Marie81

Dougal Mulldoon Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don?t have any children but I am going to have > five and take all of them into the pubs you have > mentioned just to annoy. And my misses & I will be > drinking alcohol. > > Hoots It is totally irresponsible for both parents to be drinking alcohol whilst caring for their children, I am shocked that any parents on here would take their children to a pub and both consume alcohol the same for drinking at home, one parent should always be sober in case anything happened to one of the children and they needed to be rushed to hospital! If you?re must insist on drinking regardless for the care of your children well then I?m afraid you may have a problem such as addiction!

amyw: that's a nice idea....something she can keep and wear as she grows up, thanks :)

Hi, I am really stuck for what to buy my niece as a Christening gift! Does anyone have any suggestions? I have about ?40 to spend and don't want anything religious. I have had a look online but being so indecisive as I am, am finding it a nightmare to choose! Any ideas would be really apppreciated :)

nannyjuice: sorry that you and your dog were made to feel unwelcome when it sounds like your dog was so well behaved, unlike when I take mine to the pub and they lay right in the middle of the walkway refusing to move making people walk over them?we tend to sit outside pubs now!! Do you think that both parents would be drinking alcohol whilst in charge of their children? Can any of the parents who have posted here say that this would be the case or would just one parent be drinking as I would have to agree with you that would be very wrong if both parents were consuming alcohol!! I personally don?t mind children in pubs, but don?t think it?s much fun for the children! If it?s a case of meeting friends for a coffee why not go to one of the many coffee shops or meet at the park so your children can have fun and enjoy the playground? However I think parents should be allowed to bring their children into a pub for lunch with the family and not have to be made like they are unwelcome. But of course the children should be sitting down at the table and not running around the pub especially if food is being served as an accident could happen and then whose fault would it be if say hot soup went over your child?the server or the parent for not controlling their children?! No one needs to be made to feel unwelcome, there are some pubs geared more towards families and some of the old fashioned pubs which are more suited to adults having a quiet drink. In other words there are enough pubs in the area to suit everyone :)

I haven't tried the breakfasts at Franklins but for me would be hard to beat Joanna's in Crystal Palace for a top brekkie. The service is always good and when in there I foget about the hustle and bustle of outside and feel as if I have gone back in time. The full english is my fave with eggs benedict coming in at a close second :)

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Being as you are completely hypothesising, allow > me to try one. If the puppy had been a child, and > the staffie escaped accidently, and attacked it, > would it matter if the child was unhurt, or should > the staf be destroyed because basically it has > shown that it is capable of attacking a child? Otta: A child is not a dog so I really don't see how you can turn it around. A dog would not be put down for attacking another dog but obviously would be for attacking a child! I was in a similar situation recently when my dog escaped and attacked another dog but I would like to point out that he is never off the lead and wears a head collar/muzzle so this was a rare occasion where he was in a secure enclosed area but overnight someone had made a small hold in the fence and he found the gap and chased after another dog. It was more boisterous play, the other dog was completely unharmed. Although it looked a lot worse and the owner of the small dog was screaming at him to stop but just standing there. I ran over and grabbed him and whilst he was in my hand the owner of the other dog came over and kicked him really hard! Now I can understand if this was to split up the fight but it had stopped and he was in my hands. Fortunately for the owner my dog was not hurt, he didn?t even yelp just looked up at me. He is as strong as an Ox, luckily for him! We are and have been working with a behaviourist for about a year now! On our daily walks he can be walked past other dogs and is fine as long as they don?t bark at him or charge over towards him!

I did note the question mark, thanks.

To the-e-dealer what a ridiculous thing to say, as the owner said they?re puppy was not hurt and also you do not know the full story so personally I think that is a rather ignorant thing to say. For all you know the owner whose dog attacked the puppy may be aware her dog has behavioral issues and be working with a behaviorist and have the dog muzzled and on a lead in the park or wherever they walk the dog. Perhaps the dog escaped out of the house accidently, would you still stand by your comment if this was the case? first mate: great response and really informative thank you. Hi Frankito, I can reassure you that there are many well behaved Staffies out there who do not have an unpredictable nature! I walked many today whilst volunteer dog walking at a rescue and while yes a couple of them have issues with dog on dog aggression their behaviour definitely is not unpredictable. Also the dog on dog aggression there mainly comes from the other breeds but then again kennels are a very stressful environment for any dog. Many of the Staffies I come across are lovely, loyal dogs who are very receptive to training and will do anything to please. I am sorry you have had a couple of bad experiences, I do think that this is probably more due to the fact that there are a large amount of Staffies in London, more than other breeds and unfortunately for some they tend to end up in the wrong hands!

