kpjigsaw

I?m posting on behalf of a close friend whose husband collapsed on the street earlier this week in the West Dulwich area. A member of the public passing by stopped to help until the ambulance arrived, and my friend would really like to track this person down as she didn?t manage to get their details in the panic of the moment. If you are (or know) this person please pm me and I can put you in touch.

Interesting redjam... he?s at Charter ED too... will get him to look into that, thank you!

My 12 year old son is REALLY into all of the above and is keen to play against some other enthusiasts... I know there are tournament days at some specialist shops in various parts of London but it often doesn't work for us to make that happen for him. I was wondering if there are any other kids in ED who are 'likeminded' and might like to meet up to play? If there are a few could even maybe set up a regular 'club' or local (kid-friendly) event? Get in touch if you/your son/daughter might be interested!

Third recommendation for Simone... she?s taken me from someone who has never exercised in my life but needed to do something after having two babies and a lifetime?s supply of biscuits, to actual real-life fitness! The boxing sessions in particular are really fun and pretty intense but the upside is that progress is steep as well - within a few weeks you can feel yourself getting fitter which is really motivating. Simone pushes you further than you thought you could go but never by being shouty - she encourages and makes you want to do it. Definitely recommend.

Also wanted to recommend 1-2-3 Chimney Sweeps - came round the other day, very efficient and friendly, and good value to boot. Highly recommended.

Just another recommendation for Friddles Cakes - Em was incredibly helpful, it was a very last minute request, but she came up with a great design and ideas very quickly, we have lots of food intolerances so the cake was both gluten free and no colourings but she delivered a fantastic Skylanders cake with no compromise at all on taste or look. Definitely the person to call if you're in a cake fix!

Another huge recommendation for Niko - he has sorted both very dodgy plumbing on a bath as well as a dodgy window. Friendly, proactive and very reasonably priced. Definitely call him if you need a hand!

Our cleaner of about 10 years is looking to fill some hours as her main family she works for does not need her as much since the children have started school. Her name is Katya, she is Bulgarian, very pleasant and polite and is a really excellent cleaner. She works extremely hard and somehow each week turns our upside down house the right way back again! She is punctual, entirely trustworthy and very pleasant to have around. She charges ?10 per hour. If you are interested please PM me.

I've been working with Darren too since January and definitely recommend him. It's been a very effective way for me to get into shape in the time I have available (which is not a lot), he has a very friendly warm personality and the sessions are nice and varied so you don't get bored. I've also been taking his classes which has been a great way to consolidate the work done in the personal training sessions Big recommendation for Darren if you are looking for someone to guide you into getting into shape!!

Renata, I am a Southwark resident living on Barry Road, a whopping 600m from Goodrich etc, and my application outcome reads 'No offer possible'. So not quite true that we've all been offered a place is it?

I had a VBAC at home 18 months ago thanks to the lanes who were incredibly supportive. But don't give up at kings - when i was deciding whether to go for hospital or home i had my consultant's appointment which was with miss penna who i think is one of the most senior people there, but before she came in another doctor (more junior) was taking my history. When i said i wanted a home birth this doctor told me i couldn't even consider it, i had to be monitored and more or less told me if i had a home birth i would die and my baby would die. Really freaked me out. Then the actual consultant walked in and found out what had been said and pretty much dressed this doctor down in front of me and told her "don't ever say anything like that to a patient of mine again". The consultant then earned my eternal respect by saying to me: "some doctors think their job is to tell you what to do. I don't think that. My job is to tell you what the risks are then you make a decision." If one of the most senior people in the department says that you have the right to make your own decisions about your birth then the midwives and other doctors below her don't have a leg to stand on. Just keep on insisting until you get what you want.

