womanofdulwich

Lucky us have been offered free use of a villa here- but with 2 teenage boys not sure what actually "is happening". All lovely beaches but lots of travel blurb about "unspoilt" might mean boring to some.If any one has been I would appreciate some feedback on whether a week would be the maximum of if we could spin it out for longer?( especially as free). Thanks

ditto- all it takes is a loss of concentration- distraction-doorbell etc. ALways use straps on buggies and highchairs.

and breatfeeding outside is not easy when you have 4 layers on!!!

is this the third fire we have had under railway arches in this area? it is becoming a lame excuse for being late into work.anyone know why?

I don't know how old your child is, but really I do not think you should have to pay for anything extra unless , for example you are at a state school and trying to make the leap into the private school system. I think a few short sessions a week ,parent and child,should fill the gap. If you are very concerned may be go and see the head teacher. But they can be very defensive.

we have also used abc au pairs in se22 who are good at keeping au pairs in touch with each other. maybe called ,linka too.

try dulwich village shop windows i think i have seen a few their advertising their wares.

i recently stepped down as a trustee of an alms house. it means a meeting 4 evenings pa and going to collect rents one months in four or five. collecting rents means you go and see the ladies and chat a bit make sure they are ok. you need to have some energy to get things done-and improve things. it can be satisfying you can make a difference. do you fancy giving it a whirl? a good way to decide if you like that sort of thing? PM if you are interested.

I think you are much better of buying a suitable book from smiths etc and sitting down and having some fun sessions together. Schools do not teach maths as we were taught- and you can make it fun whereas kumon has a repetitive system that means going back to basics and can be boring. Some children love it though. I think paper is much better than a pc-you can go on to games- and money- shops etc depending on age.ELC or similar used to have a good range. Never rely on the school to do everything. YOu know your child better than they do.

I think the point it that this is traditionally the time that people like to move into family houses- schools etc. There is little on the market and something nice stands out. Good agents recognise this. They are acting for the vendor to get the best price. Vendors hate the messing around and lots of viewings. Sealed bits cuts to the chase. I think you can still put the offer subject to survey etc. Values are back to their 2007 levels and if you want a family house for the medium to long term it does not matter if you pay slightly over the odds to get what you want. Moving house is such a big personal as well as financial investment. Good luck.

ALice that is soooo interesting- who to believe?

Has anyone just watched this? What did you think of the editing/direction. I just felt so embarrassed to be English. Most of then appeared pretty workshy. I have always felt pretty liberal but at the end of the program I came away feeling everyone should work- no matter -and get their wages topped up with benefits if needed, but the longer you don't work it appeared you lose all concept of what work entails. :(

I cant understand that it was announced as winning design. Don't they have to get planning consent too? It is brutal.

In a perfect world newcomer you are right. but i left home as soon as i could as i could not stand my parents views on everything. I still find more than 48 hours enough. My father hates London and will not come here- despite offers to collect him etc. There is no way he would live here. There is no way I will drag my family to live in Norfolk.( other than 4 weekends a year) I do not think he would be happy living with us - if it came to it- nor would he expect it. If my family were the kind that came and helped when their grandchildren were young and we were in and out of each others lives then I would feel more obliged, but they did not. I think it all depends on the family and in 2010 it is wrong to think we are all close families that can live together. If you can that is great , but we all have different families and relationships with parents/children. Newcomer says "however badly they have treated you". I think you are unrealistic.

Always have a small amount of cash on you - about 20p. if you say you have none you will not be believed and will have to take your shoes off etc. Make sure you have a ?5 to ?10 crap phone. esp good if it has an unusual charger so they cant charge it up. make sure your phone has no more than ?10 credit on it. have a crap watch have shoes you can run in. be aware of where you are at all times- know shortcuts- nearest safe place etc be able to run be able to read body language- notice if others are crossing the road towards you never use earphones as they blunt your senses. walk with friends as much as you can. have a crap bike or one that looks crap. I could add other comments about the profile of the offenders but suffice to say for boys it is almost always teenage boys-usually not wearing an obvious school uniform, and maybe wearing scarf/ hood.

getting the train across the Thames during sunset/sunrise on a nice day. I go all Waterloo sunset;-)

I think if you want a more responsible person that can handle an emergency- and get their way home again by themselves -then ?6 is fair until midnight. If you want them to read bedtime stories and hot milk etc then maybe a bit more. My 18 year old son( first aid qualification and bike)still looking for babysitting if you need any. Thanks.

oh that is so true- mine all over - no one will ever knock him around. he is 14 i no longer worry about him at all.however the first 5 years we only went to stay on holiday with family as i could not take him any where. now he is so mature and everyone loves him.. he is a natural leader- but we still have big run ins....................

