ed_pete

One option would be to sell it minus the hard disk. Take it out and smash it with a hammer before disposing of it. Alternatively download this software http://www.dban.org/download burn it to a blank CD/DVD and boot the laptop with it. The software can the be used to obliterate the data on the drive completely rendering it irrecoverable.

OK - looks like Gmail spam filter is a bit over zealous.

Someone sent me a PM yesterday afternoon and I usually get an email notification when this happens but in this instance it didn't happen. I recall someone else mentioning this the other day. Is there a known issue ?

In the UK - see here - SE22 is number 9. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/the-top-20-burglary-hotspots-8466447.html However last year SE22 wasn't even in the top 20 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/top-20-burglary-insurance-claims-673534

Thanks all for the advice.

I have a large number of 50w halgen downlighters and I'm considering replacing them with LED versions as in theory it works out a lot cheaper in the long term. Does anyone have any experience of 240v LED GU10's and can recommend any advice on good ones vs bad ones and how they find the brightness / type of light they emit ? TIA

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?9,1018418,1027721#msg-1027721 This guy is selling a converter cable - could be worth asking if you could borrow ?

I believe the land is not owned by Southwark Council but Southwark PCT who I guess are more concerned with healthcare provision than parking issues. Having said that I believe that the local LD councillors have involved the Harris Federation in lobbying for a new Primary School on the site. http://www.harrisfederation.org.uk/185/east-dulwich-free-school

According to the Council Leader, Peter John, the deal will save approximately ?1.5m p.a. Whether or not you choose to believe that of course is entirely up to you. IMO, this is a topic more suited to the Lounge as it's not specific to East Dulwich but the borough as a whole. Anyway, from the Southwark website: As part of its Modernisation Programme, the Council moved in to the building at 160 Tooley Street, near London Bridge, as a tenant in 2009 after signing a 25-year lease in June 2008. The building was not available for sale at the time and the lease was subject to 'upward only' rent reviews every five years. At the time, the move allowed the Council to make substantial savings as old buildings, which were very expensive to maintain, were sold off. Originally used only as an administrative building, Tooley Street has been increasingly used for public and committee meetings, including Cabinet and Council Assembly. As soon as 160 Tooley Street was unexpectedly put up for sale by its owners in November 2012, Southwark Council moved quickly to seize this one in a lifetime opportunity to invest in the borough's future. Now that the sale has gone through, the council will no longer have to pay rent, which would have undoubtedly gone up in future years, and is therefore expected to make savings of at least ?68m over the next 20 years. There will be an initial saving of a minimum of ?1.5m in 2013/14 and subsequent years as a result of the purchase. There are also now plans to further develop the building even more as a community asset for everyone in the borough. One of the options being explored is to establish better use of the building at weekends and evenings. Additionally, the purchase will allow the council to better adapt to the changing economic environment and occupy the building more efficiently by having the opportunity to sub-let which is penalised under the current lease. Owning this landmark property in the heart of London, just a few minutes walk from the Shard, also means that future generations will own a substantial asset in one of the most exciting districts around London Bridge Quarter, which is expected to see values substantially increase year on year. Cllr Peter John, Leader of the Council, said: "This council has pledged to spend every penny carefully and so this purchase was the right thing to do on behalf of the people of Southwark. We paid ?7.7m each year in rent on our council headquarters and this figure would only have increased through rent reviews. Now we will have at least ?1.5m saved each year to spend on protecting services instead of on rent. "The decision of the owners of the building to sell presented the council with a unique opportunity. The choice we had was the same as someone renting their home being offered the opportunity to buy it for a mortgage that costs less each month than the rent. The money we will save will go directly in to where local people have told us they want it spent - their front line services. "Now we have bought the building it will both reduce its annual costs in these difficult financial times and we have gained ownership of an important asset for future generations of the people of the borough. Owning the building also increases the flexibility we have in how we use it, both for the community and in terms of sub letting to other organisations and is a massive boost to Southwark and central London."

To the OP - you can report untaxed abandoned vehicles to Southwark here http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200001/abandoned_vehicles/556/abandoned_vehicles/1 and here https://www.gov.uk/report-untaxed-vehicle#before-you-start

Found these in the for sale section - altura are good. http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?9,980162,980162#msg-980162 Alternatively http://www.ortlieb.co.uk/ Personally I've managed OK with a cheap pair of panniers from Decathlon but perhaps that's because I'm a tight-wad :)

Northlonder - Boy it's more complicated than you might think: Firstly only about 75% of your council tax bill goes to Southwark - the other 25% goes to the GLA. Secondly the 75% only contributes to 30% of the overall council budget of ?308m, the remainder being centrally funded. The Council's budget for Refuse collection and disposal (which may or may not include street cleaning) is ?28m which is about 9% of the overall budget. Therefore the proportion of your council tax bill that goes on Refuse collection and disposal is 6.75% or about ?82 a year for a Band D payer.

the-e-dealer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Apples will ripen on the window sill. Indeed however M&S are going to need to an extremely large window sill for the amount of apples they sell.

