SLad

Yes gosh, traffic chaos, what a nightmare. Much more important to keep the traffic moving than preserve a crime scene and carry out a proper investigation. Give me strength.

Should also have said that all we charge is the 6 week's deposit and first month's rent. We do the credit checks reference checks (believing that Experian style credit checks are a bit of a waste of time), contracts, inventory etc ourselves so no associated fees. If your daughter is not absolutely wedded to the flat then UPAD is a good way to find property which is being rented out privately so as to avoid all the estate agent chicanery.

1 month's rent and deposit is normal and will have to be paid. Fees for performing reference checks and contracts are also normal things to be charged but the rates seem incredibly high. The ?200 secure fee, intro and admin fee seem extraordinary and extortionate. Remember, all of things are negotiable particularly as the contracts are standard form contracts with simple data entry required by the estate agent. Depending on how desperate your daughter is to move in, I would take a hard line in negotiations and say that you're unwilling to pay such excessive amounts and offer whatever amount you feel comfortable paying for the reference checks and contracts. Estate agents are just massive schiesters and trying to get as much return on a single transaction as possible. Also, if any of these charges are coming from the landlord direct (which I doubt) then you'd need to question whether you want your daughter to be thrall to someone like that as they will be interested only in profiteering potentially at the expense of performing their obligations as a landlord.

there's also a free fireworks display being put on at the Railway Tavern in Tulse Hill if, like me, you object to having to pay to get into a park.

Hey OP, Don't be an idiot. In plenty of houses round this way it will be " wifey" paying for it either solely or as equal partner. Way to undermine your central point though. The master of reverse spin.

Pudding wise - possets are super easy, especially as you can make them in advance and put them in ramekins to set overnight. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1099644/lemon-posset I cheat and buy the biscuits but no one ever seems to mind.

Hi there, We just used Terry McGinley from McHow Maintenance - 07590 208231 - for a number of electrical jobs including fitting a porch security light and path light for our front garden, rewiring our basement, fitting two chandeliers and reinstating a dimmer. He gave us a reasonable quote, turned up when he said he would and did a fine job of both, even giving us good ideas about how best to configure the set up to ensure our visitors are as safe as possible coming down our long front garden. I would highly recommend him for his professional approach and great customer service. Sadie

Ah bless her AND you! Well done to you both for making it through a taxing time. I, for one, would love a bright pink hard cast. Just seems such a shame you don't get the old white one for everyone to write on anymore...

Realised that list might feel a bit overwhelming so sorry about that - I only noticed your bit about there being so much on after I'd posted!

Hi! Great area to move to with a little one. There are absolutely loads of things to try out there. A lot of them are listed on the edtots website. You might like to try a mixture of drop in and termly classes. We love Boppintots which has classes in W Norwood, H Hill and Dulwich. Also Monkey Music, Bea's baby bop, Sing and Sign (for when he's a little older). Plus there's the new soft play cafes in E Dulwich and Herne Hill. There's power pramming on the Rye and in Dulwich Park and lots of mum and baby yoga (Brockwell Park Lido and lots of other places) if you fancy being a bit more active. Rhymetime in the local libraries is great and you've got the hydrotherapy pool at Peckham Pulse close at hand too. I haven't heard about the baby sensory classes but i'm sure someone will reply soon to tell you all about them. Good luck.

Halifax have a good ongoing deal where if you open an isa with them (minimal investment required) they will give your child a high interest rate on their child ISA. It was 6% when we opened her account though I think it recently dropped to 5 something.

Roasted veg is beyond easy especially if you buy the presliced bags from sainsburys.

Thanks for the advice. I was looking at rings but will look at the noodles.

Hi all, So, might be a stupid question but why do we use swim arm bands and are they necessary as a step to swimming? I do remember having them when I was little and I got my 1500m certificate when I was 5 so they can't have done any harm but I can't work out if they actually slow down swimming progress, particularly if your child is comfortable in the water. Any views, anecdotal or learned, would be very much appreciated. Thanks

I have the implant which is ace: no periods at all and nothing to forget to take. Good luck with whatever you decide.

there's a balloon shop on Norwood High Street, just down from the old library at the bottom of the church. Also one in Streatham.

also for a treat night Ollys at HH do a gluten free night with some of their yummy fish.

O my goodness, I feel your pain. We had months of worry which didn't even fully resolve until about 2 weeks after I returned to work full time when our daughter was 6 months old. Mostly because I was intent on not letting formula pass her lips until she'd been exclusively breastfed for 6 months. If I had my time again I would probably be a bit less rigid on that as it made for an uncomfortable transition from boob to bottle in a way others who introduced formula earlier didn't seem to experience. In the end we went for Dr Brown bottles with Aptamil at a temperature which was far hotter than i was comfortable giving her as our daughter refused everything else (including, contrarily, breastmilk and anything at the tepid temperature recommended by one and all). She absolutely loathed Hipp Organic much to my chagrin as I wanted to keep it all organic. You do just need to have a bit of a hunt round and try lots of different options, particularly around temperature if you have enough expressed milk to do it. I 100% agree with the other posters that you're on a hiding to nothing trying to give your little one a bottle whilst there are juicy boobies so close at hand. And that you need to use as many tricks in your armoury to make it not the poor sister to breastfeeding e.g. do it in a totally different context, have others give the bottle, make it a bit of a game. Most of all, it really helps if you and anyone who is helping to give the bottles can try to be as totally relaxed about the process as possible and not invest in the outcome too much. We certainly found, even in those early weeks, that when our daughter was hungry enough she would drink from the bottle. No one wants their child to end up in that situation but I promise you she will be no worse off for the process and you will probably be a lot more sane for having a night away. Good luck and all the best, S

Also try a bit of facial massage with gentle strokes down either side of the bridge of the nose....hopefully she'll get so relaxed that you can start to work the mucus out and then catch it from the end of the nose. Took a few goes with my daughter but now she realises that it relieves her and loves it. Then it works especially well in a hot bath. Also, you can just suck the mucus out of her nose without needing one of those bonkers sucker things. I know it sounds gross but if it helps it's worth it and then you just spit it out.

Pennines or peak district, say Sheffield to Hathersage is beautiful or the area around Castleton. Closer, anywhere on the South Downs Road, particularly around Devils Duke. Access the materials for Trailwalker and do any bit of that. Better still enter trailwalker and do lots of lovely long walks in training.

Could try making a fun afternoon out of putting together shoeboxes of toys to go abroad for other children who need them more to play with. My mum used to do that with me and it was really good at bedding in that idea of others who were less well off than us and learning about the world (looking at where they would go). Think we started that when I was about primary school age.

Maybe because people who can't afford massive houses would like to live somewhere nice like Dulwich Village like all those other awful flat dwellers on Dekker Road and the like. Ruffians and upstarts, I know.

We got out lovely nanny from this very site. Interviewed around 6 people from the site and had two people we would happily have had look after our then 3month old. Our nanny shone out though as she was the only person we interviewed who couldn't take her eyes off our daughter (in a nice way) and was desperate for a cuddle before she left. Needless to say, a year on they are both smitten with each other. Good luck with your nanny search: I hope you are as lucky as we feel we've been with our EDF find.

StraferJack Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > fazer someone has hacked your account - clearly > the person complaining about nimbys and teh market > deciding isn't the same person baging on daily > about flight paths Brilliant.

There's also lots of rhymetimes at local libraries (e dul and the one opposite the library) which are free and usually v well attended . If you go along to the free classes it is often the case that you have to crack a smile to a total stranger but conversation does usually flow from there. Good luck and you'll be fab.