When was East Dulwich at it's best for you?

[computedshorty]

Not today.

Large Woman on the Bus.

Stories read here of Gross women bring strange visions into my mind,

the opportunity came for me today by using the bus, so what shall I find?

I found a window seat before this woman got on, who took the isle seat,

asked me if I would change, juggling with my Zimmer now is complete.

My accompanying traveller used almost both of the seats as she was fat,

this made no room me other than to balance my Zimmer up on my lap.

She cursed and said your Zimmer made this ladder have look at my tights,

I glanced down at the bulbous calf, not a vision to add into my delights.

She wriggled and squirmed, then lifted her bottom up clear of the seat,

just a glimpse of peach bloomers, accomplished her tights removal fete.

From her handbag took a container with pink Blusher to my surprise

starting at her feet she applied it up her legs to her calves to her thighs.

Her open toe shoes now replaced on her feet, protruded a blackened nail,

looking closer it was something that had dropped from below a dogs tail.

The applied nail polish brush soon painted it, that changed it to red,

both big toes now looked reasonable, so it leaves no more to be said.

Out comes the comb, I duck from the elbows as she straightens her hair,

a tug at a suspect knot, down drops a curler she forget was left there.

My own head now itches with the spreaded old dead hair and fluff ,

I never imagined I would ever have my bald head covered in Dandruff.

I arrived at my Bus stop I rose travelling now my journey complete,

now having room kicked those discarded tights under the front seat.

As I made my way along slowly to the Hospital for my appointment,

I wonder will many others have to put up with this forced enjoyment.

[ratty]

Moved here in 94. Didn't much like it then. Moved back in 2002. It got better and better until about 2011 in my humble opinion. Used to not understand why everyone didn't live in SE22.

For me it lost its appeal a couple of years ago when it became apparent that I no longer fitted in.

[Mick Mac]

It got better in 2008, when I laid my new lawn.

[Laur]

I enjoyed the poem computershorty, is it fiction or real?...P.S Welcome back !

[????]

So, Otta and Ratty, good working class lads, and I love them both, moan about gentrification but in both cases their favourite times here were in the pre-recession early 2000s when prices were going absolutely through the roof round here, and easily the time when the demographic of SE22 changed the most!!! Don't up add lads...you should look at what's going on in you lives fellas, i suspect that's where the changes are really. Times changes all, that's all that's happened, fooking everywhere, and some people have rose tinted glasses about the past. Embrace the change.

Mick, how is your lawn?

[Help-Ma-Boab]

I want tae meet Louisa.

[maxxi]

Like others I only moved here fairly recently (2006) and things have been samey ever since - in the spirit of this thread though I have fond memories of Peckham and Rye Lane etc. from when I lived in Green Hundred Road in 1988-92.

I remember pints of guinness and roast spuds in the Free Trade Inn on Sundays - watching lost-looking groups of Bros fans heading to Commercial Way hoping for an encounter.

ET correct dates.

[Louisa]

Welcome back computedshorty - you've been greatly missed! :-)

Help-Ma-Boab I've just finished off a bottle of chardy I'm in no condition to meet anyone other than the lovely man at the kebab shop haha.

I think being sentimental is a great thing, we all have different things we look back on in life. For me, Peckham and ED has always been my life, I've known no different so I guess alongside some others here I'm in a uniqueish position to recall various versions of the same place.

maxxi I remember the late 80s and Bros! The blonde haired hunks from Peckham! Where exactly did they live?

Louisa.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

THink they lived in Peckham Hill Street - or their ma did.

[Jah Lush]

Fook me! What a nostalgia fest. It's always been good to me and I've lived in and around Dulwich all my life. I figure most of you here are harking back to some golden period in your life when you were young before you settled down, got married, had kids and got mortgaged up to the hilt. Life is still fun if you want it to be. Don't look back with rose tinted glasses. It's all good.

[nxjen]

Jah Lush Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Fook me! What a nostalgia fest. It's always been

> good to me and I've lived in and around Dulwich

> all my life. I figure most of you here are harking

> back to some golden period in your life when you

> were young before you settled down, got married,

> had kids and got mortgaged up to the hilt. Life is

> still fun if you want it to be. Don't look back

> with rose tinted glasses. It's all good.

