globalskier

For your first time skiing it's not just about the slopes but also the village you stay in. The Alps are just magic in the winter, but the special atmosphere can be spoilt a bit in resorts which have been less-than-sensitively developed - full of 1980s high-rise apartment blocks. Pick one where the traditional architecture has been preserved. Val d'Isere and Zermatt are two examples that come to mind. There are also plenty of very atmospheric, less well-known and/or smaller resorts that will be easier on the budget than the above. Many resorts in France offer a free beginner's chairlift which you can use for your first day or two without having to buy a lift pass. This is a good site: www.welove2ski.com

I second that. 18-200 is great because you get wide angle right through to a decent zoom, and you don't have to dick around changing lenses. A good multi-purpose choice and miles better than the kit lens.

This post, in the businesses section http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?30,553338,553338#msg-553338

I'd like to play and donate, although I'm just a forum lurker. Please could I have numbers 206 and 1978? Thanks.

Tayyabs tayyabs tayyabs. Forget the rest. Book a table or go early. Bring your own booze as they aren't licenced.

I (female) visited these countries with a friend on a tour 5 years ago. We never once felt in danger or threatened and as Marmora Man said, the locals are among the most welcoming and friendly people you'll encounter anywhere in the world. I would second everything in Marmora Man's post, and also add Wadi Rum, Petra and the Dead Sea in Jordan as great places to visit. Camp overnight in Wadi Rum if you can, and jump the fence to get in to Petra at dawn to see it at its magical, deserted best. The main advantage of travelling with a tour (having compared experiences with friends who did it alone) is ease and speed of getting from place to place, especially with border crossings, which is an important consideration seeing you only have two weeks. We went with On the Go which is great if you are not the sort of people who would normally do an organised tour. They just make sure you get from A to B safely, and the rest is up to you. It's quite basic though - camping on a lot of the nights. Have an amazing time - it's a fabulous part of the world.

Start in La Boqueria food market and have brunch there. In the afternoon go to Parc Guell (it's not that far by metro) and stop off at the Sagrada Familia on the way back to the centre. Hit the Gothic quarter in the evening - get blissfully lost in the maze of alleyways and have a tapas crawl dinner as you go.

I think the friendly black cat seen at the station is one of the two that frequent the garden centre - often seen sleeping draped over the till or among the bonsai. I believe they live on Railway Rise but seem to prefer the garden centre & station to home. The Hayes Grove cat mentioned above is probably a different one.

Going back to the original topic I too answered the door to the same woman about a year ago. Goose Green end of Crystal Palace Road. I thought the whole thing quite strange, but gave her the benefit of the doubt and handed over ?3. She was talking to her "husband" on her mobile and offered me the phone to talk to him myself to back up the story, which I declined. She promised to return once her husband was home to repay the money. As the days passed I started feeling incredibly stupid for having been taken in. Having also been a victim of the "tea towel boys" I will simply not answer the door anymore unless it's the postman or a friend.