motorbird83

When do you need the place and for how many days a week? Full time places can take a while to become available. We are at Gumboots and my daughter is very happy there. I think the waiting list is very long though but call them and have a look around.

That sounds like nonsense. Assuming her hourly rate is never below the legal rate it shouldn't matter. I can't see how HMRC could substantiate that legally.

Hi all-- my NCT group is thinking of doing a joint first birthday party for all our babies and I was hoping to get some recommendations regarding venues. I've already contacted 57 North Cross Road, Gymboree and the Lordship as I know people have had parties there but if there are any other good venues please let me know! There will be about 14 adults and 7 babies!

I like ToastED and yes it has always been part of the Terroir Group. The guy from Terroir came on to the forum when opening it asking the community to help come up with a name (showing my forum age). Glad to hear it's not closing permanently

Hi All, Does anyone know of anyone locally that does baby foot print and handprint casts? I can only find people in North London who require me to pick them up in North London which with a 3 week old and recovering from a c-section sounds like going to Mars! Thanks!

Sorry, posted before seeing Bic Basher's post. I agree with everything he said. Also, West Dulwich can be difficult to get to given its proximity. Interconnecting Nunhead and West Dulwich better would be great not just for schools but also for footfall on Lordship Lane and reducing parking pressure from people coming over from those areas to ED which is fairly common in my experience.

The 363 goes directly to Crystal Palace and you can pick it up from Underhill Rd near Lordship Lane in addition to Peckham Rye (which is also SE22). The 37 (which you can get from Lordship Lane) goes directly to Brixton. The P4 also goes to Brixton... I really don't understand your comment at all at least as concerns buses. rahrahrah Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Considering the regular buses which ply Lordship > Lane, it's relatively difficult to travel to some > major nearby 'towns'. Brixton and Crystal Palace > being the two obvious ones.

What about the 363? That goes directly between East Dulwich and Crystal Palace.

Thanks lightweight. I have had a couple of PMs this morning from people as well confirming that the amounts and terms are pretty aggressive even for well regarded nurseries in this area... This is giving me serious pause now.

Thanks everyone. I'll ask on Mumsnet as well. Its so hard to no what is standard as the shortage of places makes it so that popular nurseries really seem to be able to take serious liberties

Hi, I've been offered a place at Piplings East Dulwich but a couple elements of their terms of condition jump out at me as strange. I was hoping if you could tell me how these compare to the other nurseries in the area: 1. There is a 700GBP acceptance deposit that they keep in general operating fund until you leave and is not applied to your fees once you start. Given fees are paid in advance the fact that they hold on to such a large deposit seems strange and also the fact that its not held in escrow but in the general fund and therefore can be used by the nursery seems to put parents at risk if the nursery gets into financial trouble. 2. If the manager decides your child isn't suitable for the nursery for any reason, they expect you to pay two months worth of fees after you've been kicked out. They call this fees in lieu of notice (typical notice if a parent wants to terminate is 8 weeks, which also seems long). Any feedback on how these terms and conditions compare to other nurseries in the area would be great as they strike me as a bit cheeky!

We have wood floor and they look fine. You have to sand down scratches when they happen and should refinish the entire floor every 5 years or so but if well maintained they'll last 100 years.

I agree though this will vary on specific location (proximity to the station, schools, the high street etc), decorative condition, if the side return has also been done, general size, and garden size quite considerably. Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > rahrahrah Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > ...So how much do people think your 'average' 4 > > bed house in ED is now (natural 3 bedder with > loft > > conversion say)? > > If its a modern conversion you'd be lucky not to > pay over ?1m... id think?

Congrats to your friend! I am currently pregnant with my first and I've chosen St Thomas for three reasons: 1.) It's maternity unit was better ranked by Quality Care Commission. Since I made my choice I think a new report has been released so I don't know if that's still the case. 2.) I have a couple of friends that work / used to work as medics in neonatal care in London (but are not obstetricians). They both said, if they had the choice within London, they'd give birth at St Thomas. One of the women actually worked at St Thomas before moving out of London and now works in a different hospital. 3.) I have two friends who recently both gave birth at Kings and were very unhappy with their birth experiences (though I think this is the exception rather than the rule). I am about half way through my pregnancy and so far I can't fault the antenatal care I've received from St Thomas. I'm on mumsnet and compared with some women elsewhere in the country, I can say that the level of care, services available, speed of referrals, appointment booking etc seems to be in the upper end of what the NHS offer. For instance, I had some hip pain and was immediately referred for physiotherapy by my midwife and seen within a couple of weeks. Also, if there are any issues with your 12 week down syndrome screening, St Thomas is one of the few trusts in the country that offers non-invasive prenatal testing (like Harmony) as an alternative to the CVS or amniocentesis. With that said, I've had to be seen at Kings Early Pregnancy Unit for an emergency scan before my care began with St Thomas and I was happy (some of the staff were a bit rude and unhelpful but my care itself was good). I obviously haven't given birth but as nixlo said, so much of that experience is down to staffing shortages that may exist on the day (which is an issue for all NHS hospitals). For that reason, we are considering paying just for a private birth and doing all the antenatal care on the NHS which is only an option at St. Thomas (if its financially feasible). Another option is a having a Douala if your friend has a lot of anxiety around being well supported during her birth.

