Jessie

how did you get into my flat???

it's quite the staggering list of improvements

Tongue twister. Paul weller should endorse.

I would think a hospital pool would be super safe and hygienic

You'd think. But if my son was given a - say - all boys Catholic school, this to me would be quite unacceptable. This seems to have happened this year from what I recall reading.

Lebanese govt not too happy with Homeland's depiction of Beirut: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20002148

Also - me with my chip again, apologies all forthright EDFers - what about parents with no cars, single parents who work full time (ie me) etc who can't drive out to Kent for parents' evenings, emergencies etc? Although, having been through the most stressful and upsetting primary school (non) admission a few years back, it is easy to sit here and wax moral. When it's you who are given NO choice of school in the local area and are given a completely unacceptable school, I can see quite well why schools further away become much more attractive.

i love chips

I did my A Levels about 10 miles away from where I lived - my choice, too - and it didn't bother me at all, but then I was an older teenager making that decision. I wouldn't want to send a younger child off to a school in Kent, and agree with Otta about utilising local schools.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19981096 not great for Peckham (and elsewhere) never mind 600 people out of jobs

I'd love to go to Beirut. And yes, it's a valid question. Apologies from me and my chip again OP.

Fairly off topic, but I enjoyed reading this about Britishisms in American English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19929249

Okay, thanks for that Lowlander. I will count myself lucky I did not grow up in Somalia, Liverpool or Romania. I don't know what I'd do without the good people of this forum to keep my chip in check.

I grew up on a (pretty rough) council estate so perhaps i have a chip on my shoulder - apologies to OP but it irks me name checking a particular estate and referring to a police website and yes, i'd be curious about the place i was moving to but wouldn't isolate a housing estate on a public forum

Worthy hypocrite. Love it. Probably to the former, hopefully not the latter though surely having some sort of real life/world relationship with me would be the only way to assert that?

I thought it was a joke too.

@Worker - issues 'of a social justice nature, either local issues of global issues'. Anything else i can help with?

If there was something more family-orientated, I'd def want to get involved. Good to see people getting together about all these issues. Sorry to see/read you're having a hard time on here, Lulastic - it's not a reflection of the real world.

Hunted was so BAD. Do give Homeland a go - far, far superior and not quite Lost lostness yet.

My mother is 15 years older than my father!

My son - at aforemententioned Goose Green - has picked up many south east London accent features. I think it's lovely, innit. Otherwise yes, I'd move him elsewhere. Good post gillandjoe.

And if in central London they will courier to your office within an hour (I think) for an added fiver which I did once when having a desperately busy and stressful day - was a lifesaver that day

My 14 year old school friend got involved with a much, much older man and ended up pregnant with him. She is now a 37 year old grandmother and still with the older man, who was (and still is) a dodgy gangster type from our estate. Being with her in early labour at that young age was all the contraceptive advice I ever needed.

ha ha, well spotted rosieh

I think it's a fab idea, and wish there were more male child care workers in whatever guise out there