ednerd

Yep - re council tax, you can get an exemption certificate. We had to move out of our house to do renovation work, and we didn't pay for that period in our main house. You shouldn't have to pay twice (as assumingly, you are also paying where you are).

Poor Mr Liddle, another victim of the smoking ban. I frequently used to see him in Frankins, where he seemed to enjoy a late lunch, a nice glass of vino and several fags, smoked in that wannabe-existentialist manner. He has since been relegated to the ricketty outdoor chairs, where he seems determined to keep up the same routine. Pool old grumpy addict.

Now I love a good rant, but on the subject of Jimbo Nesbitt, I am quite surprised that such a seemingly innocuous character could provoke such strength of feeling. I DID see him recently at Jacks, and have to say I did not discern this smugness of which you speak.

When did failing to pick up your animal's poo, (or purchasing a dog on the basis of looks rather than temperament and subsequently being unable to control it), mean an individual is persecuted or marginalised? Tom - from the drippingly patronising tone of your posting, I remain to be convinced of your ability to make others see the error of their ways any more than I am able.

There's also Plough Homecraft near the Dulwich Library on Lordship Lane.

Pardon the dullness of this suggesstion, but we really need to tidy up our footpaths and the general appearance of the streets. Here's one for you bleeding heart liberals and also for those of us who live a life of enlightened self interest. There are still some very grubby houses about the place - I would have not problem with the council getting in there, ripping down grubby net curtains and cladding, and generally sprucing up front gardens. This would provide a nicer environment for the inhabitants as well as lifting the overall appearance of the street, which is surely in the public interest.

Actually, I will admit to being a 'brow beater of bad dog oweners'. For instance, for those who fail to scoop, I use my my school marmish, slightly patronising voice and say something to the effect of "Well, aren't you going to pick that up?????"(before running away at speed). And when I see some pathetic individual who has bought a dog she/ he clearly cannot control, I use the age old slow head shake and rolling of the eyes technique. I have also been known to say to whomever I am with, in a much louder than necessary voice "that poor dog, poor poor dog". As satisfying as this may be in terms of my feelings of self righteousness, I suspect none of it works.

ChavWivaLawDegree - For the record, I am a lover of dogs, generally speaking, including staffie types (I love their stocky bodies and like to kiss their smiley faces), but nonetheless, I stand by my right to judge a dog, at least in part by its owner. Therefore, sadly, the jury is still out for poor old Hannibal.

A blanket 'dogs on leash' policy is total b*llocks. All the usual law abiding citizens with their spaniels and labradors will dutifully leash-em-up, while your typical ignorant, aggressive owners (you know the type) with their frustrated, undisciplined and aggressive dogs will flout the laws. Honestly can you really see the type of twat that buys a pitbull (or similar) type dog, calls it 'Killer' (or similar) and dresses it in a studded collar, obediently popping a leash on the animal they have deliberately purchased to enhance their street cred? Regardless of whether you like dogs or not, they are a part of our society, and sadly you non-dog lovers will need tolerate them in much the same way I tolerate chavs or smokers. The only issue of any relevance is whether this rule will make us and our children safer, and for the reasons outlined above, I guarantee it will not. Can't we just make a law prohibiting idiots from owning dogs?

I disagree. Often at the start of a pregnancy, you are not sure whether you want a home birth or a hospital birth. It is only as your pregnancy progresses that your preference becomes clear. I would strongly recommend anyone with even the faintest inclination towards a homebirth to get a reference to the Brierley/ Albany/ Oakwood midwives, as if you change your mind and do want a home birth, you may miss out (as I did) and get the 'pot-luck' of one of the community or hospital midwives (a total, sometimes frightening, lottery). Why should only those that are totally committed to a home birth from the start of their pregnancy have access to these seemingly far superior teams of midwives, and those who feel they may ultimately prefer a hospital birth have to go through labour with a midwife they have never met? Until every woman (regardless of the place they choose to deliver) has the same opportunity to have continuity of care throughout their pregnancy/ birth/ post partum period, I say 'play the system'; it's one of the most important decisions you will ever make.

Did I hear Kev utter the words during his final blurb, "Bill is a man of wood"?

Shocker-ama, EDNerd is abroad (practising talking about herself in the 3rd person), so alas, to Kev's bitter disappointment, no doubt, will not be there to welcome him in her own special way. PS I hope I make the cut for the final programme and that my banal comments do not lead Kev to shun me.

Mockney's revelation of Godwin's Law has sent him straight to the top of my Top 5. That puts him ahead of Stephen Fry, Andrew Lincoln, Kevin McLeod and that guy from the Pims advert.

