Saffron

It's not just a question of the trees themselves. Pollarding outside late winter/early spring has knock-on effects on the birds and insects that make new spring growth their homes. While the trees do need to be pruned for many valid reasons, pollarding out of season is a sad practice. Councils pollard to avoid insurance claims or the percieved threat of claims, and may pollard out of season because they cannot afford to employ enough contractors to prune in the correct season. Also, I've recently read that severe pollarding may cause dead heartwood. Pollarding decreases root growth because it decreases vitality. Councils may be basing their decisions on the experience of arborists who think their decisions are the only right ones because they've been in the business man-and-boy 40 years, blah, blah blah. But when they're basing their decisions on out-dated, incomplete, non-emperical evidence, how can these choices be accurately evaluated? I was recently enquiring about sources of data on the outcomes of pruning and root growth, and the best the arborist thought to offer was an outdated book on subsidence. Honestly, I'd expect better referencing from a first year uni student. A large tree growing near a property is not necessarily going to cause problems, but I have the feeling that councils are scared sh1tless of insurance agents. Pathetic. I'd rather just be told outright that councils can't afford to do a correct job, than to have them try to fob me off with a bunch of bollocks.

The duration of norovirus is only a couple of days anyway. It doesn't really matter what you do, just so long as you stay hydrated. The virus doesn't grow in contaminated food, but rather comes from infected individuals. Handwashing is the best defense against contagion, but as you can see from the video link (my previous post), viral particles can distribute rapidly across a large area. So it would be difficult to stay entirely free of viral particles in an area where they have been spread. xx

I think a lot of people can't afford it, but still feel pressured to put on a lavish party.

If you haven't done so already, start an Excel spreadsheet to help you track and compare costs.

Hahahahaa! That' brilliant. Really made me laugh. :)

I only caught part of the episode, but here's more info online. I didn't realise when watching that they were local. Article says South London, but doesn't list a burough. Looks like she's ok. Hope all continues well for them. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2324998/24-Hours-A-E-Mothers-anguish-doctors-treat-girl-8-fall-high-diving-board.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

A short but interested video on the testing disease spread... check out the simulated vomitting model ~2.45 min into the video. Oh my! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20790061

Voyageur Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Never had it - then again my stomach acid is > legendary, will kill anything. You very likely could have had it, and didn't realise. It seems that very few people have immunity to the strain that was dominant this winter. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20982721 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20957763 One reason norovirus spreads so rapidly is that some infected people do not show symptons, or show only atypical symtoms. However, they may contribute to the spread of the virus precisely because they don't realise they are ill, so they continue going to work, socialising etc. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr6003a1.htm

KidKruger Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > saffron - noro, the pharmacist said something like > Norus/Noro. Was it as bad for you/yours as I > describe ? Norovirus sounds most likely by default, as it's known to have been a bad year for norovirus in Europe. It could also have been rotavirus, though this is less common in adults and associated more with diarhoea than vomitting. However, prolonged subclinical infections of rotavirus are associated with lingering symtopms in adults, whereas it tends to resolve more rapidly in children. http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Norovirus/GeneralInformation/norovFrequentlyaskedQuestions/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norovirus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotavirus

glasshalffull Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I had norovirus and the after affects for 4 weeks. > The actual period of vomiting and diarrhoea was > approx 2 weeks The doctor said this was an unusual > but not unheard of length of time to be suffering. > Without being too graphic there were times I was > glad our sink was close to the toilet as both were > called into action simultaneously. All I was able > to eat during the 4 weeks was plain rice with > carrots and the occasional luxury of chicken > noodle cup a soup. > > What shocked me was how weak I was left, it took 2 > weeks for me to get close to feeling 'normal' > again. If you are suffering from anything similar > make sure you stay hydrated. Drink as much water > as you can then some more. That sounds like you had a secondary bacterial infection, or that you were infected with two different strains of norovirus in quick succession. (Norovirus is generally a short-lived infection, 1-3 days.) However, even if you did have a 2ndry bacterial infections, the treatment would only be symptomatic (no antibiotics) unless the D&V were severe enough to hospilatise you, or continued for 2+ weeks. The BRAT diet is often recommened for this kind of illness.

Sounds like norovirus. It's been a particularly bad winter for norovirus. We all had it here last autumn. I had it twice. Lucky me.

On a recent trip to a show at the Albany theatre in Deptford with my 3 year old daughter, I noticed that they do kids parties at their cafe. They also have a large garden area, part patio, part grass. http://www.thealbany.org.uk/hireus/53/Children's-Parties

Well, it all depends on where you set your standards and how much time and money you can invest. Every dog needs some training, and any dog has the potential to be destructive. It's not nec dependent on size. I've met a few destructive and poorly trained small dogs that were awful, as well as knowing some very big dogs that were well-trained and well-integrated. Of course if you have a poorly trained large, hyperactive dog, it's going to be much harder to control than stuffing a yappy ankle-bitter in your handbag. A while back I had a lovely chat with a man walking two Rhodesian Ridgebacks in P Rye Park. We're thinking of getting a dog when Little Saff is older. The man recommended Vizslas as a smaller, more manageable, family version of a Ridgeback (relatively speaking of course), easier to manage with young children. I've never know any Vizslas personally, so I don't know how true this is. And of course everyone has a different idea about what a "family" dog is. One thing I do know is that smaller dogs are not always better for children. Some small dogs can feel threatened by children and tend to bite defensively, while larger dogs don't feel so threatened. What other breeds were you considering? Do you want a calm, cuddly lap dog, or lively companion for park walks?

