Adam

Just to second mamaway (I found them at "breastfeedingtops.co.uk) - I got 5 tops from them and they were all brilliant. Also got some nice soft night maternity bras. They have me good advice about sizing too. This is Adam's wife posting not Adam, in case you're wondering!

Not fussed for me but would like to get the little 'un done I think (she's 14 months). I haven't heard anything negative yet...

Giraffe is fantastic for kids - they give them crayons and balloons. They're next to Festival Hall. Easier to get the bus though (176, get off before Waterloo Bridge) than the train.

Can anyone tell me what's happened to the Albrighton Centre on Dog Kennel Hill while the building works are going on at the estate? Used to run great sessions for babies and toddlers. I heard it was still going, at another location but haven't been able to track it down. Thanks everyone

We had a really good party for a 1-year-old at the room above the Mag. They have a playmat and toys though possibly more for younger ones. ?50 room hire and you can bring your own food and drink or order from the restaurant as you want.

Think Peckham Pulse swim sessions are at 3pm - lovely shallow warm pool. I've never had a problem getting in on a weekday (other than in school holidays, that is). On Tuesdays there is a baby play session, including storytelling and singing, at Grove Vale Library from 10.30am-12pm. Other activities, on Fridays: once it reopens (currently being renovated), the Albrighton Centre on Dog Kennel Hill opp Sainsburys has lots of good stuff. Supposed to be Baby dance 10-10.30am, musical instruments 10.45-11.15am, with sensory play 9.30am-11.30am last Friday in month. And once your baby is walking they will love the tiny gym at Camberwell Leisure Centre (10-11am for the littler ones).

Thanks everyone for the advice...will look into the Mag. father jack I think we won't be hosting this party at our house - or any others if we can avoid it! If only it was a summer birthday and we could just go to the park...

Good suggestions everyone...I just feel I should lay something on as some of the kids are travelling a fair way (from outside London) to join us. I'd be a bit embarassed to do a song and dance routine myself in front of their parents!

Does anyone have any recommendations for (hired) entertainment at a first birthday party? My baby and maybe 5 or 6 little friends will be there. I was thinking of Monkey Music (she loves the classes) but it is a bit more than I want to spend. Before anyone asks, I am planning on doing plenty of entertainment myself but would like to hand over to the professionals just for an hour or so!

Thanks Fuschia

Thanks Fuschia. Could you let me know where the CP one o'clock club is exactly? The grandparents would probably have to get there on public transport.

Can anyone recommend any local fun for a 1-year old on Wednesdays and Thursdays? We have grandparents looking after our little one from October and would like to book a class to give them a short break during the day!;-) We know about bookstart and the Dulwich Library sessions on these two days, which are also good options - but any other recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

We called the liquidators today and were told that we would very likely lose our entire deposit (one month's fees - ?867). Apparently deposits were not been held in a separate account as stated at the meeting Smiler minuted above and have been spent. The liquidators said the company had no real assets to claim against. Thanks to Smiler for the original post - we have not even been notified by the nursery of the closure (our daighter was due to start in 5 weeks) and if it had not been for you we would have had little or no chance to make any alternative plans. I would certainly not trust these company directors again and will not be sending my daughter to their new nursery - they took our deposit in late January when it already looked like the company was unable to meet its debts which looks very much like wrongful trading.

LOL

Hi all - From the O2 site it looks like ?100 for the phone and ?35 per month (for 600 mins calls). Does anyone know if it's possible to get a better deal than this? Also - can I transfer my number from Orange? Is 02 reception ok? And are Apple bringing out a better version soon? Cheers! Adam

Thanks CT. Yes, I'm using V+ with HDMI (supplied by Virgin). BBC HD looks pretty good, but I'm surprised by the imperfections on the other channels. Also DVD looks pretty poor. Surely the new LCD TVs shouldn't only be good with hi-def sources? I've had a bit of a look on AV Forum etc, but no one else seems to have these problems! My Panasonic is apparently one of the best 32" TVs around! Might try to get Virgin round to have a look.

I've just 'upgraded' to a fancy new LCD TV and I'm less than impressed with the picture I'm getting from my cable TV. It tends to look a bit blocky and jagged (especially on text or high contrast areas). Anyone else had problems? And do you have any tips? At the moment I'm not convinced it's better than my CRT TV (for sale for ?50, by the way, in the wanted/offered forum), but I'm hoping I can do something to improve the picture!

Cheers Lorraine! Good to see you and Lou for brunch this morning! Must go for an Italian one day, when we have babysitters...

Thanks for all these ideas. We ended up going to the Herne - nothing fancy. I'll have to check out Si Mangia at some point.

Barry Road store is always handy. Nice staff too. Welcome to the area!

Looking for ideas for a birthday meal out tonight for a group of us in vicinity of ED. Not Indian (for once) and with decent veggie options. Anyone know any gems???

Thanks everyone for these tips. Mark - it would be great to play a bit of squash, but my level is merely that of a beginner who doesn't have bad hand-eye coordination, but never really played much or learned any technique, and hasn't played since uni (10 years ago!) And I've never played badminton properly at all. Just thought it might be fun!

Does anyone know where I might be able to play either game on an irregular basis (ie no major membership fees)?

It was on Saturday 21 Oct - three hooded 18-20-year-olds pursued the 31-year-old woman as she left The Plough on Barry Road at around 5pm. They assaulted her at Parklands and followed her to her home in Forest Hill. I don't know whether she knew any of them, but probably not, as the newspaper report didn't mention it.

Recently moved into the area, and nice 3-beds are creeping up towards 500. Our 4-bed on Friern Rd was 520 and we were pleased (although so was the vendor!). Still cheaper than equally nice/accessible places in North London in my view. I love East Dulwich!