Just trying to save anyone arriving at the Mag for Babble on Friday morning to find the pub closed! Babble and Squeak Playtime is now being held at the East Dulwich Tavern on Fridays at the same time (10 - 11.45). Please could we ask you to spread the word if you know anyone who may be planning to come along? Many thanks, Kate and Tina

Hi Apenn, Thank you very much for compiling this brilliant list of activities and also for kindly including Babble and Squeak Playtime. We have now moved venue to the East Dulwich Tavern for our Friday morning get-together and we'd be incredibly grateful if this change could be included in the next updated list. We're trying hard to let everyone know about the move as we really want to avoid anyone making a wasted journey to the Mag only to find we're not there! Thanks again, Kate and Tina

Hello, This is to let all our past and present Babblers (and any future Squeakers out there) know that Babble and Squeak Playtime will be at the EDT from THIS FRIDAY ? 5th November. We?re delighted to have been offered this beautiful and spacious venue and hope that lots of you will come down to enjoy it with us. Croissants and of course coffee will be available to buy if you need an extra bit of encouragement (if Tina?s soulful rendition of ?Banana, banana? isn?t enough to get you out of bed) and the EDT?s delicious lunch menu is served from 12pm for those who feel like sticking around. Other than that all the details remain the same, namely: When: 10-11.45am Friday mornings Where: The East Dulwich Tavern How much: ?4 1st child, ?2 for siblings over 1 year, ?1 for siblings over 6 months A big thank you to Steve and all his staff at the Magnolia who have accommodated us since December last year and have been fantastically supportive. See you all soon, Kate and Tina

Hello, This is to let all our past and present Babblers (and any future Squeakers out there) know that Babble and Squeak Playtime will be at the EDT from THIS FRIDAY ? 5th November. We?re delighted to have been offered this beautiful and spacious venue and hope that lots of you will come down to enjoy it with us. Croissants and of course coffee will be available to buy if you need an extra bit of encouragement (if Tina?s soulful rendition of ?Banana, banana? isn?t enough to get you out of bed) and the EDT?s delicious lunch menu is served from 12pm for those who feel like sticking around. Other than that all the details remain the same, namely: When: 10-11.45am Friday mornings Where: The East Dulwich Tavern How much: ?4 1st child, ?2 for siblings over 1 year, ?1 for siblings over 6 months A big thank you to Steve and all his staff at the Magnolia who have accommodated us since December last year and have been fantastically supportive. See you all soon, Kate and Tina

Hello, Just to let everyone know that Babble and Squeak Playtime will be running this Friday (19th February) during half term week - from 10am as normal, all details are below. Thanks, Kate and Tina BABBLE AND SQUEAK PLAYTIME Friday mornings 10-11.45am at: The Magnolia 211 Lordship Lane London SE22 8AH Age range (under 5?s) ? as young as you like, up to pre-schoolers. Price: ?3, ?2 for siblings over 12 months, ?1 for siblings over 6 months [email protected] 0752 802 3692 [www.babbleandsqueak.com] [www.themagnolia.co.uk]

We have just had our second flat tyre on our car in a week. We live on Barry Road and have heard that other people round here have been getting regular punctures. Has anyone else been experiencing this? If we can find out who else is having this problem we might be able to figure out who or what is causing it.

Hello, Just a reminder that Babble & Squeak Playtime will be returning this Friday, the 8th January at 10am, at the Magnolia on Lordship Lane and we would love to have you come along. Best wishes and Happy New Year! Kate and Tina BABBLE AND SQUEAK PLAYTIME Friday mornings 10-11.45am at: The Magnolia 211 Lordship Lane London SE22 8AH Age range (under 5?s) ? as young as you like, up to pre-schoolers. Price: ?3, ?2 for siblings over 12 months, ?1 for siblings over 6 months [email protected] 0752 802 3692 [www.babbleandsqueak.com] [www.themagnolia.co.uk]

Hello, Due to the severe weather warning we have decided to cancel tomorrow's Babble and Squeak Playtime (18th December) - sorry to anyone who was planning to brave the weather! We will be back on the 8th January though - hopefully see you there! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone, Best wishes, Kate and Tina

