JS33

There's also a trampolining class at JAGS on Saturdays (drop-in, but helpful to call ahead and reserve a spot in the week, because it books up). And I understand one of the coaches from one of the other children's football programs is starting a new class at St. Saviour's Church in Brockley on Saturday mornings. We would go if we could get there easily without a car, but unfortunately can't.

Hello, hope things have miraculously turned around, but just wanted to offer sympathy if not. My daughter (now 3) went through quite a similar stage around that age. My discovery -- which unfortunately may be another way for you to waste more time making food destined to be hurled to the ground -- is that almost anything can be made into a pancake, and thus turned into finger food. Some pureed veg, sometimes mixed with some sort of cooked meat, also ground up, some egg, flour and baking powder (sorry, no proportions because I winged it every time), dropped about a tablespoon at a time onto an oiled pan. She ate nothing but these and yogurt for several weeks, then went back to eating normal food. And I also agree that it might have something to do with teething. If you aren't against Calpol/Nurofen, you might try giving her a small amount about a half hour before meals to see if that does any good. Best of luck!

Does anyone know if the football club the OP mentioned is still running? I called Dulwich Leisure Centre and they said it was only a temporary thing running during half term, but what the OP mentioned sounded like a more regular thing.

I was there yesterday and noticed that there was a signing warning of upcoming closures, which don't appear to be posted on their website. If my memory is correct, they'll be closed on Nov. 2, and then for two weeks or so the second half of Nov., re-opening in early Dec. If someone happens to know the exact dates, it would be great if you could augment this post with more accurate information!

I had severe wrist pain after giving birth, as did several of my friends. Apparently, something called De Quervain syndrome is common among new mothers. (I also had some other tendon issues, including a bad problem with one thumb.) I found that wearing a brace that kept my wrist straight helped a lot. Eventually the problem with my thumb got bad enough that I was referred to specialist who recommended either a steroid injection or minor surgery, but luckily it more or less cleared up by itself before the NHS was able to schedule the surgery.

I hadn't even spent a night away from my somewhat needy/very attached two year old before going away for 6 days. She was not entirely herself while I was gone, but also never got tremendously upset, and we all considered that a terrific outcome. We agreed I wasn't going to call/webcam with her while I was away unless she asked, thinking that would just upset her, but I put a small picture of myself in a little keychain and left it in the flat for her to find while I was away. She liked it but didn't seem to need it for emotional reassurance. I didn't tell her I was going away until the morning I left, and everyone consistently told her the same thing while I was gone -- that I was going to California but coming back in a few days -- in hopes that she'll remember the episode later on. Good luck -- I'm sure it will be fine and good for all of you!

Found it, thanks very much! I'm afraid my daughter may be a bit on the young/timid side for it, although I have to admit I've been dying to take a closer look at the adventure playground and will maybe drag her in for a look.

Hello, I'm also desperately searching for half term activities. Is "DKH" open day at the school, and open to everyone? If so, can you please tell me what time it runs? Thanks!

That's great news on the equipment trial. On the original question, I've also gotten to Crystal Palace on the train. There's one that runs from Peckham Rye station to Crystal Palace station, which is around the corner from the Leisure Centre. I think the train ride itself was less than 10 minutes, although of course you need to check times to avoid waiting too long at the station each way.

Thanks very much for the responses -- that's all very helpful!

Sorry to take up a thread on something so personal, but we need to make a quick decision on whether to move to Beauval Road and I'm wondering if anyone out has thoughts as to whether that's a good or bad location with regard to schools? We have a child who would be starting primary school in two years (2013 entry), and wanted to have some sense of how much chance we'd have of getting her into any of the local schools then. I know there are no guarantees in all this, especially as the applicable rules keep changing, but at least wanted to get what information we can before making the decision. Although I've only roughly mapped the distances, I think we'd be in the mid-300 metres from Heber, and under 700 from Goodrich and Dulwich Infants. (I'd also be interested in any thoughts people might have on the location with regard to secondary schools, so at least I know how worried I'll need to be in a few years!) Thanks very much!

