powercow

My 16 year old daughter is keen to start guitar lessons again. She previously had some classical guitar lessons but never took any exams. She also taught herself ukele but has been struggling with anxiety so stopped playing

She wants to try jazz guitar, on the recommendation of her older brother who is an accomplished jazz pianist and guitar player (now studying music production at Abbey Road Studios). She has similar talent and a good ear but lacks confidence.

Can anyone recommend a wordpress website developer?

My 17 year old son, who is studying Music Technology at the Brit School, wants to improve his electric guitar skills.

He was working at Grade 8 level on classical guitar and has also studied jazz piano, so he'll need someone experienced and prepared to work him hard/inspire him. He has pretty eclectic musical tastes.

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> I'd like to strongly recommend Dave Reilly.Damp specialist.

>

Just had Dave Reilly round for some sound advice on damp in the basement. Professional,knowledgeable, wants to help.Trust me, use him. Paul Loftus .

Over the past 2-3 years, Laurant and his team have become our go-to decorators. They've done a number of different decorating and re-plastering jobs for us, both inside and outside and we've been very impressed each time.

His team are quiet, efficient and never leave a mess.

I didn't realise until recently that Laurant also does building jobs...next time we need anything done, he'll definitely be first in line to quote.

Laurant Webb

07776 187667

[email protected]

(also Laurant's wife Lisa is a brilliant graphic designer....if you need any logos or product design...)

My son's struggling with GCSE Triple Science - he's very bright but hasn't been well taught. Any experienced tutors out there?

We're now based in Upper Sydenham (SE26).

Thanks

Yesterday I took my 14 year old son to JD Sports in Brixton to buy him a new pair of trainers.

He found a style he liked; the one on the shelf was his size so we asked the assistant to bring the second shoe from the store-room, which he duly did. Then there was an awkward stand off with the shop assistant holding the box (with the second shoe in it) while we waited for him to hand it over.

I said tentatively "So, can we try it then...?"

"Yes", he said. "If you take the other one off first".

Apparently they have an issue with people trying on running shoes and then doing a runner.

I was shocked (and saddened) that the world has come to this. But I was also shocked and saddened that my teenage son thought it was perfectly reasonable and normal.

Am I just getting old and out of touch?

Hi

We're a largely Apple household and are having technical problems:

- iMac and Hotmail appear to have become incompatible?

- MacBook is not recognising it's hard disk (which was replaced recently)

Any helpful gurus out there?

Thanks

Hi Chris

How are you with Macs?

We have a MacBook with a dodgy disc and an iMac that needs attention (a possible compatibility issue with Hotmail??)

Cheers

Our 13-year old son was recently referred (on the NHS) for orthodontic treatment. We were told by the Dulwich Orthodontic Centre that we could either wait 6-9 months for an appointment or pay ?150 for an initial consultation (approximately 15 minutes), after which we could still receive NHS treatment.

For various logistical reasons, we decided to pay the ?150 so he could be seen quickly. The orthodontist told us what braces were available on the NHS. As a matter of curiosity I asked what was available if we opted for private treatment and she said, the same braces, but we could have the appointments after school times rather than between 9am and 3pm.

This all sounds rather odd to me, like paying to queue jump. Is this allowed under NHS rules? I mentioned it to the dentist that referred us and they said that their practice isn't allowed to open on a Saturday just for private patients; they have to treat all patients, private and NHS, alike.

We had our bedroom carpet removed and the floor sanded by Steve and Nichola at Back to Wood (07949 411650)

They're always busy, but it was worth the wait. Our floorboards were generally in pretty good condition (they're the original Victorian boards); only a couple needed some minor repairs, which Steve did. We chose not to stain them because they're a good colour, but did get them waxed (I think!). Incidentally, Steve advised not to paint the boards white because they'll yellow in time.

Steve recommended not sealing between them boards in order to allow the free flow of air from downstairs. Surprisingly it's not been as cold underfoot as I'd expected, partly because some of the central heating pipes heat up a patch of the floor! I may get a rug at some point though.

We're really happy with our new look room.

On the recommendation of our neighbours, we used ProGas in Sydenham and couldn't have been happier with them. The guys were courteous, hard working and tidy. The work was done quickly and efficiently and our new system is brilliant.

