RichJ

Hi - does anyone know somewhere local to donate maternity clothes? A womens refuge, refugee centre, emergency care centre or something similar? I cant seem to find anywhere online and would like them to go to a good home. All good quality items - Seraphine, JoJo, Isabella Oliver etc. Thanks

I think he'll be absolutely fine. It was a while ago when we did it but I recall that the main focus was on running around and following instructions. They do some throwing and catching games but it is with a big sponge rugby ball and they are good at helping the kids learn the right technique. Many of the drills are between child and parent so, even if they struggle, it isn't a case of being left out or holding anyone else back. Our eldest did it around 2 years old and loved it.

The point about refund vs cancellation raises a question I have always wanted to ask but never got round to. In circumstances where you tap into a station using PAYG or contactless and then very quickly realise that your train is either cancelled or delayed such that you need to use alternative transport, if you then tap out again, is the system sophisticated to work out that you must not have actually made the journey and then refund you? Would seem logical that if you tap in and out of the same station within say 15 minutes of each other, then it almost impossible for you to have made a journey.

I have taken my kids to parties at the following, all which have been absolutely fine: - Francis Peak Centre in Dulwich Park; - St Faith's Community Centre, Red Post Hill; - South London Scout Hut, up near the Golf Club; - Edward Alleyn Clubhouse, off Burbage Rd; - St. Barnabus Church Hall, Dulwich Village. There is also Gambado in Beckenham but that really tests the eardrums! Best of luck!

I looked at this when we had family to visit at Christmas. The Lilac Door in West Dulwich is supposed to be very good but they were closed over Christmas. Ended up using air bnb and it went very well. Lots of places in ED on there.

I've just fired off an email on the consultation paper telling them that the Sevenoaks service really does need extra trains to cope with the increased demand. The email address is [email protected] if anyone has the chance to do the same today.

We went to the Sani resort in mainland Greece in the first week of May a couple of years ago. We may have been lucky but the weather was fantastic - mid to high 20s and perfect for a beach holiday with small kids. Would have thought that it should be even nicer by half term.

Totally agree about the Thameslink service from Denmark Hill. I use this service to a Blackfriars every day (at varying times each morning) and think the current service is abysmal. I wrote an email of complaint about this last year but was fobbed off with a typical vague response. There are various issues: 1. Punctuality and over-crowding. I don?t think I have got a single train that has been on time this year. Evening trains from Blackfriars have been slightly better than the morning ones but not by much. The morning trains are absolutely packed and I have certainly been left on the platform many times before. There is such a high volume of use than any delay (and there invariably is one) means numbers start to build on the platform, creating the inevitable scrum to get on. Four carriage trains are useless given the numbers - for example, if there is a problem with the 9.07 then the four carriage 9.13 makes only the slightest dent in the crowds on the platform. 2. Timing of the trains. I don?t understand the reasons for the timetable. There are long periods with no train (7.37 to 8.04 and 8.45 to 9.07) and then some very short ones (9.07 to 9.13). It would be much better if the gaps between services were evened out a bit. 3. Information at Denmark Hill. There are rarely any announcements made at Denmark Hill so if you are on the platform, you never know what is going on. There is only information board, so if you are up at one end of the platform, you can?t even see that. Service was pretty average under Southeastern but is has been shocking under Govia. It is particularly galling when you hear that the reason for the delay is insufficient drivers or a driver not showing for work. WTF?

Don't know if this is any consolation or not but affording a nanny wouldn't necessarily be the cure - our last nanny was sick way more often than our kids!

Took my 4 and 2 year old boys there last month. The little one was probably a bit small but coped admirably with all the ladders and steps. Older one really enjoyed it and we were probably on board for about 90 mins. Enjoy!

We had a party for our 3 year old last year with an outdoor bouncy castle at the Edward Alleyn Clubhouse off Burbage Road. Can't remember cost but venue worked out really well.

Just back from our week in Aldeburgh and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a similar type of holiday. Very nice cottage (used wwww.bestofsuffolk.co.uk), good selection of shops and restaurants in the town, long clean beach (although pebbles rather than sand), really pretty villages in the surrounding area and plenty to do with kids (castles, farm parks etc). Very happy with the choice and only 2.5 hours by car from ED.

Highly recommend Nelly's Nursery (although all their branches are a short drive away in West Dulwich) but afraid their waiting lists are always very long.

I wonder if the split should be 50-50 though? After all, the neighbours have had the benefit of the wall for 4-5 years longer than the OP. Something like 60-40 or 55-45 feels more fair although there is no science behind these numbers! Good luck - not at all easy doing these types of negotiations with neighbours.

