hackette

It's such a shame that Black Sheep doesn't travel... What time's the next train to York?

Hi Karter Thanks very much for that info (you too, GSJ57). I may well PM you to find out your playing schedule. Be warned, though, that I am chronically awful - I used to play a lot as a kid but haven't for years. Cheers!

Bob, I'd pay the BBC to go and work in Hull (or 'Urll it's know locally) - it's a fantastic city! AllforNun, I'm confused - how would giving ITV and C4 some of the licence fee mean that the BBC would improve its output? The three channels are already in competition and they're all pretty chronic - how would your plan change any of that?

Sorry to be totally off-topic but I noticed there a mention of a badminton club - how could i get details of that please? Also, LYM - there's an enclave of fellow Tykes (mainly from West Yorks) living in Forest Hill. One of them told me it was so popular because it's got the only views comparable to Yorks in this benighted city :o) I'm not sure myself - what do you think?

LOL Wardy, they were great weren't they! I spent most of my childhood in New Zealand, where, back in the Seventies, the teaching style was much less formal than it was over here (eg we didn't wear a uniform or call the teachers Miss or Sir). When we returned to the UK in 1979, I found it very hard to adapt to the very formal primary school that I went to (we had assembly every day, had to change into plimsolls inside etc etc etc). My teacher was an old dragon who took an instant dislike to me; I remember one morning, when I was still quite new, she pushed me into the classroom door because I didn't want to lead the class into assembly so I hung back to let some other pupils past first. Oddly, she's the only teacher I can remember from that school :o) BUt what's to be done on the discipline front? Whenever the subject of school discipline comes up these days, there are always people ranting on about reintroducing corporal punishment ("It never did me any harm" blah blah blah). Yet you only have to read the memories of people such as yourself to see that, actually, it DOESN'T work in any way. It's a dilemma, because maintaining discipline in a more constructive way would probably require more work by teachers than they have time for.

Thanks a lot, guys. I'll have to go and have a nosey this evening!

My daughter just started at Heber in January - we had heard good things about the school from people who had gone there from her nursery and, I have to say, they've been borne out over the past couple of months. She has a great reception class teacher and seems to spend most of her time playing outside! It's very interesting to hear posters' memories of the school - thanks a lot. It's amazing how schools can change so dramatically, depending (usually) on the head teacher - I went to a great school in East Yorkshire (left 20 years ago *sigh*) and was absolutely amazed to hear that it had gone into special measures a couple of years ago.

There's an excellent piece in the current Private Eye (no 1230) about an abandoned house in East Dulwich. Apparently it's at 549 Lordship Lane and is commonly known as The Concrete House; it was designed by Charles Barry jnr in 1873 and is one of London's earliest surviving concrete structures. I've looked up and down Lordship Lane and can't seem to see it anywhere - does anyone know where it is? The article is on p14 (Nooks and corners) if you want to have a read.