IlonaM

Today's online Observer article: '‘Cliff edge’ deadline for UK digital visas still leaves 4m at risk of losing rights - Home Office urged to extend year-end date for expiry of biometric residence permits after postponing eVisas rollout' https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/27/cliff-edge-deadline-for-uk-digital-visas-still-leaves-4m-at-risk-of-losing-rights See also: joint letter to Home Office: https://ilpa.org.uk/ilpa-sends-joint-open-letter-to-the-home-office-setting-out-significant-concerns-over-the-uks-transition-to-evisas-11-june-2024/

Re: savings rates - article in today's Guardian: 'Savers urged to lock in best deals before UK interest rate decision With Bank of England meeting on 1 August, people are advised to take advantage of top-paying accounts now' https://www.theguardian.com/money/article/2024/jul/27/savers-best-deals-uk-interest-rate-top-paying-accounts

Very pleased to recommend James who helped me yesterday with adding a further wired monitor to a pre-existing video doorbell.

I noticed the difference in volume when I was in Lordship Lane the other day, in comparison to Underhill/Horniman area. Much more noticeable outside on LL. Luckily the changing of the flight paths does help, so sometimes it is louder than others.

Was just sent this rather brazen statement by Trump:

What a fantastic community hub

'Today at 6pm we are coming together to link hands all the way around Parliament. Now more than ever, we need to send a powerful message to this new Labour government: to stop arming Israel and to push for an immediate ceasefire. Will you join us? ... Keir Starmer can take active steps to change this today. Instead, his government remains disgracefully silent. Join us at 6pm today to demand that the government stops aiding and abetting Israel’s genocide, and to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Today is only the start. We need to keep ramping up the pressure on our political leaders to ensure they know our mass movement for justice for the Palestinian people is not going away. Next Wednesday 24 July, we will be back in Parliament to hold our first lobby of new and returning MPs. Will you join us to take the demands of our movement directly to your MP? [direct link: https://palestinecampaign.eaction.online/julylobby] ... this evening we need a huge turnout to link hands stretching all the way around Parliament. Please join us at 6pm by Parliament Square to make this a powerful and symbolic action that Keir Starmer cannot ignore. I hope to see you there! In solidarity, Celie Campaigns Officer Palestinian Solidarity Campaign'

https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/jul/14/cleaners-at-james-allens-girls-school-vote-to-strike-cut-in-hours 'Cleaners at prestigious UK girls’ school vote to strike over cut in hours James Allen’s girls’ school in London faces industrial action by members of union for low-paid migrant workers'

sually I find the comments under the line more interesting/helpful than the article itself, but it might be of interest for those looking for frugal ways to culture this summer: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/article/2024/jul/13/culture-offers-hacks-to-save-money

I don't know what is going on with crime and incidents on Underhill recently, but I was wondering whether neighbours local to 10 Underhill Road might be able to check their cctv/Ring doorbell footage again, please. Or perhaps you saw something at the time? The police were knocking on doors on Thursday evening (11th July) regarding an incident which happened between 1330 and 1335c on 10th June 2024 directly outside 10 Underhill Rd. They agreed that I could post a call for potential witnesses on the Forum. A local resident in his 80s was approached by a young woman in her 30s-40s as he was walking home, up Underhill Rd in the direction of Melford. She approached him and gave him a hug. Being a friendly, neighbourly, elderly gentleman he hugged her back (probably thinking he must know her) and during the hug she picked his pocket. He has obviously been left quite shaken by the incident. Your Ring camera/cctv might have captured the elderly gentleman walking up Underhill Rd past Bradbury Oak House and number 8, followed by the woman, the incident itself outside number 10, or what happened next. Any description or footage of the suspect would be very helpful. I am waiting for an email from one of the officers who might be able to provide a reference number, but otherwise 101 or Dulwich Wood SNT would be grateful for any information or footage.

Guardian article regarding potential increase in water bills: https://www.theguardian.com/money/article/2024/jul/11/water-bills-in-england-and-wales-how-much-more-might-you-be-paying

Freedom of Movement blog post which may be of interest where an application for EUSS has been rejected by the Home Office on the basis that a particular passport stamp (described in blog post) did not amount to facilitation of residence for the purposes of the Withdrawal Agreement. If you or a family member have been affected, speak to an immigration solicitor for advice. Court of Appeal finds breach of Withdrawal Agreement in “mystery” stamp case 'It’s the return of the “mystery” stamp! Although the Court of Appeal has come to a different conclusion than the Upper Tribunal did, holding that while a passport stamp did not amount to a relevant document for Appendix EU purposes, the protection of the Withdrawal Agreement was engaged because of the stamp and that it had been breached here. The case is Vasa v The Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWCA Civ 777. ... Conclusion I still have many questions about the stamp. Mainly how many EUSS applications have been rejected because of the use of this stamp and is the Home Office now taking steps to remedy this? Are there people who have been rejected on this basis and since left the UK? It seems entirely possible.' https://freemovement.org.uk/court-of-appeal-finds-breach-of-withdrawal-agreement-in-mystery-stamp-case/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=court-of-appeal-finds-breach-of-withdrawal-agreement-in-mystery-stamp-case&mc_cid=993d12f7a0&mc_eid=bcf851a85d

Free Movement blog post: 'Home Office policy on delaying consideration of EUSS applications held to be unlawful' 'The “Pending Prosecutions” section of the EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements version 8.0 policy, which provided for applications to be paused where there was a pending prosecution, has been held to be unlawful by the Upper Tribunal. The case is R (Lukasz Krzysztofik) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, JR-2021-LON-001727, with the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements as intervenor.' Full post here: https://freemovement.org.uk/home-office-policy-on-delaying-consideration-of-euss-applications-held-to-be-unlawful/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=home-office-policy-on-delaying-consideration-of-euss-applications-held-to-be-unlawful&mc_cid=18d7e8c71c&mc_eid=bcf851a85d

Interesting article on ring-necked parakeets in today's Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/10/britain-parakeet-invasion-jimi-hendrix-birds-uk-species

Not just pubs, please. I had family in the area in the early 1900s and would love to see what LL, for example, looked like before it was bombed in WW2. This particular branch lived in a house now supplanted by Marks & Spencers!!

Excellent! You know what used to take me away from everything? When I started researching my family history - I could lose entire days, I was so in the zone.

Don't forget to register your cat (or dog for that matter) and their microchip number on one of the databases. I use Identibase (www.identibase.co.uk) which Celia Hammond sign cats up to when they microchip them. Makes reuniting missing pets that much easier.

Hi BrendanC, Me again. Just another thought popped into mind in response to your last post ... Step away from Flight Radar!! You are expending too much of your valuable concentration and attention on these planes. You know they are heading to Heathrow, so give yourself a break and do something you love instead, or at least which takes your attention away from them. Easy to say I know, I am not immune from overfocusing myself, but sometimes we need to redirect our attention in order to reduce the perception we have of something that drives us up the wall and its impact on our well-being. With best wishes, Ilona

Forest HIll Cars have always been well-priced and reliable when I have used them both to drop off and collect from airport (Heathrow in my case).

This is a Guardian consumer advice article from a while back (Feb 2024) which might have some helpful info: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/feb/24/analogue-switch-off-bt-customers-left-for-weeks-without-a-landline