kristymac1

Quote: david_carnell Except that in the real world this isn't really feasible. I know what you're saying (at least I hope I do otherwise this'll sound awfully patronising) and it would be lovely if we had a selection of "specialist" schools that had expertise in perhaps sciences, arts, technology or sport. Sometimes, by the age of 11, it is clear what a child does well in (although not always) and a school could focus on these. I may not have expressed myself as clearly as intended (but didn't feel patronised either!), I wasn't particularly thinking of specialisms in terms of subject area, in fact I'm not entirely convinced about the subject academies. The national curriculum dictates that certain subjects are manadatory which I think is quite right (although I do have issue with the number of changes to the structure of the curriculum in recent years), I think 11 is too young for children to be put into a specialist box, it's a crucial development age and more often than not a childs interest and attainment in a particular subject at that age bares no revelence to their career/interest pursuit as a young adult (hence my dislike for the segregation of kids at 11 through the 11 plus). For that reason I want all subjects to be taught with the same skill, enthusiasm and rigour as the next. I do feel however that there are different teaching styles which suit different children, I totally agree that this is perhaps not feasible across the board, but most of the other posts refer to an ideal situation and I would be as happy as larry to have the ideal educational situation for this and every other generation of kids thereafter.

My Mam also had the 'death stare', which apparently I too have inherited. Problem is I've noticed glimpses of said stare in my 19 month old - she's a bugger for mimicking....... To add, it worked every time - no threat of violence, just silent warning. Respect.

Whether its SE22 or SE23 (or anywhere in London for that matter) I hardly think there's anything precious about not wanting regular aggressive behaviour outside your front door. I take it you live next door to FHT Ruthb?

you don't get much more residential than Allendale...... Late night noise is a beast for anyone affected by it, not to mention people feeling unsafe in the proximity of their own homes. The FHT seems to have two very different faces, I'm unaware of the late night ulgy face (not living in the neighbouring streets) but have every sympathy for those living close by, on the weekend during the day the place is fine (especially the garden when weather permits) and the staff are perfectly nice. However, it sounds like its time for the landords to decide which entertainmant avenue they wish to pursue - it would be a shame to lose a decent place during the day/early evening for the sake of pursuing the club nights.

I started a thread some months back about the disappointing food at the Plough. HOWEVER, the staff there are excellent, always friendly (even when being dealing with unhappy lunch customers), and pretty knowledgeable about the beer/wine they serve, which is why this pub is my absolute first choice in ED. I can forgive the kitchen if the bar service stays top notch!

'I think faith schools just encourage people in different religions to separate themselves from the rest of society and that can't be a good thing. I can't claim my school actually preached intolerance against other faiths, and they did teach us about other faiths and not in a prejudicial way, but it's no the same as mixing with others.' Indiepanda - perhaps you went to a school with a similar ethos to mine - I have to say I was brought up in a small town in Northumberland where there was no 'choice' of schools (state anyway), I went to the primary school next to my house, the middle school a little further away and then the High School next door to the middle school. All of my schools were CofE, but spent an inordinate amount of time teaching us about other religions and cultures (mainly from a historical context). We had religious assembly, prayers before lunch etc, but there was no religious dominace in any of the subject teachings. Personally I have no objection to schools who abide by a particular religion (based on my own personal experience - I'm not religious by the way). Nor do I object to the concept of 'choice'. There are many reasons why I would want my daughter to go to one school over another, and I'm not talking SAT results, I believe in providing the highest teaching standards for all children, irrespective of postcode or economic standing. But it is possible for different schools to provide different teaching expertise, more appropriate to some children. What we need is access to the range of choices in each area.

Hi I had quite a major sinus operation a few years back, they widened the cavities above and below on both sides. I stayed in hospital overnight (although think this was only because I had the general anaesthetic), it was bit sore afterwards but nothing major, no bruising just a bloody nose for a couple of days - had to sleep upright for a couple of nights. The wadding up the nose was probably the worst - but even that wasn't too bad. Operations are scary, but honestly you'll be fine and the difference it'll make to you on a daily basis will be huge - I suffered horrible sinus pain for ages before having it done - nothing since! Good luck and speedy recovery x

Ooh this is a tricky one and I'm likely to contradict myself throughout the post - apologies in advance..... My immediate repsonse would be to say that any form of segregation is wrong, but I think probably I mean in the case of race and gender - when my little one goes to school I want her to be in a school which reflects the racial and cultural diversity of London - otherwise why live here if we don't want to embrace the immediate Society in which we live. I have a personal dislike of single sex schools, and I'm aware of all the statistical research concluding better for boys, not so good for girls etc (interestingly the opposite findings of another post) but I went to both and hated the girls school environment and values (although made great friends and enjoyed school despite the values), my hubbie went to a public boys school and whilst his friends from there are good people, most of them have only just learned how to respond to me (we've been together 15 years!). I'm less concerned about Faith schools, it would be difficult to expect all schools across the country to deliver the levels of religious teaching desired by some parents and so I can see a place for specific faith teaching in some schools. Personally I want my kids to go to a school which teaches tolerance of all faiths, not necessarily faith teachings. At the moment though, I'd settle for a good choice of good schools which meet the needs of all kids - not asking too much am I?....

People who push forward against a shed load of people waiting to get through the tube barriers when there is obviously no-where to go. Am thinking of London Bridge this morning around 8.30, barriers to JL were limited due to broken escalstor and some rude person behind me digging me in the back constantly trying to get forward even though it was pretty obvious the other 500 people in front weren't moving. Seriously where are you going to go? Ever-so important people who push in at the front of the ticket barriers - obviously the world will come to an end if they don't get to work before all the other people queuing to get through. People who launch themselves on to the tube before you have a chance to get off. Maybe I should find another way to get to work.......

