School’s out for summer and the rosé is in! The run-up to end of term came with all the usual chaos as we frantically tied up loose work ends, put up gazebos for the school summer fair, watched little legs race with eggs on spoons, visited the dentist, optician and hairdresser, signed teacher thank-you cards, organised gifts, packed picnics, blubbed over glowing school reports and had a last-minute panic over a forgotten homework project due in the last week of term…. arghhhhh!
With so much to fit in, it is any wonder I found time to socialise at all, but somehow I always manage to squeeze in a few ice-cold glasses of rosé when the sun is shining. The garden of The Rye pub in Peckham provided a lovely sunny spot for drinks with friends who were visiting from out of town. It was also nice to venture a bit further than my good old local, Watson’s General Telegraph, on Forest Hill Road. Miss Tapas in Peckham was another good find for a catch-up with friends. They don’t take bookings, but if you just walk-in they promise to look after you.
On my way to drop off my son at his friend’s birthday party at The East Dulwich Picturehouse – they watched Boss Baby on the big screen and then had a pizza party in the conservatory – I bumped into the team from Celia Hammond Animal Trust, who had just rescued a mum cat and her 4 kittens from under the floorboards of the old chip shop on Landcroft Road! The mum cat and her kittens had become trapped inside the shop when the estate agent secured the back of the building. What an amazing job the rescue team does!
Good news for drama students at the East Dulwich Drama Academy as classes will now continue, but in a different venue to be confirmed. We went to watch my son in his final showcase ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Goose Green Primary School. He played the parts of Fairy 3, Fairy 4 and Fairy 6 and was fab – as they all were! As the curtain went down, we darted back up the hill to catch the last hour of the Hawaiian Luau at Fairlawn Primary School.
I hope to spend a lot of this month sunning myself on a beautiful Greek island, but I will be back in time for my birthday at the end of August. As with every year, I will be sharing the celebrations with my son, whose birthday falls the day before mine. ‘We’ are having a football party and 4 boys back to the house for a movie and sleepover – joy!
Now the summer holidays are well upon us, there is plenty to do locally for young and old alike. Check out our website for details of all local news, events and ticket information on arounddulwich.co.uk. You can also find us on Facebook, and follow @arounddulwich on Instagram and Twitter.
This article first appeared in the August 2017 issue of SE22 magazine.