Mrs TP

The smaller St Christopher's Hospice on Lordship is always grateful for donations. The bigger one does seem to get full from time to time (I think because it is easier to park nearer to it) and they often ask if you can pop down the road to the smaller one. I have taken two car boot fulls of mixed items to the smaller one over the last two weeks and they have been brilliant about taking them - offering to help unload the car and giving me my boxes and bags back for another load. I know when we clear out at home we just clear out but they like anywhere benefit from seasonal items and I had a rummage through our Christmas deccies and put in bits n bobs no longer wanted and they were really pleased. I took a bag of stuff to the refugee centre in the church at the top of Barry Road 3wks ago and they were reluctant to take it saying they had too much stuff and would only accept items for children - it was kids winter coats I had and so after some negotiation they took it.

The most famous taxidermy shop in London is this one in Islington: http://www.thegetstuffed.co.uk/ Not sure of the full range of services they offer. I'm with you on this one, we had a dog when I was growing up and I always wanted his big silky ears to make a purse but it never happened. Good luck.

My parents had their plates stolen on their car about 5yrs ago whilst they were visiting us in Bellenden and had to drive back to L'pool later that day with homemade cardboard plates on their car. We reported the theft and there was never any come back in the way of congestion / speeding / parking fines if they were used elsewhere. Just a pain paying for new ones. There seem to be spates of this sort of thing and it is bloody annoying.

Get some cycle shorts to put over them, Superman Style - Next do PE navy cycle shorts or again a vote for M&S tights.

Well jel - I can only just about make a cup of tea!

Wow that is impressive pebbles, where are you hiding the one you are doing?

OMG crystal7 - last night my hubbie (see my separate thread on what to get hubbies) asked for two oven gloves for Christmas as ours are almost disintegrated. I said ok but sighed deeply even with such an easy route out oven gloves are for life not Christmas.

Plenty to work on guys thanks :) I have a friend who received just one too many bicycles for midwives in Africa from her mother for her birthday and flipped out a few years ago - has been getting lovely smellies ever since. Once or twice would probably have been ok but I think the annual predictability became too much. She tells the story well.

A million years ago (early 1990s) as part of an MSc Archaeology I did one day a week at the Museum of London processing soils samples and finds in their lab underneath the museum itself. They might be worth a try and also the Institute of Archaeology in Gordon Square which is part of UCL. Afraid I have moved on and contacts have changed at both institutions but still worth a try. As a career unless you are in the education side it is not great - poorly paid, short term contracts and lots of moving around the country to where the work is - suppose that could be most things these days! Interesting and great to study though. Conservation of finds would be a good career path and easier to get a longer term job at one institution. Good luck.

I consider myself open minded but the whole beaker incident was wrong. He likes music, films, cooking and comedy. He is a professional photographer so is pretty much gadgeted up in that respect. Mid / late 40s. I think he likes frivolous useful presents rather than needed items.

Ok so we have threads on kids and mums wish lists but what about Dads? After 21 yrs together I am finding it more and more difficult to come up with a 'surprise' present. Can we keep this clean and steer away from the 'wrap yourself up' line, remember this is the ED Forum and not Mumsnet! Good luck.

Ooh how very spoilt. Mr TP usually comes up top trumps with something lovely from him, after some discussion, and bits n bobs for me from our brood e.g. smellies, photo frame, candles etc. His Mum kindly gives me a voucher for whatever is in favour with me that year but that is the extent of it. Mr TP's side of the family is rather large and so we have agreed to only buy for those under 18; with god children that makes 10 other children for us to buy for with 5 of those having b'days in Dec and January. I have a tiny family with just a couple of Aunts and an Uncle who again just buy for the children. However, if I were to be asked and showered with gifts then definitely some treatments at a spa / health place, endless new clothes and smellies and a pile of vouchers for a shopping spree. My most difficult challenge is buying for Mr TP - might start another thread on that one!

Is it not the first rule of living in that London that it is ok to be mildly amused that you have spotted someone famous of any degree and by all means brag to your mates and local forum but never ever let on to said famous person that you have spotted them? I made a huge mistake about a year ago by telling Miles Judd (stand up comedian / Archie from Balamory) who gallantly held my folded up buggie for me on a jam packed bus heading from ED towards Kings that I had seen him on tv the night before in an episode of The Thick of It - he descended into a shy embarrassed silence and we were both mortified. I am sure he would be pleased to know that I now completely blank him whenever I see him out and about.

Handcream - they must be washing their hands all day with little ones or general smellies, scented candles.