I really hope not, it's a lovely little oasis, many times I've headed over there to escape the hustle and bustle of SE22/SE15 and they run great educational programmes for local schools and nurseries. As with most things run on a voluntary basis, if we want it to continue we may have to step up our own voluntary service - just depends how much we want it i guess....... Thanks for the heads-up anyway, I will wander down this week and ask for some more details. x

Administrator, why was my post considered offensive? I simply relayed my own personal experience - I certainly wasn't rude or unpleasant towards any other forum user. I would have thought another forum user hurling childish names such as 'nob-jockey' is far more offensive. I'm pretty cheesed off.

AFN did you really call me a nob-jockey? Are you old enough to have unsupervised access to your computer?

Post removed for being offensive - The Administrator

But he's not a nice enough fella, he's rude, obnoxious and more than a little unpleasant. If he only wants big single sales then he should put a notice in the window to that effect: '?50 minimum spend. Anyone looking for a mere bobbin, bugger off elsewhere' . At least then I'd know..........

The mind shop takes in everything, but they don't necessarily sell everything in their shop. Much of the stuff donated is sorted through and then collected by a van - to be resold/recycled elsewhere, often because 'elsewhere' is more appropriate for the stuff donated - like electrical goods and baby equipment, both of which have to be safety checked (which is why a lot of smaller charity shops don't take these items) before being resold/reused. Saying that, I'd find it odd if they didn't sell baby clothes (given the SE22 market), perhaps they do but they just don't stay on the hanger long enough to notice..... I find the people at the Mind shop really helpful and so take all of our unwanted (but still usable) stuff down there.

Errmm, I think Mattham was saying something similar (only not quite as aggresive/rude...) as you Kels. He/she was pointing out that to square the blame with 'ED newcomers' was a bit daft....... I'm sorry to see the bookshop go, although they didn't have a fantastic range, I never left empty handed and the staff were always really helpful. x

The CPT will always do it for me - hubbie proposed to me on New Years Day 6 years ago just outside after a great night (one of many) inside with our friends - don't get much chance to frequent it these days due to young offspring, but definitely will always have a special place in my heart. Also, don't know why but the bend on Crawthew road, as it meets Frogley - I really like it, don't know why. Lastly, the view of Canary Wharf from our bedroom. I love East Dulwich. x

Christ, what century are we living in? Louisa, I'm afraid in typical fashion you are talking antagonistic nonsense. You criticise today's society for being a culture of ifs and buts and yet you pose the question in two of your posts 'If this person is guilty' - and there-in lies the problem with Somerfield staff taking it upon themselves to punish the 'offender'. Last time I checked we had a reasonably decent judicial system to deal out punishments after a person is found guilty - admittedly it doesn't always work and I would be in total favour of harsher punishments for all sorts of crimes (including shoplifting). Comparing shoplifting to defending yourself or others against violence is utter sh*t - there is no comparison. I hope all guilty persons in this incident are dealt with appropriately by the correct systems in place.

Just joined the group! Had a call from HSBC this morning to say there had been attempted fraud on my card in India - thankfully bank refused the transaction and cancelled my card before any damage could be done - really have no idea where it would have happened, I use my card all over ED, most supermarkets and cashpoints - haven't used the petrol station for ages though..... x

I know it's pathetic and upsetting, but you really do have to remember that these people are idiots and unfortunately they're not likely to grow a brain or any social skills anytime soon - certainly not an excuse, and personally I don't care whether people think its racist or not, its unwanted abuse (lets not kid ourselves that the tw*t was being anything but abusive). I'd like to say people like that don't warrant any response, but then I'm not on the receiving end of cr*p like that..... x

Many thanks for the info PGC, will check out the bits and bobs....

The bloke is a total tool. Have had to use the shop a number of times (do tell me more about the place in Peckham Rye...) and every time he's been rude, obnoxious and more than a bit slimey. I wonder whether there's any coincidence that the (very) few people who have had positive experiences have had pricey made-to-measure jobs done. Perhaps my requirement for press studs and invisible thread are just not enough to warrant even a modicum of customer service. Just a thought. x

Rueben at the Plough pub on Lordship Lane used to organise a Dads and babies group - worth wandering up there to speak to him - it's a lovely family friendly pub anyway so worth it just for an afternoon anyway. There are loads of baby/toddler groups around ED, I'm not familiar with the Dad only ones (being a Mum), but the groups we go to are certainly not Mum only. There's music classes, storytelling, playgroups (at church halls and local pubs), loads of stuff - if you want more details let me know.

Thanks Spangles30 I do have some knowledge of village life having been brought up in one in Northumberland, how about you?. However I am also well aware what people mean when they describe something as 'village-like' in innercity areas - as do you I'm sure. It's all relative after-all, compared to the Old Kent Road, Bellenden does err on the side of 'village'. It has a charm and a relaxed nature relative to it's surrounding areas, but please forgive my twee chitter chatter........

I'd hardly consider CF's endorsement of the Bellenden area 'twee chitter chatter', after all CF does live there and surely his/her opinion is very relevant to this thread. Let's be honest in most (if not all) areas of London you can go from the sublime to the cor-blimey by simply turning a corner and so whilst it's definitely not good to have experienced the drug deals/taking in such close proximity to where you want to live, this type of behaviour doesn't necessarily define the area as a whole. I haven't had a great deal of experience of the Bellenden area in the evening, but during the day I find it very pleasant and totally non-threatening. Best of luck Chantelle, where-ever you reside..... x