I'm eating a tree ripened apple from M&S. Are there people out there that were unaware that apples grow on trees or is there an alternative method of ripening that I'm unaware of ?

What kind of shower you can have in the loft is dictated by what kind of hot water system you have. If you have a conventional system with a cold water tank (in the loft) and a hot water cylinder then you can have a normal shower valve but it would need to be boosted by a shower pump because the shower head is likely to be higher than the height of the cold water tank (assuming that you keep that and it's relocated around the conversion) as the water from the tank can't flow upwards ! If you have a combi boiler then you may get away with a normal shower valve depending on the flow and pressure you achieve in the loft. If the flow/pressure is not good enough then you may have to opt for an electric shower unless you are prepared to change your hot water system to one that supplies mains pressure hot and cold water - one commonly adopted solution to this is to install a Megaflow system but that is quite expensive. Hope that helps.

There's no easy answer other than applying ! However you can seek free advice here http://www.rtpi.org.uk/planning-aid/planning-explained/ and/or Southwark offer a paid pre-application advice service but at ?750+vat it's probably OTT for your needs http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/512/request_for_pre-application_planning_advice

Aslo see http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?9,902051,902216#msg-902216

I've never been asked for ID, even when Vale St was meant to only be used by Lambeth residents. If you worried then take along your Council Tax bill or some other form of proof of address.

Vale Street in West Dulwich do indeed accept Southwark residents but it is recycling only. Best to check the Lambeth website for what they will take - it is quite wide ranging. It does get busy at weekends but I find that if you are prepared to get there early ie before 8am, then it's OK. Southwark's facility in Devon St will accept anything. I don't know how busy it gets as I've only been a couple of times and they were fairly early. HTH

Increasingly I've found our family laptop (Lenovo Thinkpad) used for listening to radio or watching streamed TV and DVD's. The one problem however is the sound quality which is pretty poor. I don't think it's specifically the model of laptop as in my experience all laptops suffer from sound quality that varies from OK to mediocre. However I have now solved this problem with the purchase of the Logitec Z305. It's tube with speaker at each end that hooks over the top of the screen and plugs into the USB port. Frankly I'm really impressed and not in the least bit disappointed. The sound quality is tons better. Best of all if you buy it from Logitech direct they are ?24.99 as opposed to ?34.99 on Amazon. What's more the delivery is free (as it's over ?20). In fact they are ?22.49 at the moment as they have an extra 10% off in a back to school promotion. (use the code BACKTOSCHOOL2012). It's a steal. Buy one, I promise you'll wonder how you managed without it. Logitech site ==> http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/notebook-products/speakers/7363 YouTube review ==> (I have absolutely no connection with Logitech and sadly stand to make no money at all from the recommendation).

I don't profess to be an expert but I think you are asking too much ! Most flowering plants now are into their last couple of months be them annuals or perennials so planting something now that'll last all winter - especially if you want it to be a foot high - is going to be tricky to find. Here's a suggestion: first plant a number of spring bulbs (tulips, aliums, snowdrops, crocus - even daffs) reasonably deeply in the beds. You don't need to do this yet but during October/November and watch out for squirrels as they can dig up the bulbs. Secondly have another go with winter pansies and/or violas. If you're suffering from slug/snail damage then I'm afraid I'd go heavy on the slug pellets in order to protect your investment. I know there are a couple of local garden centres - the one near the station, and there's one over in Croxted Road as well - but for variety/range I've become a fan of Shannon's in Forest Hill, just off the South Circular or there's always Columbia Road though it might be as well to wait for the Paralympics to be over before paying it a visit.

Hmm, not sure that's right: From the Highway Code: When taking any intermediate exit, unless signs or markings indicate otherwise select the appropriate lane on approach to the roundabout you should not normally need to signal on approach stay in this lane until you need to alter course to exit the roundabout signal left after you have passed the exit before the one you want

Very nice.

You could try the Constitutional Club on East Dulwich Grove. I beleive they have function rooms for hire.

Bit off topic but I found these pic's of the old Odeon. East Dulwich Odeon