Minitoots

thanks for all the advice so far, and thanks for your offer of help Sue. I'll let you know how I get on as soon as I have time to try it and will send a PM if I do need help! If anyone has experience of dot.mailer that would also be helpful as this is what the company in question is trying to use at the moment.

I've offered to help a colleague's small firm produce a newsletter as they are having lots of trouble getting their hyperlinks to work on one dot.mailer. I haven't done one before either so am looking for a basic, free version of something like Mailchimp. any recommendations?

thanks for the suggestions - so far my favourite is Brixton Prison - will definitely go there and to some of the other ones recommended soon even if not the Xmas meal- (I don't get the final say as I don't actually work in their office! Keep the ideas coming in, the more unusual the better.

Looking for something a bit different (and cheap!)as a venue for an office pre-Xmas meal. The firm is architects and designers, based near London bridge so ideally something near there or round here would be fine too. It doesn't necessarily have to be a traditional sit down meal and we don't want anything too formal and stuffy, but somewhere we can chat and still get something to eat.We know most of the regular places in SE22 and also around Bankside / Borough market but thought there may be pop ups happening or something like that. Any ideas?

That?s such good news- thanks for letting me know.

I was in Dulwich park about an hour ago and there were several policemen there, looking for an 8 year old boy who had been in the park. I keep thinking about him and his family so if anyone has an update do let me know.

All our power suddenly went off at 12.30 today - we only had dishwasher on - next door is ok. Has anyone else had a power cut? The main switch on right section of circuit board had gone off - partner then turned all other switches off ( not sure that was the right thing to do) We turned all switches on circuit off and now not sure what order to turn on again as all our notes are on the computer which is off of course! Worried about switching them back on in the wrong order! Any advice from experts? Thanks

thanks,all. We did end up getting a new one from the Apple store after all the advice.

My son needs to get a new charger for 13" macbookpro circa 2012 - has been using a compatible non apple brand one for the last 2 years but the lead has now worn out. Can anyone recommend a good make that is less expensive than Apple's? He knows there is a chance it could damage the macbook but it's out of warranty now anyway...

That would certainly be easier but it was professionally framed with non reflective glass and the collector wants to receive it 'ready to hang' ...

I need to ship a painting which is framed and under glass to the States and as I have only had to ship canvases before I wondered if anyone can give me advice on:- a) how to pack it safely as it will be fragile and b) which courier services are best and not too expensive. The painting measures about 20" x 27" thanks for any tips!

We have a small roof terrace on the 4th floor which is very exposed to wind and sun which we need to re-stock with plants that can survive up there. We have cordylines, yuccas and bottlebrushes which all thrive but also would like other suggestions. Is there anything with larger leaves that might survive? Any climber that might grow round the railings? Also as we are on a tight budget, where are the best places to get plants? We used to go to Columbia road but wonder if it would be cheaper to buy online. Any suggestions welcome thanks.

Thanks Nigello. Sounds good - a friend also recommended Lanzarote for similar reasons. Are there any particular towns/villages that you would recommend as a base? Is the north quieter than the south?

Following on from my previous post asking for info on the Azores, we are also looking at other options for a week off the beaten track in beautiful scenery, warm climate, inexpensive self catering accommodation and wondering about the quieter parts of the Canary islands? We have been to remote areas of Tenerife which was good - la Palma sounds great but direct flights are too expensive... What about remoter parts of Lanzarote or other islands such as la Gomera? Or suggestions for other destinations also welcome as long as they are not too expensive and not touristy, thanks. I've attached an image of 4 of our past holiday locations which sum up the type of place we are looking for, ranging from Alaska to Cornwall.

We're thinking about going to the Azores for a week in mid June/early July - has anyone been? We like to stay somewhere relaxing, inexpensive and fairly off the beaten track. We plan to hire a car for some of the time. A few years ago when I posted a thread asking for suggestions for 'Europe off the beaten track' several people suggested Montenegro which was perfect, so we are looking for something to live up to that. As we only have a week and need to keep to a budget, we are a bit limited... Other suggestions also welcome. I've attached an image of 4 of our past holiday locations which sum up the type of place we are looking for, ranging from Alaska to Cornwall.

My son has just got back from the GP and has been prescribed Stemetil/ prochlorperazine for a month for dizziness after he asked the doctor if it could be labyrinthitis. The side effects of stemetil sound a bit alarming! Have any other sufferers taken this, and did it help? Can't work out if it is likely to be a cure, or whether it just alleviates the symptoms whilst being taken. A couple of people mentioned going privately - can you let me know who you saw? We will also check out the other suggestions on this thread, thanks.

I just found this thread as my son has very similar symptoms and is seeing the GP (for the 3rd time)today to try and determine what is causing his dizziness and nausea etc - thanks for posting. He's had it intermittently since December and it is not getting better. All blood tests and ECG proved normal. The symptoms listed on the NHS website seem to match his very closely so he will definitely ask GP to test for labyrinthitis now. Any additional feedback very welcome.

thanks for all the comments - sorry to hear a lot of you have had a similar thing. My son had it around Xmas and is now still experiencing bouts of dizziness and nausea. He had a full set of blood tests which all proved normal. He's just about to graduate and felt really dizzy and sick during his first job interview. I'm wondering if it is still this same virus or something different. He hasn't been drinking or partying a lot but has been working long hours. Any ideas for what he can ask the GP to do next?

Thanks for the interesting mix of replies so far... This is the sort of genetic ancestry test I meant - they usually seem to be about ?80 but I was wondering if some are more accurate than others. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/dna/?s_kwcid=ethnicity+testing+dna&gclid=COyW-rmdxNMCFUVmGwodfasBiw&o_xid=64490&o_lid=64490&o_sch=Paid+Search+Non+Brand#dnaFaqWrap

Where's the best place to get a dna test to find out your genetic heritage? I just saw this video and am inspired to find out my ancestry. https://instagram.com/p/BS-wkiuBcpJ/

It's my 3rd time of feeling really unwell since early January so I'm just wondering if anyone else has had this horrible recurring virus(?) I went to the doctors last time but they just said let it run its course. Each time it has started with a tickly cough which turns into a more chesty cough, running nose, then aching muscles and sinus type pains behind the eyes, sore throat and dizziness and slight nausea throughout. This is day 3 of the 3rd bout and I still feel dizzy and could easily go back to bed and sleep all day. I'm usually in good health and I've been taking lots of things to boost the immune system since the first time I got it and am planning to ask the GP for a blood test if it doesn't go soon... If anyone else has had similar symptoms, I'd be interested to know especially if it has recurred.

any updates on places selling local honey 2017? The shops I like have all sold out due to the high pollen count/hayfever issues.

I have to send an unframed painting on paper to a client in USA and haven't shipped/sold overseas before so wondered if anyone has suggestions of courier companies to use where shipment is tracked? I usually use 'interparcel' but thought it would be good to know of any others. I plan to send the work in a strong tube. I was also planning to use Paypal and will post the work after receipt of the fee - does this sound the best/most secure option? (Obviously I have checked the client out and got references etc...)