Knomester

I suffered with growing pains as a child. I grew quite tall quickly up to the age of 10 / 11 and then only a few inches since then. I remember pains in my hips, legs, ribs and my back. I'm not sure whether they were technically growing pains but that's always what my dad called them.

I always dreamt of having 3 children. I'm 5 months pregnant with number 1 and have sworn it will be an only child! I am not one of these women who 'bloom' in pregnancy that's for sure... Everyone tells me I'll forget how horrid the sickness, exhaustion, heartburn, etc was in time - maybe they're right. But even if that is the case I definitely think I would stick at 2. I'm one of 4 children (aged 34 to 16) which meant my mum had the youngest 2 at 40 and 45. I can't imagine how she managed. She's a very sound sleeper though. It's a big family with 4 children, a touch too big I'd say (although I wouldn't swap my brother and sisters for the world!).

Yay - lovely for you! I hope your scan went well. Ours is next week (and we're still not going to fidn out!!).

Hello again. My next midwife appointment is Friday 23 April so I'll probably work from home that day if that's any good for you all. Alternatively, I might be able to do 15 April. anna_r - Do you have to be a member at Jags to do the exercise classes do you know?

Hello. Would love to join you all for coffee at some stage (I'm 20 weeks with my first - due on 10 August) but unfortunately work full time in the big bad city so can't do week days at the moment. I may be able to work from home when I have midwife appointments over the next few months though so I'll let you know when my next one is once I find out tomorrow!

Hi reren I've faced the same reaction as you (I'm just past 20 weeks), but thankfully mym mum has been supportive. We're not close as you are with your mum, but she is a trained nurse / health visitor and now lectures in healthcare and childcare, so I think she looks at it objectively rather than emotionally. It amazes me how strong other people's views are on homebirth when I am sure they know little about it in reality. It's very difficult to just ignore people when they are so negative - I've found it quite upsetting at times and have questioned my own opinions - but ultimately it is for you and your partner to decided. You're the one who needs to feel comfortable in your surroundings when the time comes. I'm hoping to go along to the next meeting that Sophie organises (see above) so maybe see you there!

I can make 16th April if you decide to go ahead with that date!

Hi Bishberro I've had the same problem as you finding creams that don't contain parabens, etc. The products at Neil's Yard don't contain any of the nasties and they have a mum to be range which doesn't contain the essential oils which aren't suitable in rpegnancy. Unfortunately the range is quite limited (body balm, bath oil and something else I think) and it's not cheap. I have the body balm (a solidified oil is the best way of describing it) and a little goes a long way, but I only use that on my bump etc and like you am lacking some sort of body lotion. Out of interest, what face moisturiser are you using - I've struggled to find anything suitable...

I do one-to-one pilates once a week a the Sunflower Centre in Brockley and am continuiing through my pregnancy (although what I do now compared to before is different to take account of the baby!). I find it's the only thing that really keeps me moving - I started it because of having major surgery on my spine 18 months ago and so far (touch wood!) I'm 20 weeks in and haven't had any recurring major problems with my spine. My instructor does some yoga type movelemts with me too and encourages me to do these at home to increase strength and suppleness (sp?). http://thesunflowercentre.co.uk Like bumpy said - maybe give both a go!

Hello! You know what I'm doing already....waiting until he or she arrives to find out! For me it would be a shame not to go into the birth still having that element of surprise ahead. For me it really doesn't matter either way, so many clothes, toys, etc are unisex these days that there doesn't seem to be a practical reason for knowing - it's just whether you can bear the suspense! I've no idea whether I'd feel any different with baby number 2 - who knows. Like Verds, my mum was convinced I was a boy - she had even named me - so it did come as a bit of a surprise when I turned out to be a girl! A good surprise I hope...

As I have already mentioned to Sophie, I am 19 weeks pregnant and considering a home birth. Unfortunately I work full time so unless I can arrange to work from home on Thursday I won't be able to join you all for this first meet up. But I'd love to hear how you all get on and join you next time. Thanks

Thank you! I was planning on ordering a dress and a couple of other bits from there this weekend - always nice to have a little discount!

At last! Dunstans has been in serious need of attention for a long time. We live on a road off Dunstans but have not been notified. Surely it will impact us (and parking on our road) - was notification only sent to residents on Dunstans Road? Are there plans to upgrade the pavements and roads on Ryedale, Cornflower, Bachlier, etc?

I'd be really grateful if someone could let me know whether it has snowed again today and what the conditions are like on the roads / pavements? I got stuck on a train between Brockley and HOP last night which couldn't get up the slope...took the poor train driver over 45 minutes to 'limp' the train into HOP!

