ClaireClaire

Hello I work with kids aged 13-16 who are in foster care Many of them have come from severely disadvantaged backgrounds, and a lot of them go down the wrong road... e.g. have been excluded from schools and are no longer in education, are involved in gangs and crime etc It's very sad and also fascinating to see how the whole thing plays out, and to pinpoint exactly where these kids take a wrong turn, or how the local services make a difference (or not). It's also been particularly fascinating for me, as many of the young people I work with have spoken to me openly about gangs and crime etc, and it's really interesting to hear it all from the horse's mouth, so to speak. There are potentially things that volunteers could do to help, in my opinion, and improve these children's outcomes, even if only slightly. I'm totally swamped with work right now so I can't commit much at all time-wise, but if anyone is serious about the original topic mentioned in this thread and would like to discuss the next step, then I'm happy to be contacted. Claire

Hope I don't offend anyone by saying this But I've never quite understood why people are so bothered by flashers? Where I grew up (foreign country far far away), my friends and I used to be flashed regularly by the crazy men who would hang around a few blocks away from our school (Catholic convent school, no less!), and we just found it rather funny.

Wrt the cash machine outside the Sainsbury's Local up by the Plough As far as I know, they had a break-in several weeks ago, and I gather the cash machine was damaged in the process. They seemed to repair the brickwork around it or something, but the cash machine itself has not been working since the break-in.

I think there's babble and squeak on a Friday morning, somewhere on LL though can't remember where We go to a "dramatots" class in Brockley which is a lot of fun - though probably further away than you are looking for? C

Hi Science I've been thinking about this too... are you planning for it to be a commercial venture, or just voluntary / for fun? If for fun, I'm in! My background is physics and neuroscience, not that it matters much for this age group. But I would like to think I could do a better job than nina and the neurons (grr, can't stand her). PM me if you would like to talk more Claire

Could you install a wall-mounted bike rack and at least have it stored up high on the wall where it won't fall over? Or could you offer to store it in your own flat, in order to get it out of the hallway - I know it's not your bike and you shouldn't have to do this, but sometimes setting an example of how to be a co-operative neighbour can help. Failing that, if Southwark Council is the leaseholder (confusing), then you may be able to get it moved on H&S grounds. Of course you would want to avoid having to resort to that as it would almost certainly create a bad atmosphere in the building, and you do have to live there, after all. Alternatively, how about offering to buy the bike off them? Again, I know you shouldn't have to do this to get rid of the bike, but it could just be a quick way to solve the problem. Good luck!

Clux, where's the aikido run?

Hi there I am interested in this and sent you a PM few days ago Claire x

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?28,565008

RSPCA had a post on here recently saying they desperately needed clothing donations for their shop in West Norwood. If I can find it I will try to repost the link Claire

oh dear, this sounds really hard! We've been on a couple of long distance flights to new zealand, and I really don't think I would have been able to cope on my own..... err, sorry, not very helpful info I'm afraid! The only thing I would say is to ask/beg people to help you, for things like going to the loo, or eating your own meal. The attendants should be willing to try and help you as and when they can fit it in, and there's always someone around who'll take pity on you and hold your daughter while you're eating your meal etc. Also a good idea to try and check in as early as possible and explain to the staff your situation and hope that they'll try to give you a spare seat for your daughter... I know that you're not entitled to it as you've only bought one, but they may be able to see that it's in everyone's best interests if you can get her off to sleep! We've relied heavily on movies/TV as well, so maybe that will help you too. good luck! Claire

Oh dear, so sorry to hear this supergolden88! I was induced at 42+1 for my first child, and while it wasn't a particularly positive experience, I think sometimes the fear of the thing is worse than the thing itself. There is so much pressure on women to have natural labours with minimal intervention, that somehow it adds to our stress and anxiety if we see ourselves going down a different route. Wrt your being pressured into the decision - I know others will disagree, and I have heard many stories about people trusting their own instincts and having everything turning out just the way they want. For me personally, I just felt that the only rational thing to do was to take the consultant's advice. Because though I'd spent lots of time researching on the internet and talking to people, ultimately, the question was: how many births had I witnessed? Zero. How many births had s/he witnessed? Probably hundreds. Doctors also know that intervention can be risky, but it is they who have the knowledge to weigh up the risks on both sides, and make a recommendation to you that is in your best interests. (Both my parents are doctors btw, maybe this is why I take this point of view.) Wishing you all good things for tonight and tomorrow, and hope to hear good news very soon about the birth of your beautiful baby Claire xx

We have been going to Beckenham Spa for nearly 2 years, the kids' lessons there are very good and they have nice modern facilities etc.