I'm due a few days after you and am doing NCT locally-- I think its on Barry Road. Also, if you are looking to meet people, ante natal pilates and yoga classes are another option. In my pilates class at ESPH, there are two other mums to be due in February. Welcome to the area

Hi all! Another February mum here. I'm pregnant with my first (a little girl) due Feb 17th. Just at the beginning of the 2nd trimester so doesn't quite seem real yet. However, I'd be queen to join the meet up in September. I'm based in East Dulwich and am doing the NCT in January on Barry Road.

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,1651233 There is already a long thread on this in the main section.

Have PM'd you.

I live on Pellatt Road very near to the sorting office and only a few doors down from the house I know is for sale on that stretch. I've lived there since 2013 (after the old thread) and I think as James Barber indicated the situation must have improved. I don't notice the noise at all. I asked my husband who is much more sensitive to noise and he said he can sometimes hear a lorry unloading or loading but the noise never lasts more than a few minutes and is at most once or twice a day. Its never woken him up or kept him up and he's quite sensitive to these things. Like I said, I don't recall noticing it all. I'm more bothered by people occasionally walking home late or builders stood out on the street who are doing work on nearby houses. PM if you'd like to know anything more about the street and good luck with your purchase.

I went tonight for the first time to Pretty's Tapas on Northcross Rd and it was terrific! I definitely recommend for dinner. Apparently they are open until 1am. Pretty's Dulwich Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > We have padron peppers > Peas-broadbeens-germ lettuce; it is coming w/ > cream but we can not add it. > Patatas bravas > White asparagus soon off the menus to be replace > by mixed wild mushroom. > Aubergine fritada: (tempura style with honey & > sesame) > Mixed leaves salad > > Is bread off ur diet too? > Cause we also have bruschetta con tomato and > garlic and reduction of balsamic vinegar; very > nice! > :)

Fair enough. I agree people should be donating. I think most people are (hence $80m has been raised in a month). Some aren't-- I haven't personally come across any but that might just be the people I know. However, to rip the entire thing to shreads because some people are idiots still seems daft.

It wasn't too bad. We did an extension as part of a bigger renovation. Budget circa 1,500 psm for the main building work. The cost of flooring, the new kitchen, sky lights, bifolding doors, lighting fixtures, underfloor heating (if you want it) come on top of this as do all your design fees (architect, planning/ certificate of lawfulness, building control, measurement survey, engineering drawings, Thames Water build over agreement if needed). A lot of people also end up needing to move their boiler and decide to install a downstairs loo if they don't already have one. A typical extension like this with mid-range everything is about 55-65k. It can vary widely though depending on your spec, how deep your foundations need to be, if you need any levelling work, etc etc. Good luck, the space you create is well worth the hassle. Main thing is to spend a lot of time planning and budgeting before you start. Changing your mind mid-way is costly and the entire thing is a lot less stressful if you've made most of your decisions regarding fixtures etc ahead of time. A good builder is usually booked a least 3 months in advance and typically the summer is the best time to do the work as you are less likely to experience weather delays and its easier to get by without a kitchen / have a hole at the back of your house!

0/10 indeed! Most people support a couple of charities that mean something special to them and then they support their friends and family when they try to raise money for their own causes through races or whatever. To say that people don?t really care because they haven?t historically supported every worthy cause that exists in the world is utter tosh. Also, I haven?t seen a single video where ALS wasn?t prominently mentioned. To tarnish the entire thing because YOUR Facebook friends might be knobs is a bit daft. Particularly given how much money its raised. Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > They're mostly attention seeking f*%#$ who want to > be on social media showing off. It's easy to > donate to charity if you really cared, but you > don't do you? You people just want to get as many > "likes" and "comments" because you're insecure and > lack personality. How about saving some water and > running a marathon for charity. Now that does take > blood sweat and tears and doesn't mean thousands > of gallons of water are being wasted when people > are dying in drought ridden parts of our planet. > > Louisa.

Very lovely post! I can't really see what the fuss is about. The membership scheme is good value and it comes with a nice extra regarding the art. I think Picture House did a nice job of generating business while doing something a bit different to make it interesting. northlondoner Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > yeknomyeknom Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > If you intend to frequent the cinema it was a > > great deal. Also able to be used at their > other > > cinemas until ours opened. Also it isn't > > necessarily about vanity for all. I bought a > > membership for my little boy so he can see his > > name up on the screen when he's a bit older. We > > love films and I think it would be exciting for > > him. I hope it will also show him we are a > > community and he is an established part of that. > > > Maybe if he gets older and moves away he will > > always feel his roots in ED where he was born > and > > his name up in artwork in a community > institution > > compounds this. Things can just be done > because > > it's fun, positive and exciting. > > > Lovely post. Hope you both enjoy it!