agathoise

Sherwick Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ah yes, Val's is good. The P Off next to > Sainsbury's is horrible (well the people who work > in there are IMHO) and really does p me right off. I like them, they've been really helpful (well above and beyond the call of duty at the post office bit) over the years. They also often have things on very good price-promotions: Innocent Smothies for ?2, the Lurpack I mentioned above a pound cheaper than Sainsbury's, etc. They have a surprising amount of stock for such a small shop and I find their prices are generally good. It must be gutting for them to watch a steady stream of people walking into the Sainsbury's next door and not even noticing their shop. I'll shop wherever makes sense -- where I get the best value and service and can find the things that I need. In real terms this means lots of day to day items locally, and a "dry goods" supermarket delivery every couple of weeks. I'm glad that the Sainsbury's Local has opened, it carries lines that the other local shops don't.I'm hoping that Val's and the Post Office shop don't suffer too much as a result - I'm definitely spending more money in Val's and the Post Office shop now than I did before because of the Sainsbury's and the new butchers, and having less frequent grocery deliveries, which is great.

This should perhaps be a separate thread called something like "Buy local - it makes sense" but for anyone needing butter today, Spreadable Lurpack in 500g packs is exactly ?1 cheaper at the Post Office shop next to the new Sainsbury's local than it is at the Sainsburys'. Sainsbury's price ?2.79 Post-Office shop price: ?1.79 Hope this helps someone, Agathoise PS. On topic - glad to see Nisha's fruit and veg display back to normal today! She was singing the praises of her "young customer" who rang up the council and sorted things out; she was full of smiles. Someone -- SteveO? -- should take a bow!

St Anthony's will be closed tomorrow (Friday 8th Jan).

St Anthony's is open today (Thursday 7th)

I'm with T-mobile as well -- no problems at all this morning (have been up around Plough/Library end of LL)

Friern Rd - used to get it but haven't had an issue delivered in ages - it's been so long that I assumed it was no longer being published. Perhaps we're no longer in the distribution area??

The staff in Pizza Express in Blackheath Village are very tolerant -- we've been taking babies, toddlers and children there frequently in large groups of mums and children for the past eight years, with no issues (it's better set up for littles than the Dulwich Village one). Actually, the Italian staff tend to coo and fuss over the kids no matter what they get up to: we've always felt welcome. Hope that helps Agathoise

I found the following two links from New Scientist useful when weighing up the pros and cons (as well as addressing various myths). There's a lot of heresay and opinion circulating about swine-flu and the H1N1 vaccine, I wanted my decision to be evidence-based. Hope these help. http://www.newscientist.com/special/swine-flu-myths-that-could-endanger-your-life http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18014-swine-flu-myth-the-vaccine-isnt-safe--it-has-been-rushed-through-tests-and-the-last-time-there-was-a-swine-flu-scare-the-vaccine-hurt-people-why-take-the-risk-to-prevent-mild-flu.html My conclusion was that for us the risks of not vaccinating outweigh the risks of vaccinating, so two of us have had it and the rest will follow as and when we can. I had a very *very* sore arm for almost three weeks (and can still feel where the injection was, four weeks later), although the seasonal 'flu jab I had in the other arm had no reaction at all (both had Thiomersal(C9H9HgNaO2S or sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate) which many people claim is the reason for the often strong reaction to swine flu). OTOH my five year old daughter had no discernible reaction at all. Agathoise

Hi Lorraine There's a lovely ColourStrings class (Kodaly based method from Finland) in Charlton -- there's a toddler's class as well as two for older children. PM me if you'd like me to pass on the teacher's details. All the best Agathoise

I've had consistent delays of 2-3 weeks on a lot of items that don't fit through the letterbox, since the original strike. Two days ago I had a small package delivered -- it was postmarked 13th November! According to the chaps at the sorting office there's a permanent backlog (dating from the first strike) that they've not managed to work through, which is why there are still delays. I've also noticed several Christmas cards part-opened over the past few days. I thought the first couple were a coincidence, but now I'm not sure. Anyone else notice this? Agathoise

Many of you will be aware that the Albany is a pioneering midwifery team working on the NHS in South London. It provides caseload midwifery and wonderful support for homebirth to women in a deprived area. Crucially, women do not have to make a decision about where they give birth until they go into labour. Their homebirth rates have varied from 40% to 60%. The team is under threat. An Article about this from the latest Midwifery Matters magazine, by Margaret Jowitt, is online now at: http://www.radmid.demon.co.uk/123albany.htm You can donate to the Save the Albany fund at: http://www.savethealbany.org.uk/ Facebook group Albany Mums, set up by women who've been cared for by the team BUT you don't have to be one of their clients to join: http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=162887192043

@*Bob*: The car wasn't blocking the road, it was parked across a driveway.

