Zephy

No, nothing at all. I was really surprised! Others have been telling me of a really quick turnaround (2/3 weeks) on the normal service too so maybe they are quiet at the moment...?

I had an appointment on Thursday last week for two of my children and the passports arrived on Saturday morning. Good luck!

I was at Eltham Palace on Tuesday and they were setting up for the Art Deco fair this weekend: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/art-deco-fair-Elt-10-09-2016/ So, by the looks of things, it is still open but you need to buy a ticket for the fair instead (still free if you are a member of English Heritage)... Hope you enjoy your day together, whatever you decide to do!

We recently hired a bouncy castle from Shelly n Dee for my son's 5th birthday party. I think they hire soft play equipment too... http://www.sndbouncycastles.co.uk I found them punctual, efficient and very reasonable. They had been to our venue a few times before though (Telegraph Hill play club) so knew the layout! Hope this helps!

Wow! Thank you! What a wonderful response and thanks too for the link to the previous thread. I'm almost excited now! There are brands here I've never even heard of so will make a note of everything. I too suffer from redness, despite being incredibly pale, so have previously found anything heavier than tinted moisturiser to look really unnatural. (But then again I don't have a clue about application either!) If I can find anything to cover these bags and make me feel more like an actual person I will be incredibly happy!

Ok, apologies in advance for this somewhat trivial and vain post. I found this Christmas that I have totally run out of make-up. I mean totally! I had to scrape the remains of a years-old tinted moisturiser out of its tube to make myself slightly less haggard looking for Christmas Day! Not a particularly glamorous moment. So... I clearly need some more but the trouble is I don't know where to start or which brands to try. I've barely used make-up since children -- especially since I didn't return to work after my second -- and, tbh, not really a huge amount before then. Just a touch of tinted moisturiser and mascara at best! Seven years, three kids and two major personal traumas later my skin is not what it once was. And, with my birthday fast approaching it seems like a good moment to take stock and re-stock. Can anyone recommend any beauty products / brands that they swear by? Which ones are best for mature skin? I honestly don't know! I have two teenage nieces and always buy MAC and Benefit for them but probably not great for me, no? I'm 39, white and have normal to dry skin. Again, apologies for frivolity but any advice greatly received!

Hi Redmeghan -- I love the look of this site. Do you speak Swedish? I can't see an English translation icon and have no idea what they're saying! We're not replacing yet (hopefully next year) so I'm only browsing at the moment but I'm definitely interested how you ordered from them...

Thanks everybody, some very useful advice. I did think about getting a recorder but it was the horizontal-ness of the flute which first attracted her so just went ahead and bought the fife without thinking. Knew I should have consulted here first! It does seem incredibly hard to make a sound though and I don't want to put her off so perhaps we will start with the recorder after all. Back to the shop then... Thanks again!

I'm hoping somebody might be able to help me or share their experiences... My 6 yo daughter has asked to learn the flute so I have bought her a fife to start with but am now stuck on what to do for lessons. How much are they? I don't want to spend a fortune and really just need somebody to show her how to play it and, if she enjoys it, we can go from there... I think I read an old post about somebody teaching when they were a teenager (unqualified) and thus charging appropriately. I think this sounds perfect and think I would prefer an enthusiastic teenager wanting some extra pocket money rather than subjecting her to something more formal. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Know of anyone who might fall into this category? We're in Telegraph Hill, not ED, and I thought I could approach Haberdashers' Aske's to see if there are any interested sixth form pupils but would this be frowned upon? Is it even allowed?! Any thoughts (public or pm) much appreciated... Thank you!

We've got two places and the deadline for Aske's is 6th May. (Might be why Lewisham aren't giving out waiting list info until the middle of May...?) Anyway, information evenings are being held this week for Aske's so those with offers will be better placed to make their decision. Given the location of the new school I should imagine this will have the biggest impact on Edmund Waller, John Stainer and Ivydale waiting lists... Fourth sounds very promising though, number 2 so good luck with that!

That's awful jollybaby, don't get me started on other people's opinions on how you should deal with a situation when they (a) don't know your child or (b) what your personal circumstances are. I often use my phone during a public meltdown. I tell her that I still love her, and I'm not going anywhere, but I can't help her when she's being like this so I'm just going to stand here and read the news until she's ready to come with me. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but it's one of my coping strategies. TBH I can't really concentrate on reading anything but the act of ignoring her usually quickens the process...

How funny, I just happened across this thread and am about 90% sure that was me! Not overly confident on the date but I do vividly remember a particularly horrendous incident, in the Co-op, with my daughter at that time of year and that time of day. Did this mother have another child in a pushchair? (Could easily have gone unnoticed though as would have been difficult to compete with the racket she was making.) Anyway, if so, sadly that was me (and sadly quite normal -- WorkingMummy, I read your angry daughter posts with sympathy and total understanding) and, as much as I would love to bask in the praise, feel I ought to own up as it really didn't end well and I don't think anybody witnessing the grand finale (me forcing her into the pushchair, carrying the LO and storming off down LL) would have described it as either calm or collected! Of course it might not have been me, in which case I too salute the mother and apologise for stealing her glory on this Forum!

Thanks Anne, have sent you a pm.

Our lovely and brilliant cleaner is going away for three weeks over Christmas and I'm looking for someone who'd be happy to clean for 3 hours once a week during her absence. We live in a 3 bed house in Telegraph Hill (between Nunhead and Brockley) and would expect to pay ?10/h. Obviously we'd want someone to do a good job but it's basically just to keep the place ticking over during the festive season. Ideally we'd like someone to come in w/c 17th December, sometime Christmas week and the first week of January. If anyone has any recommendations I'd be really happy to hear them... Thanks!