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We recently moved from ED to West Sussex and have no regrets. We swapped a small (but lovely) 3 bed terrace with a tiny patio garden for 4 bed semi detached cottage with over 1/3 of an acre. The local train station is a 5 minute drive away and trains to LB or Victoria are 40 minutes. We always get a seat and the trains are clean and quiet. Result!

I was going past in a car at about 3.10pm and saw a man lying on the ground and there were no police or ambulances there so it must have literally just happened. I thought perhaps he had collapsed but there were people looking after him so I didn't stop. Up the road there were around 100 people just outside/inside the cemetery looking as if they were about to attend a funeral. I'm guessing the two were linked somehow?

I've had one of the side rooms both times I've had a baby but then I've had two hideous births - one with my baby rushed to special care straight after birth and one with me needing internal reconstructive surgery immediately after birth. The only positive I can possibly take out of my experiences is that I've never spent a night on the main ward!

I changed my career after having my second child. The advertising industry and leaving at 5.30pm to collect children from nursery just don't go together. I actually went to see a careers advisor and although I haven't ended up going down the route she suggested, it gave me the kick up the backside to really get on the case and look at options outside the media world for the first time in my career. I'm so pleased I took the risk and went for it. It was daunting at first but I now work closer to home, leave on time every evening and get paid the same money in a job I really enjoy. Go for it - it can be done!

Like you we are in a 'black hole' for primary school places and we didn't get into any of the four schools we put down on the initial rounds (Fairlawn, Horniman, Heber, Goodrich). But we automatically went on the waiting list for all of the schools. Within three weeks we had a place at our second choice school, within four weeks our fourth choice and just last month (a year later) we got offered our third choice! Bearing in mind we were 16th on the waiting list for our third choice, it shows that the waiting lists really do move. We never got our first choice but we are more than happy with our second choice so it all worked out in the end.

Dr Scorer and Dr Greaves are both very easy to approach with any issue. But in my opinion, Dr Graham is not someone I would want to talk to if I needed a sympathetic ear!

I used to park along Devonshire Road after a childcare drop off and most of the time I would find a parking space relatively close to the station. But if I was any later than 8.30am then I would end up parking half way to Forest Hill!

Another vote for the gro clock and bribery - our eldest is often awake well before 7am but he knows to make minimal noise until the 'sun comes up' on the clock which is set for 7.15am. He got the hang of this when he was about 4 years old and since then we've been enjoying peaceful mornings. (My youngest will sleep until he gets woken up by everyone else - don't you just want to bottle that and give it to every toddler?!)

As far as I know, if you got your first choice then it's the end of the road for you. If however you got a second, third...etc place then you could still stay on the waiting list for any of your higher placed schools. The only alternative is to apply to go on the waiting list for the school you want once term has started and you'll go on the list based on your distance to the school.

Very normal indeed - my eldest wasn't dry at night until he was just over 5 years old - we thought it would NEVER happen and tried bribes, sticker charts etc. Having been through it, I now thoroughly believe they just do it when their bodies are ready.

I second Tredithick although it does get booked up quickly for the summer holidays..

Hi Anna - I have experienced hideous post-pregnancy insomnia with both my babies. It's truely crippling and affected every part of my life for the best part of a year each time. I think it was caused by my inability to switch off from being a mum for the night. I used to lie awake for hours waiting for them to wake up. The thing is that they both slept through from 10pm until 7am from around three months....oh, the irony :X Anyway, to end on a positive note around the time of their first birthday I started sleeping through the night again. I didn't really change anything although I think I did have some hypnotherapy and listened to a few relaxation CD's. I believe it was just time for my brain to switch off again. I was no longer on high alert listening out for them. I'm still not the best sleeper but I certainly don't have nights on end of rubbish sleep feeling more tired when I got up then when I went to bed. Hang on in there, it will pass...I promise.

we got into horniman this year and we're about 1000 metres away (on ryedale). my understanding is that we only got a place because fairlawn had a bulge class so all the children who live in between fairlawn and horniman got into fairlawn therefore freeing up more places at horniman. this year however it looks likely horniman will have a bulge class so the catchment may well be up to 1000 metres again. i don't want to give you false hope of course but it's definitely a possibility. i must admit i don't really understand the whole putting your closest community school down first as it means you have no chance of getting into the school you really want. i would put horniman first and then goodrich but who knows, as i said, i never really got my head around the whole thing!

Another vote for Oakwood midwives - they're fantastic. The GP's at the affiliated surgery on Forest Hill Road are all ok apart from one who is verging on imcompetent. HV's are unhelpful and the receptionists are grumpy.

I think it's kosher. She's been round a few times over the past couple of years and taken some odd bits and pieces from me. Also, she didn't ask what time I'd be home from work, she just said leave anything on the doorstep when she comes round next week.