OK -- I wasn't there, but this is what I understand happened: The driver - who had just come off a long shift as a midwife -- was running late to pick up her child and one other to drop them at an after-school activity. It was dark and cold and bucketing with rain and I suppose she didn't really think. She parked across a driveway then ran up to knock the door, waiting until the door was opened (the kids were ready) at which point she heard honking and turned to see her car being turned in the road. I have been told that there was less than 60 seconds in it. The car was not abandoned and she was only a few feet away. She had planned to knock the door then run back to the car. Yes, everyone knows that you don't leave your keys in the car, but as I said in the original post, we all do things at times that we know aren't the smartest. We're not always thinking straight. Perhaps some of you are paragons of good sense *all the time*, but most people I know aren't. Not to mention the fact that doing something less than sensible does not mean that you deserve (or are responsible for) having your car stolen.

Just an FYI: On Tuesday evening around 6pm a car was stolen from outside one of our neighbour's houses (Friern Road) -- the driver had stepped out to knock the door (she was picking up her child) and had left the car running. She was standing in the doorway out of the rain, with her back to the car when a honking horn drew her attention and she saw her car being turned. Whomever had jumped into it hadn't bargained for being boxed in by oncoming cars and had backed into a driveway (the honking was an altrication between the oncoming cars and the person stealing her car). The car's owner and my friend assumed that the person whose driveway she'd parked across was overreacting and was moving her car. The car's owner ran up to the car and knocked on the window saying "I'm here" when the car sped off and she realised that it was being stolen. The police found the car at 3am in Kennington via Charleton (or vice versa -- I'm not clear on this bit, I think a chase was involved). It's easy to say "well I'd never leave my car running and knock a door", but I know that I've stopped at a post-box and left the car running while I've posted a letter many times, which could easily have the same outcome. Purely opportunistic, I'm sure, but one of the local PCs told me years ago that most crime in the area is opportunistic - a door left open and unattended for a few seconds, shopping left on a doorstep while someone gets a child out of a car, etc. Thank goodness there wasn't a child or baby in the car! Agathoise

Fuschia has covered much of what I was going to say -- she's right, breastmilk is far more calorific ounce-for-ounce than any other food you could be giving your baby, and at nine months the bulk of her calories should ideally still come from breastmilk. It is not uncommon for breastfed babies to drop off the weight charts between 6-18 months. More important than the centile position is your daughter's general growth and condition. The WHO no longer considers weight to be an accurate indicator of normal growth, and prefer to use head circumference. The reason for this is that any baby can be pumped full of bad calories and gain fat, but a healthily developing baby will have a head circumference that follows a certain pattern no matter how s/he is fed. The red books have head circumference charts as well as weight charts, and if you're genuinely worried about your daughter you may find that this reassures you (and your HV). Annecdotally - my third child was just under the 50th at birth, then on the 3rd centile at 12 months, and is now on the 90th at three years. This is not uncommon with breastfed children -- many "dip" in the charts, however this doesn't mean that you should be complacent if there's anything to worry you. OTOH if your daughter is as bright as a button, meeting her normal developmental milestones, generally healthy and active, she might just be a normal breastfed baby! As the nursery nurse at our surgery said when my daugher dropped down to the 3rd centile: "well somebody has to be there!" Many mothers find it helpful to keep a food diary for a week -- you may find that your daughter eats much more than you think: a few raisins here, a piece of bread there -- it all adds up. Ideally think of older baby / toddler nutrition over the course of a week rather than over a 24 hour period when trying to judge intake / variety. Cutting down on breastfeeding is very dubious advice and runs contrary to virtually every published guideline on infant nutrition. If in doubt, or if you'd like to explore further please consider phoning the La Leche League 24h helpline -- you'll be connected to a trained accredited breastfeeding counsellor (who is also a mother taking the call in her own home) who will be be happy to answer questions about breastfeeding, weaning, infant and toddler nutrition. The LLL helpline is 0845 120 2918 Hope this helps Agathoise

I found the following two links from New Scientist useful when weighing up the pros and cons (as well as addressing various myths). There's a lot of heresay and opinon about with respect to swine-flu and the H1N1 vaccine, I wanted my decision to be evidence-based. Hope these help. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18014-swine-flu-myth-the-vaccine-isnt-safe--it-has-been-rushed-through-tests-and-the-last-time-there-was-a-swine-flu-scare-the-vaccine-hurt-people-why-take-the-risk-to-prevent-mild-flu.html http://www.newscientist.com/special/swine-flu-myths-that-could-endanger-your-life Agathoise

