Minitoots

My Mother-in-law is going to have to move from her sheltered housing to a care home specialising in dementia very soon. She has a house which we're trying to do up but it's in Kent, and won?t be rented or sold in time to start paying these massive fees, so we've no idea where to start! We're looking for an advisor who has knowledge of tax info re the most cost effective way of paying care home fees, etc - maybe an accountant rather than a financial adviser as they are always trying to sell something! She is based in Kent but we live in SE22. If anyone who has been in a similar position has any advice, that would be great, thanks!

I want to switch energy suppliers from British Gas - we use a fair amount of gas for our central heating and have it on all day/night in winter. Our electricity is through EDF energy and I'm happy to swap that too if that work out cheaper. I know I can go on the price comparison websites and uswitch etc, but thought it worth checking if lots of local residents all recommend a particular supplier, thanks!

Our integrated dishwasher has conked out and we need to get a new one. The repair guy recommended the ones at Ikea at ?300 as the only ones to go for, but I wondered if anyone has got any other good brands they could recommend so we can compare prices etc? Exciting stuff, I know....

I'm about to start the daunting task of price comparisons for gas and electricity, having been on a really bad deal with British gas for years. I plan to check out all the usual price comparison sites, but also wondered if anyone has any recommendations? We have gas central heating which is on most of the day during winter, and have quite a lot of radiators so I think our consumption is reasonably high for a residential property.

thanks, everyone. She is based in Sevenoaks and yes, is under the care of the memory clinic there but we are not over-impressed with them. She has a lot of support from carers, social services and friends and is in sheltered housing who are all aware of the situation but the main thing at the moment is the incessant phoning, forgetting she has phoned and re-dialling. Friends are very patient and sympathetic but the doctors and some of the care workers have begun to complain and we are trying to work out the best way to manage this situation. She is not too bad at all apart from that and is not ready to go into a nursing home.....

My 92 year old Mother-in-law has dementia and although she is still fairly independent, one of the main problems is that she constantly phones friends, the doctors etc then forgets she has phoned so phones again 5 minutes later. It is becoming quite a problem and we're starting to get complaints about it. She lives alone in sheltered housing and has loads of support from friends family and care workers but often forgets people have visited, and feels a need to phone people for a chat the moment she is alone again. I've tried speaking to the Alzheimers soc and Dementia Uk as well as BT in case there are any gadgets to stop someone re-dialling the same number more than once a day or anything like that but naturally BT wants people to use their service as much as possible so must love people in this situation! Notes on the phone don't help, and we have tried everything we can think of. If anyone has any suggestions about this or other aids for someone with dementia, I'd be very interested!

Sorry - tickets now sold. Best of luck to everyone who responded in getting some elsewhere.

The place where we went last year was Crawton, Aberdeenshire - see pics attached. (We had to change travel plans to Europe due to family illness but ended up off the beaten track in the UK instead). Now, back to the subject of places in Europe off the beaten track......

Thanks, Yak and libbyer. Very helpful info. I'll also check out Bol. I've just heard they are having a heatwave with temperatures over 40!

Last I we asked for suggestions for holidays off the beaten track in Europe and got some very interesting replies including several for Montenegro, so that's where we are looking at going this year IF we can manage to avoid crowded developed areas but still get somewhere on the coast with character, nice views, etc etc. If anyone has been and can give ideas of the best areas to go and where to avoid and any other tips that would be great, thanks!

Not Wales, not Scandinavia.... Meanwhile, thanks for all the new interesting suggestions for places. We are looking into several of them starting with Montenegro so any more tips on where to go in Montenegro would be great. I'm starting a new post specifically on that too.

This is where we ended up last year - our own deserted beach, 1 mile walk to nearest village/ pub with fantastic seafood, mountains 30 miles or so away, historic sites within 3 mile walk etc etc - any guesses as to where??!

I started this post last year, and now we're looking for the same sort of ideas for this this year - any new suggestions?

Yes, Brezzo his school careers advisor has been very helpful so far and helped him get a place on a Goldsmiths design masterclass in June but it's not the same as having helpful advice from people who have actually been students at the various colleges so thanks to everyone who has replied so far with feedback from their own experience.