Hello there We have used this company in the past http://www.airportsdirectservices.co.uk/ and I *think* they provided child restraints - the ones where a sort of hidden compartment folds out of the normal seat and it's got a 3 point harness or whatever it is called Obviously check with them if you get in touch, but I think they do it Good luck Claire

Ciao again, Apologies to anyone who was planning to come along this afternoon but our meetup this afternoon is cancelled. I have sent text messages to people whose mobile numbers I have, I hope others see this update online in time. We'll try again next week, and hope everyone is over their illnesses by then! Claire x

Ciao a tutti just a reminder to any Italian-speakers with little kids re tomorrow Tuesday at the Horniman conservatory at 3pm Claire M:0758 4485391

Hello love4life and PucciBlu Thanks for your messages, and yes we are planning to meet next week - hopefully it will be a regular thing. Horniman conservatory at 3pm next Tuesday. Please send me a PM with your mobile numbers, and if there is any change I'll contact you! Ciao ciao Claire x

Hello all, Just a quick note to say that it was lovely to meet you both last Tuesday, sanity girl and bee74. I know you won't be able to make it next week, but Cinzia and I will still plan to be there in case any one else would like to come along. Hopefully we can make it a regular thing. So that's Horniman conservatory at 3pm next Tuesday. I should point out to any one else who's interested in coming along that we weren't very successful in getting the kids to speak in Italian to each other! They just raced around totally ignoring us, as they usually do... :-) But hey, it's work in progress. And great to get the info about the scuola materna near Stockwell. Thanks sanity girl and gigglesworthy. Claire

Hi Snowboarder, I feel your pain. Our daughter (now nearly 4) was an early riser as well, and I did everything I could think of to try to get her waking up later. Nothing worked. In the end we just brought her into bed with us where sometimes she would doze off; and even if not, we could get another half hour or so of semi-sleep while she just played with a toy in the bed or something. But you know, I think some kids are just like that; certainly, nothing that I tried worked, and I tried hard. It was only after she turned 2, and dropped her midday nap, and it was winter so dark in the mornings, that AT LONG LAST she started sleeping to around 7am. Good luck, I really sympathise. I am going through it all again with our second one (14m), but usually I just plonk him in front of the TV until 6am when I consider it an acceptable time for a human being to get out of bed :-)

Oh dear, so sorry everyone, I don't know what month I am in! Yes, I mean today = Tueday 14th September. hope to see some of you there and sorry again per la confusione Claire x

Hello again, Time changed to 3pm as that seems to suit people better! So we will be in the Horniman conservatory this Tuesday 10th August at 3pm. Not sure how it will all work out - when my friends and I have tried to get our kids to play games or do little activities in Italian, they usually just laugh in our faces and chase each other round the house. We thought that if we could change environment, and introduce some new people, they might be more likely to pay attention .... we'll see!! We shouldn't have too high expectations though. Worst case scenario we get to have a coffee and make some new friends :-) Claire

Hello sanity girl and bee74, great to hear from you both. Sanity girl, we will look out for you on Tuesday, and assume you will be easy to spot! Bee74 - I am not sure about starting later... I'll pm you about this. Would love to meet both of you even if you're not able to come this Tuesday. We're also thinking about some other child-friendly activities in Italian, e.g. an Italian storytime session on a Saturday morning .... will let you know more as and when! Btw, I am not Italian myself, really just a wannabe :-) But I lived in Bologna for a few years and speak ok, and am trying to speak it to my kids in the hope that they can eventually speak it to a reasonable level as a second language. But I'm in touch with quite a few other mums who are native speakers. I'll pm you both as well Claire

Hello, just wondering if there are any other families locally trying to raise their children bilingual English + Italian. There are a few of us trying to get a little group together and are looking for others to join! We would like to start a very informal Italian-speaking playgroup for children of pre-school age. We would aim to start by doing just a very short organised activity with the kids (10 mins - and that's ambitious!), and then let them play while we have a coffee (!), and then finish up with a song or two. We're going to meet at the Horniman in the conservatory next Tuesday at 2pm, and any Italian-speaking mums or dads are very welcome to come along with kids/babies to join us. Feel free to drop in, and/or pm me to chat more. Thanks Claire

Hello knowledgeable people of EDF I would like to know what the catchment distances turned out to be for the 2010 primary schools admissions. Most interested in Southwark, but also Lewisham and Lambeth... Have these been published now? Haven't been able to find them yet, would be grateful for any pointers in the right direction! Thanks Claire

I also have dry hands with too much handwashing! All these creams sound great - where do I get the cotton gloves, though? thanks!