I've posted before about how much we love "Juggling Joolz" -- she's an all-round children's entertainer with 15 years experience who manages to keep children from teeny-tinies to blase pre-teens spellbound. She does juggling, magic, bubbles, modelling balloons, facepainting, temporary tattoos, parachute games, pass the parcel & traditional games (not all at once, obviously!). She also has puppets and is CRB checked. We've been to several parties that she's done and my kids (9mo, 3, 5 and 7) think she's amazing and want to adopt her! Her contact numbers are 0208 289 5026 and 07963 447178 We have no commercial connection with Joolz -- we just think that she's fab and puts on a brilliant show for 0-10s... Hope this helps Agathoise

>Spoke with the owner of the sub-post office and he said they're going to convert to a pound shop in order to stay in business A real live pound shop - hooray: no more shopping tourism to Eltham (where they have THREE pound/99p shops!) A proper pound shop and a Sainsbury's local would suit me fine. I reckon Badger Bakery would survive: its sister shop is across the road from Somerfield on the main LL shopping strip and seems to do all right. I imagine that the newsagent would be OK as well. Val's stores, on the other hand, might run into problems unless they can find a niche. This would be a shame as they're really nice. I wouldn't mind if the chemist on that strip went under though -- it must be the most unfriendly shop in ED.

@Gubodge -- Actually I'm heading to Eltham, Honor Oak just happens to be on our route -- and, believe me, there's no easy way to get to Eltham on public transport with four children in tow! Always happy to use the bus where it's sensible and practical...

Hi sandy-rose -- if the idea of a home birth appeals, you might find the Homebirth Reference Site useful: the aim is not to convince anyone to have a home birth, the site simply presents the available research, with links to references to allow mothers to make the choice that's right for them. It's written by a former research academic and former NCT National Homebirth Support Co-ordinator (also happens to be my best mate!). She says "What are my qualifications to discuss medical research? Probably the same as yours - that I am a rational individual, and I can read! I am not a health professional, but non-medics should not be afraid to look at research on health matters. Medical staff often will simply not have time to keep up to date with research on a specific subject, so when we read up on the subject as clients or patients, we are not only making sure that our own decisions are informed, but we may also alert our midwives and doctors to new developments in the area. Please note that this site offers only information for you to discuss with your own healthcare providers - it does not offer medical advice. ... Anyone can set up a website - it does not mean that they are qualified to talk on a subject, or that they are telling the truth. For these reasons it is vital that claims are well referenced, so that readers can check for themselves. In fact, I do not want you to take my word for anything - this is why I give sources for all research quoted, so that you can check it for yourself." In addition to the research there are loads of home birth stories - not all babies ended up being born at home & not all stories are good, because these are real stories, not fairy tales. It's a very useful resource for any expectant mother. As a few people have said - if you book a home birth you can always change your mind, even part way through labour; it's much more difficult to have a midwife attend a home birth if you haven't booked for one. For this reason alone, anyone considering a home birth might be better to book one than not... Good luck and best wishes Agathoise (4 home births, 3 in water, one on land, one a BBA ).

The position of the Catholic Church and the CoE are quite different. Because it is the "established church" the C of E is obliged to do weddings, baptisms etc. for anyone living within the parish. They also will often do a "Ceremony of thanksgiving" for lukewarm believers who want a nice "hello baby" type of event. I've been to a few of these and they've been lovely events that were right for the families in question. When a baby is baptised in the Catholic faith the parents and God parents are taking on a responsibility to bring the child up as a Catholic -- this means weekly church attendance, and adherence to Catholic belief. At least one of the God parents has to be a Catholic in good standing. It's not a naming ceremony as is often believed, but a sacrament in which the child is reborn in Christ and becomes a member of the body of the Church. Clearly, if you're not a believer this isn't for you! Asking about Church attendance is a shortcut to finding out if you're actually a practising Catholic: Catholics are obliged to attend Mass at least weekly, and seek absolution and receive Holy Communion at least once a year. It's pretty straightforward - it's a choice, you're either in or you're out. I can't really understand why anyone who isn't a Catholic would want to make promises they won't be able to keep and profess things in which they don't believe. It's also rather disrespectful to want a sacrament in which they have no belief, but I suspect that most non-church-goers asking for Catholic baptisms do not realise this. On the other hand, if you really wish for your child to be baptised as a Catholic then by all means join the parish: you will be welcomed. Many people find that having children makes them think about their faith again, ask themselves some of the big questions, try going back to church and find that it's a good thing for them and their family. St. Thomas More is a friendly and busy parish, filled with young families (and no, they aren't just there for the school -- many are at local non-Catholic state or independent schools, others home educate, etc.). It's a great and varied parish community. Even the daily Mass is busy - from young mums to older couples, there's at least 50+ every morning at 9:30. For those interested - there's tea and coffee after the 9am and 10:30 Sunday Masses which is a good way to meet others. For parents who want a loosely Christian ceremony of thanksgiving, welcome and naming, the C of E Ceremony of Thanksgiving seems to make a lot more sense, won't offend anyone, won't require any changes of belief or lifestyle, and will probably be more to most people's liking if they're not church attenders already. Different strokes for different folks!

