Saffron

We're fed up with British Gas, and we want to change suppliers for our gas and electric. Any suggestions for changing utility suppliers?

Marmora Man Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Saffron said: > > Basically, they will only do what they can afford > to do, which is not always what is best for trees > and the local environment. > > Rather like the rest of then really. Having to cut > our cloth according to our means. Given that > councils are pending tax payers money they have a > duty to spend it wisely and efficiently - > compromise is inevitable. Yes - But the question remains, as to whether what is being done really is value for money. For example, (Lewisham) council will keep pollarding mature diseased horse chestnusts for years, on the grounds that severe pollarding prolongs the life of the tree (yes, that's actually what I was told). However, would it not be safer, more cost effective, more aesthtically pleasing, and better for the environment to remove the diseased tree and plant another tree (possibly one that wouldn't require pollarding in the future, if the tree is near foundations etc)? Or, we could keep throwing our precious taxpayer monies away on paying someone to pollard our tree to ugly bits during nesting season year after year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23056843

nununoolio Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sorry to be boring and stick a pin in your balloon > of rapidly inflating hysteria but the following is > pretty much what happens. > > Council officer or gardener who works in the park > identifies tree that may be dangerous because they > have the knowledge to identify the symptoms. > Information passed to Council tree officer who has > qualifications and expertise to confirm or > otherwise the concerns raised. If tree confirmed > as dangerous, contractors employed by the Council > to remove or prune the trees. It really is that > simple. > > There isn't a Council plot to kill trees for no > reason. Much like people, trees have a life cycle > and they are also blighted by disease. When this > is identified, it is dealt with. The poplars at > Honor Oak Sports ground were all planted at the > same time. Would it not be reasonable to suggest > that they might reach the end of their life cycle > at the same time or possibly be affected by the > same disease. > > If you have little knowledge of tree health and/or > your local authority's policy for dealing with > that matter, please try to find out something > factual before you post. Well, if that's the case in Southwark, fairplay to ya. HOWEVER, I did read up on tree health, and I investigated my local authority's policy (Lewisham Council); and it really is not "that simple". I was told that the council cannot work to best practice because of financial constraints. Basically, they will only do what they can afford to do, which is not always what is best for trees and the local environment.

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Wouldn't the kindest thing be to shoot the poor > thing? It's apparently ailing, wounded, been set > upon by dogs and distressed by humans trying to > catch it - not a brilliant quality of life. In theory, yes, that would work, but only if a clear kill shot could be taken. Otherwise, there's risk that the animal would be injured and escape wounded, making the scenario in fact worse. Also I think the legal red tape surrounding discharging a firearm for this purpose in London probably makes it impossible. Foxes are very resiliant, and if he could be captured there's still a chance he could be saved, or at least killed painlessly if he's too ill to hel. Poor thing.

susiq Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > IF THE FOX IS SITED AGAIN PLEASE MAIL ME AND I > WILL COLLECT IT AND TAKE IT TO VET, ALL VETS HAVE > A DUTY TO TREAT ANY WILDLIFE BROUGHT TO THEM. ALL > THE SAME I AM SURE MOST WOULD JUST PUT IT DOWN, > THAMESMEAD VETS ARE REALLY GREAT THEY TAKE CARE OF > ALL ANIMALS. While it's a very noble thought that any vet would treat any wild animal, I don't think that's the case. There's definitely no legal obligation of which I know. In addition, most veterinary training involves domestic species, unless you specialise in wildlife. So, an ordinary vet might not even know what medications are suitable to particular wild species. Best to phone the vet ahead of time to check if they are able to assisst. xx

This is interesting... note there's a lot of variation on "normal": http://www.thealphaparent.com/2013/01/timeline-of-baby-and-toddler-sleep.html

Re changing nap times: Didn't help us :( . Still, it might be worth a try, just don't get obsessed with it if it doesn't work. It can waste a lot of mental energy, which is pretty precious stuff when you've been proded by little fingers half the night! :) xx

How old is your son? CC/CIO is not recommended for children with separation anxiety anyway, but what about using some of the gradual withdrawal behavioural modification techniques? I did a milk to water fade with shush-patting over the course of a couple of weeks to get my daughter's nighttime wakings down from 5+ to 2-3 times, and sleeping longer in the morning (by "longer" I mean up 6am, not 4am). I think your son might be a little older than my daughter was at the time, not sure by your post? My daughter was <1 yo at the time. I repeated something similar when she was 2-2.5yo, and we were still cosleeping/breastfeeding, but I would give a bottle of milk (then fade to sugar water, then plain water over a few weeks) if she woke too early. The main thing with these techniques is that you keep them going long enough. If you stop too early or go too quickly, you may find that you have to backtrack. Where in your room is his cot? If you can put his cot directly against your bed, could you reach your arm over (or take one side off) and try some shush-patting and a bottle or sippy cup?

