sillywoman

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I've checked out the thread in the businesses section, and will follow up on HH driving school and Rich Hammond.

We're about to embark on the whole - teaching the kids to drive nightmare. Does anyone have any recommendations for good, reasonably priced local instructors/schools, or equally schools/ instructors to avoid? Any and all help & advice appreciated.

No but he has strange opening times I often use him and he's very good

DO you have an address/Department/link of who/where to write to OP? I also think that it would make a huge difference to be able to use the bus lane on Dog Kennel Hill. Like you I have a 50cc scooter and as the hill is steep even if I pull away in front, by the time I'm halfway up it I'm holding up the traffic and have cars & vans hassling to get past me. I've even been shouted at to 'pull over', because they thought I should be in the bus lane.

You leave your fridge Mellors?

No nice 'Welcome to our East Dulwich store' snacky freebies - I know they're big enough nor to have to care, but thought it would have been a nice touch. Still, am glad to see it open after so many years of will-it-won't-it & waiting.

Hi Eleanore, For a short while some years back Lewisham maternity services were troubled and had a not so good reputation so perhaps people you're speaking to may be recalling that time? However Lewisham's done a lot of work over the last four years and is now a great place to have a baby. In fact just this year the maternity unit there won a major national award for excellence. The Birth Centre is unrivalled in London in my opinion (and I suspect nationally, but I only speak from personal knowledge of GSTT, PRUH, KCL, UCLH and Portland)and is recognised within the midwifery profession as providing excellent care; The labour ward and postnatal ward have recently undergone redecoration and have a nice feel to them. The staff are lovely, supportive, and kind but also highly professional. I had my four babies under Kings, but if I was having babies now, and couldn't have a home birth (my personal preference) then I would use Lewisham's Birth Centre without a moments hesitation. If I could have a home birth, or needed a more medical approach then I would still opt for care with Lewisham. It's a real little gem of a hospital. They are quietly working to a high standard, and providing great care for the local population. Can you tell I'm a fan? ;) They don't do case loading midwifery a la The Lanes - more's the pity - but a few of the Lanes midwives now work there after the big shake up in KCL community care so the personalised care ethos is beginning to be more evident antenatally. You can always ask to come and see the unit if you're unsure. A good person to contact to arrange this would be Jacquie Moulla (Ex Albany midwife) who is now a consultant midwife for normality at Lewisham. Just call the main switchboard and ask to speak to her or for her contact details.

Hi, I'm using my Mums account to post this with her permission. I am a 16 year old boy who is looking for work in SE22. I have been babysitting for a local family regularly (once a fortnight or so) over the last year but they have just moved away so I am looking to replace my income to help out my Mum & Dad. I am a hard worker, a fast learner and happy to try most things. I would like to work locally. I can provide a reference and a CV. If you are interested please Pm me via this account. Thank you Kays.

Toffee, are you hearing the same builders as macutd? They are very loud indeed, not to mention foul-mouthed and crude, and as they are working in a garden block enclosed all round by houses the noise travels. I'm very very glad I don't have little children playing in our garden any more. I've not heard anything quite so loud and offensive in the two decades we've lived here. :(

We've got substantial chains and locks for our own bikes. Sadly in our road there's no room for off street parking (well, very little anyway). Between us and our next door neighbour we have 5 bikes/scooters. Counting the other bikes that 'live in our street there's probably about 10 or more. Given this, and the known high levels of motorbike crime in our area I was thinking that it would be helpful to have some kind of street motorbike parking with a designated anchoring place, so I was just canvassing to see whether anyone had ever achieved this locally?

Is there any possibility of getting the council to put a motorbike anchor into our residential street? Does anyone have any experience of this with Southwark? Who would I approach in the first instance do you think?

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The Groom Room in DV did it in the end. I paid a bit extra (it being DV an' all) but he got a very good, very cool cut that he's delighted with - so it was worth it to me. Thanks wonderful family-roomers :)

Liberty used to run fab sewing courses, including one for beginners from their sewing school at the top of the store - might be worth investigating? Or, London School of Fashion on Oxford street?

4 here. 3 was absolutely great, I really really enjoyed 3. We were in the same boat as you at the time (SAHM with no family support available & 3 under 3). I found I was kinder on myself, less stressed about the 'must do, must have' type of stuff that i did with the first, and to some extent with the second, and other folk were kinder too in an 'ohmugodthatpoorwomanwemusthelpher' kind of way. Loads of people round here seem to have 3, and usually fairly close. So you'll be joining a supportive club and you'll do just fine. 3 is great, so great we did it again (can't really recommend that, but that's another story).

