Norfolkvillas

Hiya, I think the term most commonly used for this type of set up is "cluster" eg "villa cluster", "cottage cluster" etc. So you could try googling eg villa cluster mallorca or family-friendly villa cluster algarve and you might get more relevant results. Also websites like babyfriendlyboltholes allow you to search for just property clusters. I don't think it's an unusual set up, so wouldn't have thought it would be impossible to find, but I can't make any personal recommendations, sorry. Hope the above is useful anyway :-)

I suggested Folkestone on this thread and was pleased to see my recommendation went down well :-) http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1671242,1673991#msg-1673991 Less than 1.5hrs from ED and is beautiful and interesting all year round, not just in the summer.

Oh, that's good news - my husband says he's looked and never seen it anywhere (which doesn't mean much tbh) and there is no info on their site about single issue distribution, so I assumed I couldn't. Which Sainsbo's have you found it in? DKH? And is it just in the magazines section? I will go on a recce this week!

My son really enjoyed the trial copy that we ordered, but isn't a strong enough reader yet for it to be worth a full subscription (it's on the list for his 7th birthday in November). As it's not possible to buy single issues, I wondered if anyone local might be happy to pass on a few recent issues they'd finished with - happy to pay in chocolate.

I love our composite decking - looks the same now as it did when it was first installed 4 years ago.

@Sanity girl, sorry only just saw your question - we usually just go down for the day, but I have previously looked at Air BnB and there look to be some very nice, very reasonable places available. There's also a new boutique hotel currently being restored in the West End (the posh, late Regency, end of the Leas) but not sure how family-friendly it will be - opening July, they say. Very pleased to hear others have enjoyed their visits!

Folkestone is glorious - sandy beach, blue seas, France on the horizon, the Leas coastal park with amazing outdoor adventure playground right on the coast and tonnes of lovely places to eat and drink - lots of regeneration going on in the creative quarter, and on the harbour arm http://www.folkestoneharbourarm.co.uk/, plus award winning fish and chips at http://thesmokehousefolkestone.co.uk/ about 1 hour 20ish in the car from ED or it's on the high speed rail link (53 mins from St Pancras, not sure if it's possible to connect without going up and then out again). We are big fans (in case you couldn't tell!)

Our garden faces East South-East and we get tonnes of full sun between Feb and Oct - it's only during the winter months where the sun dips behind surrounding houses and doesn't fill our whole garden. The front of our house doesn't get direct sunshine during most of the day, but doesn't feel dark because of it.

I think there are some things you can do to prepare your child, and it's not about control, it's just about being able to foresee how school might be different to what's gone before, and introduce some of the more mundane things ahead of time. I did a bit of googling before my son started, and over the summer, we practised a list of things which included Carrying a lunch tray School shoes on and off Recognising your school bag amongst many others (looking for the name tag and the particular key rings we had attached) Putting your hand up to ask questions Asking to go to the loo Wiping your own bum PE kit on and off Introducing yourself to new friends This last one as my son was going through his pirate phase and so was in the habit of approaching other kids with a scary-sounding "argh" which I knew meant "Would you like to play pirates with me". Instead we discussed how he could tell people his name and that he liked pirates and lego and ask what their name was. There were also a few common words that he mispronounced to the extent of not being understood by those that didn't know him, so we practiced those as well. It was no big deal and was just a fun game to him - who knows whether it had any bearing on how happy he has been at school from day one, but I didn't see how it could hurt.

Thanks all, will def preorder Jessica's book - lovely that the author is local - my friend is too. I've already sent her details of the Dulwich Twins club, but as it's very early days, I wouldn't to sign her up to anything in case anything goes wrong down the line. So still looking for next best twins books if anyone has any other recommendations?

Thanks, sounds good, although won't work as a Christmas prezzie - rats! I'll keep an eye out for it though

Isn't the success of Fairlawn down to the previous head who was a "super head" ( who then went to Harris to design their primary blueprint, then went to Ofsted)? I met him, albeit very briefly, and can believe all the good things people say about him. Google "Sir Robin Bosher" - there's plenty online about him.

Wise family-roomers, a good friend has just found out she's expecting twins, which she is thrilled about, but keen to be as prepared as possible. Can any mums and dads of multiples recommend any books they found super helpful / useful specifically about the twin experience? Thanks in advance!

