ianc

In response to the discussion about the hill (sorry, coming late to this)... I'm afraid the hill IS an issue. Until mid-2011, I used to live at the end of Therapia Road, very close to where the 63 turns. During *any* amount of snow, the buses would be sliding into the curb alongside Therapia Road, way before the turning point 2 streets further up beyond Marmora Road at Wood Vale. It was as if they could gain no traction at all on that final stretch of road. We used to have to do without the 63 the moment there was any snow, and catch it from down by the Rye. To extend the route would either need acceptance that it would be impassible in snow (as per Dog Kennel Hill, I guess?) or some form of solution.

They come no further than our front mat, because I take them straight to the recycling bin. Annoying, but only if you linger on it. Same goes for the pizza flyers, the "To the legal owner" letters (which are always estate agent marketing), etc, etc. They are distributed by folks who have no-doubt been told to put them through *all* doors. Just recycle and forget :-)

Definitely agree with "Gadge". I've complained before, about delivery cards (when I was home and they clearly didn't call), items at the delivery office but no card popped through, etc. Complain politely every time. Keep a record of any markings on packets (when you finally get them), as they often want to know numbers/markings to be sure that Royal Mail delivered it, not some other courier. If you aren't happy, Tweet about them. They hate that, and are generally really responsive - lol

I find similar around our wheelie bins, and I suspect it's foxes (given the description from "the-e-dealer" above). Happens regularly, and I can't believe a local dog would be passing by, off-leash, and choose to do it in precisely the same place week after week. Impossible to see in the day-light sometimes, let alone last thing on an evening when I step out to drop something into the bins. I check when I get in the front door (in proper light), if it's there: tuck the laces inside, and one-by-one, hold the sole of each shoe under a running shower head (hot water), then leave them to dry on the side of the bath. It's easy to deal with, IF you spot it the second you step into the house. I'm just taking it as one of those inconveniences we have to live with, particularly if it's foxes. Not much we can do.

And depending upon your home broadband connection speed (or 3G, if your phone doesn't happen to be connected via wi-fi at the time), there may be a 30-60 second lag before the picture actually leaves your phone. And in the meantime, you've got a burglar in-front of you, who knows you have an iPhone, and who is pissed off that their pic has just been taken. It really isn't a good mix. I installed a home alarm from Alertme.com, and I have a camera in one room. (I don't work for them BTW, so this isn't an advert). It's triggered from a few portable movement detectors, and automatically sends a video to their servers via my broadband. It records for a few minutes once triggered, and other than seeing a flickering light in the distance, they wouldn't know. Costs me around a fiver a month, and around ?100 to get set-up. It's 100% portable, and I will take it wherever I live, as I currently rent.

I'll give a 2nd recommendation for Deacon, as per MrBrightside above. I forget what our last premium was (I moved from that house a year ago), but Deacon went through all the possible insurers and really helped to find a good policy. Make sure the policy includes subsidence cover, which is essential in SE22. When I bought the flat, the original owners had forgotten to include that (hence the "cheap" policy they believed they had at the time!)

peckhampam, the earplugs I'm using are "Laser Lite". Just Google for "laser lite earplugs" and you'll find loads of buying options :-)

"uncleglen", I have a box of the very same garish yellow/pink earplugs, and they do indeed work miracles.

When it comes to getting to Heathrow, I'm from the "Think how much time it'll actually take, then double it" school of thought. You always risk hitting a snarl-up of some kind on that route. I'd rather be sat at the other end with a coffee, than en-route wondering if we'll get there. And sometimes, cabbies turn up late. I'd say closer to hour and a half. But 60+ mins if you're wanting to cut it fine.

Yep, he came to Landcroft Rd yesterday too. I sent him away.

Can we please keep this to the incident mentioned and the kinds of guidance we should be using to help keep kids safe? El Pibe, your stories of the car decorated in gay porn don't help. Most adults, most gay people, most people full-stop, are not a threat to kids and building up profiles of people that kids should consider "dodgy" doesn't help. It also verges on homophobia, so let's stop. We're talking specifically about paedophiles here, who come in both genders and all orientations. They can also be family members or people already known to kids, rather than strangers. They're nigh-on impossible to spot, but telling kids not to get into a car with ANY stranger, is the message to teach them, surely? Stories of people we've individually found "dodgy" don't help.

I find turning up at Sylvester Road to be far more effective. The "if you aint got a slip from us love, it aint 'ere" message is nonsense, and in-person they begrudgingly acknowledge that some staff don't put delivery notes through. Press that point with them next time, if they try the same line. Tell them that they KNOW this happens, and to go and bl**dy well check anyway. This is where being there (politely) in person tends to have the edge.

Always worth popping to the SE22 delivery office to ask if there's a parcel there for you. A month or so back, I thought an Amazon delivery had gone missing. But when I asked at the delivery office, it was there. The guy behind the counter apologised and rolled his eyes when he found it... I think they've had incidents where some staff just haven't popped a delivery card through the door. Of-course, theft is also always a possibility, but worth checking at the delivery office to confirm whether a simpler mistake has just been made.

I regularly run elsewhere in East Dulwich, around 6am. My theory is that most muggers aren't up at that time. It may be naive theory, but so-far it's proved to be correct. I'd say you should be safe round DKH at that time. However, never flash an iPod or iPhone, if you're running accompanied by music. Those armband holders are rather a foolish way of advertising your gadgets :-)

I second "bubsy" and have also begun asking for doctors other than Dr. Cliffe herself, but the practice as a whole is fantastic, and I've been going there for 16 years.

