ed_pete

Thanks - call me a cheapskate but I wasn't looking to spend quite as much as that, but then I guess you get what you pay for. Ta EDP

Can anyone recommend earphones for running ? My ipod earphones died recently and I replaced them with some earbud type ones from Sennheiser, which sound good if your standing still but constantly fall when you're jogging along.

The Onedin Line (showing my age...)

The "Wanted, Offers & Recommendation section" seems to be a victim of its own success. If you make a posting of say something for sale, then it only stays on the first page for about a day or so because of the volume. Maybe everyone else is more diligent than me but I don't often stray past page 1 of any of the sections - mainly because I assume that the subsequent pages will contain posts I have already seen. Two proposals: one reorganise Wanted, Offers and Recommendation into three separate sections - at least split off recommendations as these are less transient; two, have subsections within the WO&R (if subsections are possible) with a "Week Commencing.." title. Anyone else feel strongly about WO&R ?

The FAQ simply says: ? How will the refurbishment affect me as a user? You will end up with a modern, well-designed leisure centre that you will want to use. We?ll keep disruption to a minimum whilst the building is going on, keep you fully informed and offer you an alternative whilst we are refurbishing your local centre. Personally I think ?5.3m should go a long way and we ought to end up with swimming pool to rival JAGS (I'm sure most people only join JAG's for the pool). Peckham Pulse was great when it opened but it went down-hill through lack of council resources. Whilst I know i should be commending this initiiative I sadly suspect that once refurbished, ED Leisure Centre will go the same way (broken lockers, showers not working, dirty changing rooms) etc and 5 years after re-opening it'll need another makeover.

Hmm.. the Southwark link is not that great and only offers one box in which one is supposed to ask questions, rather than make suggestions however I see no reason why it shouldn't be used for the latter. Failing that (or to make doubley sure) you can also email the Southwark Head of Leisure and Wellbeing at [email protected]

Mentioned on this forum a few times I know, Southwark is planning to spend ?5m on the refurbishment of the East Dulwich Leisure Centre. They have set up a web page to provide more information on the scheme and solicit comments and suggestions from residents, the deadline for which is 14th September. It looks like they're also planning an exhibition on the planned proposal during the w/c 19th November. So, here's your chance to have your say. {Admin - is it worth making this sticky until 14/9 ?}

Sorry I don't know about other allotments, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. I believe the ethos is non-commercial.

Sorry to be a spoil sport but my allotment lease, at least, does not allow the sale of produce that I grow :(. Besides which, the few bits greenery I manage to produce that's actually worth eating is rapidly consumed by my offspring.

I'm pretty sure that the previous owner's insurer is obliged to carry on providing cover however, if there's been a gap, i.e. between completion date when the propery changed hands and now then I'm not so sure. Having made quite a few enquiries over the past few weeks it seems that if insurers offer cover at all on properties with any structual movement history then it's only likely if the property is given a clean bill of health by a Structural Engineer. But that no guarantee - so you could go the expense and effort of getting a report done and insurers could still turn you down or charge extortionate premiums.

Dulwich Infants and the Hamlet are both excellent schools and my children have been/are very happy there. The Infants changed its entrance policy a few years back and unless you're a regular church goer are unlikely to get in unless you live very close (not likely if you consider yourself an East Dulwich resident). The Hamlet (years 3 to 6) is non-denominational and probably easier to get into, depending on how far away you live. The only other school I feel qualified to comment upon is Dog Kennel Hill to which friends of mine send/have sent their children and in their opinion it's a very good school.

IMO = In My Opinion IMHO = In My Honest Opinion HTH (Hope That Helps)

?91 a month for 4 bed house with Scottish Power, although I'm of the Mr Asset school of thought and have constant thermostat battles with Mrs ed_pete in the colder months.

For those of you not interested in "premium" content then I'd recommend a Hard Disk Freeview Recorder aka Personal Video Recorder (PVR). I've had one of these about a year and its revolutionised viewing in my house. The ability to delay start programmes (kids no longer have to gobble dinner down 'cos Dr Who starting in 5 minutes), not having to mess with VHS tapes and programming recordings via the EPG is worth the expense alone. Don't skimp though - I went for a Topfield 5800, which is arguably the best on the market and has a huge fan base of tecchies that have developed their on add-ons to the software. It also has two tuners which means you can record from two different channels simultaneously and watch something you've recorded previously all at the same time. You will need a reasonable TV aerial though to pick up decent digital reception.

So if I get this right until its covered in the media then you aren't going to believe it actually happened ?

Thanks for all the advice. I have tried shopping around but as Bob says they won't touch you if you've previously made a claim. Confused.com quotes range from ?353 to ?670 and that's if you never made a claim so it's definitely a pricey area. What's really galling is that Confused shows the AA (my insurer) quoting ?412 - exactly half of what I'm paying, so they've essentially doubled the premium because of a prior claim. My damage never warranted underpinning - at least in the opinion of the Structural Engineer. I wonder what my position would be with regard to sueing the council for increased premiums, after all it was their tree that caused the damage in the first place. Off topic slightly but given that all insurer's ask about flooding, there a shed load more homeowners going to be stung next year following this weeks weather.

The event definitely happened. It's been confirmed to me by the mother of a close friend of the two children involved.

BTW - has anyone noticed that Asset is Tessa backwards. Has Asset's true identity finally been revealed ?

A post for the more finanically concerned... Have just had my annual buildings insurance renewal quote. Now at ?828 you might think I live in a palace but no, just a 4-bed victorian semi. I should disclose that I made a claim on my insurance 8 years ago as a street tree had roots growing under the foundations that was causing some largish cracks. Anyway that was all sorted but ever since I've never been able to get insurance with anyone else and now they're really stinging me. Given that East Dulwich has a large number houses similar to mine, all built on clay, I wondered if anyone else had had a similar experience and knew of a cheaper source of insurance. TIA

Lounge beckons...

Yeah Foxtons - much discussed - follow this thread

Apart from those already mentioned, there are two large allotments up near the golf club. One's called the Grange and is on the slope opposite the club entrance, the other beyond the club and scout hut is called the Gun Site. Both have pretty long waiting lists I beleive. There are also some at Rosendale Road, the entrance is near the school. Not sure what the waiting list is there. I have a plot at the Grove allotments which are next to the tennis club opposite the Harvester. I'm not sure how long the waiting list is at present, less then 12 months I think, but if you pop along on a Sunday morning can ask for Theresa (she runs the Committee) she'll be able to tell you. If you can't find her pop a note in the postbox on the outside of the shed with your phone number and she'll no doubt give you a call.

Thanks for that - ignoring "extras", I'm opting for ?13 a month, just over ?3 a week. Should be enough to keep her in the odd magazine and Cafe Nero smoothie (will have to lecture on supporting local shops etc), which is about all she seems to spend money on.

Sensitive topic in our house at the moment. What do people think is an appropriate amount of pocket money for an 11 year old ?

I live off ED Grove near the hospital and our postal service is poor. Packages I've expected have never arrived (could be back up the delivery chain) but my main complaint is the lateness, most days our post doesn't arrive until after midday. I can remember seeing people opening their post on the train on the way to work - where do they live ???