**Like**

[????]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> THink they lived in Peckham Hill Street - or their

> ma did.

They lived on Commercial way, their house has been knocked down and it!so flats now but there used to be groups of girls outside and graffiti all over their poor mum,s gaff

[ratty]

Of course it's my life that has moved on quids. I outgrew what ED could offer me, and found myself living in an overpriced area that I never went out in. Moved for the good of the family for better schooling and a bigger house for the kids to play in. For me, the best time in ED was pre kids when I could play pool in the Foresters or go to ED Comedy in the Mag to watch Boothby Graffoe! Happy times!

[Otta]

Exactly.

This thread wasn't meant to be a "ED was better in the old days and it's not good now" kind of thing. I openly admitted in the OP that I was wearing rose tinted glasses looking back at a different time in my life. But the fact remains that for me, those were the best days, and if I had no kids and money to burn today, I don't think that I would enjoy ED as much, because the sort of places that I like are no longer there. And the places that are there now are now really for the likes of me. That's cool, I can live with that.

I do think however that people are paying absolutely insane prices to live there, and it's not worth that sort of money, but that's up to them.

[newboots]

I moved here in 1996. Previously lived in Brixton, Tulse Hill, Dalston, Balham and an achingly dull couple of years in Devon. We were introduced to the area by friends, one of whom was born here and went to Alleyns on a scholarship. I think I'm going to say that was my favourite time in ED. We rented a half house on Landells Road (?600 pcm) for a couple of years and then bought a small 3 bed terrace for ?110,000. Meals out were at Tandoori Nights or Spaghetti Western or comedy at The East Dulwich Tavern. Lunch was at Free Range (?) or the cafe at the back of Grace & Favour. Kings On The Rye was still a night club, I think. It never felt like an iffy area to me, but then I had Brixton and Dalston to compare it to. We were not young when we moved here, we had average London incomes and could afford to house ourselves - sadly that has changed now.

[*Bob*]

I've never really associated places with 'better' or 'worse' - only the people and experiences around at the time.

So - for me - most of what's important is no different to when I first got here.

If you're talking specifically about the area, I think it has more to offer now than it did a decade ago. To me anyway - of course not everyone wants what's on offer.

[simonethebeaver]

About a decade ago, when interesting things were popping up all over the place but there were still parts that were old East Dulwich left. Now it feels like lots of the businesses around here are targeted at the more money than sense brigade.

[pinecone]

first quarter of 2013

[Pugwash]

The 1980s - there was great community spirit mainly due to the GLC making area a Housing Improvement zone and pumping in millions. The Alleyn Ward as it was then, had the highest number of people living in sub standard accommodation with outside toilets and no bathrooms, especially elderly folk. Most property was privately rented or owner occupiers with a few GLC and Southwark rented places. great community spirit with 3 popular residents associations, Pellatt Area, North Cross Area and Barry Area which all met at the Community Centre in Darrell Road. Each association had 80 plus members who rang senior citizens clubs, social events, dinner and dances, bingo, coach trips etc.

Sadly many of the 'new commers' do not have that community spirit - ok they like their zumba and other activities but the generations generally do not mix at a social event - in the In 1986 within 2 weeks of having my 2nd child I was at a fund raising event at the centre where my baby was the youngest and the oldest person was nearly 90, around 150 people who raised ?1000 in a night for a scanner for Kings College Hospital as a result of our beat Copper George Hammond being stabbed in Lordship Lane.

[Jah Lush]

I'd forgotten about that. Glad you brought that up Pugwash. Poor George. bloody awful.

[fazer71]

ED was at its best when I wasn't woken up by jet aircraft at 4.30 am on their way to land at heathrow followed by another ever minute or so...!

Ie before ED was on the heathrow flight path?

[Alan Dale]

I liked it best when *Bob* was rude to people who passed on second hand pianos and Huge nought thought property prices had peaked.

[Jah Lush]

You should get out more Alan.

[giggirl]

My best time is today, this morning having my coffee and listening to long-forgotten hits. You've got to live in the now. I'm not liking the title of this thread, which suggests that the best has gone. I don't think that's what Otta intended though and, that said, there are some nice memories on here.

Px

[philiphenslowe]

ED Comedy upstairs at the East Dulwich Tavern 1995-97 for me. A-level years just before going off to university.