Contact Del on 0208 676 0101.

www.progasheating.co.uk

We need a technical guru/geek who can sort out our IT problems in situ. We're an Apple household. We're having memory issues with our iMac, our back ups have stopped working, Airport's playing up.

Any offers/suggestions?

What a lifesaver!

The bath tap came off in my hand just as I was running in the bath for my daughter. Disaster!

I rushed to EDF looking for recommendations and Maurice came to the rescue. He got here within 20 minutes and fixed it with no fuss and no mess. Lovely guy - really friendly and very reasonable rate.

He's going on speed dial!

We had a new boiler and pressurised tank installed during the summer by ProGas (based in Sydenham) and I really could not fault them.

It was a big job, since we moved the boiler from the cellar and the water tank from the bathroom and put both up in the attic (so lots of complicated pipework). We also moved/replaced some radiators, but nothing phased them. They turned up punctually each day, got on with their work, cleaned up and went home. They were so quiet we sometimes forgot they were there, but the results are great. The system works perfectly.

http://www.progasheating.co.uk

0208 676 0101

I've just had Steve and Nicola back to do the bedroom of our new home (they did our hall, lounge and dining room of our old house several years ago). They're pretty busy so I had to wait a while for availability (which was hard, since I'm a "want it all, want it now, kind of a gal"), but boy was it worth it!

As the previous post says, they're great to have around - their work is excellent and they're extremely tidy and considerate. They kept us constantly updated on progress, turned up on time and when they said they would and left absolutely no mess (we've just had a bad experience with an electrician we found on Checkatrade, so these qualities are currently uppermost in our minds).

Delighted to see you'll be on Lordship Lane.

One request: can you improve the consistency of the coffee? I had an excellent flat white in your Barry Road shop one day, brought in my coffee geek husband a few days later and was offered a cup of dregs slopped into the saucer by an inexperienced barista (who provided good service otherwise).

Can anyone recommend a venue for a 50th birthday party on 1st November?

Booze is compulsory, food less so, and we'd like to be able to have live music (band and/or acoustic duo) as well as a DJ. I guess there'll be 50-70 guests.

EDT was our first thought, but it's already booked.

Any suggestions?

I always use the Keen Group these days, for airport runs and even coming back from the West End late at night when I don't want to wait for a 176. Their prices are reasonable (they will give you a quote when you call) and much cheaper than getting a cab based the airport (although there's a small waiting charge for collection from the airport, which covers waiting time and car parking).

They have lots of local offices and I have found them to be 100% reliable. They even have their own App to download.

Tel: 020 8693 1000

We used Harradines when we moved recently. They were superb from start to finish and removed a HUGE amount of the stress of moving house.

They packed almost everything for us and unloaded and re-assembled beds and flat pack wardrobes at the new place.

I can honestly say they were worth every penny.

One thing to note - although they pack and label, they don't sort. So random items can end up in the same box just because they're near each other in the same room. And lots of boxes end up being labled "Odds" (as in odds and ends). So pack and label any boxes that you'll need as soon as you move. They're happy to provide boxes in advance so you can do this (and they'll collect unpacked boxes for re-use, so a green thumbs up there too!)

We sold our house in East Dulwich last summer and reached a record high figure for our road, which came as a complete shock to us (bonkers price!). The agents we seriously considered using were Acorn, Foxtons and Winkworth. In the end we dismissed Acorn because they didn't have enough similar properties on their books and Foxtons because they won't negotiate on their fees (2.5%), whereas other agents would (we ended up paying 1%). And I liked Ollie at Winkworth.

Winkworth were brilliant. We had a buyer within 10 days. Although different staff did viewings, they were all gen'ed up on the property, features, selling points etc. A particular shout for Ayesha, who ended up being the person who ensured the completion went through on the agreed date. When our buyers were being slow and there were issues with the top end of the chain, she was the only one (out of all the agents and solicitors involved) to take control.

(We bought our new house through Harvey and Wheeler...the words "chocolate" and "teapot" come to mind).

Our neighbours used Tony Howard (07932 553704) for their kitchen extension, based on recommendations from my brother (who also had his kitchen extended) and us (Tony's practically rebuilt our house over the past 10 years).

