Nero

I have no worries about the parenting at all. It is like a peeved, vexed, defiant bawling. Anyone remember the term 'throw a wobbler' from the 70s and 80s. It's a bit like that, or maybe it is fear-based. It is bursts of screaming, a bit like Violet Elizabeth. Bloody annoying for me, so it probably is more so for the parents! Nero

I sometimes challenge rudeness in a non-aggressive way. Sometimes it is met with lip-curling derision, as if the rude person is actually the victim, but other times I get a 'sorry' or a 'fair enough' kind of expression. It's even worked with a gaggle of girls shouting and swearing on the back of a bus once. I wouldn't try it with a massive gang, though. Sometimes you need to admit defeat even before you try to win! Nero

My neighbours have twin boys who seem to have screamed since they were born about three years ago. It's not crying or sobbing, but real screaming. Is this normal? I see them out in their pram and they look placid, but in the house they bawl and bawl and bawl, night and day. I have no idea whether this is to be expected, not being a parent, but it does bother me a bit. Nero

Update. I got a wormery from Wormcity.co.uk It's like the WigglyWigglers one, but is square and not round, and is made in Europe of recycled plastic rather than in Australia. It's easy to set up, costs about ?50 and arrived wihtin two days of ordering. Right now, the worms are eating the coir provided and the shredded, damp newspaper I put it, as well as some worm food that came with it. In about two weeks I can start feeding them with leftovers, so I'll update, because that is what EDF needs - a wormery-based blog, right? Nero

The only way is up - Yazz and the Plastic Population

Adys' Night - Kool and the Gang

And I found out that my nana's grandfather was from Cornwall, by the name of Snell, which gave me the idea of learning Cornish. Hmmm. Nero

Oh, yes, very warm. The gloves were especially good. Nero

I wanted to be a radio journalist, preferably for the Beeb, preferably for the World Service, preferably using my E Asia knowledge. It all came true, which is very good, but now I'm treading water. In my wildest dreams, I'd've been a John Simpson type, but I am not that brave and not that self-assured. Nero

It's not the crime element that bothers me personally, but the overcrowding and the lack of civilities and poor services. I don't fear being attacked personally, but it concerns me that others, usually those less well off and with fewer opportunities, are likely to be victims of crime. I agree that the provinces are more threatening, Mockney, but they are generally also slower paced and 'simpler'. As for moving abroad, well, I'm not even thinking of it, but I'd like here to be more pleasant and strive to make it so. Nero

I really can understand why people want to leave the UK. They are sick of cack services, pressures of life and the expense. When you are pissed off with waiting for a train that never comes, with dirty buses and recalcitrant service providers, yhou don't stop to think about the good things about the country, those things that look good when written about in travel guides, like the arts, access to glorious countryside, a vibrant economy etc. It's the little things that are the most annoying, and there is such a lot of them. That's why I report graffiti and pick up litter in my street and offer advice and views on this fourm, like so many of you lot. Nero

Used ED Station for the first time in a while y'day and was displeased with the litter. I know they clean it up now and again, but they (they being the train co) are happy to let it gather. So, come 9am, I'm going to ring them up and ask them to clean it up more regularly, pointing out our forum to them and letting them know I'll be writing a covering letter to their chief executive, Tessa Jowell and the leader of Southwark Council. I believe that distressed surroundings can sometimes lead to crime, and can often lead to a sense of unease at the very least amongst the local populace. Nero

Thanks for all the advice on the cold weather gear. In the end, I used massive snow boots, which just needed one pair of socks, silk underwear, two layers on top of that, a heavy North Face kind of jacket (not sure the technical term, but it was warm), beany hat + wooly hat, balaclava and locally bought muffler thing that you roll down and put over your head up to your nose. It was about -15 or lower in the day and about -24C at night. The wind was the worse thing. We hired the cold weather gear from work and bought the hats and underwear. Nero

SteveT, There is much, much more to the BBC than BBC1 and 2. Online, all the radio channels, educational efforts, community projects are all from the 'TV' licence. (Perhaps it should change its name.) Nero

If you want a similar taste to coffee with less caffeine, why not try Luker chocolate. It is 100% cocoa and only one square is satisfying. There's no sugar in it, and you are meant to mix it with milk but I just like to nibble on it now and then to stop me from eating sugary chocolate. I know it has caffeine in it, but much less than your espresso and the like. By the way, does anyone have a Nespresso? My partner really likes espresso and they seem like the way to go. (Hate the idea of those little sachets, though.) Nero

All good advice from Shu. There is a great tea bar in Spitalfields, selling Japanese, Chinese and Korean tea. They advise, you choose, they brew and you can keep a pot of leaves going for about three brews. Teasmith Nero

Kids in parks - good. Kids in cafes in parks - goodish. Kids in pubs - bad. Pubs are places for adults, not for kiddies, nor for family outings. Restaurants, parks, the countryside, art galleries, theatres, cinemas, shopping arcades, fast food outlets, other folks' houses, and gardens are the places for families to go out and gel. Parents - if you support the idea of pubs for kids, wait till your little ones have flown the nest and you want a nice, adult time together. Bet you, if the things continue the way they are, you might find the pub as we know it no longer in existence, with a hybrid cafe-cum-creche-cum-bar in its place. Nero

In the USA they automatically pass to the right. Americans can't believe it when they come over here and discover we have no system. But then Americans stand on the right on escalators, much to the bemusement of Brits who go over there. Nero

I think that's the problem with Bookcrossing in the UK. We're jsut too frightened to do anything like that lest someone think you are odd. I used to leave books across London, but have rarely had them picked up. It's a shame. I've left a book on the round bench in Dulwich Village but it was never recorded on my Bookcrossing site as having been picked up. Nero

I am not at all impressed by people who turn down OBEs etc publicly. It's called having your cake and eating it, allowing everyone to know that you have been awarded this gong while at the same time decrying the system. That, in my book, is a just different form of ostentation. Nero

I once dreamt I was being smothered with a pillow by Kim Jong-il, which wasn't very nice. Nero

Drinking to excess Boutique hotels Happiness Sex Organic food Glossy magazines Youth Waitrose Property prices Nero

If you want more bang for your buck, good schools and a little bit more of a quieter vibe, try looking at the areas around Goodrich and Heber Schools. Both are well-liked, and a search on this forum will tell you more about them. I live opposite Goodrich (and as such have an inbuilt bonus on my house price) and can't complain at all about teachers and kids, though some parents still park on the zigzags despite all efforts to stop them doing so! Friern, Dunstan's and Goodrich Rds are good bets for 3 bedroom houses and bigger. Nero

Agreed. But talking about kids in pubs and caffs is so 2007! Nero

Mine are to eat much less non-free range/organic meat, especially chicken chicken; join the gym in LL; learn to swim much better than I do now; read more books; read no tat, eg. Mirror, Sun, Mail, glossy mags; show my love for people more; get a pushbike. Quite a few, and some are easier than others. Your turn, now. Nero