RichJ

Hi - does anyone know somewhere local to donate maternity clothes? A womens refuge, refugee centre, emergency care centre or something similar? I cant seem to find anywhere online and would like them to go to a good home. All good quality items - Seraphine, JoJo, Isabella Oliver etc. Thanks

I think he'll be absolutely fine. It was a while ago when we did it but I recall that the main focus was on running around and following instructions. They do some throwing and catching games but it is with a big sponge rugby ball and they are good at helping the kids learn the right technique. Many of the drills are between child and parent so, even if they struggle, it isn't a case of being left out or holding anyone else back. Our eldest did it around 2 years old and loved it.

The point about refund vs cancellation raises a question I have always wanted to ask but never got round to. In circumstances where you tap into a station using PAYG or contactless and then very quickly realise that your train is either cancelled or delayed such that you need to use alternative transport, if you then tap out again, is the system sophisticated to work out that you must not have actually made the journey and then refund you? Would seem logical that if you tap in and out of the same station within say 15 minutes of each other, then it almost impossible for you to have made a journey.

I have taken my kids to parties at the following, all which have been absolutely fine: - Francis Peak Centre in Dulwich Park; - St Faith's Community Centre, Red Post Hill; - South London Scout Hut, up near the Golf Club; - Edward Alleyn Clubhouse, off Burbage Rd; - St. Barnabus Church Hall, Dulwich Village. There is also Gambado in Beckenham but that really tests the eardrums! Best of luck!

I looked at this when we had family to visit at Christmas. The Lilac Door in West Dulwich is supposed to be very good but they were closed over Christmas. Ended up using air bnb and it went very well. Lots of places in ED on there.

Wuli Wuli in Camberwell all the way for us

We had our artificial grass laid as part of a wider garden refurb done by Kate Eyre so don't know the exact cost or the provider but very happy with it. Garden looks so much neater and it's a joy not having to get the mower out every weekend in the summer. Only downside is that it can get very hot on really scorching summer days but obviously that's not a regular problem!

I've just fired off an email on the consultation paper telling them that the Sevenoaks service really does need extra trains to cope with the increased demand. The email address is [email protected] if anyone has the chance to do the same today.

We went to the Sani resort in mainland Greece in the first week of May a couple of years ago. We may have been lucky but the weather was fantastic - mid to high 20s and perfect for a beach holiday with small kids. Would have thought that it should be even nicer by half term.

Totally agree about the Thameslink service from Denmark Hill. I use this service to a Blackfriars every day (at varying times each morning) and think the current service is abysmal. I wrote an email of complaint about this last year but was fobbed off with a typical vague response. There are various issues: 1. Punctuality and over-crowding. I don?t think I have got a single train that has been on time this year. Evening trains from Blackfriars have been slightly better than the morning ones but not by much. The morning trains are absolutely packed and I have certainly been left on the platform many times before. There is such a high volume of use than any delay (and there invariably is one) means numbers start to build on the platform, creating the inevitable scrum to get on. Four carriage trains are useless given the numbers - for example, if there is a problem with the 9.07 then the four carriage 9.13 makes only the slightest dent in the crowds on the platform. 2. Timing of the trains. I don?t understand the reasons for the timetable. There are long periods with no train (7.37 to 8.04 and 8.45 to 9.07) and then some very short ones (9.07 to 9.13). It would be much better if the gaps between services were evened out a bit. 3. Information at Denmark Hill. There are rarely any announcements made at Denmark Hill so if you are on the platform, you never know what is going on. There is only information board, so if you are up at one end of the platform, you can?t even see that. Service was pretty average under Southeastern but is has been shocking under Govia. It is particularly galling when you hear that the reason for the delay is insufficient drivers or a driver not showing for work. WTF?

The Rosendale and the Clockhouse both have private rooms, although not sure of their pricing policy (whether any minimum spend etc)

Don't know if this is any consolation or not but affording a nanny wouldn't necessarily be the cure - our last nanny was sick way more often than our kids!

Took my 4 and 2 year old boys there last month. The little one was probably a bit small but coped admirably with all the ladders and steps. Older one really enjoyed it and we were probably on board for about 90 mins. Enjoy!

Another recommendation for Paul. Despite being completely booked up for weeks, he found 3 hours for us on Saturday afternoon, did all our jobs, had lots of ideas and suggestions and was brilliant with our 4 year old who insisted upon being his assistant the whole time. Thanks Paul, great job.

We had a party for our 3 year old last year with an outdoor bouncy castle at the Edward Alleyn Clubhouse off Burbage Road. Can't remember cost but venue worked out really well.

Just back from our week in Aldeburgh and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a similar type of holiday. Very nice cottage (used wwww.bestofsuffolk.co.uk), good selection of shops and restaurants in the town, long clean beach (although pebbles rather than sand), really pretty villages in the surrounding area and plenty to do with kids (castles, farm parks etc). Very happy with the choice and only 2.5 hours by car from ED.