Thank you to everyone for the updates - so much more helpful than the national rail website which keep scrashing! Am sat in my office (after a long but not awful journey in via Honor Oak Park this morning) wondering whether to leave early today. I think I might based on the terrible 2 1/2 hour journey home I had just before Christmas when we had that huge sleet shower and they shut London Bridge!

Great video Jack! :)-D

Some pics of the Cornflower Big Lunch, including a couple of Sly & Reggie who made a guest appearance and entertained everyone (especially the children who clambered onto the car..!).

Yes the other photo on the BBC website is one I took of everyone on Cornflower Terrace! Well spotted boosboos! Just to pick up on what Reggie mentioned about Southwark - they were fantastic with us. I sent an email asking about the process for closing our road and someone called me back, told me that I needed 3 things - insurance, a risk assessment and some sort of confirmation of support from the majority of residents - and he did the rest. The road closed barriers were dropped off for us to put up and take down on the day. It couldn't have been easier.

We had a fantastic time on Cornflower Terrace. Road closed for the day, loads of people out, bunting, enough food to feed half of ED, music, magic shows (courtest of Ministry of Fun), guest appearance by Sly and Reggie... A great day! Hope everyone else had a top day!

Asset - check out the pizzas at The Gowlett too (if you haven't already...). Super tasty. There can be a bit of a wait on a busy Friday night though!

Hello FoodStories and welcome! You've certainly stirred up feeling with your first post...! I am not a huge fan of The Palmerston either. I have had a couple of decent meals there but also some not so good ones. As Keef mentioned, they don't cater particularly well for non meat eaters. I think on my first visit the only non-meat option was the ubiquitous wild mushroom pasta which at around ?14 left a lot to be desired. I have had a couple of decent dishes there though (since eating fish) - one, incidentally, was crab which was good quality which made up for the 'on the small side' portion. Much better than your crab starter by the sounds of things. My last couple of meals there have been pricey relative to the quality of the dishes (although I have no concerns about the quality of produce which seems to be high). A couple of people have mentioned The Herne Tavern - sister restaurant to The Palmerston - which is my local and somewhere I have been to drink and eat a lot in the past. It was generally good quality for a fair price (cheaper than The Palmerston) but it also has lost its edge for me. Curdled custard was one example of something that a chef should never send out of the kitchen (I did tell the waiter and send it back for a replacement....). I'm in no hurry to try them again, although I miss being able to pop into The Herne for a quick bite to eat! Slightly off topic, but have you tried La Querce in Honor Oak Park? I've only been once, but the food was good, as was the wine. Might be worth a look in sometime, although it may be a bit far depending on where you are in ED.

We're planning a street party as part of the Big Lunch on Cornflower Terrace. We haven't got as far as the full on planning stage yet - we've just put little notes through people's doors and are waiting for responses before getting sorted. The Big Lunch organisers have said that they've contacted all of the councils and asked them to coopoerate for the day by allowing people to close roads, etc. I suspect some of it will depend on the size of your road as to whether you'll have difficulties or not. We're hoping that everyone will contribute something rather than having to 'charge' people, but that won't necessarily take account of the cost of things other than food and entertainment...

Hi MadWorld74. I had exactly the same problem with them last December and changed doctors because of it. I too had a chest infection and am asthmatic. I called the first morning (took me over 20 minutes to get through) and they said the appointments had run out and that if I called back the next morning at 8.30am I would be seen that day. I duly called and again it took me ages to get through on redial to find they couldn't see me again. By that point I was pretty desperate but in my view that sort of a problem isn't one for A&E and NHS Direct can't prescribe me antibiotics and steroids! So my husband called Forest Hill Road surgery and I was seen within half an hour (even though I wasn't on their books) and transferred to that surgery permanently. I've never not been able to see or speak to a GP on the day I've called. Doesn't help unless you can hcange surgery - something worth looking into? Get well soon.

We went to Magnolia on Friday evening for drinks and food and were impressed. There's a good selection of drinks and the food was really good quality at reasonable prices. They'd had a really busy evening as it was their first full service but they seemed to be managing just fine. We had 2 beers, a nice bottle of Rioja, a starter to share, 2 mains and a huge banoffee pie to share for dessert and it all came to less than ?50 including the tip. The only downside (and this is being really picky!) was that it was a bit cold in there on Friday night so I imagine if it wasn't as full I'd have to keep my coat on! I'll definitely be going there again....

I may just have to venture that way this evening... Our local is The Herne but getting a bit weary of the service at the moment and the food wasn't up to scratch on our last 2 visits. Plus really must stop just walking 3 minutes down the road and branch out a bit - sheer laziness! What's going on at The Duke next Friday Sean?