minder

No worries!

Hi rebeccaben - quite hard to read your post as it was one big block but sorry you had a bad experience. Have you been Nappy Lady? Sounds like they've been very busy.

Try Dainty Sue on 07899 771 297 - she's very good and might be able to help you. www.daintysue.com

What I meant was that if it was just your 5 lockers forced open, somebody could have been watching you in the changing rooms putting your stuff away. Just a thought.

I hope so.

Great! Is this a German speaking nursery or bilingual if you apply for a place?

Sorry to hear you were bitten and we've done this walk many times and find that people seem to think that because it's so secluded they can let their dogs off the lead. Is this allowed? I don't know.

People don't seem to realise that most toddler groups are run by volunteers so it's not people trying to make a "fast buck" as leecass puts it. Also saying that most of the groups are substandard isn't very nice as a lot of people work hard to keep groups going for the community. As said before some groups just cover their costs with the hire of hall, buying stuff for activities, tea/coffee/biscuits and as at Christmas, maybe getting an entertainer, father christmas and presents for the kids. Places like Cheeky C's and all the music classes like Whippersnappers, Monkey Music etc. obviously are a business so have paid staff, like the Albrighton. I do feel for you being turned away (I've been turned away from groups in the past but for different reasons) but as PippaD explained, if you've not been before and turn up at a Xmas party then I'm sure you can appreciate she had to think about numbers etc. and wasn't having an "off-morning" as put by somebody else. It takes quite a bit of planning on a normal week at toddler groups. Getting there early, setting up tables, toys, etc. song-time. Only yesterday morning I was pushing a double buggy also loaded up with a big cd player, 28 wrapped presents, food and other stuff for an Xmas party at a group I run. I'm sure your 19 month old has forgotten about this morning so hope you can go back to the toddler group in the New Year to start afresh.

From Monday 17th December, Santa will be at The Grotto everyday until Sunday 23rd December.

That's my point - people are prepared to pay ?30 for a Christmas tree which will then be thrown out after a couple of weeks? Think I'll stick to the one I've had for the past 20 years!

not2late - glad you got it back and there's always a lot of honest people in this world whether you've got an expensive phone or not! KidKruger - If I picked up a lost phone somewhere, I'm sorry but I wouldn't know if it was the latest model or whatever, just that it belonged to somebody else. I suppose that makes my phone a crap one.

Yes esme I imagine the reindeer are lovely and I've personally heard they are! Talking about the price of the Santa's grotto... I've seen the board up outside DHJS about Xmas trees. ?30 for a Xmas tree?

The Santa's Grotto at Dulwich Park? On next Sunday and the Sunday after that.

That's terrible. Surely the reception staff must see people going in and out or have CCTV? Was it just your 5 lockers forced open? Sounds like the police might be just as complacent to this as the staff.

Thanks for that littlemoo. How were the elves? Did you see them on your travels?

Rocky - ED seems to be functioning but whether that's because there's a McDonalds, Primark, KFC just down the road in Peckham I don't know! From your post it sounds like a cattle market - "value and stock"?

Hi Curmudgeon - I think you'll find that in a post dated 4th Nov, DulwichHamJnrSchool did say "the advertised event looks horrible".

Well the grotto did come to Dulwich Park last Sunday and that's why this thread was revived. After saying the advertised event looks horrible, and then going on to ask for boxes - I expect a lot of people did both (went to the grotto and filled a shoebox) but I'm glad your appeal went well.

I wouldn't worry about a chickenpox spot near his eye/crease of the nose - give it another few weeks and you wouldn't know it had been there. Shingles is the chickenpox virus that lies dormant in the body for life until or when somebody's immune system becomes depressed (medical people please correct me if I'm wrong). My Mum has recently had chemotherapy and she had shingles (due to the immune system being removed) and it was quickly treated. I remember an old boss of mine years ago in the Civil Service. Her left nostril had more or less disappeared due to the shingles virus. This was 30 years ago.

ahoffman - we all know there's a shortage of primary (and secondary) school places in Southwark. You say the organisers of this school have been working hard to get it started. It just seems like nobody else has heard about it (unless you are German) so why exclude everybody else?

DHJS - I think you should have started a different thread about the shoebox appeal at your school, instead of 'hijacking' the santa's grotto one. Maybe it's because the number of people at DHJS are not getting involved? This grotto have organised something in the local area, maybe a bit different to the local school xmas fair, so give them a chance.

I'm also a very light sleeper and hear every noise during the night. Did anybody see the BBC programme last night about the 4 or 5 people they've taken to study, who suffer with sleep problems? There was one woman who gets up in the middle of the night baking cakes etc. and then finally gets to sleep around 5am for a couple of hours. Very interesting.

Forgot to add it seems they will be teaching in English/German.

Has anybody heard about a new primary school due to open in Sept 13? A poster was put up in St Faith's Community Centre last Monday about a new primary school and a meeting being held at St Faith's last Saturday. After going to the website, the school is called The Judith Kerr Primary School and is due to open Sept 13. Up until this month they've had 89 applications for Reception and Year 1/2. They're also in the process of recruiting a headteacher but up until now the location of the school isn't mentioned, although the website seems very confident that the school will be up and running in Sept. I was wondering about the site of the old Dulwich Hospital but realise this is a bit unrealistic.

canela - of course I would say childminder but a lot does depend on your child's personality and what she is enjoying at the moment. It also depends on whether your childminder is eligible to receive the 15 hrs free entitlement - only a few in Southwark are, so if she isn't accredited then you will still have to pay her normal childminder fee. In short the government only pay a childminder so much an hour per 15 hours. In most cases in Southwark it's a lot less than they usually charge so the childminder loses out. Also there's a lot more paperwork involved!