My goal is to place a balanced meal on the table that will meet their nutritional needs and look appetising to at least 50% of family members. Whether they eat it is up to them...can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it...

Ohh, now, coffee & cake are sounding good - will check out Cut Throat, Thanks CoachBeth. Not sure I can run to Toni & guy prices for him Saff, though agree they always come up trumps. His hair is long but not long enough I think - it's just past his shoulders. Never heard of Blue Tit (or Pedlers come to that) - I must get out more! I'll google them & see where it is, prices etc.etc. - check them out. Thanks team ;)

As the title says really. He's wanting his (beautiful, sniff sniff) long hair cut and as it's about 3 or 4 years since he last went to a hairdressers we're unsure where to go. He'd like a faux-hawk style. Any recommendations from forumites please?

"We want our children to have roots. We want them to make friends that will stick around, that they can grow up with, then venture off to uni, and come back home for regular reunions. We want them to have a group of friends that won't shrink as their parents pack up and leave town. We'd like some friends that will stay here too!" We have four teenagers (or thereabouts). Our age range is 12-20 and we've lived in the same house in ED since just before the first was born. What you describe is exactly what our children have. They've all been/are going through the same primary and secondary school, they all have a group of friends some of whom they've known since babyhood.Pretty much all their friends live within walking distance of our home. Our eldest is at Uni and - yes- when she comes home she has huge reunions and a busy social life catching with all her oldest childhood friends. As parents inevitably we've made many mistakes over the years, but the one thing we definitely got right for our children was to raise them here - they are strongly rooted here and tell us that we are not allowed to leave ED ever (something that may become an issue over the next few years)! Our experience of ED hasn't been transitory at all, most people our kids went to school with at junior and even infant school are still around. It's the thing I find hardest to square in my mind whenever I think about moving out - there's such a quiet joy to be had in going to the shops and knowing that you're almost guaranteed to meet someone you know, or whose children you know. It will be hard to begin to build community all over again, especially when there's such a strong and lovely one here.

I like a 'wild card', it's good to think of options I might not have come up with by myself. Thanks Mid-Ivydale. Can I ask: do you book independently, or go through a company?

Sweden? Hmmm ...interesting ... Can I ask where? Have you been before? Can you recommend a particular resort? Thank you for the offer.

I was wondering about Andorra, but again - the choice of resort, accommodation etc.etc. is overwhelming. Can I ask Mrs D, can you recall which resort you went to? Did you opt for a hotel or self catering?

So, I ski-ied as a young woman and just loved, loved, loved it. Then I met my non-ski-ing husband and we swiftly had several children who emptied our bank account - expensive little creatures aren't they? Anyway one year led into another and I watched my friends and neighbours go off to the slopes with a sad heart but we never managed to fund a trip, and now my 'baby' is in secondary school and finally, finally we are in a position to consider a budget family ski holiday for next year. But... I'm a bit lost. The choice seems overwhelming. I was thinking France (easy to get to), probably self catering (budget), but where to go? Would we would need a good ski school, or to book a ski instructor for us all as a group? Where should I look for cheap(ish) ski-wear? Any advice as to where to go, or good companies to book with would be gratefully received. Thx

I am biased, but I must say that Lewisham hospital is one of the best kept secrets locally. Its recent stats show what compassion, hard work, and a strong community ethos can do for birthing women. If it's the possibility of a spontaneous birth with reduced risk of interventions that you're after then Kings and Tommies can't hold a candle to it. The birth centre is the best I've seen (and I've seen all the local London ones: Think relaxing spa room), and the home birth team are a wonderful, dedicated and experienced group. It doesn't have the flashiness or the resources available to it that the more famous hospitals have, but if you live in the catchment for Lewi you'd be mad not to consider it. It's like a little maternity jewel glowing in the South London community.

Last September Kings completely re-organised all their community teams. I don't know without looking, but it may be that whatever website you were looking at hasn't caught up with the new structure yet - hence the confusion? I would suggest that when you go for your booking appointment (approx 12 weeks usually) with a midwife, you say that you'd like to be referred to Kings home birth team, she/he will then guide you as to whichever team is relevant to your postcode ... or follow lemon's good advice. :)