kittenheels

Congratulations everyone! Our first is due on 21 March and I'd LOVE to meet up with other mums or mums-to-be too. Looking forward to meeting you soon.

We've just ordered ours from Hillarys. The sales guy was perfectly nice (no heavy tactics!) and the price was actually less than I had been quoted to have lined curtains made. Admittedly the curtain fabric I liked was rather expensive but still, I'm pleased with the price we're paying.

I've recommended him on here loads of times - Lee Francis from Francis Stone is great. I'm self-employed too and he really helped us. He lives in East Dulwich too. He's on [email protected] or 020 7654 7971. Good luck!

This is lovely. Hope your 18th was wonderful, Lucy!

I broke my fibula and ruptured all the surrounding ligaments in December 2010. Soon after the plastercast came off, I started physio at ESPH on Lordship Lane, three times a week at first, then going down to twice and eventually once a week. It was painful work (especially the eye-watering sports massage!), and there was a lot of rather undignified wobbleboard and rubber-strap action, but I'm so glad I did it as it helped dramatically. I also see Giulio Scala once a week. He's a local PT highly recommended on here. There are a few things I can't do, due to the metal in my ankle, so Giulio has developed a training plan for me that takes all that into account and still gets me burning calories. Best of luck with your recovery.

These guys are doing the rounds in Honor Oak Park today. The guy who just knocked on my door sighed deeply when I asked where he was from, and was extremely reluctant to give me any info. In the end he handed me a shoddy-looking pink card with the URL www.bayerglobalgroup.com at the bottom.

I can't answer your questions about schools and activities for children, but we moved to HOP last year after six years in East Dulwich, and we absolutely love it. There's a lovely community spirit. Shopkeepers along the little parade are extremely friendly - the Hills & Parkes deli and Neroli beauty salon are particularly brilliant. Sainsbury's Local is opening this summer, and we have a couple of smaller supermarkets for the essentials. As another EDF-er has already said, there's a regular food market in Forest Hill, and Brockley Market is great too. HOP is also great for restaurants. The fabulous Babur (recently voted Best Indian Resturant in London in the Zagat Guide) is worth a mention, as is the Italian, Le Querce and Tapatisserie which offers tapas and a selection of Spanish-inspired sandwiches and fresh pastries. To me, the only thing missing is a great foodie pub - but the delights of Lordship Lane are within walking distance if you're feeling brave enough to face the mighty hill between HOP and ED. Otherwise, grab a minicab from the office right by the station and they'll whisk you to SE22 for about ?6. Good luck with your move!

Forest Hill Fashion Week launches next Friday! Explore pop-up boutiques, learn how to upcycle your faded favourites, watch catwalk shows and enjoy fabulously fashionable parties in some of Forest Hill?s best bars and restaurants. There?s plenty to see, make, buy and get involved with ? including dress-up fashion shows for children, and a chance to master the art of creating unique hand-made accessories on a budget. Find out more about all the activities online at http://www.see3.co.uk/fhfwevents/

Thanks all of you - brilliant ideas!

We've got friends coming to stay this weekend with their gorgeous three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son. As a child-free couple with little experience entertaining small people, we're desperate for ideas to keep children and parents amused all day without venturing far from the neighbourhood. I'm hoping the EDF hive mind can help! Thanks so much.

Thank you both!

My Dad's turning 60 on Boxing Day. It's a bit of a dreary day for a birthday and many places seem to be closed... Any tips for pubs or restaurants that'll be open to save us from leftover turkey? Thank you!

I'm one of those people who shudders at the thought of going to the gym - but I really look forward to my appointments with Giulio. After I broke a leg at the end of 2010 (not in the gym, I hasten to add!), Giulio's advice has been invaluable in helping me regain strength, fitness and confidence. And since following his regime, I've been able to squeeze into smaller jeans too. Giulio is a whipcracker but an absolute gem and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.

Sorry if my post about doubling our square footage by moving from ED to HOP caused confusion... We did have to fork out a *bit* more money, it wasn't simply a like-for-like swap. I wish! However, heading across the border certainly represented great value compared with SE22. We couldn't possibly have afforded a house the size of our new one on our old street. And being three minutes on foot from the station has changed my life! To address the question about local schools, we don't have children yet so I can't speak from experience but we're close to Stillness, Fairlawn and Dalmain which I hear are all rated pretty highly.

We moved from ED to Honor Oak in April, and we're loving it. Without over-stretching on our slightly scary mortgage, we've been able to double the square-footage of the house, and we're stumbling distance from the station. Apparently HOP is about to get a Sainsbury's Local on the parade, and it's already got a lovely deli, florist, great restaurants in Babur, Tapatisserie and Le Querce, and an East Dulwich-style shop full of pretty things you don't really need. The Neroli beauty salon is also completely fabulous - and we're only five minutes in the car from ED when we get Lordship Lane withdrawal symptoms.

Oooh how very exciting! I'd love to see a cinema in East Dulwich... although having just moved over the hill to Honor Oak Park, where the high street has a few lovely sites up for grabs at the moment - I'd like one there even more.

Oh no! I love our nice smooth new road surface. What a bunch of twits. James, please give them a stern telling off from me.

Twirly, you lucky duckie! I walked/slid from Goodrich School to Peckham Rye Tesco, waited 40 minutes for a 63 before giving up and boarding the first central London-bound bus that came along. Ended up jumping out of a 12 at Elephant & Castle, and waiting an age for a 45 to Blackfriars. It took two-and-a-half hours and I still can't feel the end of my nose. *Wail* I'll definitely be heading home early.

I'm pretty sure I stood next to newsreader Huw Edwards and his very polite children in Hope & Greenwood on Sunday.

Our power has just gone off... Anyone else gone back to the dark ages?

The Underhill Road bumps are ridiculously high - I wince every time my poor Mini scrapes the top of them! Please don't let the new bumps on Dunstans Road be as bad.

Hello SCSB79, judging from your message I live very close to you and thankfully haven't had any power problems today.

Oh dear - August always is a slow news month and it seems Metro (and me!) are extra-slow then...

A story in this morning's Metro made me smile. Apparently a postcard addressed to a couple in East Dulwich has just arrived, 79 years after it was posted. I know our sorting offices get a lot of stick from frustrated forumites, but surely this is a record, even by their standards... I can't find a link to the Metro article but here's the Torygraph's report: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2575059/Postcard-turns-up-79-years-late.html

I've no idea I'm afraid - left him and his rubber paraphernalia to it.