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Have also heard good things about Science Museum recently (from a friend who took her 8 and 9 year olds...). We went to the Diana Memorial Fountain on one of those hot days back in July...V busy - quite good for our 5 and 3 year olds but probably couldn't have done more than an hour or so (thousands of kids running round, bashing into each other etc etc). But on a nice warm day, you could give it a go for a bit, then wander over to the Serpentine which might suit both age groups. There's a nice little playground beyond the changing rooms (with little knee-high pools for younger ones, kids running round with water shooters etc). Plenty of grass for grown-ups to lie out on. And then a swim in the serpentine with the ducks? Loads of places to eat in Hyde Park too. Good luck!

Hi Caroline Would love to have a look! Will PM Thanks!

?13 per hour. 3/4 hours work from 10 am. We're renting our house (Airbnb) and would like some help with changing sheets, dusting, cleaning fridge. Please send me a PM if you're interested in the work! Many thanks.

We went on a flight with our then 3 year and 1 year old a couple of years ago (short haul) and we sat in those seats at the front (right hand side of plane) where you get a bit of extra legroom. Remember it making quite a big difference as the kids could spread out a bit and could even play on the floor! Think planes must have different sorts of legroom in different places (and kids can't go by emergency exits) but it might be worth investigating! Also remember feeling like we were hassling everyone around us a bit less than if we'd been in the middle of the plane...Good luck!

Thanks all...yes, kids will probably end up using it as a trampoline so something durable and washable a good idea! Going to follow up all your leads. The room it's going into is fairly small so I think we're after a 2 seater...something quite classic (I like the Loaf ones Dodo1 - thanks) but maybe with a slight twist! Wondering if you can get something that looks good and is comfy (perhaps second hand) for around the ?500/600 mark but I think this may be very wishful thinking...

Anyone have any brainwaves / success stories with their sofa purchases? Looked at the usual suspects - sofa.com, habitat etc but would welcome any other ideas. Has anyone ever bought a nice, good quality second hand sofa in an actual shop? Have been trawling through ebay but we'd quite like to try it out before we part with the cash... Thanks!

Went shopping in Lewisham recently (very easy on train from Peck Rye. And an easy drive too). Gap outlet - lots of brilliant deals! And kids' clothes downstairs too if you've got kids. And a not too crowded 4 floor TX Maxx!

All family sets ups obviously differ Mic Mac, with different sorts of pressures on the 'homemaker' and the 'breadwinner' depending on the age of the kids / the nature of the breadwinner's job etc etc, but I know loads of Mums who couldn't wait to get back to work (and a fair few who went back even though it wasn't financially advantageous to do so...) - ie looking after 2 pre-schoolers ain't no picnic!

The manager guy in the cafe on Peckham Rye was saying that the new playground is going to have water features!

Thanks for posting bodsier...an incredibly powerful piece of writing...

Her speech outside No. 10 was completely bizarre too. No acknowledgement of any of the mess, any degree of culpability. No sense of reacting to the changed mood of the nation. She goes into robot mode when delivering the lines, but when she's not speaking she looks like she's right on the edge....Half-dazed, half furious....until the crap about stability pops into her brain again... Edited because I'm a wee bit tired and I keep missing out words...

Make sure neighbour only signs one of the photos! xx

Glad to help Ilona! When you apply at Victoria you get a tracking number so you can ring the passport info line and in theory they're meant to be able to tell you whether the passport's been approved, printed, sent to the courier etc. But when I rung (various times - panic rising) I kept being told slightly different things. One person in one call centre would tell me son's passport was with the courier. All good. Someone else would tell me that it had been printed but not definitely with the courier etc etc etc. Anyway, one of the nice people on the advice line let slip that DX delivered them to London addresses but then said you had to wait for a 'failed delivery' before you could contact DX direct. By that stage (night before our flight, hitting the gin) I wasn't really up for sitting around and waiting for DX to deliver, so rang them direct. They were really really helpful. They gave me the number of the depot on Old Kent Road. Spoke to someone there, explained sorry situation and she was very accommodating. We turned up with ID very early on the Saturday morning and managed to get passport. So from an appointment in Victoria on Wednesday at Midday, we collected the passport 7am Saturday. I don't know whether it was a particularly quiet week that week but there are lots of stories of people getting the passport within 3/4 days on the 7 day service. Don't want to raise your hopes, but that was our experience two months ago...Let me know if you need any more help...

We had a similar situation back in April. Realised a week before we were due to travel that our son's passport had expired, and you're now no longer able to do the Premium / 24 hour service with kids' renewals. We got an appointment on Wednesday morning in Victoria (for the 1 week renewal) and the passport was with DX on Old Kent Road on Saturday morning (although the people you speak to on the phone on the passport advice line won't necessarily give you this information.) So my main bit of advice would be to book that appt at Victoria asap (you can do it online if they're not open today). And make sure you turn up with all the right stuff (we didn't - that was an interesting few hours...) And if you want more info about going direct to collect it direct from DX (it meant we got on the plane), let me know! Good luck - and I really feel for you. It's a crummy situation...but all may not be lost if you can get an appt at Victoria asap... Edited to say that you used to be able to get kids' passports on the Premium service, but now you can't because they tightened up the rules last year. The same may have happened to Lost and Stolen ones. I think if the website says that's the case, they probably won't bend. But double-check by ringing the advice line direct.....I became a weirdo passport nerd after our saga at Easter..

Can't help with the first two questions but last year we were away for a couple of the enrolment days and they fitted us in on the one we could make. Give the office a call on Monday - they're really on it!

Hi, we had a slightly mixed experience with our then 4 year old. The first six months or so was great. Same teacher. Lovely lady who was great with the kids. Then I think Southwark changed the provider, and our son had about 5 different teachers in a relatively short space of time. It might well have settled down now but we ended up moving him after another new teacher pitched up! This was about a year ago now, so, as I say, DLC might well have sorted it out.

Or it could just be parents who are genuinely happy with their local state primary responding to requests for info...?

Yes, well done not getting frustrated! Have you tried incentives / star charts / bribery for completely dry days? Might be worth a shot to get her back into good habits...Good luck!

titch juicy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Wouldn't be at all surprised to see Yvette Cooper > as next Labour leader. She did brilliantly in PMQs yesterday. Or what about David Miliband standing as an independent for Dulwich and West Norwood on the soft Brexit ticket, defecting to the Labour party if he's elected...? Desperate times etc etc etc.

Found a nice Mum to countersign. Thanks for that list Carrie.. And Zephy that's given me hope! Did you do anything in particular to speed up process? Thanks so much folks.

Thanks so much everyone....am going to go to Victoria passport office this afternoon and PLEAD. And if that doesn't work, plead on Wednesday (first appt they can give me.) Alternatives are appointments in Belfast and Durham tomorrow but I reck by the time they've got the new passport down to London, those options might not be a whole lot quicker. So words of warning to people with 4.5 year olds as alieh says - RENEW IN GOOD TIME! You can't do the 24 renewal anymore. Next bit of stress if trying to find someone to countersign in next few hours. If anyone has any clever ideas, please post. Sorry - i know this is admin hell and feel bad to be burdening others etc etc... Right going to drink some mint tea in effort to relax. And Redjam - thanks for warning about return flights. That's a really good headsup.

Am a complete nonce and have only just clocked that our son's passport has expired and we're meant to be going on holiday on Saturday. Has anyone had any recent experience of getting a fast-tracked passport? You're no longer allowed to do the 24hr turnaround for kids so we're booked in on Wednesday for the 7 day service. Should I give up all hope of getting on the plane on sat? Suspect the answer is yes, but any advice gratefully received...