trinity

Yes you can vote - no id is required. Just hope that no-one got there before you with your polling card though.

But the good news is that it is currently walk to school week for local schools. So there should be a lot less traffic on the roads at school run times.

Sorry all - I didn't mean to criticise anyone for using Gina - it was really just a criticism of the idea that her book puts forward that her regime is the only way to contented babies. Of course it works well for some babies and some parents. Looking back at my own 4 little ones, it would have been disastrous for 3 and work perfectly for one. I absolutely agree that routine is fantastic & really important for babies but its the regimentation of the book that feels a bit 'Stepford Wives' to me. Sounds like Pickle has found a nice balance. I realise I am at risk of sounding a bit like an earth mother here but sometimes I think we (I mean society)look at parenting as stream of problems for which solutions are required rather than a journey along which mistakes will be made and solutions will arise.

Hi Lily'smama - you don't need Gina Ford to tell you that your baby is a bit older and has dropped one of her naps. They all go eventually and babies drop them when they no longer need them. No need to keep babies awake during the day when they are sleepy. Just let them sleep when they need to and you will find they sort themselves out. Relax - you are the baby's mummy not Gina Ford - she can't tell you anything that you don't already know or if she can it's not worth knowing. (Apologies if I sounded patronising - I am clearly not a Gina fan.)

I can't see the summer house or the furnishings - just the front of the house which looks pretty traditional. I think you must have a pretty good vantage point!

Fair enough Pearcesa - each to his/her own. But I am intrigued by your 'Alice in Wonderland' comment. Are they planting white roses only to be painted red at some point?

Hi Louisa - I don't think many people were blaming the dog. On the contrary people on this thread have been blaming the owner of the dog. One fact is clear and that is that a small child was badly bitten. Due to lack of training (by the owner, the dog was unable to control his biting urge and therefore he is too dangerous to be kept in the community and should be destroyed. This would be the case whether he was provoked or not. There were also a number of witnesses to this event on another thread who verified that this was a sustained attack and not for example a snap by a dog after being approached by an inquisitive youngster.

The gorgeous house is 5 Colyton Road. It wins my vote for the most attractive house in SE22.

Oh I saw the one on Colyton Road yesterday - looks fantastic.

Thank you for posting to warn us Mandy. I live near this street and will be avoiding it when with my children. I do hope your little girl recovers both physically and emotionally. In addition I hope you get justice and that the dog is destroyed before it can do more harm and the owner is prosecuted fully.

There is hope - a couple of months ago my husband left his expensive looking briefcase & laptop at Blackfriars station and it was handed into the station lost property. There are good people out there.

My experience to date has only been with the prep age range and I have noticed a distinct lack of children from SE22 and particularly from the east side of Lordship Lane. From comments so far on this thread it does seem as if there is an influx of local children at 11. This suggests that there is a confidence in the state primary schools which is does not exist for secondary schools.

I only know one family that send their children out of the area to be privately educated and that was to Newton Prep (in Vauxhall I think). I don't think that is the reason but I am happy for someone to prove me wrong. At senior school I think that there is an influx of local children so perhaps the numbers of percentage of children from SE22 increases. I think that SE22 doesn't (yet) have the wealth/age demographic that tends to private schooling. In addition I wonder whether the housing stock in SE22 will ever support that demographic eg more flats & smaller houses than SE21.

Local prep schools 10k - 12k, senior schools more.

Hi, My kids are at 2 different private schools in the immediate area and I have noticed that there are very few children with SE22 postcodes in their classes eg in my daughter's class of 24 children, only 2 live in SE22. The situation is similar in my son's school. In fact more children live in Wandsworth than se22. I wonder why - is it because the residents of East Dulwich can not afford it, are the local state schools as good, is it a decision based on active dislike of private education? I would appreciate your views.

I think I voted for a 'feature tree'. Sorry guys its looks like I am to blame.

Went surfing last week in Devon but put my wetsuit on inside out. I got weird looks all day.:-$

yep that's him. He was causing quite a stir on his bike.

I did think that perhaps I had had a rare sighting of Dulwichmum - the retired brickie from Penge in kitten heels.

Surely with that cigar we are looking at Seanmlow.

How do you know that Trinity isn't me? Black PVC may be just my thing.

I'm sure I didn't imagine him. A man with flowing greying locks, bra top, black & gold ra-ra type skirt, black strappy sandals with cute kitten heels, cycling down East Dulwich Road, in his late 50's, on a man's bike, around 2.30 this afternoon? Come on someone else must have seen him. If it was any of you lot, it is time to own up.

I think ladies that you have overlooked Andy in the Shawshank Redemption played by the delicious Tim Robbins. Also I'll second the brigadier in Doctor Who - its the moustache that does it you know.

I am happy to tell off other peoples' kids (as well as my own) when appropriate but this thread did bring to mind the time I had to take 3 children under the age of 4 to the doctors. Only one was ill but I had to take all three. We were made to wait for 55mins after our appointment time in the tiny upstairs waiting area. This meant I couldn't put the little one in a buggy but had to hold her. Needless to say despite my best efforts to entertain the older 2, by the time we were called in to see the doctor they where, pretty much literally, climbing up the walls. It was at this point the doctor told off my children for being too noisy. I was furious with her as my children had been well behaved for 40mins and I felt it was correct to support my children at this point and not the doctor. I guess my point is that the adults behaviour needs to be appropriate.

Soda bread made without buttermilk - what is the world coming to?