sarahew

It was so dazzling and beautiful that I stopped the car to photograph it. This is the view on Wood Vale.

Hi there Does anybody know of anywhere local where my boys could ride a hoverboard legally please? My 9 yr old is desperate for one for xmas, but just not sure where he could ride it, or if it's even a god idea at his age. Any thoughts welcomed! Thank you Sarah

Hi all, Can anybody recommend any genuinely good apps for 4-7yrs boys? There are so many out there, and so much rubbish, I feel overwhelmed. I'm hoping to find, by recommendation, some that really do successfully combine learning and fun, that aren't full of add=on purchases, for kids interested in construction, patterns, maths, football, music, creative arts. And obviously action adventure heroes etc. Many thanks indeed!

Ben minife architects. Just mid build now. Great aesthetic. A class above we reckon.

We've got one, and despite early reservations we love it. Plasticky depends on the quality you buy, and your budget. Our garden is pretty large, and it's a little stripy in one section, and looks flatter than a natural lawn (which we couldn't easily have because of tree cover). We have two boys, aged 2 and 4, and it's a godsend. Always looks great, no mud in the house, good in all weathers, no maintenance apart from brushing occasionally.

Kelvin grove is taking the horniman bulge class. Allocation will be different obviously due to different location. Kg will be four form intake. It's all been a disaster thanks to lewisham council. See my other post.

Just to let you all know that I called the admissions office at Lewisham council today, and a lady read from an internal email that had been sent to staff this morning: "a feasibility study showed that it was too expensive and offered poor value for money". She said "it's to do with finances". She then realised she shouldn't have been reading from an internal email and the conversation closed. I then phoned a different department, and got lots of information from an open and helpful lady. When the build work went out to tender the costs came back at twice those that had been advised earlier in the process, at over a million pounds. There are some 'very stern' conversations going on with their external management consultants about the advice given on the project. The upshot is that the project is withdrawn and being considered for future years. I advised that the parents I have talked to are angry, and they should expect 'feedback'. She was actually quite sympathetic, and said they would never have promoted the bulge class had they known that there was a chance it wouldn't go ahead, and they have let their advisors know of the scale of the impact on a number of parents. The bulge class will now be taken in by Kelvin Grove, which is moving to a four form entry. Yes, that's four forms. They have the capacity in the building to do it, and are spending some money on the outside play area.

I'm interested In a group challenge. I am furious to the point of disbelief. We were told on two separate open days, a couple of months apart, that it was happening, and so made some fairly major life decisions around it. We probably wouldn't be living in London now if we had been told before the admissions deadline.

Hi fellow mums I found this much loved Jellybean monkey today, sitting in the rain on a post, on Forest Hill Road, between the high school and the row of shops near the bus-stop (near the green). I left him there the first time I saw him, incase his owner came back, but over an hour later he was still there, and the rain was tipping down. Anyway, he played on my mind and I decided to bring him home, where it's warm and dry, and put an appeal out for his owner. I can imagine he is someone's very special monkey, and somewhere there is a little one feeling very sad right now, and a mum stuck for where to start searching. If you recognise him, if he belongs to you or someone you know, PM me. And please spread the word if you can. It would be great to get him back to his owner.

Hi all, sorry me again with more kitchen renovation questions. Just wondering...why, on nearly every side return extension project that I've seen, is the kitchen kept in the pre-existing space and the dining table put under the new glazed roof? Has anyone swapped them around and put the kitchen under the glass roof in the new bit, and the dining table in the old space? I think I'm missing the logic, which I'm sure is there somewhere. Is it that the side return bit tends to be narrower, and so better for a table? Is it because it's nice to eat under glass? We were thinking of doing it the other way, to cook under glass, but are we missing something? Any architects out there who can spare a minute to explain? Or people who've had the work done, and can tell me the benefits from firsthand experience of living with it? As ever, I would be very grateful.

Thanks very much sb. Lots of food for thought in your answer. Great ideas about sockets, and a fab tip about Higham kitchens. I'm inspired by your level of planning. DO you want to come round and do mine for me?! Please!!

Friends have amtico in their kitchen, in wood effect to match the natural parquet in their 30s house, and it looks brilliant and seems to be wearing well. Thanks for the British Standard tip. They look really lovely, and obviously well made. I love the bespoke ranges from Plain English, too. It's stuff to dream about really, as I'm pretty sure we couldn't even afford the British Standard range, never mind the ?50k bespoke. Fantastic ideas for my Pinterest board though. Did anyone put together Pinterest boards that we could swap? Great to hear about hooking up a washing machine. I was panicking about that!

Very big thanks to everyone who is posting here, you really are being a massive help. I love the old thread about kitchens and will be referring to that lots too. Pickle, the Dh is desperate to have an Insinkerator; his mum has one and loves it. Induction hobs also seem to be the way to go, and pan drawers. Definitely going to visit Cook!, though can't afford any of it! This, I think, is great advice from Pickle, thank you: Get an electric two-ring hob, put your fridge in the front room, be prepared to redecorate the room you end up living/eating/cooking in for the time you're without a kitchen, as despite best efforts, it will have a hard life for a while too! Does anyone have any tips about whether sinks and washing machines can be plumbed in to temporary spaces, or does it all get too much / expensive? Any tips / thoughts on tumble dryers? They are evil, I know, but I'm afraid to say our old one gets used quite a lot. Definitely need a new one - any recommendations? Would love to know if anyone has used kitchen cabinets from affordable suppliers other than Ikea. We aren't in the posh German kitchen price bracket (I don't even know the name of them), but surely there is more than just Ikea and B&Q-type stuff? Or if anyone highly rate Ikea (my sister says her Ikea planning and installation was brilliant, but she's in Edinburgh). Thanks so much again everyone - very very helpful!!

Build not about to start. Designs about to be finalised, hence the thinking now. Big thank you to the people who PM'd me. Very helpful. And yes, we think we might forego the wine cooler and keep a kidney between us.

Hello fellow ED peoples. Sorry that this thread isn't more exciting. It's just that we're about to sell our kidneys to fund a kitchen extension and I wondered what could possibly go wrong? Seriously, is a double oven just one oven too many? Have we totally underestimated the cost of absolutely everything? Are we more likely to get divorced than survive four months of building works? Is four months ever really four months? Is the building regs man going to do us for sharp corners on the work surfaces? Have i opened myself up for a stream of 'eff off with your dumb middle class problems' responses (don't bother, I'm perfectly good at dragging myself down without help). Seriously, if you can share any insight and spare us costly mistakes I'd really appreciate it. Thanks y'all.