oimissus

god, I'm way north of that (close to Peckham Road), I thought it was coming from Burgess Park and was a festival or something. Hideous racket.

today was bliss! Car not like an oven, a breeze wafting through the house and for the first time in ages I can actual see a number on Miss Oi's room temperature chart. We did loads today!

there's one that comes down our road, though as it seems to come more in winter than summer, and in the evening, my guess is it's not selling ice-creams...

I was at the Horniman yesterday and it was nice and breezy and shady in the gardens. Ground floor of the museum a little stuffy but downstairs very cool, especially the music room and aquarium. or, drive down to Eynsford - there's a ruined castle (free), a ford to paddle in (next to a rather overly done up pub), and the roman villa just down the road at Lullingstone.

it's along walk for me to get there, Fuschia, and at that time of day . . . ?! Just looking at the forecast and in general it seems that the temperature (if not the strength of the sun) is at it's highest between 2 and 5 pm, so at least I'm not dreaming that it's still baking at 4!

well, our single trip out today was to Saisbo's, which was very pleasant indeed. Personally, I still felt it was far to hot to be outside at 4, when we went there, and again at 6 when I went out to meet friends! I thought of Ruskin but couldn't remember if the paddling pool is shaded, or what times of day it is - I know the playground has no shade to speak of. And the 20 minute walk there - ugh! I just feel (don't know where from) this overwhelming pressure that we should Be Out Of Doors, Doing Something as the Weather Is Nice. When all I want to be is Indoors, Doing Nothing. I'm channeling Lucy Mangan, aren't I?

the lack of breeze is the killer! I'm finding it still too hot at 3, to be honest, though at least the shadows are getting longer. I've got to head to Sainsbo's at some point, dreading the drive in my non-airconned car! I'm sure my tolerance to the heat has lessened as I've got older!

I'm a bit confused - long term, are you getting the hours that you want to do? If that's the case, I would suck it up in the short term - oh, and get your partner to step up - once you're not on ML childcare should be shared between the both of you - he can take some days off, can he not? It's a pretty crap thing to hear, that's for sure, but if you like the job, your colleagues etc I would stick it out.

I feel a bit bad about it, but I really struggle in the heat and can feel a bit faint if I'm out in it for too long (and I burn to a crisp in minutes). I was thinking about taking Miss Oi to the Horniman this afternoon but then thought, should she be out in the park?? Am I being a bit selfish? She'll be in and out of our garden, not that there's much to do in it, and have a good go in the paddling pool at some point. I was thinking - the colder it is the more we're out!

I think the whole thing is guidelines, not law, so really nurseries and pre-schools can add whatever fees they like. Also, you're not using up the whole 15 hours, that might have something to do with it - because they can't offer your leftover hours to someone else and you're taking up the place of a child who would do 15 hours? I'm guessing here, but I know a lot of pre-schools insist on the full 15 hours being used, and at very specific times (every morning or every afternoon in term-time). So perhaps you're paying for the more flexible hours they offer? Miss Oi's nursery charges extra because it's open 50 weeks a year. The grant is taken off what the full fees would be and you pay the difference. I'm pretty certain they do it accurately and aren't fleecing us!

Burger King

I would accept Fairlawn, which is meant to be very good, and put the money aside in case you want to go private for secondary. Hard though, Sydenham girls is meant to be lovely! I guess it depends how much of a stretch it would be, can you afford it when the fees go up (which they will), all the extras. I read somewhere that a rule of thumb should be to have a year's fees sitting in the bank, just in case.

I was at a 5th birthday party for a friend's daughter and lots of little girls from her private primary school were there. There was an animal handler there, and she started on hedgehogs. 'What shape does a hedgehog go into if it's scared?' she asks. Up go the hands, and one little girl says confidently 'a sphere'. 'That's private education for you' says one mum rather drily. The animal handler did said she'd never had someone give that as the answer before!

don't think it's your son who needs summer camp to help him through this 'phase'.

thread title's a bit inflammatory, isn't it? Firstly - did the garden in question belong to the school - your post is not clear on this? Secondly - why on earth hasn't this been taken up with the school? Why did the child not tell an adult (because she was playing aomewhere she shouldn't, is my guess - her care for animals doesn't stand up to getting into trouble herself, perhaps?) Why haven't her parents? Maybe they have but you've decided to post anyway, for some reason unclear. I think you should get this thread removed.

and soooo annoying!

