SuperBerry

Dear Miss Hope So sorry to hear about the burglary. Your blog provides an interesting, surprisingly saucy, angle on life behind the sweetie jars. Intrigued, I stumbled across the website for the curious cook you certainly appear to be a very busy lady.

Kels, what exactly do you mean I lived here before it was built? I found this entry on the 1881 census for the Magdala Tavern 1881/William A Dowling/Licensed Victualler/28 1881/Emma Dowling/Wife/24 1881/Ernest Dowling/Son/8 1881/Percy Dowling/Son/2 1881/James Dowling/Son/1 1881/Walter Denbarx/Barman/19 1881/Laura Denbarx/Inn Servant/21 1881/Ellen Hopkins/Cook/24 1881/Emily Baines/Nurse/17

I used to go to the Ivy House for Easycome on Wednesday nights run by Andy Hankdog. These acoustic nights with some very talented performers were really special. Easycome now has a home in the Old Nuns' Head but I would love it if a new owner managed to lure him back. The fantastically opulent gold drapes on the stage just gave it the edge.

I was'nt suggesting Baby Pickles imbibes screwdriver on tap but orange juice, alone, can be a bit boring.

Yes, great news for the mothers of the babies. However I think mightyroar has summed up its appeal quite succinctly when she said "I managed a whole hour of ignoring my child whilst talking to my adult friend. Result!" There's a great product Liquorish may be interested in dispensing from behind the bar, called Upspring Baby Milk Test Kit, available from amazon, which allows you to test your breast milk for alcohol on a rapid result strip before feeding. I fear though that with untended babies on the premises that the staff and other customers are going to take the brunt as thoughts of a quiet lunchtime go out the window. Good Luck Milk Alcohol test kit

In my opinion not that dodgy. I think that you were extremely unlucky to have witnessed the amount of street drug activity in such a short time. Though I think on first visits to an area one tends to be a bit twitchy. I'm sure that if you made a few repeat visits you would feel more relaxed walking the streets. Saying that it's hardly a drug free zone. My nine year old was having a yard sale in the area with a friend when they were approached by two men whom she described "as very skinny with missing teeth and spots" who asked if they could "borrow" a tenner, so it certainly ain't the mythical land of estateagenteese. If you had made your visit on a Sunday morning on the other hand you may have got an entirely different impression as the streets are populated by the devout, besuited, behatted or in traditional dress. In short I'd say it's a diverse area and the main quality you'll need to make a life there is an open mind.

I don't quite see how customising or etching your childs' ?40 quid blue micro scooter is any guarantee against it getting "swapped" at the park. I'd have to agree with Spangles30and say biting the bullet and going down Argos to buy a ?10 quid one might not be a bad idea. However, the most important thing you can do it Keep an Eye on It. Not every kid on a scooter in Peckham Rye Park is a little angel or accompanied by someone to keep them on the right track. Even if you were able to identify your childs' scooter - which in the case of etching would mean being at pretty close quarters - can you in all honesty say you'd have the bottle to confront the perp or perps. Maybe a delightful angel faced five year old in a flouncy pink frock or maybe a gaggle of slackyawed youths shuffling along constrained by their low slung jeans. You wouldn't leave your mobile on the ground while queing for an iced lolly and a peppermint tea so why do the same with a scooter. By the way I do hope your young charge wasn't too traumatised.