Highly recommend Nelly's Nursery (although all their branches are a short drive away in West Dulwich) but afraid their waiting lists are always very long.

I wonder if the split should be 50-50 though? After all, the neighbours have had the benefit of the wall for 4-5 years longer than the OP. Something like 60-40 or 55-45 feels more fair although there is no science behind these numbers! Good luck - not at all easy doing these types of negotiations with neighbours.

We've actually done a bit of an about-turn and are going to try Aldeburgh in Suffolk. It's the one bit of the UK I have never been to before and thought this would be a good chance to check it out. Thanks for all the suggestions though.

Thanks very much for all these very helpful suggestions - I will investigate.

We'd love go away this February half-term but the budget doesn't stretch to skiing or long-haul winter sun so we are instead contemplating a week in a cottage somewhere on the South coast. The theory is, notwithstanding the likely awful weather, bracing walks on the beach, exploring the local tourist attractions, nice country pubs etc. Does anyone have any suggestions as to a nice village or town where we could look for a cottage? Was thinking West Sussex, Hampshire or Dorset. Would ideally not have to drive as far as Devon or Cornwall. Our kids are two boys - 3.5 yrs and 20 months. Thanks very much for any inspriation you may be able to give us.

We have just come to the end of a fairly substantial kitchen extension and I wanted to recommended our fantastic architect, builders and kitchen designers to anyone thinking of doing anything similar. Our architect was Joe Knight of KN Designs ([email protected]). He is based in East Dulwich and already has a number of recommendations on the EDF. He came on board right at the very beginning of the process and has been an expert guiding hand all the way through. He spent a long time with us at the outset exploring different options and working up his detailed plans, guided us through the party wall and planning permissions process and then project managed the build itself. Throughout it all he was patient, responsive, practical and proactive and always good humoured and easy to deal with. Kitchen extensions are his bread-and-butter so whatever issue we raised, he invariably had an answer or a recommendation for us. He also has a wealth of contacts, so can recommend suppliers for roofing, bi-fold doors, underfloor heating etc. Our builders were SPN Building Services ([email protected]). They are a small family firm from Kent and, by the end of the build, felt like a part of our family. For five months, they were with us by 7.30am every day and were totally reliable and hard-working. For example, they had to dig the foundations by hand in the summer heat wave and kept going all day with great humour and patience. They were really friendly and great with our kids. They came in completely on-time and on-budget - the only extras were due to small changes that we requested. They handled all building, electrics, plumbing, carpentry and decorating. Their pricing was very reasonable and considerably cheaper than other quotes we received - and, at least to our eyes, with no reduction in quality. Our architect had not worked with them before but was really impressed with the quality of their work and will now be asking them to quote on all his jobs. Our kitchen designer was Svaja from Dulwich Design Kitchens on Grove Vale (http://www.dulwichdesignkitchens.com). Again, we were really impressed by the amount of time she gave to us and her attention to detail. She and my wife spent many hours together getting the design of the kitchen just right and she was full of practical ideas as to how to make the best use of the space. She was also able to source the appliances we wanted at very competitive process. It was also very useful that she was local - we could often just pop into the showroom and ask her a quick question or see something she wanted to show us. It would have been much less convenient using someone outside the area. All three were excellent and worked together to deliver a project that we are really pleased with. If you have any questions or would like any further details about any of them, just drop me a PM. Thanks

You'll generally pay less for a Golf than for an A3 with similar engine size/spec. Unless you really like the Audi brand and/or look, I'd go for a Golf instead. Only caveat is that I always think the A3 boot looks (at least from the outside) as being slightly bigger but have never properly checked it. We had a Golf for a couple of years and it did the job very nicely although we very quickly out-grew the boot space once kids came along.

I believe the differing rates for sole care/nannyshare is to compensate the nanny for the logistical hassle of having to deal with two different families, rather than pure number of kids. For example, I think in most cases nannies charge the same for one or two children from the same family. Therefore, I wouldn't necessarily expect the nanny to increase her rates in this case. However, 4 kids is an awful lot for one nanny so she may well ask for extra in recognition of the increased handful. In any event, the split should probably go to 50-50, irrespective of the nanny's wage. Your contract, assuming you have one, may also deal with this - worth having a look.

We found our excellent nanny through the forum. If you do some research on market rates for salary and think carefully what you are looking for, I don't think it is too difficult to contact nannies advertising on here, ask to see their cv and references and then arrange to meet the ones you think have some potential. We ended up interviewing two (probably not really enough but our one immediately jumped out as being just right) so the whole thing was pretty painless. No agency means we did the contract and other paperwork ourselves but we are lawyers so no great drama for us! Good luck!