Twirly Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > LadyDeliah Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > In my opinion, we as a society and globaly have > to > > rethink our addiction to the car and find other > > ways to do what we currently do by car. > > > > We invade countries for the fuel that drives > them, > > we have an ever fatter, sedentry population and > > increased pollution due to congestion, both of > > which negatively impact our health and NHS. > > > > The car is a dangerous machine which, with even > > the best intentions of the driver, kills > thousands > > of people every year, injures and disables many > > thousands more and puts millions of others in > > fear. > > > > The car dominates public space and amenity. New > > and existing projects should have alternative > > methods of transport integrated at the planning > > stage, instead of always planning for cars. > > > > We need a complete change in thinking about car > > use moving into the future because the current > > thinking is unsustainable. > > > I partially agree with you LadyD, however, it's > not the cars that are the problem, Hmm sounding like the American gun lobby there... "Guns don't kill people, people kill people". Though I agree that sometimes the public transport network isn't up to its job. It's a vicious cycle that drives more reliance on cars. But we should be looking to break this cycle, not reinforce it. Very sorry to hear about the little girl injured on LL. I hope the pedestrians and driver and fine now. xx

I've bought Bobux at Gently Elephant in Brockley, (Brockley Rise near Brockley Station, just east of Nunhead). They are very soft, fleible, and well-made.

Check out the shoe shop on Brockley Road near Brockley Station. It's called Gently Elephant, and it also stocks toys and books, games, etc. http://www.gentlyelephant.co.uk/ I generally alternate between there and ED Warehouse. They tend to sell different brands, but both sell shoes you won't nec find at chain shops, which can be good if you're looking for unusual styles or fits. xx

A very worthy cause... http://www.justgiving.com/Sandsroompruh xx

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22459815

Helpplease Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The problem is it makes me unhappy and its not > helpful. Shouldn't we be relaxing and enjoying > our kids? It's a vicious circle. You need to be proactive and make choices to break the cycle. For some people it does get easier as children get older. Personally, I'm not finding that to be the case currently, and I'm not anticipating it for the future either. This may be because I'm not "a worrier". I have Anxiety. It's irrationally out of proportion, and it's a disorder. I'll never entirely get rid of it, so I have to accept it and learn to cope with it. Some types of anxiety don't have triggers, so you can't just write out a list of worries to address. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anxiety/Pages/Symptoms.aspx As our children grow, new challenges arise. I find that I have constantly to revise my coping strategies. And when I feel overwhelmed, I know it's time to ask for help. I think CBT is excellent for some people, but it didn't do wonders for me. Making and keeping the formal psych appointments just fuelled my anxiety. I do better with creative outlets, and meds if it's really bad. Everyone is different. You just have to find what works for you. xx

I totally feel like that! I have a history of anxiety/depression, also postpartum depression. How old are your children? Sometimes anxiety can be a symptom of postpartum depression as well. Anxiety doesn't have to be a bad thing. Anxiety takes a lot of energy. You can harness that energy and make it work for you, if you're not crippled by it. I try to use my anxiety to stick up for my daughter at times where I probably wouldn't have stuck up for myself otherwise. In general it helps if you can take action on the things that are causing you anxiety. If you feel like it's really running amock and crippling your daily life, it's definitly time to seek professional help from a sympathetic GP (rule out any physical problems which could be causing or magnifying the anxiety), and/or try some alternative treatments. Giles Davies at 15a Barry Road for acupuncture is very helpful http://www.gilesdavies.com/. Some people like meditation for anxeity. Didn't work for me. I prefer activities where you can "hyperfocus" instead, effect is similar to meditation. I found that horse riding lessons, simple flat equitation, were really great. I also liked pottery. Sadly not doing either at the moment, as too busy/stressed/anxious... arrrgh. Parenting is really hard!!!

womanofdulwich Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Saffron, let me know if you find anything then. > I might just switch on at 10.30 for the weather :) Hmm, well, sometimes I like to read The News of the Weird just for perspective/guilty pleasure. http://www.newsoftheweird.com/ http://www.newsoftheweird.com/archive/index.html

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Saffron Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Also from your description, could your LO have > a > > faecal bolus? This type of blockage can occur > > when the lower intestine does not coordinate > > contractions smoothely, leading basically to a > > ball of firm pooh being trapped in the gut. > > Softer faeces pass around this ball and appear > to > > come out in a similar fashion to what you > > describe. > > > Finally confirmed at Kings last week that this is > what she has (bit annoyed they didn't look harder > before last Friday!!!). > > Basically we have to increase the Movicol by 2 > sachets a day until she's on 8 a day for a couple > of days, and just hope that finally everything > will sofen up and clear out. Poor little mite. > > At least we know we weren't going mad though. Definitely not going mad. So pleased for you that you finally have a diagnosis. Hope things are better soon. But equally don't hold back on pestering the specialists if you think your daughter is not making progress. When my friend's little boy wasn't getting better after loads of treatment, they finally decided to treat the intestine with Botox to minimise the spasm that was causing the faecal bolus. It sounds extreme, but it was very effective and meant that he no longer required any other interventions. By the time the Botox wore off, the rest of the intestinal muscles had strengthen enough that they could make smooth coordinated contrations. This is similar to how they now treat "lazy" eye to improve muscle performance. Good luck. xx

Boo! They were great!! Looks like they were a victim of their own success? http://motherem.com/2013/01/28/an-alternative-to-the-karvol-vaporiser-now-discontinued/. Boots own vaporiser as an alternative? Haven't tried it. You could also soak some cotton balls in Karvol, Olbas, etc and put them in an old (clean!) sock. Stitch or tape it to the front of a small desk fan in your child's room. Same essential effect, slightly dodgy appearance. ;-)

Very interesting BBC article on web-based therapy for bipolar: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22384552.

Ah, CP on Mondays might work for us. :) I will email for more info. Cheers!