Hi Curmudgeon, I was just wondering what it was you would say to the owner of the dog who attacked your puppy! Only asking as I was in a similar situation recently so wondering what can be said after the incident has happened. Glad your dog is ok and not hurt.

the-e-dealer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Id like to say Funnily enough - but I wont its not > fully just found this - Dogs DO attack kids in > Parks > http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263932/Gi > rl-4-attacked-police-dog-plays-park.html > But I don't believe in banning dogs. But I'd like > dog owners to show some respect for the park and > other people by sticking to the rules - its not > that hard is it? > Maybe the Dog License should be brought back so > there was some sort of sanction of anti social dog > owners. Yes and children DO attack dogs! The other day I saw a child run up to a ladies dog and whack it, she then preceeded to chase after my dog and attempted to kick him really hard (I had to grab hold of this child until the mother came over) I then saw her chasing after someone else's poor dog! I wish some parents would keep a better eye on their children in the park and not alow them to run up to any strange dog they see, then if they get nipped the dog is somehow the problem!

People on this forum can be really mean and I?m not just talking about this thread, telling someone to 'move on' is indeed patronising and unnecessary. NowAndHere: I am sorry this happened to you.

Although he states he wouldn't be working as an artist in his shop, I wonder has he actually got any experience of being an artist as I certainly wouldn't take any advice from someone who doesn't actually do the tattoo! Surely you would just have a receptionist take bookings and then the actual artists dicuss techniques, designs etc...that is how it usually works in every shop I've ever been into. But then I suppose some people who would walk in are none the wiser, in that case I wonder how good the actual artists would be working there?!

Asset Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm of the understanding that people travel to > tattoo parlours on the word of mouth > recommendation for the tattoo artist. You can > open a tattoo parlour where you like but if no one > is interested in the artists you have then you'll > just be doing trade in tiny butterflies on the > shoulder or tramp stamps......Fair enough but > maybe not sufficient to sustain a business. > > PS - my son wants to be a tattoo artist maybe he > can come and do work experience with you when you > open. I totally agree, my boyfriend collects and has lots of fantastic ink on him. He travels to the best artists who have very long waiting lists for good reasons...The Family Business, Into You, Louis Molloy. He is currently on a waiting list and the apt isn't until December! Whenever we are on holiday people always stop him to admire the art of his tattoo's. I obvioulsy don't know who you are so cannot speak for your work but I do wish you luck in your new business :)

tallulah71 - They are fearless, I remember a time when I would drive past one and it would sprint off. Recently I drove past one sunbathing on the pavement and it didn't even batter an eyelid, just scratched it's ear and carried on basking in the sun! So sorry to hear that your dogs got into a fight and hurt, I thought surely a dog moving in would scare the foxes off. We put up netting on top of the fence in our garden where they had been climbing in and that helped aswell but obviously that may not work for you. This piece of text below is from the RSPCA website: How can I deter foxes from using my garden? Foxes are opportunists, searching for and defending areas with suitable food and shelter. The most humane and long-term solution to discourage foxes from your garden is to remove or prevent access to what attracts them to the area. Remove access to any potential food supplies: ? Only provide food for wild birds on fox-proof (roofed) bird tables or in feeders. ? Protect fruit and vegetable crops ? use fencing or a frame of netting; using at least 4cm mesh to reduce the risk of other wildlife getting tangled in the netting. ? Clear away windfall fruit. ? Use securely sealed dustbins and composters. ? Keep pet rabbits etc in secure enclosures, and put a roof on any pet or chicken-run. Enclosures should also have a weld-mesh front secured with a good lock that cannot be worked loose. Also clear up any spilt pet food on the ground. Remove places of shelter ? Cut or clear any areas of long grass or dense vegetation ? dense cover can provide a safe, sheltered location for a fox to lie up undisturbed during the day. ? Keep garage, greenhouse and shed doors closed. ? Prevent access to areas under sheds ? these can provide ideal shelter or a location for digging an earth to raise cubs. Deter foxes from the garden ? Put up fencing or plant prickly plants around the garden. ? Use a proprietary animal repellent approved for use with foxes. Repellent products are widely available from garden centres or hardware stores. Take care to read the label and closely follow the instructions, as each product is prepared and approved for use against certain animals in the specified way. It is illegal to use any substance to deter foxes that has not been approved for such use.

