Fidgetsmum

Hi

Help!

We've got two kids (7 and 10) and I'm about to start a job three days a week. The kids are at two separate schools and rather than put them in after school clubs etc, I'd really like them to be able to come home and do homework/music/relax etc as they have enough clubs already in the rest of the week

When the kids were younger we were in a brilliant nanny share for 6 years in total but that was 4 days a week. That nanny can't do after school though as she's in a new share.

I've had an au pair before and we considered it but for the hours we actually need, it's too much.

Is it possible to find someone to do this? It's the actual picking up which seems to be the sticking point.

Advice gratefully received!

Brilliant. Thanks so much. Feeling like I might actually make it now!

Wedding to go to on Saturday for my niece and have just found out need something on my head. Have everything BUT that! Anywhere local that has anything like this? Or not so local, but no time to head into town. Hoping ED can come up trumps somehow.

Our lovely lovely au Pair is with us for the summer and I'd love to put her in touch with other local au Pairs (French ideally). Can you help?

Just had au pair start with us and she wants to use her spare time to do some english language study. Please can anyone recommend how they have supported english learning with their au Pairs? Colleges? Tutors? etc etc!

Thanks!

Saw it in Dulwich Park playground, hanging over gate and metal fencing between old bit and newer bit. Still there not long ago but had to leave it. Hope whoever owns it can pick it up.

Brixton much closer. Just rang them. On my way. Thanks!

Urgent - need to amend skirt today for meeting tomorrow (!) Thanks for any advice - google not entirely helpful unless I wanted curtain material for my skirt lining :-(

Thanks puwetter! Awesome! :-)

Recommendations please for reasonably priced well known bakery round here who can do me 5 packs of 6 beautiful Christmassy cupcakes for some teachers at school?

I live ED, we tried JAGS bouncy castle thing, but booked for the date. Not to mention at the very top (aka over) our budget.

Where else could we try? I've heard of somewhere in Beckenham, I think? Just want run around space for the boys really. I'm happy (and would rather) provide food etc. Daughter has been ill so I'm now massively behind organising this for January.

Any knowledge/recommendations gratefully received that I can ring through - I'm worried all will be booked up.

ESPH Physios are excellent. And can liaise with your GP to get you an MRI if problem persists.

So. Thank you for the responses. We spoke to Nick Betteridge. He came to our house to find out about our personal circumstances, question us on our wishes and understand our needs. He was *excellent*. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending him. His advice was invaluable and we just wouldn't have had anything like our understanding now, had we gone the DIY route. He is hugely knowledgeable and helpful, patient for responses when he asked tough questions (there were a few my husband and I just hadn't thought about or discussed!!).

Although our wills are relatively very simple, I wouldn't hesitate to use Nick next time we update our wills, nor would I hesitate to recommend him for more complex arrangements.

Thank you all so much.

Brilliant! Thank you so much!

I've trawled the internet but really want a recommended one as it's for my mother's 70th and I'm now panicking.

Only needs to be dairy fat free (ie eggs are fine, gluten is fine etc) just needs to be without actual butter, buttermilk etc. A teeny tiny bit would be fine (like cocoa powder can have traces and that's ok) just not lumps of butter etc

I really want to use cocoa too ... rather than dairy free chocolate.

Help please!!! Am in a total panic that I volunteered to bake her cake now :-(

Just looked at No Flies website... Can now see the brand and what it means! Clever.

YES! Against all my normal 'it must be long established with lots of pieces of paper to sign' rules about booking things, I went with easycarclub - real people who have real cars who don't use them all the time but rent them out. Seems weird I know, BUT you're fully comp protected, you have to go through a registration process so the owner and renter can be comfortable and basically it's a lot cheaper and I rented a car that I picked up from less than 10 mins away from home! I will NEVER use a 'big car hire company' again. They're on t'internet as easycarclub then a dot and I think then a com.

We're potentially looking to sell - need a recommendation for good professional estate agents that other sellers have been happy with? ED/PR location. We've already contact KFH as we used them to buy this house and they were fantastic.

p.s. I know, all of them will have their detractors!

So glad to hear your cat is ok. We used Simon and Lisa for our dog and cats, and they are simply, the best. They truly care for the animals and have such an affinity with them. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them either.

I have a dining room table which is essentially three or four planks of beautiful wood, bark on the edges and all. Very natural and organic looking. Happy to email a pic to any carpenters out there who think they can help (photo too lge for edf).

The legs are metal (table used to be in a cafe) and essentially, horrible. So I want a creative artistic carpenter who can design, draw and create wooden legs that somehow won't look out of place. I'd also be interested to hear from anyone who has any other ideas. I'll try to get the photo on here! If reasonably priced, I'd want benches to match.

We used Casa (we live on Bellenden Rd) and he's enormously helpful and knowledgable. Get your order in quick though - there was a waiting list when we did it, but that was a few years ago.

And another recommendation. Stevie came to cut my kids hair. She's charming, great with kids and frankly, did the best cuts they've ever had. My daughters hair is very very thick and wavy and she cut a very neat bob and even put some argan oil on it to help manage it and my son's is short and fine and his hair is immaculate now. Thanks Stevie - will always come back to you.

Recommendations - mobile hairdresser or salon based. Have used Little clippers and good for last year or so, but last cut on 4yo son not so hot so wanted to try somewhere else next time to see if better. Have done a search on EDF but no clear winner I can see. I've got 7yo daughter too with VERY thick hair which needs an experienced cutter.

thanks in advance

Oakwood or Brierely - I had mine with Brierely - amazing. But I just rang them directly and kept hounding. I had a tricky first birth (with no special midwife care) so I used this to push hard for their support for number 2. Good luck. Ignore beurocracy rules and just get on the phone and speak to everyone and anyone and don't take the first answer as wrote.