According to their website, Currys accepts items for recycling. I've been meaning to take things to their shop in Peckham Rye, but haven't yet tried it.

From what I've heard, they're a bit inconsistent in what equipment they put out. The collection that was there the day I went would have been a little young for a 4 year old (although there were several space hoppers, which none of the children there were large enough to use), but friends of mine went a different day when there was more actual gymnastic equipment available and fewer soft toys. That day sounded a little advanced for our 2 year olds, but probably perfect for a 4 year old. In any case, it's a big space with room to run around and crash mats to jump on, so there should be something for everyone. I also recommend swimming at the Peckham Pulse. We went today and were almost the only people there as well. The hydropool was very warm and toasty, and I booked in at the soft play session afterwards to make sure my daughter was warm and dry by the time we left (although soft play at the Pulse was absolutely rammed, unlike CP). Warning that when we got there for the 10 am session, the pool was still covered and none of the lifeguards knew the session was happening, but after 5 minutes they had everything set up. Here's the hydropool schedule for the rest of this week: For tomorrow the 23rd: 9 am Jelly Babies; 10 Rafts & Rascals, 1 pm Jelly Babies, 2 pm R&R, 3 JB, 4 R&R, 5 Family Swim. On Friday the 24th there's a family swim session at 9 and Jelly Babies at 11.

Late plug for Toddler World at Crystal Palace Leisure Centre, which will be open at least this Wednesday and Thursday from 10 to noon. I went today with my two year old, and there were only two other families there. Large open space with soft play toys, balls, and some gymnastic equipment (trampoline, two balance beams). We took the train but there were quite a few cars in the lot so it's driveable. I think it was 3 quid to get in, for an excellent hour of running around.

I very much second the advice to shovel early, if you're going to do it at all. I wish I'd done it right when it stopped falling, or while it was still coming down, even if it would have meant a second pass, because it's so much easier before the snow gets packed down. By yesterday afternoon it was already turning to ice, and I'd say it's pretty much an impossible job to shovel now (although there may be another chance if it thaws a bit). Is anyone interested in being part of a slightly more organised collective effort next time, for instance meeting up to shovel each other's roads or to clear major thoroughfares that no one necessarily lives on, like the Goose Green path? Although I'm happy to keep doing what I can on my own, I have to say that the most pleasant part of the experience was having a neighbour come out to help. Yes, believe it or not, that beat the many people who invited me over to shovel their own walks, which just made me feel like a complete idiot for bothering at all.

Thanks to an hour of help from a neighbour, we now have a narrow, crooked path down the length of Gowlett! No grit, though, as there isn't a grit bank nearby and I don't have either a wheelbarrow or a car to fetch/steal any from Lewisham or anywhere else. Jeremy, I hope you found a shovel (I borrowed one from the local pub), and I'm so glad to hear others are doing what they can as well. I'll do it again next time, and possibly also try to tackle one of the more heavily-used paths around, like the one through Goose Green, especially if I can find a proper snow shovel.

Disclaimer that I'm not an expert on snow/ice, but here are my thoughts. Salt is a very effective de-icer, but it has some drawbacks, because it's not great for the environment, metal or shoe leather. Growing up we would sometimes sprinkle a bit of kitty litter (sand) on the pavement after shoveling, which helps with traction, although it doesn't actually melt any snow. That said, I don't think sprinkling pavement-clearing-sized quantities of salt probably make much difference to the environment, vs. on miles of highway, kitty litter is also awful for leather shoes. I clearly need to just buy a pair of wellies!