Fuschia You sound a complete saint. How on earth do you manage? How do you get up in the mornings? YOu sound a completely dedicated mother. I am in awe!

I went to a girls grammer school for 18 months. I went from being top of the class at my state junior school, to a struggler; although after the first year, all the private school entrants that had basically repeated half a year started to be at a similar level to me. It was fiercely competitive though and I did not really like it. We moved to the Isle of Wight to a new comprehensive mixed school and it was nice to be near the top again. I mixed with lots of people, but I always felt it was hard on the students who were cleverer in some subjects than in others- they would rather stay with their CSE friends than move to an o level class to be with those of us that were doing all o levels. In that way it failed. But I really don't think the grammer school system was that much better. Surely the main problem is the ethos in schools? my experience of state schools in London is that the teachers are not interested in the confidence and individual abilities, only the statistics /targets. Some children do well in fiercely competitive environments,but not for me. I know I would like there to be flexibility where you are not :pass/ fail at 11. The whole of your future mapped out for you. It must be better to be mixed overall with some streaming and bigger class sizes for more able students. How does Harris school at Crystal Palace do so well? I do not know, but I suspect it is very strong leadership and management.But that is their academic results- I don't know that the students leave school confident, which I think is as important. We want children to make the most of what they have and to find their talents and be confident. Writing off your academic future at 11 is not good

I am afraid school boys are regularly mugged in south london, it is an unpleasant fact of life, maybe more so for boys. Mine have been mugged several times, or attempted mugging, threatened with a knife at 7.30 am at a bus stop in west norwood. A friends boy was mugged by a group of boys whilst trying to take sanctuary in a shop. It is going to happen and they need to know how to deal with it so that they are not frightened to travel by themselves. Not having a nice phone/i pod/ and limited cash helps. I think the muggers get a high from just trying it on and scaring the little mites. :(

This is a brilliant time to travel with a baby and I would say go as far away as you dare, it is much harder when they are 1-3 years old. But we went to Australia at this age as I could get more than 2 weeks holiday before going back to work and my partner negotiated extended leave. I think it depends on where you have been before but Spain and Italy are great with babies. enjoy.

we went to see Ghosts which is on opposite Cat on a hot tin roof. Stars Lesley Sharp and Iain Glen, both Dulwich residents. It was very good and I recommend it. I think actors don't come straight home after the show-I have a feeling they hang around for a few bevies. But maybe they share a cab home later? Multiple luvvie drop offs?

I guess it just depends on who they are!! I work with a Hindu who lives with mum dad and granny and would not have it any other way. When/if he has kids, he has it all lined up for childcare-mind you his Dad smokes 40 a day and I can see that might be an issue!! YOu sound very lucky with yours. I find continual ranting about various ethnic minorities hard to take-especially with teenagers present- but at least he is in Glasgow( hence the fry ups). I must ask him about his national service though- unless being epileptic means he did not do it?

Magpie I am speaking from personal experience. A father in law that lives on fried food or ready meals. We are about to inherit a generation of grandads who were not in the war and did not do national service. I am sorry to say. My dad is 84 and he is great- but father in law is 80 and absolutely hopeless. I really don't think there are that many 80 year old men out there that can help. Their wives generally stayed at home or did small part time jobs and all the housework. They may be able to do a bit of DIY and garden I admit, but I was really replying to Steve's post. I am so determined not to let my partner be that useless- or my sons!! But seriously don't grandads have quite fixed views - esp. v immigration, corporal punishment etc that I find it hard to bite my lip!!