Thanks for the heads-up. Just goes to show that living mid-terrace isn't much protection against folks accessing the rear of your property. I'm on Landcroft, and always assumed it would be near-impossible for someone to hop over two fences to get to us. Guess that proves me wrong! Same goes for 1st floor windows, which can also be surprisingly easy to access. Most back gardens feature enough equipment to give someone a hand (spare ladder, tools from shed, outdoor table, etc). Glad you weren't actually burgled, and thanks for the info.

I suspect their standard answer to insufficient bin space will be to request additional bins. That's what we were told; if we're filling them up too quickly for fortnightly collections, the recommendation was to as for extra bins. It's a shame, as the front of our house is now lined with four of the damned things.

I'm all for standing up to them, but I guess the precise factors governing who has the upper hand in such a situation can be complex and hard to judge quickly. Age, physical build, how quick-thinking each of you is, whether either of you can run, how willing to resort to violence, etc, etc. Then there's the perceived risk that the attacker is carrying some sort of weapon, which they might only reveal when things get difficult.

This hadn't been a problem until now on Landcroft, but I'm now 5 days overdue on an Amazon delivery that is marked as coming by Royal Mail, first class. Only worth a tenner but still very annoying, given the grief you have to go through to report it and convince Amazon that it never arrived. Just hoping that, like me, others who might have received this in error will pop down the road and deliver it to me. I've done this countless times for adjacent roads (same number as me, but on Rodwell, Pellatt, and even Landells Road). The number of occurrences of mail incorrectly coming to me makes me wonder how often it happens with my mail but never gets noticed.

dad_jokes Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm just moving from Islington to Honor Oak and am > sad to hear this - but then again this stuff can > happen anywhere. It can indeed happen anywhere, I'm afraid to say. After starting this thread, some weeks ago now, a few friends from outside London suggested I move to a safer area. I've actually taken the opposite approach, and I'm determined to make myself (and others) feel safe in THIS area; the one we've chosen to live in. Since seeing the lads on bikes, I've not seen them again. Nor others. But it definitely reminded me that even a gentle wander to the shops needs to take place with your wits about you, and your valuables hidden. I've been in London since coming here in 1990 for university, and (fingers crossed) not actually been mugged in all of those 22 years. I'm not going to move to the countryside over this :-)

As far as I'm aware, most wood / laminate flooring should be installed with a layer of sound-proofing insulation (not quite sure of the terminology) beneath it. At least, in 2007, when I had engineered wood floors put into my 2nd floor Victorian conversion flat by Timberland, I was informed I was legally required to let them lay such a layer before they laid the wood itself. However, maybe that was just their own requirement, or a wood (not laminate) specific requirement, rather than anything legal. The insulation itself just seemed to come on a large roll (much like underlay), and I can't imagine it's very expensive. However, lifting an existing laminate floor to add such a layer may be more of a problem. It really depends on whether they glued the floor down, making it harder to lift without damaging it. I'd say the landlady needs to get her own quote, and the onus should be on her to insulate you from her tenants' noise? Failing that, maybe there is something you can do to your own ceiling, such as installing insulation *above* that (effectively between their floor and your ceiling)?

Agreed, I will be doing that myself this morning. Sounds like there should be a few of us calling 101 today.

I was only saying that, if an athletic guy feels threatened, how much more threatened others might feel in the same situation. Definitely wasn't implying that I'm in any way superior to others. Hearing similarities between similar experiences by others, in the adjacent roads, I will be keeping an eye out for the same kids over the next few days. If they're hanging around, I'll notify the police anyway. Sounds like this may be becoming a regular "game" for them.

My thoughts exactly, Sue. If I felt threatened, I'm sure my elderly neighbour would have been terrified. Not contacted the police, based on so little real evidence of what they were doing. I can describe them, but what would the police do? The police round here are also woefully under-staffed at the moment, and I'm sure they're busy investigating actual crimes. Sad attitude, I know, but I can't help thinking I'd be wasting their time.

Having been mugged years ago, I tend to be aware of what's going on around me. I'm usually fairly confident and, as a relatively athletic bloke, I feel I could run or defend myself. However, what just happened to me really unnerved me. I was wandering back up Cyrena Road today, having come from North Cross Road with some shopping. Turned on to Rodwell Road, and noticed a teenager on a bike whistle his other friend on his bike as I turned on to the road. They cycled along, suspiciously maintaining the same (very slow) speed as me, right alongside me. The odd look at me, the odd pretence to his mate about his brakes being slack or something. They seemed unnerved when a car drove down the road towards us, and also when a smaller kid showed up momentarily. Their reaction to both of those things put me on guard. They followed me for most of that street, and turned into the next road. I got to my front door and, feeling safer, I turned around. Both were still there, looking at me, and not making any progress past my house at all. So I loudly asked one of them what he was looking for, and how suspicious it was that he felt the need to whistle when I turned up, then stick to me like glue for the past two streets. He acted accused, and they cycled off. I felt the need to confront them when it was safe, given how they'd behaved, if only to let them know that I found it threatening. Disappoints me rather that it made me, a guy who can usually feel safe, feel utterly unsafe, in daylight, on quiet suburban streets near my own home. What's it come to if a guy like me feels the need to take the main road, for my own safety, rather than having a nice wander round the quieter streets? Am I utterly paranoid (a definite possibility!), or would others have felt similarly threatened?