Sorry for the long absence from the discussion -- I'm afraid we haven't had internet service for several days. Anyways, I hadn't read some of the earlier posts in this message carefully enough, and am thinking it sounds like the best idea would be for all of us volunteers to make our details available to Dulwich Helpline, which seems to have the resources to coordinate between volunteers and people in need, and also offer to post leaflets/flyers in the neighbourhood advising people to contact Dulwich Helpline if they need help in these conditions, even if they are usually self-sufficient?

In addition to being loads of fun to play in and quite pretty, the snow may make the neighbourhood quite dangerous if it ices over, especially for the elderly and others who are mobility impaired. See http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,580870,page=2. If you have time over the next few days, are physically able, and have or can borrow a shovel from a neighbour or nearby business, please think about clearing a bit of the pavement near where you live, which might prevent the neighbourhood from turning into the ice rink we had a few weeks ago. I've spent a couple hours today shoveling a (sadly, very narrow) path along Gowlett Road and will be back out in a bit to finish the street. If anyone nearby happens to own a proper snow shovel and would be willing to lend it out, please PM me -- the garden-variety makes for a much harder job!

I've been continuing to think about how best to organise this effort, although I'm afraid I'm not able to get on the computer every day. For the same reasons, I'm very far from being the perfect coordinator, by the standards computedshorty has suggested. Although meeting that rather high standard would be ideal, unless an ideal coordinator happens to want to identify him/hersel, I'm wondering whether we might be better off trying to figure out an approach that would require less work/centralisation. Here are some further thoughts. Alec, I took a look at StreetBank (and joined it),and love the idea, but not the fact that it doesn't show where people were. For instance, if 20 other neighbours also posted shovels, I wouldn't easily be able to figure out which one is closest to me. Instead, I'm wondering whether a coded wiki map would be the best way to store our information. I've created a sample on Google Maps with one data point (me) by way of example. http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111397185803866583447.0004972b3021d360c6595&ll=51.462869,-0.069898&spn=0.000638,0.002411&z=19. We could use different colours/symbols to show what people are offering, and this way once someone is a member they can update their own details. I've made this version public so you can all see it for the moment, but would suggest making it private if we go this route, so only people in the network can access it. Once it's private, we can include things like our email address and mobile number. With regard to creating a contact point, because I think we may have trouble finding anyone who has enough time to serve as a permanent coordinator, I've been thinking about easy ways to get the job done. Here are some options -- please let me know what you think. 1) Publicise this fledgling service now and make people find out who their local contact is ahead of time. With this option, we perhaps leaflet/post flyers now asking people to let us know if they might need help in the future so we can put them in touch with someone who lives nearby. Since this wouldn't be time-sensitive if done in advance, there's a chance that one person (maybe me) could do the matches. Obviously, it isn't such a great system for handling things once there's actually an emergency situation, because I can't guarantee I'll be able to respond in a timely manner. 2) Create a central contact number that we take turns manning. There are various companies that can set up virtual telephone numbers with voicemail, and that give you the ability to forward calls to that number easily. I have a number like that through SkypeIn -- I pay a yearly subscription for it, there is voicemail attached to the account, and I can forward any calls to that number to any other number by just logging into my account. For instance, it usually forwards to my landline, but if I'm traveling I set it to forward to my mobile. Skype is the only provider that I'm familiar with, but they all seem fairly similar with regard to how they're priced -- all of them charge an upfront payment to "rent" the number for some period of time, and then charge some usage-based amount depending on the volume of calls forwarded. If we had such a number and a pool of people willing to serve as temporary coordinators, we could take it in turns to take calls. If we went with the map, that would make it a bit easier for the coordinator to take a call and contact the two or three closest people to ask them whether they could help. That might be a more focused approach than the mass text/email I originally suggested, although I think that approach also has advantages. For instance, although some days I won't be free at all, on others I'll be willing to spend hours running errands/shoveling/whatever for people, even if they live nowhere near me. Anyways, I'm interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on this. Zeban, thanks for starting the thread -- even if we don't manage to put together anything organised, I'm at least going to try and figure out which of my immediate neighbours could use some help.