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1058873,1061831#msg-1061831

I think even if people take the time to read and share the webpage it makes a difference and helps raise awareness. I've never had a still birth, but I'm really deeply shocked by how high the still birth rate remains in the UK despite decades of improving peripartum healthcare. The real tragedy is that while some of these deaths remain unexplained, others could be avoided through offering better and more consistent care. Please donate if you can, and help break the silence surrounding still birth. xx

Around this age lots of people insisted that moving Little Saff to her own room would make her sleep through the night. My gut said No, but I was getting a lot of pressure to stop cosleeping. So we moved her. They were wrong. Disaster. Made her worse. Went back to cosleeping (me in her room then). So much better even though we still had a lot of night wakings. Changing feeds, dropping feeds, changing daytime routines never made any difference and were a waste of psychological and physical energy. Do what works for you. Don't listen to anything but your gut. Xx

Southbank... Royal Festival Hall. Xx

No, don't worry, the opposite is true: Co sleeping doesn't become a habit to break, instead children out grow it. There is a well-documented anthropological shift towards more independent sleep between 2 to 4 years old. You just need to find the right tools to encourage this transition. Xx

Lochie Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > However, she usually wakes again before midnight > and will absolutely NOT be coerced back into her > cot. So the majority of the night she spends in > bed with me (husband goes in with her big > brother). I tried last night to let her cry it out > when she woke at 9pm but she became hysterical and > we could only bare leaving her for about 20 > minutes crying in her cot (she got to that stage > of crying where she could hardly catch her > breath). > > That sounds like she may have developed a bit of nighttime separation anxiety which is quite normal/common (my daughter had/has this, despite being confident and outgoing during the day). CC isn't really recommended for this, because it works at cross-purposes with the anxiety at night, which might be why you had success for naps but not nighttime sleep. Could your daughter be coaxed to sleep on a little mattress next to your bed when she wakes at night? Over the coming months start talking about how she'll get a "big girl bed" or "princess bed" etc when she turns 2yo (or another arbitrary date - it's just a fixed point to work towards). Start by just mentioning it casually from time to time. As the months go by mention it more frequently and in more detail. Maybe even start picking out nice things together, like some fluffy cushions or a net canopy. Hopefully by the time her birthday comes round (or whatever date you've chosen, just don't rush it, or it might backfire!), she'll be really excited. Invest in a nice toddler bed and some dream tubes, like soft bedguards, and decorate the bed together with colours she likes and special teddies. The first few nights may be tough, so a sticker chart can be really helpful. We used this method when my daughter was 2.5 yrs and still regularly waking 1-3x nightly with very bad nighttime separation anxiety (It was so bad I was actually co-sleeping with her on a futon in her room). We've had really good success. Your daughter doesn't sound quite as extreme as Little Saff, so maybe this would work for her too? We also re-introduced a soother (I know, I know...) which she hadn't had since she was 5 months old, and it really helped. Like GinaG3's daughter, Little Saff never took a "luvvie" but we always make sure there are a few different teddies in bed for a snuggle. Good luck! xx

Maybe the tendency in the UK to anthropomorphise animals comes from the deep love and respect many UK citizens have for animals. The UK has some of the best animals welfare standards and tightest control on use of research animals of any country in the world. Personally, I think that's something of which to be very proud, even though obvisouly not everyone feels the same. xx

I think you need to speak with a student loans advisor about how the dept is repaid, because the repayment schemes mean you don't start repaying until you start earning a certain amount. Then the repayment is graded to your salary, so your payments are less if you earn less. But obviously the less you have to payback all together, the better (speaking as a postdoc with huge student debt)! Your daughter might also benefit from some career guidance, if she really wants independence she'd benefit from studying not just for a degree but for a profession.

http://brockleycentral.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-hilly-fields-midsummer-fayre-2013.html We live just off Hilly Fields, and this will be our first year at the summer fayre. We've always been away in past years. Little Saff is very excited and has been counting down the days on her calendar. See you there?! (Cuppa at ours if it rains.) xx

Well, that's exactly columnist Polly Curtis's point as well, but she comes to an entirely different conclusion: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/20/banning-term-time-holidays. Plus it looks like Gove's legislation is in conflict with Article 8 of the Human Rights Act: 'Right to Respect for Private and Family Life'. Not exactly what I'd call well-thought, evidenced-based legislation, but then Gove isn't really known for that.

bornagain Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My point > is that if term-time holidays were allowed, in all > probability a significant number of children will > be absent at one time or another for a significant > period of time (ie a week or more). This will be a > real distractor for both teacher and class ... Well, since you're a teacher and stressing the importance of key mathematical concepts, on exactly what data is your "significant number" based? I can't see any data supporting that prediction. Actually if a minimun number of non-sick days off were allowed as a discretionary part of the system, parents might be more likely to work with the schools, scheduling days off so that there would not be disruptive overlap of absent students / students absent from key lessons. Taking DaveR's example from above, at ?50 fine, parents who really want to take their children out during term time for whatever reason have no incentive to work with the school or other parents. Likewise, ?50 is unlikely to be a deterent either. So, it's not a real solution either. What is the solution? Not sure. BUT, criminalising parents who take their children out for a minimal number of term time absences seems crazy. I'd also wager a guess that it goes against some of the current human rights legislation.

Yes. I don't disagree. So why did the government feel the need to interfere at all? Pointless smokescreen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22952667 And that's exactly how high rents could be damaging to London. Still no solution insight?

bornagain Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Children being away for school term holidays will > affect the learning of other children in the class > and will be very disruptive for all. > Topics/lessons missed, extra catchup work to be > set. Teachers spending precious time on those who > have been away rather than the rest of the class. > More burden on already stretched teaching force. > Predicating the education of one child on the presence (or absence) of another is not a good education policy IMHO. The education of each child is an end in itself, not a means to an end. A better solution might be to reinforce teaching staff with better support, not to penalise parents for when and how they choose to educate their children. Holidays are learning experiences too. There's a lot more that could be done to improve education than penalising parents for holidays. In fact, I'd say the two are not related at all, as per DaveR's final point of distinguishing when children are actually truant.

Has anyone tried this one? http://www.scotchnaturals.com/ Looks interesting, nice range of colours, but not tried it yet.

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