katgod

HDO is not on during our school holiday this Easter, but a different organisation is running something that looks similar at the same place. Has anyone been to the Fit for Sport camp? Any good? Mine really enjoyed HDO, the staff were great, so looking for reassurance that Fit for Sport will be as good. The branding is sadly putting me off. Help me please!

yes, have encountered the same guy on Lordship Lane near the new cinema - girlfriend, hostel story. He was very aggressive and disappeared up Blackwater Street after he was done with us.

The LEwisham system is transparent and the furthest distance offered per band is published in the schools booklet which is freely available. 5 equal bands, administered by the borough with published results. Harris has 9 unequal bands, based in their own test, with no published data. I know which I prefer. Bemused by letter from KIngsdale that tells me because KD is 'one of the top 20 most popular and oversubscribed schools in the country [child] should be very strongly congratulated'. Really?? For getting lucky and having name pulled out of hat in their lottery? Or is it not really a lottery after all and they have selected my child? All very bizarre.

Bear in mind that some at least of the local primaries offer these tye of weeks away for slightly older children - Goodrich go in year 4 (possibly year 3?) and may well go again further up, Heber go in Year 5 and 6. So depending on your school there may well be opportunities there too.

Chadwick road have clearly got the same phone system at DMC in CPR.

Agree with SPorthuntor, on MOnday there were no appointments available despite numerous calla sand a long wait on hold between 8 and 8.30. I did manage to get an appointment today. I do not think the triage system works. My child has not been to the Gp since 2008. I know she is unwell. A doctor would need to see her to determine how ill- Seldoc had already done the phone triage. One thing that might help DMC is to set their clocks to the right time. Another patient tried to point out that all the clocks there are set 5 minutes slow, and the receptionist really argued about it. Someone else with a phone and a watch set to the right time agreed. No wonder they they think the system is running on time ( per the check in screen at the back) when in fact it is always late. More doctors, better phone system and more reception staff in at 8. Not that hard.

My morning so far: 31 calls to GP Eventually get put in queue to speak to a person. 18 minutes on hold in queue no appointments, despite being told by SELDOC yesterday that I did need to see someone. And a call to NHS 111 on Saturday. So, I will be changing GP. But while the paperwork goes through, and so I have a number for the future, can anyone please recommend a private GP, where I can take a child. I am aware of the walk in City centre places but they do not seem to see many children and therefore don't have so much expertise. Thank you.

I called 11 times this morning then walked down there. No asppointments available until 10 March. Lister is only available to those who have been spoken to by the duty doctor and then referred. There is no duty doctor on duty today. So the only option is a walk in in New Cross. Out of interest I asked when my child had last seen a doctor there. She has apparently not seen a GP there ever. Only had her roputine vaccinataions. She's 8. DMC are gettinga lot of money for doing nothing and being permanently unavailable. Stop taking on new patients. Recruit some more GPs and nurses. Update the phone system. How hard can it be?

Feelings are running high over on the family room of the EDF as said glossy leaflet fails to mention that Harris are consulting on a change to their admissions procedure that will disadvantage local girls. Their priorities are very odd when it comes to publicity.

There is no right. I did nursery for 1, childminder and nursery combo for number 2, because I had increased my days. Nursery 3 days I was happy with, but wanted more of a home environment for the extra days. Elder one stayed at 3 nursery 1 childminder. Third was nanny all the way due to cost. Difference? Not much. Elder 2 eat better because they were not pandered to so much. Development, skills etc- same. Nursery easier in terms of holiday, reliability if that is important in your job. It all depends on you, your budget and which nursery or minder or nanny you choose. Some people are snobby about childminders. That really colours their view. Ours was great and doing childminder and nursery worked well.

i gave up, printed it out and posted it (y'know with an envelope and a stamp :-)) Most people have only heard via the EDF. No glossy ad in the SE22 magazine for this, but there is whenever it suits Harris to publicise something.

Thanks Kes. Is there any evidence girls who positively want to go there are being turned away?

Very bad that not publicised properly. Having just been through the secondary transfer process, while I do not particularly like the HArris school it was good to have a 'banker' a local school you stand a good chance of getting into. If the lottery had been in place this year we would have had 6 'choices' none of which were dead cert. which would have made the process even worse. Interested in what the lottery is intended to achieve. They clearly don't think the mix of girls they get is the right mix but how will lottery help? And what impact on the preferential treatment at Harris BOys for younger brothers if their sister goes to HArris GIrls?

I did same, friends on standby. None had ever 'had' or been 'left with' my son, they were tea group pals with kids same age who were happy to have him for what they knew would be limited period of time, ie until by inlaws arrived from approx 2 hours away. In fact tea group were all out and didn't hear their phones, so called on another friend who my son Had seen even less of. But a 2 year old, biscuits, a drink, cbeebies and someone else's toys for a couple of hours- he was fine. In laws collected him from friends house. Hubby spent less time with me after birth, be suze he needed to be with toddler more. Third time round was induced so could get sitters ou ex up better.

Indigo, huttopia and castels sites all good. Cabins etc cheaper if you book direct with sites rather than via Eurocamp or Keycamp - the latter UK companies use/own accommodation on sites owned by former.

Good news - good luck in the new location.

4 presents each from us plus a stocking with about 15 smaller things in it. Reckon it comes to about ?100-150 each- older one has less parcels but his cost more. Grand parents x2 and aunties x2 buy fairly modest things as well. So they do pretty well.

We pay ?100 plus gym membership plus college fees for 3 drop offs and 3 after schools. I don't pay more for the short holidays but do for the long summer one. I do think ?80 is on the low side (sorry) but there are people paying less. Tillie, au pair and cleaner in very different roles. Cleaner is an employee or self employed person earning a living to cover cost of living in London. Au pair is not an employee, but a member of the family on a temporary basis. She has no bills to pay- no rent, no food, no heating. She is invited to family weekends away, meals etc. She is also not a nanny, and not expected to lay on entertainment. I am happy that we are getting appropriate child are from someone who is very happy to be here and certainly doesn't feel hard done by.

it says on the Heber School sign that Mrs Padmore was the Head. Does that help date it?

Steve turned up on time, identified problem, recommended course of action, all under control. Recommend.

Quite soon in Reception you don't need to stay, but if you do it on a weekday children of working parents who are not confident to stay won't be able to come. Logistics of getting there also tricky. If a local school probably close enough to walk them back home, but for safety you will need another adult to help. I have had weekday parties but for year 2 and upwards when numbers reduce and confidence grows. But this stage does not last long and it is a good opportunity to make friends with other parents (and sort out a plan)

Mine is AEG - I have an AEG washer drier and an AEG tumble drier. My combined one was fine but he tumble drier gets them bone dry wheras the combo alsways needed a line dry to finish off. But from what devsdev says maybe mine just wasn't great. And someone above recommended Beko - I'd be wary of them, they have a very high rate of recalls on their products, and I have seen first hand the destruction caused by one of their tumble driers catching fire. Grim.

my condenser is in a cupboard and has not caused any problems. The water collects in a drawer, which needs to be emptied, so either a steady hand or proximity to a sink is good(or remembering to empty it after every use so it is not full quite to the top- ha - that makes it sound so obvious why don't I do that??) It does gets warm, and the air around it is warm, but I would not say it is a damp heat - the moisture is all in the drawer.

Salvation Army hall in Nunhead or West Norwood?

can you squeeze in a condenser tumble drier somewhere? I had a washer drier and it was plain ok - but the difference with a tumble drier is massive. I do also like my Lakeland heated airer which, with a sheet over itto make a tent, dries clothes quickly and cheaply.