Deliveries for us are all about parking i.e. once we get a parking space outside our house for the eve then we are not budging the car to go and collect a far flung takeaway. Unless it is that Thai place on Lordship because they don't deliver and so I have to weigh up the value of my parking space re their lovely beef salad ...

For girls there is also Greycoats at Victoria, which is a C of E school but I understand not for 6th form.

Ah I re-found mine during clear out at the weekend - haven't worn it for almost 5yrs and those days over for me (quiet sob). Wear it, be assertive if necessary and thoroughly charming to those kind souls who help and enjoy the specialness of being preggers even with all its not so fab side effects. Congrats and good luck.

I used house legal protection insurance to help me during the redundancy process, it was an add on to our buildings insurance policy. Something actually needs to have happened for it to kick-in i.e. I had to pay myself to consult a solicitor when it became apparent I was likely to be facing redundancy but once the formal redundancy notice had been issued - some 4 months later - then the policy kicked in. It doesn't apply for just seeking advice as foresight, which was a downer as I received great advice as to how to legally handle the forthcoming redundancy process.

Off topic but yes Otta first time in a few years I have been into the city centre and seen all the new developments, expansion of the Albert Dock to the new Liverpool Museum and Liverpool One shopping - it was fantastic. Do love it. Had been there 10 mins and saw a litter bin on fire outside St John's Market and a Stag Do with all dressed up as superheroes with Buzz Lightyear stopping the traffic to allow his mates to cross including Duff Man from the Simpsons, Mr T and Crocodile Dundee and the hundreds of obligatory chicken (pronounced 'Chucken') takeaways - loved every minute.

I wondered what was going on with this thread i.e. who spends loads on a Christening. I can understand that those with more relatives than us and who may need to hire a venue for afterwards can face spiraling costs but perhaps it is the excessive trimmings the OP is interested in? We have had three and have only ever paid for the church fee, a professional but simple cake, bit of nice-ish buffet food and vino to have at home and and usually a new outfit for the bubba in question. For number 3 the older two got new outfits and the bubba to be Christened got a hand-me-down 'posh' dress. With rough totting up now I would be surprised if it was more than ?600 for 3 complete Christenings. However, I have just come back from taking my brood to visit a school friend of mine in Liverpool, where I grew up but left many moons ago. My friend does face-painting and glitter tatoos at kids birthday parties, school and church fairs etc and was talking about one party she had done recently where there were loads of kids. She was grumbling that they had not been honest with her re the amount of children there were going to be at the party and she felt she had been conned into under charging. She mentioned that the party had been quite lavish and there had also been a bouncy castle at a hired venue. You can see where this is going - yep it was a Christening! I couldn't believe it, with face-painting and a bouncy castle. My friend said it is quite usual for 'Big Fat Gypsy Style Christenings' running into 1000s of pounds in her part of Liverpool.

I went on to having two VBACs after an emergency c-section with number 1. First VBAC was a bit grim with ventouse and cutting but the second was much easier and a great midwife telling me exactly how to push as I never mastered that with the first two births. My emergency c-section was because the baby got stuck as back to back and presenting face first - she was pretty flat when she came out and we had a horrific few minutes whilst she was worked on but eventually fine. VBAC babies both came out fine and happy and given to me straight away. It is hard work and not particularly pleasant but all fine and dandy and much quicker recovery - I was really shocked in a nice way about the much speedier recovery and being able to think straight about the baby. Good luck and congrats.

Yes Jeremy Deller is from ED and went to St John's and St Clement's Primary School, where one of the school houses is called Deller after him. He revisited a couple of years ago to show the pupils one of his works - a film about bats and then all the pupils dressed as bats and chased him around the school and playground, which was filmed for The Culture Show http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01cl2dd (it's the last 5mins or so). Fab!

Saffron - no change in litter. He has just got really spooked outside and is nervy as anything. I moved the litter tray to the spot he has been peeing in last night and he used the tray so it is not the tray but the position, which is something. The vet said it should be in a quiet position not near hustle and bustle and as our cats don't use the front door this is probably why he thinks it is a quiet spot. He will go out the back but barely moves from a newly adopted watch position on the patio table. We are trying to give him lots of cuddles and love and reassurance and I am desperately waiting for a feliway plug in to arrive. He also adores our middle daughter, who has been away for a few days on a school trip, which I am sure added to his depression. But she is back now and he is making friends with her again. Our other cat, his twin sister seems oblivious to the whole thing and is happily going about her business - phew.

Oooh have missed it - many thanks.

Not familiar with Sorsi & Morsi - where is it?