With children all over Dulwich heading back to school this week, parents from East to West to the Village are shopping for shoes, stocking up on packed lunch supplies and frantically hunting down long-forgotten book bags.
Whether you love them or grit your teeth to get through them, the end of the school holidays can be bittersweet. While many of us are sad to say goodbye to the carefree nature of long summer days, there can be something quite exciting about the start of a new school year.
Although, it always takes a bit of time to settle back into the new (old) routine. How I used to get us both out of the house fed, washed and dressed by 8.30am is by now a distant memory. I can no longer remember how to persuade a 7-year old out of bed, into his clothes or away from the TV, and it all feels like a bit of a scramble.
The peace that immediately follows the first school run feels like a spa day in comparison. However, the pile of laundry that has taken hostage over our spare bedroom is quick to remind me that I will not be spending the day under a hot stone massage. Luckily, September is often when I am at my most organised and so the house is tidied, washing folded AND put away, suitcases retired to the loft. and the fridge cleaned and ready to be stocked with real food.
The opening of a new M&S Food Hall on Lordship Lane last week was a welcome addition to our high street. I wouldn’t shop there every day, but I am a big fan of their picnic hamper fillers and generous gluten free range. My husband is also quite partial to M&S gin in a tin…
I was so sad to hear of Si Mangia’s departure from Forest Hill Road after being acquired by Lorenzo restaurant. Regular readers of this page will know that Si Mangia was a firm family favourite of ours, but we do look forward to seeing what delights the new owners have to offer when they re-open their doors.
Also under new management is the Turkish restaurant, Hisar. I grabbed a quick bite there with a friend recently and the food was delicious. The waiters were lovely too.
But, enough about me and what I have been up to. There’s plenty more to do this month in and around Dulwich.
The traditional Peckham Rye Fete returned on Saturday with sack races, a Punch & Judy show, coconut shy and children’s fancy dress competition.
And, if you didn’t make it to The Luna Cinema in Dulwich Park over the summer, there is still a chance to catch an outdoor film at Brockwell Lido – Titanic is showing on 22nd September and Jaws on 29th. If that is not enough to stop you day dreaming about sun soaked days by the sea, then nothing will!
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This article first appeared in the September 2016 edition of SE22 magazine.
Sarah Pylas is a local writer and blogger. You can follow her on Twitter @grenglishblog.