Before we moved into our house there had been a family of foxes who had been living in the garden for the last ten years! The day we moved in, just as I was about to let the dogs out I saw the foxes sitting in the garden...my dogs went mental barking and banging at the glass door. The foxes saw the dogs, ran off and never came back! I obviously didn't let the dogs out because they would have killed the foxes and probably got hurt themselves. They still make a lot of noise in the road though but we just make sure the windows are kept closed and my boyfriend now wears earplugs! The most annoying thing is that they wake the dogs up, who then bark and push back the curtains trying to look out the window but there's nothing I can do about that although it does make them clear off again for at least a few more days. I would take the foxes screaming any day over noisy neighbours or cars speeding down the road with loud music blaring!

Lamb was lovely thanks mockney piers, did everything you said and even got a thumbs up from my mother :)

Thanks mockney piers, I have stuck it in at 190 and will go for about 2hrs. As long as I don't over cook it so it's dry then I'll be happy with that. My mother is coming over for dinner so if I ruin it I will never hear the end of it!

I need some help, I am cooking a leg of lamb for Sunday roast. However my scales are broken and the weight on the label is illegible. I am cooking for four people and want to have it ready for 6pm, any idea how long a standard leg of lamb takes to roast? Any tips would be really appreciated. Many Thanks :)

I know I should Mick Mac but being stuck in the care home 24hrs a day cruising around in my car is the only freedom I have. As long I still have sight in one eye due to cataracts I will continue to do so for some time yet!

People I would never play with the other driver in this way if the road was busy with other cars, cyclists or pedestrians. The same way in which you can tell who is driving erratic because they are rushing to hospital (which having been in this circumstance myself on many ocasions is acceptable as long as you are not putting other drivers at risk) but if they are rushing for a flight, not my problem as they should have left earlier. When I have done this it has been because there is some young bloke in a crappy suped up car with baseline pumping usually chatting away on his mobile whilst swearing at me...well he can just sit back and wait until I turn off into whichever direction I am heading before passing me by. To be honest I am a very laid back and calm person who doesn't get stressed in everyday situations but on the road I don't know what comes over me it's as though I just see red with these type of drivers who have no consideration for other road users. I am courteous and let people out at junctions and always pull over on narrow roads to let people pass and say thankyou but when others don't it just makes me snap. I guess I shouldn't rise to it, maybe that's something I should work on!

expat Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Marie81 wrote > >as I slow down to stop them trying to overtake > me > and > >I am not an unsafe driver > In your opinion and if you drove like that you > would fail the test. expat: I am talking about when I am doing 30mph on a normal road and some idiot comes speeding up behind me doing much more than the speed limit attempting to overtake me, I enjoy winding them up even more by slowing down slightly or if they really p!ss me off I might speed up just as they go to overtake so they have to pull back....but that's only if they really annoy me. Obviously I didn't drive like this in my driving test or would have failed as you point out.

Oh ok :)

expat: I have no intention in reading the highway code, I found it boring studying it the first time so won't be doing it again. I am not an unsafe driver. I never been involved in a accident, not even a minor one in all my years in driving and I know the highway code...ok all except the section on motorways! Perhaps I will google that rule now.

Ivydale Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ma > > screaming at his innocent neighbours for no > reason > > But surely no one screams at their neighbours for > no reason? > Ivydale: I thought he might be crazy!!

Waynetta you are funny! I can't stand the majority of London drivers, everyone is in such a hurry and noone lets you out of a side road or says thankyou when you let them pass. I must say whenever I have had an issue with another driver it's always a man. I love to watch them in my rear view mirror, tempers boiling over as I slow down to stop them trying to overtake me, not on a motorway but on a normal road. I still don't understand what the fuss is about with hogging the middle lane, everyone else does it, surely the slow lane is for under confident drivers doing less than the speed limit but the other two lanes you can use at your leisure not exceeding 70mph. Anyone doing over the speed limit is usually the type driving too close to the car in front putting other drivers in danger.