Hello, our school offer this from reception onwards. It's part of the curriculum (ie not paid for) but is taught by specialist music teachers, rather than part of general classroom learning, if that makes sense? My son is only in year 1, so not sure if the instrument taught will change / the offering diversify over time. Whilst I can't confess to be a huge fan of the recorder, I'm pleased that music is part of school life from day 1 (although thinking about it, I actually think music and foreign language both start in term 2 of reception, so that the first term is a gentler ramp up for the newbies).

We did a term at the ceramics cafe on ED Rd and then three terms at the scout hut on breakspears Rd se4. i think they also run classes in Norwood too x

Hi forum My kids (3 and 6) attend La Jolie Ronde classes weekly but I'm not sure they're actually picking much up and am wondering if I might be better spending the money on having someone come to us and do a one-to-one (actually one-to-two) lesson. Has anyone done something similar with similar aged kids? Are there tutors around who would do a home visit for just a half hour lesson (I think an hour would be too long)? I would hope to find a tutor who is up to speed with how young kids learn, and who could make it a fun experience rather than a chore. If anyone has any advice or recommendations, I'd love to hear them - thanks in advance!

This stuff works a treat! http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000TAT4GM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000TAT4GM&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwfriencom-21

Thanks loads for responding! Will PM you

Hi family roomers My nanny is new to ED and keen to make some nanny friends. She's from Croydon but was previously nannying in West London. My son is at school, so until pick up time she's just looking after my daughter (about to be 3). Are there any other nannies looking after little girls of about this age who would be interested in arranging some meet ups with the children? Please PM and I can put you in touch! Thanks!

Would agree with Gooders79. Dubai is hard to beat in terms of manageable flight length, manageable time difference and guaranteed winter sunshine. If you're not fussed about Dubai itself, stay on the palm for a fly-n-flop beachy holiday - you could be anywhere tropical: Have a look at this place https://smithandfamily.co.uk/child-friendly-hotels/anantara-dubai-the-palm-resort-and-spa

Hi wise forum I'd quite like my almost-6yo son to have a go at learning guitar eventually, and from what I read, learning ukelele can be a good precursor to this. Can anyone recommend a teacher who will make learning really fun and engaging - as far away as possible from my dismal recollections of being forced to learn an instrument as a kid? I think one of his school chums may be interested to learn alongside so it may be two families looking for joint lessons. I can see a few people posting about their teaching creds on the forum, but I'd love to hear some first hand recommendations from fellow parents. Thanks!

I absolutely think the landscapers have made a mistake. At the very least, they should have checked in with you as to which way you wanted it, as it makes a big difference. I would have very definitely opted to align the two sets of paving - arguably you could do it either way - both on a slant, aligned with the back wall and making a virtue of the diagonal, or both on the straight, aligned with the house and hence "correcting" the irregular shape of the garden. Admittedly, I'm probably slightly obsessive about this type of thing, but this would drive me completely insane every time I looked at it.

Try Selectadoor in Penge. They don't have a website so it's best to go in and speak to them directly and look at all their door samples. I purchased a standard size Victorian four-panel, half-glazed (sandblasted toughened glass) door and matching fanlight with all locks and hardware, and it cost me somewhere around ?750 including fitting. I was able to use the existing door frame so that saved me quite a bit. The door is solid wood, although I don't recall if it's hardwood or not. And, if you decided you'd prefer to spend ?8k+, the London Door Company is just down the road so you can pop in to see them as well :-)

The learning letter idea was something that our (new) head brought with her from her last school I believe. We have termly parent-school feedback forums, where I think most parents confirmed it was useful, but the initial idea came from the school rather than the parents.

Our sounds similar to nunheadmum's. We get 1 or 2 sides of A4 once a week with upcoming dates, housekeeping, PTA info, general school news, attendance, and parent reminders. We also get one side of A4 every Friday which is a year-group-specific learning letter, which outlines what the focus is going to be in the forthcoming week in literacy / numeracy / phonics / psed etc. I find both really useful, but the learning letter especially means I feel better connected with what my son is learning at the time he is learning it, and can weave the info into discussions we have at home. I work full-time and do barely any of the school run, so this source of info is particularly appreciated in this household. Edited to add: Cross-posted with the poster above - Alaska721, snap! :-)