the disease who are.

Although all the wild garlic plant is edible (and none of the lily of the Valley) the bulb is described as 'disappointingly small' - normally the leaves only are harvested (cut with scissors) preserving the plant - ideally leaving a few leaves to sustain the plant and leaving the flowers to form seed. Uprooting in entirety as DF says (and I also believe) is illegal. Any wild foraging should be careful to ensure continuity of supply in future.

https://www.southwark.gov.uk/wasteservices/gardenwastesubscription - this is the link for payment

Yes, you are quite correct, sorry - I have found a payment for ?25 from last year. So maybe the headline cost has remained the same.

Nice to see a comment of mine from March 2012 getting another airing - if surprising.

I suspect that (other than simple panic) loo rolls may be being bought up because they are the cheapest source of disposable tissue - with calls for constant hand-washing; paper towels in wash rooms are in short supply, and cloth towels clearly not a good choice for drying.

You also need to be careful not to mistake it for very poisonous lily of the valley http://paulkirtley.co.uk/2012/lily-of-the-valley-convallaria-majalis-ramsons-allium-ursinum/

Having just received a flyer through the door about this, I note that the price for collecting a large brown bin has increased to ?30 from ?25 last year (actually then discounted because they couldn't get the service up and running in April). That's a 20% increase in a year. Good, eh? But of course not covered by any Central Government caps. Neither are parking or CPZ charges of course. But the payment system worked fine. Amended to add: But only card payments accepted, No provision for alternative payment methods.

There was still quite a lot between 9:30 and 10:30 but they did have a price offer on Andrex, I noted. They restock every evening. Rather than bulk-buying as such maybe people are getting a pack when/ if they see low stocks. Just a few people doing that would deplete quite quickly, even if each bought only one pack. I also noted that household cleaning materials were quite low - as was ground coffee (!!?). People are also going mad for Carex anti-bacterial hand wash, even though that is useless (save as a general soap) against viral agents.

As a heads up, anything offering bacterial resistance is of no use against viruses. Its the physical process of washing and rinceing your hands which washes the virus off your hands, it's not anything magic in the soap.

Did you read the bit that said ?Please allow three weeks for passes to be received.?? I also read the bit which said Your pass will be posted to you week beginning 2 March if you live within the London boroughs of:... - Not, you may note, 'commencing in the week beginning...' but 'in the week beginning' - our post is bad, but to suggest that 2nd class post takes 'up to 3 weeks' to be delivered - even in London and from Peckham - beggars belief. The next tranche goes out on 9th March, apparently - I also read You will receive your new pass before your current pass expires. - which will be a close run thing for those, if they also may take 3 weeks.

If you have used your existing pass at all in the last 2 years, and are at the same address, the re-issue is meant to be automatic. Those who the councils believed to have moved should have been written to (presumably at their old address?). Those who have't used their pass in the last 2 years will be dropped off the system.

I posted this on another, related, thread, but I'm genuinely concerned that the amount of data being requested, and the inability apparently to process it, suggests genuine levels of incompetence which any half way competent hacker should be able to exploit. If I was aiming to set up a system to skim data for identity theft, this is the system I would be setting up. Just how much trust do you have that Southwark is able to set up a hack-proof and secure data system. No, I thought not.

Has anyone locally yet received their re-issued Freedom passes, if their current pass expires in March 2020? According to the website. Southwark re-issues were due to be sent out this week https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/freedom-pass/older-persons-freedom-pass/renewing-your-pass for those living in Southwark. As of today's (07/03/20) post, my better half and I have received nothing. Of course, if Southwark is actually meant to be doing this - then I expect we can hope to receive nothing, ever. Or maybe they're only going to be posting to the North of the Borough?

If I was aiming to set up a system to skim data for identity theft, this is the system I would be setting up. Just how much trust do you have the Southwark is able to set up a hack-proof and secure data system. No, I thought not.

I had to call in first thing this morning. Some stock had been moved around (e.g.cooking oils) but shelves all seemed stocked. Including loo rolls. No obvious signs of panic buying at that time. But if people over buy during the day then shelves are only being restocked over night, at a guess.

Thank you, that seems to have worked, but in a numbers of years usage that's the first time I've needed to do that. Odd.

... or at least they have for me - suddenly my threads are populated by 'new' flashes - most of them not new at all, and when I click on those (by the date/ time) that look like being new I am frequently taken to random parts of the thread (page 4 of an 11 page thread). This may just be me, but I've changed nothing in my system since it was all working like normal 2 hours ago!

Does anyone know why East Dulwich residents North and East of Lordship Lane (all the way up to North Cross Road / Forest Hill Road, and all the way East to Underhill Road) were included in the Phase 1 consultation but then were omitted from Phases 2 and 3 . . . ? Because they (we) weren't giving the answers wanted. It's what Southwark democracy is all about - restrict your questions to the (few) people who think the way you do, then claim the authority of a plebiscite. Hence the way that areas where chipped down so that they could find stretches of road that were in favour of a CPZ (even just a few houses) then institute there knowing what the knock-on would be.

Lewisham has just raised its ?120 a year charge for residents parking to ?140 (in a year). Southwark won't be far behind, I'm sure, as parking charges are not covered by any central controls. Those who voted for CPZs have just signed blank cheques in the council's name. And not just on their behalfs.