Ann

Just watched for the first time, I liked it but have always loved John Lewis. Lived in the US some years ago and visited some well known stores, I don't think we have much to complain about here in the UK. Gosh, John Lewis and Selfridges are just a 12 bus ride away! We are very, very lucky.

Agreed KK, and very welcome too.

I agree with pebbles prn. The transport links are good for teenagers as well as commuters. There was very little to do in the town I grew up which was a 'nice' area, good schools and commuting distance to London, although it's probably much improved now. Yes you about safety but busy London streets can be safer that quiet country roads too, that's a whole other thread!

I was lucky to have bought in this area 20 years ago and haven't faced the cost of living issues current families do. However the accessibility we have here is great, like many of you I didn't grow up in London. For teenagers London's amazing!

I think it's a general teachers's strike but on a region by region basis. The Charter have closed for years 8,9 and 10 but other years to attend as usual. Tracking is important. A teacher may be hardworking, dedicated and inspirational; I've experienced some very good teaching with my own children and some not so good. Ignore OFSTED at your peril, would you really want a school with no objective assessment?

That's such a good point LondonMix. I mentioned earlier that Heber has a good demographic meaning that the intake is not as deprived as many local schools bearing in mind the catchment area is very small. I also agree with DaveR's comments as well. It might be an eye-opener for some parents that not all children are flourishing but it should be.

Don't forget the ' requires improvement' grade has replaced the previous 'satisfactory' grade. I agree with motorbird83, the value added is a key assessment; I'm sure the school has a lot of very committed parents. The demographic for that school is pretty good when you consider it's possibly the most central school to East Dulwich.

Fling

I like Morrisons too, but I'm not familiar with their 'locale' version? Anyone?

Wow, I have those days (occasionally) now but my first born is nearly 20! I guess your lucky your husband can take off two days a month? At the same time you need to have spare time for doing things as a family, I hope. I remember what luxury it was to have a day shopping, hairdo etc... without having to worry about children!

Agreed Sue, it registers for me highly as a 'job I would never want to do'. I don't blame the 'Chuggers', but the cynical marketing strategies.

Buddug, thanks for your post, it gives another perspective on the issue here. This is one of the saddest threads ever posted on this forum. The words 'Man's best friend' really do spring to mind here. This poor dog is clearly grieving and his owner may well be so wrapped up in her own grief that she is struggling; no-one to blame here. I have been very recently bereaved of my own nearly 14 year old Spaniel. I genuinely don't know how she would have coped if I had died ahead of her. Our dogs are more intelligent than people suspect; we are so lucky to have them as family 'pets', family member in my view. I wish this dog's owner our good wishes and absolute confidence that there are enough of us to help her with her dog id needed.

Yes do, I think it's a huge invasion on our personal privacy. I'm all for donating to charity on a what I can pay basis. Just don't want to be accosted on my doorstep after a day's work, even though I don't have young children any more. Have to say I'm rather abrupt with them these days, which is unpleasant in it's self. Would definitely register as door to door free if possible.

Is there an underground dog-fighting thing? As far as I'm aware there were laws passed about this many years ago and certain breeds are illegal. Of course your children are precious , all children are, but I'm unaware of any child being seriously harmed by a random dog attack. The majority of the awful cases reported are where the dog is owned by a family( albeit extended ) member? No offence but I do think some well meaning parents can instill unnecessary fear into their children.

Good point Buggie. Why do dogs get such bad press around here? Granted there are a lot of strong 'Staffie ' type dogs locally but as a dog owner and parent I can say neither have been threatened from any local dog. I'm horrified that anyone would want to inflict pepper spray on a dog. Have we not, as a nation incorporated dogs as part of our lives for centuries at least? Tragic stories of children being mauled or murdered are thankfully extremely rare, as are child murders by humans, but far less so. They've happened before and sadly will happen again. Do dog owners have any legal recourse if such attack was inflicted on their dog?

Well said, have observed the same at Goose Green many times.

slayed

I agree Haerton. I've been a dog owner here for many years. In all honesty I can't say I've experienced any 'ante social behavior' other than an interested dog approaching a bitch who doesn't appreciate their advances! Restricted areas could seriously curtail many dogs' enjoyment of our parks. I have a small back garden and I'm well aware that many local residents have garden at all. Most of us (I believe ) who own dogs are well aware that our park spaces are a premium as this summer has proved. We pay plenty tax in our family too and I'm grateful for the lovely spaces we have for dogs and children alike. On a personal level I would hate our locality to be deprived of dogs; the very fact that we have such wonderful open spaces makes dog ownership as diverse as it is.

Again, thanks First Mate for your selfless efforts. As a dog owner myself I must say your posts are educational (re dogs), and genuinely interesting to read. As others have said, to leave a dog without water is unacceptable in any circumstances. Panting is their only way to reduce body temperature I believe in the same way that humans sweat? That poor dog could have died.

Agreed. It's wonderful local history and thanks for the images posted but in all honesty, what would be the point?

Gosh that does sound a lot. I'm still with Lordship Lane Vets and very happy with them. Although I don't have Pet Insurance I am comfortable that we can pay bills as needed, but realise that's not the situation for all animal owners. I wouldn't assume the Vets think we're all made of money but perhaps they face the inflated costs of running a business in London as many others do?

Yes they will remove but charge you for it. Years ago we came back from holiday to find same, I would have paid a large sum of money in preference to bagging up the maggot infested remains myself!

Fairlawn. Of course Sydenham girls is lovely but it ought to be for the price. It sounds like your private option was your back up as you got nothing from your original application, you have jumped for joy if you had got Fairlawn back in May. At that age friendships are so easily made, she will have forgotten Sydenham from day one! Definitely save your money for secondary school. As others have said, it's important to have her friends close by.

I live near Goose Green, never heard them once, but I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to our local council for maintaining our lovely parks as well as they do. When the weather has been as fine as of late it's so nice to see our open spaces so well used. What a ridiculous post, pretty poor trolling.

PCM, the Au Pair web site gives guidelines about this. I agree with Badur London would be an attractive location for au-pairs. There is a big difference between what you should expect between an au-pair and a live-in Nanny; they are simply not the same thing and it worries me that anyone would refer to an au-pair as such. To reiterate, my 19 year old daughter (see above post) has no child care qualifications, no police check and no training what so ever in first aid. For E60 a week that's the deal. She's happy, I'm happy and I believe the family are. I know this whole child care dilemma is difficult and I would never say no to an au-pair, but they are not Nannies.