njc97

It's not just morning drop offs: it's holidays that don't overlap and other reasons as well.

Friend of mine swears by Wetherspoons pubs: quiet during the day, free wifi etc.

There's loads in Hastings: smugglers experience, "lifts" up the hill to castle, good playground by beach and loads of seaside amusements. Plus if weather is really awful, Clambers soft play is good. If you come inland, then Bodiam castle is excellent, and there's another steam train from Bodiam to Tenterden.

I love the crystals bit, especially the meteorites and massive safe. But the kids didnt, damn them.

Both? Get there early, do dinos and hihglights of NHM, then lunch in basement of science museum, followed by an hour in the launchpad bit to let off steam, then up to space room etc.

I took my pregnant wife to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay for her birthday while pregnant. We warned them, and other than fois gras she could have anything on the menu (they took our any raw eggs etc). Oddly, the maitre d there was the first person we told about the pregnancy....

Not a recommendation yet, but we're staying here in August, with 3 and 6 year olds. http://www.gustocamp.co.uk/italy/lake-garda/campsite-bella-italia

I think 16 months is within warrantee. Call the retailer/bugaboo. We had a problem with our brake, bugaboo sent a new chassis.

Thames Water dont add it, so that's bad.

Same as catgirl. Every set gets made, carefully displayed on a shelf, then broken down to provide bits for some random creation. Much as I dream of remaking everything, I doubt it'll ever happen (especially that Chima Lion Tank, that was far too much hassle). One of the Lego Creators books recommends keeping blocks in different boxes by colour, similar to Bonfire's hack. But given it ends up in one pile on the floor most days, I'm not sure it'll ever get sorted out like that.

Deptford let you take 2 kids for certain sessions only, so best to ring and check. It's the sessions where they dont turn on the waves/flumes. The flumes would be too big for him anyway), but there is a little slide that he might like.

So back to a normal service this morning: 9:01 from Nunhead broadly on time, but only 4 carriages, no warning, people left on platform. 9:14 was 20 minutes late, again 4 carriages with no warning, people left on platform. 9:29 about 7 or 8 minutes late, 4 carriages as normal, btu got everyone on. Govia claiming this was due to lack of rolling stock due to water damage from flood. But judging by Twitter this impacted almost all services on every line: people at Tulse Hill said 6 trains in a run were running short. Oh and it's not just Thameslink: the 9:11 Victoria train was also cancelled.

Strawsb, tube stations presumably Southwark (for the Jubilee/London Overground alternative route back).

National Rail and Thameslink say they are trains from Blackfiars at xx:12 and xx:42.

A Princess Bride week? Inconceivable!

Can anyone confirmd if the NH/PR/DH service is running? National Rail website says 2 tph from Blackfriars, but the live departure boards dont show any of them. I came in this morning via Overground/Jubilee line to Southwark. F***ing horrible.

I am at home and will have limited access because vodafone's coverage is sh*t and my blackberry only connects in random 5 minute windows. (also limited access might mean "I'm checking every couple of hours in breaks between meetings but might not be able to respond immediately. Or I'm on and off planes so won't get them all the time)

LJ57 - yes the new trains (come 2018) will have more "capacity" with less seats. Hurrah!

I havent used the Victoria ones regularly, but they seem better (albeit still a lot more busy than when I did get them 10+ years ago) but oddly whenever I get them home they seem to only be 4/6 carriages, even at peak times, meaning they are rather busy (although better than Thameslink)

Renata - can you ask if there are plans to run 12 carriage trains on the line (and if not, why not). Also 7-9 is worst but not the only problems: the 9.30 is similarly unpleasantly busy, albeit people usually get on, because it's only 4 carriages long. Also any evening cancellation and the next train leaves people behind at E&C, or even Blackfriars, and it's difficult to get off at Nunhead, let alone before. In terms of extra trains, there are two platforms unused at Blackfriars in the morning: running trains to there ought to be possible (if space further out).

Holiday club at local school, time with grandparents, staggered holidays, nanny (we have an after school nanny and going to get her to do a full time week), playdates, maybe an odd day of working at home. Son's school has 7.5 weeks off this summer, and daughter's nursery is shit for 2 weeks at awkward time, so this year is particularly challenging.

My 3 year old goes to a class run by SR Dance, at the Barnes Wallis centre in nunhead/new cross/telegraph hill on Saturday mornings. She loves it and teacher (Miss Natalia) is v good: http://www.srdance.co.uk/

Renata, I get on at Nunhead (so slihglty further out) and at just after 9am, so avoid the big crush. But the train hasnt run on time this year (although not as bad as Thameslink/National Rail definition of "delayed" whereby you dont get compensation unless it's more than 30 minutes late). But any problems like a cancelled train and even at that time you struggle to get on the next one and can get left behind. 5 years ago I would always get a seat as well, nowadays it's rare. And evening trains generally leave Blackfriars on time but it's always a challenge to find the most empty carriage, so I can stand in comfort, rather than being squashed up against people like in the other 7. I know putting more trains on is v difficult with timetables, but why aren't we they extending platforms to give us 12 carriage trains? Like the proudly proclaim they are doing on the other lines... And dont get me started on weekends when they run 4 carriages!

jj2, sorry but I dont think Peckham Rye will get any more trains that it does now. And we won't get the new carriages until 2017. Oh and there is a risk (albeit slight) that they'll terminate them at Blackfriars, so you'll have to change twice to get to Heathrow. (there was a consultation about whether to stop the Sutton or Sevenoaks (Peckham Rye) trains at Blackfriars. Network Rail decided on the Sutton trains, but government ordered them to continue to run them through. Given weekend/late night Sevenoaks trains stop at Blackfriars, it might be an easier decision to stop them there all day, if there isnt the capacity to run through)

Nunheadmum - how tall was your loft pre-conversion? We'd like to do ours, but our loft is only 2m from joists to peak at the moment, by the time we've added floor/ceiling etc I dont know if we'd get 1.95 or even less.