Kath243

I?m having exactly the same experience. Didn?t get a reminder when the old one expired. Bin men refused to collect. Renewed two weeks ago. No sticker. Now 32 minutes on hold... 36 minutes, phone?s gone silent, given up...

EDMummy - the fruit being handed out yesterday was on behalf of Thameslink Trains. Hope this helps.

We had a nice break at Tanner?s Hatch https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-tanners-hatch-surrey-hills. It?s in a forest and only accessible by foot. Took the train to Boxhill and walked there. Lots of good walking in the area and nearby Polesdon Lacey?s nice.

Or as an alternative / additional idea: https://www.kch.nhs.uk/news/media/press-releases/view/21997 Page is a little old, but contact details are provided, so you could check to see if they are still required. I might have a go myself!

BT provide a free service http://www.btplc.com/mydonate/index.aspx and Virgin's platform offers better value than Just Giving for larger fundraising efforts http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/about-us/best-deal-for-charities.jsp. Perhaps this survey can highlight the relatively poor value that Just Giving offer and encourage people to shop around.

Dilettante?

If you don't get anywhere finding a tutor, codecademy is excellent for beginners and free: https://www.codecademy.com

I think I saw some in Au Ciel in Dulwich village yesterday.

Greg Bramwell has just finished repairing our rather dilapidated lean-to. In addition to replacing rotten timber, Greg also hung two new doors for us. The work has been done to a high standard and Greg was a pleasure to deal with. I would highly recommend Greg for any carpentry work.

We stayed here a couple of years ago: http://www.stainersfarm.co.uk Very close to Pickering. Lovely cottages with a children's play area - swings, slide etc. We travelled into York on a couple of days and also visited Whitby and Flamingoland (http://www.flamingoland.co.uk/). Lovely holiday - we plan to go back.

I am also beginning to feel a little sorry for the teacher. I hope you don't follow through with your threat to post your letter of complaint on-line. I think that what happened was unfortunate, but to pursue some sort of vendetta against the teacher would be an over reaction. Your decision to find a new, more suitable class for your daughter sounds very sensible.

I think we probably got her first proper shoes when she was about 18-24mths. Shoes for very young children seem to be quite good in that a large number of the styles (Clarks, Ecco etc) do have good ankle support ie the shoes are quite high over the ankle - we have found it harder as our daughter has got older. In terms of shoe shops we found Merlin shoes in Crystal Palace to be very helpful and knowledgeable. I recently got my daughter's new school shoes from the new shoe shop in the ED Warehouse and the lady there was also very helpful. When we were referred to Kings (daughter was aged about 2) she did see a physiotherapist and she was able to recommend some exercises to do with her - a lot of pointing and flexing of the foot as well as encouraging her to go up onto her tiptoes. Apparently going on a trampoline is also meant to help strengthen the ankle - they have a small one in the physio unit at Kings.

We had a similar situation with our daughter. Her inner ankle bone touched the floor as she walked and she was very flat footed. After a referral to Kings she was diagnosed as being extremely hypermobile: essentially her foot was so flexible it inclined towards flatness, this is better than the situation in which the foot is locked into a position. The doctors seemed a little ambivalent and recommended that she wear insoles, these proved uncomfortable for her and didn't seem to help. By the same token, studies suggested that less support and walking bearfoot where possible would improve strength in the ankle and ultimately the shape of the foot and ankle. We went with instinct and ditched the insoles. We have however always ensured that her shoes provide extra support around her ankle. She now [at the age of 4 and a half] has an excellent arch and the doctors are very happy with the shape of the foot. We could perhaps have some residual concern about hypermobility, but generally if a person stays slim and fit it shouldn't be a problem. So, to cut a long story short, it is probably worth getting it investigated a little further, but even if the initial diagnosis is not positive, this does seem to be a condition that can improve over time.

We have used this company before: www.paris-apartment-rent.com/1bedroom.html They are very good. We stayed at the Periscope apartment with our daughter when she was 3 and again when she was 4. You could always email them and see if they have particular apartments where they are able to cater for babies - highchairs, cots etc. Having an apartment made a huge difference in terms of extra space, ability to determine our own meal times, relax in the evenings etc

My daughter lost her stuffed beaver toy somewhere around Lordship Lane at about 6 this evening. She has had him since she was six months old. If anyone has seen him, I would really appreciate any help.