slh2009

Thanks for posting this. I couldn't read the whole article online so not sure if it mentioned that she is now also at Adamsrill in Sydenham, am hoping for similar success as this is one of our nearest schools :-)

Forest Hill Methodist Church has a lovely big hall

We went to Fairfield Halls in Croydon last year, very funny and the same dame this year :-)

I had a Zanussi one which was quite good and lasted several years so might be worth looking at them. Not as expensive as Bosch or Miele so you should get one for ?400

I've booked Mr Fruitcake for ?130 for 2 hours (special offer - ?100 for 1 hour). I haven't seen him so am taking a bit of a risk but he's had some good reviews on the forum....

We have mixed Brio with Ikea and find some of the joints get stuck together but the trains run on them ok

Not Surrey or Kent but.... I've just come back from the new Center Parcs at Woburn and the spa was amazing! I also had a 2 hour treatment which was fab. They have a hotel attached to the spa but not sure what the accommodation is like. It took us about 2 hours to get there.

Hi...I've looked at a couple of church schools in Sydenham and the criteria for getting a place based on faith is generally that you have to have attended at least once a month for 12 months prior to application ie January so it might be too late. Still worth applying for a non-faith place though as they will offer some of those...

There were some in Sydenham Sainsburys yesterday

Hi my dentist does it, he's on High St Kensington so not very local. I've not had Botox but he's a brilliant dentist and lovely guy so imagine he'd be good...probably not cheap though! Happy to give you his details via pm.

My son is in the preschool room at Townsend Montessori and we are very happy with it, they have a great Montessori teacher who really prepares the class well for school. Happy to answer any questions you might have.

Hi my partner has taken our 3 year old to Slickmanz barbers on Dartmouth Road in Forest Hill. I haven't been myself but apparently they have a children's barber seat which seemed to go down quite well! They also didn't cut away all the curls which is what I was worried about!

A bit further to go but can really recommend Tiny Fins swimming at Bethlem Hospital in Beckenham on Sat/Sun. We are very pleased with our son's progress and the teacher is lovely

I think I've read that Forest Hill Boys school is good for performing arts but I have no experience...

Thanks everyone, this has been really helpful. I just wondered if people get the letters of consent notarised as well?

I also have loved the Bee+ and still use it if walking a long way with my 3.5 yr old. It's a bit of a squash with the hood down now but otherwise fine.

Thanks all, looks like I had better take a copy of the birth certificate too as I am not married and my partner is not travelling with us. I would never have thought about it being an issue either but happened to read something about it and thought I'd better investigate, glad I did!

Hi I've read that some people have had problems at immigration, UK and abroad, when travelling with a child with a different surname. My friend who works for Border Control said I should take a letter from my partner giving his permission for me to travel with my son, and a copy of his passport. I just wondered how often people get questioned in reality, has anyone had experience?

We went to Court Farm last year and our then almost 3 year old had a great time, still talks about the animals now even though he was too scared to feed them at the time :-)The Weir is a great place for lunch, 5 mins drive from the farm. Enjoy!

Baby Nest in Croydon is good

Hi Urban Angels are in Sydenham www.urbanangelsagency.com. My son did some work with them as a baby , feel free to pm me if you have any questions

Cross the road to Hays Galleria and there is Cafe Rouge and Cote....not sure about changing facilities though...there's also a Pizza Express on the left if you were walking over the bridge ... Enjoy!

I wouldn't really recommend Bathstore loos as you have to flush them at least twice usually...

I'm interested in something similar too, also have a pond to remove/cover up. Would like to get 2 or 3 quotes so if anyone else has recommendations would like to hear, many thanks!

Hi we just had a new driveway from www.affordabledrivesandpatios.com and are pleased with it. We are probably going to have them back to relay our patio. I didn't actually meet the guy (John) but my partner is quite hard to impress and he rated him.....