I've just started a new thread for this discussion -- http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,585145 - -and am still thinking about the best way of organising. Can I suggest moving any further discussion to that thread, just to keep things tidy? Also, would love some help in organising the administrative side of things (and will also call the Helpline to see how well set up their infrastructure is, in terms of matching volunteers to people needing help, as it would be great to use something that already exists). Also, fyi, the Gowlett has agreed to lend me their shovel. I'm guessing other pubs/businesses would be happy to do the same (maybe in exchange for some sort of deposit, just to make sure they get their equipment back).

Last week's snow had a few of us thinking about ways to cope with the next round, ranging from helping out the elderly or mobility-impaired with errand-running when it's icy to rallying forces to shovel the neighborhood before it turns into an ice rink. http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,580870 Anyone have thoughts on the best way of organising either effort, or want to join in?

And, thinking about all this a bit more, it seems like the shoveling part is even easier. We don't actually need to know who is offering to clear what -- we just need to know how to get the shovels. If by some lucky chance someone else has cleared our "chosen" street, we'll just pick a different one. Perhaps walk-clearing for those in need of help could then be handled the same way I'd suggested for shopping services (for instance, if I saw a request for help somewhere near me, I'd get in touch with Zeban to arrange to pick up a shovel). And, on the shovel-storage front, I may just pop down to the Gowlett and see if they'd let me borrow their shovel, if they have one, or let me store one there. I would guess that lots of businesses might be happy to trade some storage space if it meant people could get to them more easily in bad weather!

Hello, these are all great ideas. Perhaps we should designate a few people as the central contact people, who would keep a spreadsheet of the info suggested by computedshorty? We could periodically circulate the list to everyone who's on it, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who would prefer not to post my personal details online. I also agree that we should be careful not to make it too easy for someone dodgy to use this network as a way of taking advantage, and it might be a good safeguard for people offering personal services, like shopping, to have "registered" their details somewhere, as a minimal form of validation. Anyone else have thoughts about the most efficient way to organise all this? The shopping/errand part seemed like the bigger organisational challenge, and here's my best stab at a proposal. Perhaps people could be directed to contact one of the organisers, who could email/PM/text the volunteer group with the name/location/phone number of the person needing help, and hope that one of the volunteers gets in touch. (We could advise the person to get in touch again if no one responds, so we can send out a second round appeal, assuming that people might be willing to help someone a bit farther away if they knew no one else had volunteered.) A little cumbersome, but I can't think of a way of another way of doing it that wouldn't either involve all of us publishing our details to the world, or a bit too much research/time/effort from the coordinators. Anyways, I'm happy to volunteer as one of the info collectors. I can't be the only one, though, as I'm about to be out of the country for two weeks and would need to hand off to someone else for that time. Zeban, I live near Goose Green and would be happy to store a shovel at yours in exchange for agreeing to clear at least Gowlett Road! Perhaps we should start a new thread with a broader subject line? I'm guessing a lot more people in the neighborhood would be willing to sign up for something, if they know this was in the works.

Actually, I also had another thought, in part inspired by another thread on the forum, that I'd be interested in forming a neighborhood shoveling brigade. As someone who comes from a place where snow is a little more common, I found it amazing that a few centimetres of snow could become such a catastrophe. If I owned or had access to a shovel, I would have been happy to spend 20 minutes shoveling my entire street (granted, it's only 2 blocks long!) and then we wouldn't have had to deal with skating across a sheet of ice for the last week. I'm sure there are others in the area who would be similarly happy to put in the time, but who perhaps have the same problem I do, which is that I live in a small upper-storey flat with no room to store a shovel for the 360 days/year that I wouldn't actually be using it. Any takers for forming a network of collectively-owned shovels, with people designated to store them? Honestly, I'd be happy to buy a shovel and do the shoveling if someone who lived nearby was willing to house it for me.