Well, if you can't reach the pedals you shouldn't drive the car. 2(b) is referring to someone who is so disabled that they require an assistance dog. As I read it, the law suggests that if you're able bodied enough to own a dog and take it for walks (with the exclusion of assistance dogs provided by charities) you are able bodied enough to scoop your dog's poop. Seems reasonable. You know, it's not as though anyone is asking him to do anything that any other dog owner wouldn't be required to do, or that any sensible and responsible person would do whether required to or not. His reaction is really quite odd if you think about it. You'd assume that he'd want people to say "what lovely dogs" rather than "oh no, it's DPM and his amazing poop-producing pooches" (does he still have two Springers, or is there just the one left now?). Maybe it's like the way some children will misbehave in order to get attention: negative attention being better than none. Maybe I'm thinking about this too much and he's just a grumpy old misanthrope.

@Gubodge I wasn't there (thanks goodness, from the sounds of it!) -- I was dropping off my (some of) my own kids (on foot) elsewhere! I pass Goodrich school in the car once a week at pick-up time on our way to an after-school activity , and it's really tricky to avoid the log-jam as it affects a couple of blocks in every direction. Once we get through the Goodrich chaos we get to enjoy the St. Francesca Cabrini snarl-up as we head over Honor Oak :'( I've noticed that there is a school pick-up rush hour all over SE London. We home educated for years and I used to try to avoid driving during this time (2.45-4:15) (or leave early) as it added loads of time to our journeys. It was always noticeably quicker to get to our groups, classes and activities during half-term and school holidays. This leads me to believe that way more children that one would assume are driven to and from school -- all schools.

I'm clearly not one of the people dog poo man is referring to, as we don't live anywhere near him, although we do frequently walk and drive down Goodrich Road. The traffic cone left outside his house has nothing to do with his driveway: it's for the car he keeps parked outside his house. He only uses the cone to reserve the space in front of his house when he takes that car out. Furthermore blocking the road with his car while he faffs around locking up his house, garage, gates, moves the bins, whatever, is completely unacceptable. I've never seen anyone, of any age -- whether with a driveway or without -- need to do this. On the occasion that we were blocked his car was parked at an *angle* across the road, so that we couldn't pass on either side (there would have been plenty of space). Frankly if that's the best parking he's capable of he shouldn't be allowed to drive -- however I suspect that it has less to do with his driving and more to do with he fact that he didn't give a toss who he kept waiting. We asked him VERY politely to move (just a couple of feet) as we were on our way to hospital, he responded angrily (shouting) and with rude gestures: NOT COOL. I only raise the road blocking incident to illustrate a general lack of concern for anyone else. Like most people, the dog poo is the main issue for us. My husband was told - rather robustly - to mind his own business when he asked DPM to clean up after his dog. Actually, when his dog mess ends up on our kids' shoes, scooter wheels, and buggyboard it *is* our business. What dog mess bins have to do with him not picking up his dog's mess is unclear. Nor does "limited mobility" have any bearing on picking up dog mess: there are MANY inexpensive devices for sale in pet shops to pick up dog mess without bending ("Arms Length poop scoop" is but one example.) There are many responsible dog owners with far more limited mobility who would never dream of leaving their dog mess for others to step in. Dog Poo Man's respnse to computedshorty is exactly what I expected. Outgrown teenage rebel without a cause.

He's officially known as "dog poo man" in our neck of the woods. Has been known to get fairly abusive when politely offered a dog poo bag. Also has endearing habit of leaving his car right in the middle of Goodrich Road after backing out of his drive, while he's locking up his house. Have received a torrent of abuse when I asked him to move it (we were trying to get to King's A&E with a sick kid. Had to back up and take another route). He also guards the parking space outside his house with a traffic cone when he's away. Nice. I reckon he thinks he's Kenickie fron Grease...