Ruskin is on

I think it's a bit strong at immediately say 'something is wrong'. I would think that playing lego and puzzles for hours was pretty impressive for this age, Miss Oi would never have done such a thing (if only!)! Maybe he's just gone off them? Are you out and about a lot, park, playgroups, swimming etc? Is he is any childcare at all - at this age he may want to start playing with his peers - maybe see if you can get him in for some sessions at nursery or pre-school (his free 15 hours should have kicked in). Miss Oi definitely became more interested in playing with (rather than alongside) other children once she turned 3. He may also be exerting his own will, and so won't automatically go along with what you have planned, which again I think is normal for this age - I can't get Miss Oi to go to the things (like Tippee Toes) she went to before, and she can be very insistent about what she wants to wear, for example, whereas before she would happily wear what I want her to (which means we often get tights and a woolly hat on a sunny day, which makes me sigh a bit). He's changing, his world is changing and his approach to it is changing, which can be a bit startling for parents but not necessarily something to be too concerned about.

Miss Oi (3 and a half) dropped her nap around a year ago, maybe a bit more. If she naps now (which would be in the car these days) it will put bedtime back by at least an hour (even if it's only for 20 mins). We have had to ask her nursery to stop putting her down for a nap. We have gone through phases of reluctance to go to bed, none lasting 6 months though, poor you! Tonight was a struggle, because she had fallen asleep a couple of times in our ludicrously hot (no a/c aaarrggghhh!) car, and she insisted on wearing her winter pyjamas so obviously she was boiling. Eventually she asked to wear her summer ones and is now asleep, thank God. Generally we have a later rather than earlier bedtime (8.30 is usual) but she doesn't wake much before 7.30 so I think at her age that's fine.

I think this is the thread you were after? http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1101578,1102950#msg-1102950

I'm bit confused about the figures on that chart - I understand the furthest distance bit, but what does the figure in the column marked 'distance' mean? Also, when will we know which schools will bulge next year - 2 of the schools we'd have high up our list for next year have bulged this year which presumably makes their furthest distance figure a bit meaningless for next year?

Isn't this just another cost of having children? I mean, surely people are aware that when they choose to have children, that come schooldays, holidays (if taken at all) will have to be taken in the school holidays and therefore at a more expensive time. It's not a big surprise, is it? And I don't quite see where it is 'right' to have a holiday away - we haven't for a couple of years - can't afford it. Them's the breaks. Miss Oi has never met her Australian cousins and probably won't for quite some time unless some kind GP forks out for the fares - again, them's the breaks. And a lot of holidays are not educational - my Bil's sister takes her kids out for 2 weeks every year to go to Spain, and has done for years - can they speak Spanish, or know much about Spanish culture? No. Typical Brits abroad, eating and speaking English, they may as well (apart from the weather) be in Bognor. No education going on there!

the knickers won't become redundant if you buy normal pants a size up, they will grow into them - as I said, Miss Oi is still wearing the ones she had to go over a nappy. If she's 2, get aged 3-4 and in a few months time she'll be wearing them.

I do find it annoying that people think that the middle of a blazing hot day, when others have their windows open, washing out, are generally in their gardens - is the ideal time for a bonfire. My dad wouldn't have a bonfire except in the autumn on a fairly manky but-not-actually-raining evening. He would not budge on this, and damn right too. Bonfire smoke is really pervasive, too - BBQs are pongier but bonfire smoke seems to travel further. I don't object to BBQs so much as obviously they are a fair weather activity, but I do mind when they are very close to the house - have them at the end of the garden! And tell your neighbours so they can close their windows and bring in the washing!!

couldn't agree more Chillaxed! Pleased to say that Mr Oi took our 3.5 year old out in the pram yesterday, she was poorly so not up for a long walk but they wanted to get out. Hope that's OK with everyone? No? Tough. What is this 'parental convenience' anyway?