Ahh, the old "my child is sick excuse": code for "I need to be home in time for Richard and Judy". But seriously, there are several reasons why it may be the mother being the one to leave work to tend to sick little 'uns: 1. Many women still subscribe to traditional gender roles and actually prefer to be the one soothing little Tommy's fevered brow. 2. To my earlier point, it is still largely socially unacceptable for men to be seen to be willing to compromise their job to tend to domestic responsibilities. 3. Some women choose to procreate with sexist t-w*ts who genuinely believe themselves to be far too manly to get involved with such tasks. 4. The nature of their respective jobs may simply make it more practical for the woman to step in. Anyway, the bottom line is I don't care whether there is women's only splash time at Fusion - a much more important concern is its grottiness. You are more likely to be scarred for life by an infected verucca than by having some random bloke inadvertently catch an eyeful of your wobbly bits.

At the risk of drifting even further off the topic of possibly hairier than average women wanting to take over a crumbling Victorian bath for a couple of hours a week, I'd like to add my two pence worth about why women earn less. There is a multitude of academic theory around the gender pay gap (I, briefly, was one of those sad academics), which, though interesting, mostly misses the real point. I have lost track of the number of women who have openly told me that now they have had children 'they just want a nice little job, and, as long as they get to work the hours they want, they're not too bothered about their career'. You can theorise all you like about societal structure and the painful legacy of patriarchy, but until women do a better job of at least pretending they take their careers seriously after having children, they will continue to earn less.

Snorky, Are you available for babysitting on Thursday nights? My daughter is currently breastfed, but I am sure her palette can extend to whatever is on special at Lidl.

PS All that 'woe is us' ranting from some ladies (er.. sorry, womin) really winds me up. I'd like to throw something controversial out there: in my opinion, the most severe discrimination that still exists in the workplace is against men who would love to spend more time with their families , but fear being ridiculed as 'soft', lazy or not serious about their careers if they ask to work flexibly, or god-forbid actually leave work on time (and not work the unpaid overtime so women can work part time or shoot out the door at 5pm on the dot). Although working mothers, in my opinion, love to play the martyr (yes, it is true, women do carry out most of the domestic chores, even if they work.. so what? I reckon they secretly love to hoover), the reality is they would never swap lives with their blokes. Why would they - they get to actually see their kids grow up as well as demanding the working pattern of their choice. Controversial! Over and out...off to prepare for laydeez-only swim time.

I am intrigued by these sessions and the debate they have prompted. Today is Thursday, and I am therefore going to go and check out these male-avoiding swimmers. I am more than a little afraid of what I might encounter. I will report back.

the identity of ED nerd may be sensationally exposed in the coming months. EDnerd has just been filmed by the crew giving her profound opinions on the eco-build. EDnerd is no longer merely a Grand Designs stalker.... I think Kev knows he has competition....

shamola... it's only the rest of the crew...he is coming back though.. and I will be here.. waiting... watching.

curtain twitching has paid off.. it's 16:12 and the kevster is on Landells filming as we speak... I think he wants to be my friend....

Aah yes, right you are. Am clearly a retard. Thanks.

I had been reliably informed that one D. Beddingfield was a local, so imagine my excitement when I walked past him in LL. OK, so he's not exactly A-list, but a comfortable C, surely? Any other celebs been seen of late.

We were about to buy one of the victorian terraces that backs onto this new eco-development a couple of years ago but pulled out once we saw the plans - they're cramming a lot into a very small space and we figured the houses would encroach onto the small garden and we couldn't be faffed putting up with the noise of the build. Does anyone out there live in a house bordering the new development and care to comment? We're now shacked up just down the road and am constantly curtain twitching to see if the Kevster has returned and wants to pop round for a cuppa...i love him, despite his design-snob drivel.

Would highly recommend pregnancy yoga classes, having attended a couple a week throughout my pregnancy. As far as I am aware, you basically have 3 choices: 1. The classes at the Dulwich Therapy rooms with Mangal Jot - I went to a couple of these, but very new age (chanting and the like). Lots of repetitive movements which I wouldn't recommend for everyone, but teacher has a lovely personality and very positive about the birthing experience. 2. Saturday afternoon classes at JAGS - free if you're a member, ?8.50 if not. http://www.jagssportsclub.co.uk/aerobics-dulwich.asp I really enjoyed this class, more so as the preganancy progressed and I became more uncomfortable and whale-like. 3. The classes run at Kings and other London locations by the Sitaram partnership. http://www.sitaram.org/ They offer by far the biggest choice of instructor, times and locations. We also did the yoga birthing workshop run by these guys, and despite my scepticism, it did give us some psychological and practical tools to get us through the horrific ordeal that is labour (er... the beautiful experience of bringing a child into the world) Bon courage!!!