uncleglen

Typical- the Tories get in and the Labour councils withdraw the front line services to make the biggest impact instead of cutting admin staff....typical political football behaviour...shame on them! Happens every time- used to affect schools a lot but now the councils do not have the absolute power (and hooray for that)

I don't know how people can bring themselves to even get a VW after the admission that they used slaves and people from a concentration camp in their factory. I know it was some years ago but even so....

This neatly sums it up...unfortunately the whole country has suffered now that we are not producing properly educated academics in the numbers we need. http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/news-opinion/john-claughton-getting-rid-grammar-6351335 The reason why Bliar and Brown did not 'get rid' of grammar schools is because it was not in their power to do so, and there are so few of them left. Ironically, many pupils these days have to jump through other hoops to get into specialist schools e.e for music, drama, sports etc...grammar schools were centres of primarily academic excellence. Also an interesting article in the Telegraph http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harrymount/100071517/a-public-school-elite-runs-this-country-because-labour-and-tory-governments-destroyed-grammar-schools/

Yep, saw Richard in Nero's, Ian Glenn in Sainsbury's- they don't go far do they...and did I see Kelly Bright (Danny Dyer's wifey in east enders) crossing Lordship lane? And I'm sure i spotted Jason Statham in the village

Baked beans with mince beef- I ALWAYS have that combination....sainsbury's reduced salt and sugar ones are 10x better than heinz etc

Yes DuncanW- Peckham's very own Harriet Harman did just that after her son went to Dulwich Hamlet Junior school- so they get rid of grammar schools and then send their own kid's to one....(probably used a chauffeur driven at our expense too I shouldn't wonder)

6.45 am is quite late for people who are up to no good- unless they are curious about what time people leave in the mornings to go to work and they still have the cover of darkness at this time of year.

I heard the clip-clop of horses' hooves and having not heard them around here for some years I looked out and saw a white funeral carriage and plumed horses followed by about 7 luxury cars. Was it a local dignitary who passed on?

TK Maxx sometimes has some interesting upholstered chairs like that

pumpkin soup pumpkin pie

I hope, Louisa, that was a typo and you don't really intend to make a burger containing more guinea pig than is usual?

I've never had any problems with this collection service.....I always do it online however

Roads To Moscow- Al Stewart

His ideas have spread- I swear I saw a shop on Lordship Lane and the whole window was full of different sized origami birds (although it might have been in Brighton...bit of a wild weekend)?

There's me crossing the road thinking I've got time because it's 20mph and nearly got mowed down because some illiterate was doing 30mph. We are being lulled into a false sense of security ready to be squashed by speeding motorists ...

There was a story soon after the serious recycling started that a woman received a massive gas bill the next quarter because she had been so diligent in washing up the receptacles for the recycling.....

If You Want Me To Stay..Sly and the Family Stone

If you stand under the tree and an apple falls on your head you could probably sue!

In order to get up Sydenham Hill, I gunned my engine......

I saw one being flown over the sea, it looked fairly large and menacing. The South Park episode about drones is funny and alarming

Moving your 11 year old daughter (I should think she is 11 as prep school is 8-13 and she has been there 3 years) should not be a problem especially as you are a teacher. I am a teacher and my kids were lucky to get assisted places at private schools (most of their junior school pals went to private schools at 11 anyway). However,in my state school workplace I had no end of criticism about disloyalty etc and one of my teacher friends outside of school kept on about t as well. So you may be saving yourself a whole world of inverted , right-on lefty snobbery by putting the girl into a state school. Word of warning though..state schools, despite their protestations to the contrary, are absolutely shyte at dealing with bullying....both pupil on pupil, and bullying of management on staff is positively encouraged!

Oh I get it...BB is showing off that he and his wife can afford 4 children, and that he can stay at home....anyway it's her body that will suffer so you should give her the choice. Unless she's thinking about getting a proper job (and therefore takes a massive drop in salary). Depends on the size of your mortgage...

Didn't notice any appreciable difference except it's a different colour. Maybe they should do something about the red block paving at the other end of the road where the blocks around the tree seem to be disappearing!

people should always have an even number of children so that they can go around in pairs or one will get left out and take up with inappropriate people outside the home

4 is fine...by the time you have the 4th, the eldest will be walking, 2 in a double buggy and the baby under your arm to get on and off the bus!