Pickle

I was 9.5 when my little sister was born - she was a real crowd puller amongst my friends at the time, and we, as adults, have a very close relationship. I loved having a baby sister, and then loved being able to spoil her when I started working and she was still at school. She enjoyed having a slightly rebellious big sister that said yes to things like ear piercing when Mum had said no...

Monday. Not really something you can move unless surrounding neighbours agree too, otherwise there will be no doors to knock on.

I also recommend Sue. She has been my son's recorder teacher since he was 5 - he is 9.5 now. The opportunities to perform are great, and my son really enjoys his lessons.

That rule doesn't apply in the Lounge, Bob Buzzard.

I found the same with my children at that age. We loved (and still go to) Rascals soft play at Bellingham Leisure Centre. Very easy to drive to, if you have a car? Never as busy as other places, and just the right size. Also, my daughter really enjoyed the preschool gymnastics class at Beckenham Spa leisure centre. It was a number of years ago now, but worth looking at.

Two of the worst comedy gigs I've been to were Eddie Izzard (about 14 years ago, granted) and Jimmy Carr. Both were long and just cringeworthy. I used to go regularly to open mic type nights, as a friend was an aspiring standup comedian. Saw some genuinely funny people, but none of them have gone on to do anything of note which is a shame. Randomly saw Ed Byrne in Catford a few years ago, he was very funny, but I think it was because his comedy rang true to my situation at the time (life with young kids). Another very good random gig was Tim Michin at the Edinburgh Fringe. It was one of the late night gigs, he was a complete unknown, we bought tickets at the door just before it started. 90 minutes of him with a child sized Casio keyboard, haven't laughed so much in years. Was in a small room, probably only 50 people there. I've enjoyed watching his career progress.

Our shower pressure was awful (although we have a tank, not a combi boiler), so we put in an electric shower with built in pump. Amazing difference, and not overly expensive.

When I was a kid, we were never allowed fireworks, as my Dad was a fireman and "had seen how wrong it can go". First year after he left the fire service (in his mid 40's) he announced we were going to have fireworks, but that he would do it, being as he was the fire safety expert. Nailed a Catherine wheel to the fence, which flew off once lit, and set the neighbours hedge on fire. November in NZ is warm and dry, the fire quickly took hold, and having tried to put it out himself, Dad had to ring the fire service and his old crew turned up. Priceless.

Ha ha, yes, I've just seen it and laughed. Well played, Administrator!

My year 4 and 5 kids are a bit freaked out, lots of talk in the playground about clowns with knives today, apparently.

... And when I was a kid, my Nana used to cut the rind off raw bacon and give it to me to eat while she cooked. Loved it!

I could quite happily sit and eat a whole tin of Bisto gravy granules with a spoon. Delicious.

It does happen, and locally there's an unwritten "rule" that you only knock on the doors of houses with decorations/pumpkins. Loads of people get into the spirit around our house, the kids have fun.

We use Halo Financial to transfer funds to NZ, they are excellent. I'm not sure whether they operate in the situation you have, but it's worth asking.

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?30,642847 Have you read, and followed, the rules for business postings? I'd suggest that the fact you say you've been using it for a while to advertise your business means you've already broken the "businesses can advertise once for free" rule.

No, it's not.

I walk past all the time. Bought a coffee on their opening day, attempted to make conversation (at that point they didn't have the fruit and veg, so I was asking about it) but got nothing back other than abrupt one word answers. Went in again for a juice, was made using nice ingredients, but nothing in it was chilled, so it was a bit unpleasant as it was a hot day and the juice was warm. Not deterred, I went in again a month or so ago for a smoothie. Tasteless and disappointing, and expensive. Once again, pretty unfriendly service. It's a shame, the location is great for grabbing a drink on the way to/from the park, but a combination of high prices and an unwelcoming vibe have put me off.

I've been to Mainly Music classes in NZ, and really enjoyed them. If I weren't about to move back there I would offer to help, as I think it would be successful here. Good luck!

I loved El Paso!

Yes, a few times for travel to visit family in NZ. We've never been fined.

Mic Mac, not much. A bit of redecoration, possibly a different chef (based on the pizzas being different - they were good before, but really good yesterday). A few minor changes to the menu, but still all the offerings you'd expect from an Italian restaurant.

Went this evening, so relieved to find the same great, welcoming local restaurant that we know and love, albeit with a different name. Lots of the same staff, menu very similar to Si Mangia, and we thought the pizzas were better than before.

We went this afternoon, started at 3pm and we were out at about 5:15ish. There's an interval of about 15/20mins, and the first half is generally longer than the second. Was good fun. Not as many people with spinning light tat as usual, which made it easier to stay strong to our no tat rule! Also, take your own snacks!

Yes, have been through this with my two older kids, and now again with #3 who started reception on Friday. My experience is that the more you ask them, the less they tell. Be sneaky. If you notice a little spot of pen/paint/play dough/dirt use it as a conversation opener. The soles of their shoes can be a source of information too... "Oh look, there's green stuff on your shoes, what is this?" can lead to stories of play dough/slime/sand creations. My little one came home with her shoes on the wrong feet, so I knew they'd been off, which led to her telling me all about the sandpit she played in. Our school periodically send home their learning journals, which are a fantastic pictorial record of what they do at school in the early years. Serves as reassurance that they don't just do the one activity they tell you about every day ;)