Hello, Thanks very much to everyone who has shown their support and has come down to the Mag to try us out so far. We just wanted to let you know that we're making the following changes: 1) We have set a limit on how many people we have in to make sure it's a comfortable number and we've also altered the layout a bit to encourage people to spread out more. Hopefully those who came last week would have noticed the difference - it was much more relaxed and less hectic! 2) In addition to drop-in we'll be offering a block pre-booking option for those who want some certainty. If you would like to do this please just bring a cheque book down when you come. 3) The shape of the session will be slightly different from this week onwards: 10.00-11.00am - Arrival, mingling and free play 11.00-11.30am - Structured session with Tina 11.30-11.45 - Tina will be around to answer questions and continue to chat, and the Mag's Baby Club starts immediately afterwards for those who wish to stay on. Please do bear in mind that Babble and Squeak Playtime is a Baby and Toddler Group (unlike the B&S classes which Tina runs)and is NOT being run as a profit-making exercise (as evidence by our willingness to reduce numbers to make it as enjoyable as possible). We are simply two friends trying to create a baby and toddler group with a good vibe where we and other parents can have fun with our kids. The price is set only to cover the group's overheads (equipment, rent, insurance etc) and we are giving our time for free because we enjoy it. If anyone has any questions please feel free to PM us. Thanks and hopefully see you soon at the Mag, Kate and Tina BABBLE AND SQUEAK PLAYTIME Friday mornings 10-11.45am at: The Magnolia 211 Lordship Lane London SE22 8AH Age range (under 5?s) ? as young as you like, up to pre-schoolers. Price: ?3, ?2 for siblings over 12 months, ?1 for siblings over 6 months [email protected] 0752 802 3692 [www.babbleandsqueak.com] [www.themagnolia.co.uk]

Hi Budur, Thank you for taking the time to post your feedback and no, we don?t mind your views at all. It?s always good to hear what people think, especially if it helps us to make our sessions more enjoyable. We completely take on board the feedback about the numbers and the space. We were somewhat taken aback by the take-up of our initial session but we now have a better idea of how many people to admit and will be limiting the numbers in future sessions accordingly. In addition to the drop-in option, we also plan to offer a pre -booking/membership option for those who would prefer it. We will be posting the details ASAP. As for people sitting on the mats (which were there though hard to see under all those bums!) we will be asking people to move their conversations to the side to give the kids and adults room to play on the mats. Thank you for your comment about the songs, and don?t worry, all the old-favourites will pop up over the weeks and requests are always welcomed! While many of the songs we sang may not have been familiar they were entirely age appropriate for the full range that we had there that day. Every child is different but it is amazing what they are able to absorb and benefit from at a very young age, particularly where this is reinforced in a natural and fun way by their parent. I have used these and similar songs for this age group extensively and have found that children become very comfortable with new songs and activities once they have done them a few times, especially if parents support this learning in-between sessions. I do include a mix of familiar and adapted material as children love repetition but also benefit from opportunities to learn something new. Whilst I do use music throughout the session, it is not a music class and the aim is not to teach the children to dance or to sing specific songs. I am a Speech and Language Therapist, and the session I run has a communication development focus and includes activities that differ from other groups. The aim is to target the crucial skills underpinning early communication development such as attention and listening, turn taking and comprehension . We do this through the children?s exposure to songs, music and stories and participation at their own level in the session. Obviously parents/care-givers have the biggest influence on a young child?s development and so a very important aspect of the session is to offer parents new ideas, songs and activities and to illustrate how these can be modified to extend language learning opportunities ( e.g. changing/ missing out words in songs, or doing call and response), and each parent can then choose how to adapt these ideas to use at home with their own child if they wish. I hope that this information is useful and puts what we are doing into some kind of context. I thought that the children (and parents) were fabulous at last week?s session, paying attention and joining in really well, which is what it?s all about. Thank you for your good wishes and I do hope that we get to see you at the group again. Please do come over and say ?Hello? as it?s always nice to put a face to a (user) name! Kate and Tina

Hi Redjam and Lorraineliyanage and thank you very much for your comments. We're delighted that you and your little girl enjoyed the session Redjam and well done her for remembering the "banana" rhyme! We look forward to seeing you both along at the group again and we definitely take on board the feedback about the numbers. With regard to an extra session Lorraineliyanage, as we've only just started up, for now we think we should probably focus our energies on trying to make the Friday session as well-run and enjoyable as we can but it may be something to bear in mind for the future... Kate and Tina x

Hi there, Kate and Tina from Babble and Squeak Playtime here... Thank you very much for including us in the above list Pickle and just we wanted to clarify our prices as it looks like we've been a bit unclear - apologies for that. It's ?3 for the 1st baby/child and ?2 for siblings over 12 months and ?1 for siblings over 6 months. Siblings under 6 months are free. Hope this helps Adrianamirica and it would be lovely to see you (and of course you too Pickle)on Friday from 10am. All the very best x