My son is interested in doing an art foundation course when he leaves school in a year's time. He thinks he'd eventually like to specialise in something like product design but is unsure exactly what at the moment. We've been to Camberwell and Ravensbourne's foundation open days, and will be going to look at degree shows at CSM, Kingston and maybe Epsom and wondered if anyone has any more suggestions? If you or someone you know has done a foundation course, it'd be great to get some inside info as I think it's changed a lot since I was at art school a loooong time ago!

Re: attack on Archdale Road around 10pm on thursday night 16th Feb - we just wanted to check if the woman who was assaulted is ok? Several neighbours from Archdale Road came out to help after hearing screams for help and 2 women accompanied the woman who had been attacked back to her home. Did anyone call the police? All we heard was that she had been attacked by someone who had put their arm round her throat. If anyone has more info and has not already done so, please contact the police.

I need to get new Epson inks for my printer and have used both Epson and cheap substitute inks bought online in the past and wondered what other people recommend? I haven't had a problem with the cheaper versions but ideally would prefer to find a cheap supplier of actual Epson cartridges if possible. Where is the cheapest place to get Epson ink cartridges? My printer is an Epson stylus Photo 1290 and the Epson cartridges are T007 (black)and T009 (colour.)

We're interested in any offers for this holiday apartment week so if anyone is interested please send me a PM thanks

Spacious 2 bedroom apartment sleeping 6 available for one week from Sat 5th November due to late cancellation. Lounge/Diner with sea views. Kitchen with sea views. 1 Double/Twin Bedroom. 1 Twin Bedroom. Bathroom.? The apartment is part of the Osborne Hotel and enjoys one of the most serene and spectacular locations in the South Devon area. Situated at the centre of an elegant Regency crescent, the hotel/apartments overlook six acres of beautifully landscaped grounds stretching down to Meadfoot Beach, together with stunning views across the English Riviera. Facilities on site include:- Indoor swimming pool [heated] measuring 13.5 x 6.5 metres,All weather tennis court,?? Putting Green, Table Tennis and Giant Chess on the side lawn? 27 stage gymnasium, sauna and solarium is available for an additional charge.? There is a good restaurant and also a brasserie within the crescent. ?525 for the week. For more info on the hotel click on The Osborne hotel, Torquay For images of the apartment click onOur 2 bed apartment at Osborne Hotel http://www.osborneclub.co.uk/_webedit/cached-images/273-290-218-0-0-290-218

Help! I think I left my black Nokia on a park bench in Peckham Rye park this afternoon. It was one of the metal seats looking towards Harris Boys School and East Dulwich. If anyone has found it, PLEASE send me a PM or call me on 8299 1703. I urgently need to get it back as I have several family emergencies going on at the moment and so am really stuck without it!

We're certainly up for adventures and have done what you suggested in the past in places like Alaska and Uganda which worked out really well but we just can't imagine finding anything off the beaten track that is also worth staying at in places in Europe, but we do have a tent so could always 'wild camp' in Europe....

We want to go somewhere inexpensive warm and by the sea but away from the crowds for a relaxing holiday from around 23rd July for 2 weeks. A few friends have recommended Lanzarote but despite doing lots of online research I can't really see if we'd be able to get away from the crowds if we went there, and if we did get away from them whether it would be worth it, as some of the smaller coastal villages don't get great travel reviews - has anyone been to the less touristy areas of the island? What about other lesser known Canaries? Any other suggestions where we can get a cheap flight and avoid crowds would be great too, thanks!

All the suggestions so far have been great but flights to most of them are either fully booked or too expensive this time.We've found cheap flights to Lanzarote but can't really see if we'd be able to get away from the crowds if we went there - has anyone been to the less touristy areas?

Hi Yak, We're still on our holiday hunt so I'd love to borrow some of your guide books if possible - I'll PM you too.

thanks for that, Saffron - another interesting idea. We don't mind if our destination is not by the sea as long as there is a river or lake that is clean and warm enough to swim in!