We've actually done a bit of an about-turn and are going to try Aldeburgh in Suffolk. It's the one bit of the UK I have never been to before and thought this would be a good chance to check it out. Thanks for all the suggestions though.

Thanks very much for all these very helpful suggestions - I will investigate.

We'd love go away this February half-term but the budget doesn't stretch to skiing or long-haul winter sun so we are instead contemplating a week in a cottage somewhere on the South coast. The theory is, notwithstanding the likely awful weather, bracing walks on the beach, exploring the local tourist attractions, nice country pubs etc. Does anyone have any suggestions as to a nice village or town where we could look for a cottage? Was thinking West Sussex, Hampshire or Dorset. Would ideally not have to drive as far as Devon or Cornwall. Our kids are two boys - 3.5 yrs and 20 months. Thanks very much for any inspriation you may be able to give us.

You'll generally pay less for a Golf than for an A3 with similar engine size/spec. Unless you really like the Audi brand and/or look, I'd go for a Golf instead. Only caveat is that I always think the A3 boot looks (at least from the outside) as being slightly bigger but have never properly checked it. We had a Golf for a couple of years and it did the job very nicely although we very quickly out-grew the boot space once kids came along.

I believe the differing rates for sole care/nannyshare is to compensate the nanny for the logistical hassle of having to deal with two different families, rather than pure number of kids. For example, I think in most cases nannies charge the same for one or two children from the same family. Therefore, I wouldn't necessarily expect the nanny to increase her rates in this case. However, 4 kids is an awful lot for one nanny so she may well ask for extra in recognition of the increased handful. In any event, the split should probably go to 50-50, irrespective of the nanny's wage. Your contract, assuming you have one, may also deal with this - worth having a look.

We found our excellent nanny through the forum. If you do some research on market rates for salary and think carefully what you are looking for, I don't think it is too difficult to contact nannies advertising on here, ask to see their cv and references and then arrange to meet the ones you think have some potential. We ended up interviewing two (probably not really enough but our one immediately jumped out as being just right) so the whole thing was pretty painless. No agency means we did the contract and other paperwork ourselves but we are lawyers so no great drama for us! Good luck!

I live on that stretch of Melbourne Grove. As the statistics bear out, the vast majority of drivers do travel at sensible speeds. It also a relatively busy road which makes speeding hard. However, it is nothing like as narrow or congested as the northern stretch of the road by the station and, at quieter times, the road can be quite clear. I have seen the occasional car traveling at what I would class as dangerous speeds. I am not sure that these cars would be deterred by a 20mph speed limit (although it couldn?t hurt). What I think would help is some proper speed bumps. With the current ones with the gaps (the technical term escapes me!), it is very easy to just line up your wheels with the gaps and speed straight through. Arguably you could make these points about any residential road, but MG clearly is a bit of rat run, offering a short cut from Grove Vale to the southern end of Lordship Lane, and therefore probably does warrant special treatment.

Hi, We have just been through the same process. I think the issue is not so much an quantifiable figure but more that if you agree a net wage you are effectively guaranteeing the nanny a certain amount, whatever her personal tax affairs, and you therefore bear those risks. For example, if she had issues with tax from a previous year, you could ultimately pick up those costs. Similarly, if tax or NI went up, you would bear this cost. With a gross wage, that would be her risk. We had an informal agreement on a net wage but did agree to put a gross wage into the contract. If you didn't want to re-trade your agreement, you could put a net wage in the contract but add wording that it is conditional upon a certain personal tax code, no unpaid tax from previous years, no other part time jobs etc. Good luck with it all.

Hello, am resurecting an old thread here as am in the processing of agreeing this myself. I agree that ?10 p/h (net) for sole care and ?12 p/h (net) for nanny shares seems to be the market standard round here but all the advice is to agree a gross wage in the nanny contract. Has anyone converted an agreement in principle on a net salary into a gross wage in a contract? Based on some online tax calculators, it seems to me that a ?10 p/h (net) sole care and ?12 p/h (net) nanny share rate would become approx ?13 and ?16 gross respectively. Does that sound about right to anyone that has done something similar? Any input gratefully received. Thanks very much.

My wife and kids were on the platform at the time - a woman jumped in front of a train. Pretty grim and very sad.

The fact that houses are going to sealed bids suggests that vendors are right to be holding out for as much as possible - the demand is clearly there. That said, it sounds as though you are in a strong position so keep plugging away, I'm sure it will come good for you.