Tony's been back this week converting our neighbour's loft. Next week he's sorting out our shower room (the only job which we risked with another builder since he wasn't available and which, after 5 years, needs to be gutted and re-done).

As I mentioned in my post of 1st December, last November I asked our MP, Tessa Jowell, to look into the question of deferring school start date in Southwark and promised to update this discussion when I had any news.

I have just received a communication from Ms Jowell. She has not received a response from Ms Romi Bowen, Strategic Director at the Southwark Children?s Services, but below is the response to her from Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Education ? to summarise his communication, (1) the decision to allow deferred entry is down to the individual head teacher but they?ll need co-operation from the local authority (2) from Sept 2011 there will be provision made for children to start school OR full time nursery in the September following their FOURTH birthday:

The law does not require a child to attend school until they reach compulsory age at the start of the school term following their fifth birthday. Ms X?s daughter [d.o.b. 30th August 2006] will reach compulsory school age in September 2011. Many schools admit children into a reception class before their fifth birthday, but the statutory School Admissions Code requires them to allow parents to request to defer their child?s entry until later in the school year. Where a parent wishes to defer entry until the following school year, as Ms X wishes to, they must make a new application for that school year at the appropriate time. But they cannot be required to send their child to school before they reach compulsory school age.

Children of the same age are normally educated together, but some parents do want their children to be educated in a lower or higher age group than their peers. This is a decision for the head teacher to take, based on the needs of the child. Ms X says the school?s head teacher would be happy to arrange for her daughter to enter the reception class rather than Year 1 in September 2011. This is his decision to make, but he will need to ensure that the class does not exceed the statutory infant class size limit of 30. As Southwark Council is the admission authority for Heber Primary School he is likely to need their co-operation in this. Ms X may want to bear in mind that, even if her daughter is educated outside her chronological age group at primary school, the secondary school she later moves on to will not be obliged to continue to do so.

As Ms X says, research demonstrates that children with summer birthdays tend to do less well at school than those born earlier in the school year. This achievement gap is widest when children start primary school. It narrows over time but, for some pupils, it is still significant at ages 16 and 18. Ms X mentions that I asked Sir Jim Rose to consider, as part of this recent review of the primary curriculum, how to improve outcomes for summer-born children, including considering whether there should be more choice and flexibility in when they start school. The final report was published on 30 April 2009. On the basis of the compelling evidence on the benefits to summer born children from starting school at the same time as their peers, the Review recommended that the preferred pattern of entry to reception classes should be the September immediately following a child?s fourth birthday, but with parents still having the freedom to defer entry where they feel it is in the best interest of their child.

The Government has accepted all of the Review?s recommendations and has recently completed a consultation on changes to the School Admissions Code with a view to requiring all schools to admit children in the September following their fourth birthday, where this is what their parents want, from September 2011. In addition, funding will be made available so that those children whose parents do not want them to start school before compulsory school age will be able to receive full time provision in an early years setting from the September after their fourth birthday.

Finally, Ms X may be interested to know that all types of settings for children aged 0-5 are required to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This means that all settings, including reception classes in schools, are required to support children?s learning and development through a diverse range of play-based activities. The EYFS acknowledges that all children develop at different rates and in different ways and expects settings to meet the individual needs of all the children they care for.

I?m pretty impressed by the response on the whole, although it is not clear how co-operative Southwark will be if you find a head teacher prepared, as in our case, to accept a child outside their ?chronological age group? (I really hate that expression since the cut off date is so arbitrary).

After much soul-searching and discussion and for many reasons that I won?t go into here (some of them already covered above), we have decided not to carry on the battle to defer our daughter?s school start date but rather to do all we can ourselves to ensure a smooth transition to her starting school next January. This will include continuing to encourage her interest in reading and numbers, ensuring she is socially confident and increasing her days at nursery to 4 or even 5 from September. We are sure that ultimately she will thrive.

Good luck to everyone else in the same boat!

My son (aged 7) would love it...so would I!

You could try Push Studios for space. They've recently expanded so may be able to accommodate more classes...

Chickens can hold their own against cats...not so against dogs, apparently...

fearnpw1 Wrote:

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> I'm assuming having a cat would prohibit you from

> having chickens?