Ant

Let's hope Ocado check out OK otherwise we're all doomed.

Latest sprog has turned out not to be the undemanding lump we'd hoped for. So, I won't be able to join you all except in spirit. Have a good evening everyone.

No, the big one at the top of LL.

We get ours from the one just about opposite the library. They're always early and hardly ever mangled.

Yes - best of luck to both of you. I hope everything goes well.

We were thinking about home birth for a while, so the mrs got referred by her GP to the Brierly midwives. They're excellent. Very caring, attentive, knowledgeable, committed... Also, if you then decide to go to hospital (or end up going there for whatever reason) you'll still have your Brierly midwife at the birth. Labour's a funny thing - hormones can mess around with it, and a simple thing like knowing who your midwife will be can really help things go more smoothly. (Well, as smooth as childbirth ever gets, at any rate.) And this is on the NHS, mind, so you don't even have to pay a load of cash for it. They're a team of about six or seven midwives, so it's just about possible you might end up at the birth with a midwife you haven't met before - but if that happens you're no worse off than you would otherwise have been. But you'll get to know at least one or two of them well during visits beforehand, and it's good to see them when they visit again afterwards. Much better than having different faces every time.

I've always found them friendly and helpful. Mind you, I've only ever used it in offy mode - never been to the bar bit.

Our youngest was born at Kings three weeks ago. She's been kept in there, with a spell in intensive care, and is due back tomorrow. The staff, both in the labour ward and the newborn unit, have all been excellent. Very friendly and efficient, which was a welcome change to the near bullying we received at St Thomas's when our oldest was born. Also, the level of care has been superb. The place itself is a little run down in parts, but it's clean and not lacking in equipment. I don't think you'll find any better on the NHS. The food is abysmal though. And none of the Hospicom TV/radio things seem to work. (That's down to a subcontractor, not Kings or the NHS.)

I'd be interested, but the latest sprog is finally due back from hospital* tomorrow and I suspect I might be a bit busy. I'll keep an eye on the thread though and pop along if I get a chance. * This also explains why I haven't been around much lately.

The site between the William Hill and the car spares shop has been empty for as long as I've lived here (i.e. about three years). Just recently building work has started there. Anyone know what it's going to be? It's a huge site. It joins up with Landells Road by the back of the dry cleaners on the corner and extends quite far back beyond that by the looks of it. It could be something quite big, or it could be lots of barrett-homeish flats/houses. Somehow I suspect the latter.

They only send new mums home that quickly if everything's gone straighforwardly and there are no problems with the mother or baby. And in cases like that, who'd want to be in hospital anyway?

Mony: you can get clothes - men's and women's - in Ed on North Cross Rd. Not a huge selection but at least it's something.

My wife and daughter are in there at the moment. The staff have all been excellent and the level of care has been very good. As for the physical enivronment, it's a bit battered about the edges in places but it seems clean, and they don't appear to be lacking any equipment. Minus points: none of the hospicom TVs seem to work properly, but bear in mind that subcontractors are responsible for those, not hte NHS. The real sore point though is the food. It's a f**king disgrace. Cold when handed out and distinctly unappetising. Slop, really. Not what I'd want if I was ill.

I usually take the bus everywhere but there are a few journies that I wouldn't even consider undertaking in anything other than a cab. Two examples: to the airport, and to the hospital on the way to the labour ward. And when friends are leaving our house late at night to go home, especially after a few drinks.

I had a GBK burger for the first time ever today. It was OK, but no better than that. And the chips were decidedly bland. Not really worth the money if you ask me. The milkshake was quite nice though.

Perhaps he just got fed up trying to find a parking space round there.

The second one I mentioned above is called the Palace Caf?. Might have guessed, really.

re uplands cafe - that's me told. will pay more attention in the future :) As for more greasy spoons (and again I'm failing with names) there's one on the corner of Lordship Lane and Crystal Palace Rd that looks good, though I've never been in. And one futher down Crystal Palace Rd, just beyond the crossroads with Goodrich.

It is.

Had lunch at the Magdala today. I had roast lamb, and it was very nice indeed. It was a bit quiet in there, which might bother some people, but then again we were quite early - just past 12.

It'd be a bit hard to discuss property prices without mentioning the increase, mind.

But where would all the traffic go? Barry Road, perhaps, but I doubt it has the capacity to cope with so much extra traffic - especially once you put all the bus routes along there too. So then people would probably head off down (more) residential streets. I'm not at all sure the traffic chaos would ever bed down. Too much hassle for a very questionable benefit, I reckon. editing fro speeling :/

The last time I ate at the Crown and Greyhound the food was awful; soggy, limp school-dinners stuff. But that was over a year ago now so it's had plenty of time to improve. I'd be interested to know whether it's got any better.

I've been in once. The conversation did indeed stop, albeit briefly. I haven't been back. Plenty of other places nearby.

True, but they do make a very handy source of free rubber bands for the rest of us.