Nice People Thread Part 9 - and so it continues

LydiaJ

michaels wrote: »

DS had his first day at 'big' school today (reception) - DW and I took him but i was too busy at work to take the day off to fetch him. Everything seemed to go well though.

Congratulations to your DS. Glad it went well. Big school is a big deal. Is it the same school where his big sisters go?

mystic_trev

vivatifosi wrote: »

For anyone who didn't see the One Show tonight, or haven't come across https://www.pleasepress1.com before (like me until the One Show), it looks brilliant and sits well alongside https://www.saynoto0870.com

I've been using the WeQ4u app which Ive found great.

SingleSue

Been out all day getting James' uni stuff and last minute school uniform bits...now feeling very broke!

Never mind, we have broken the back of the equipment needed and only a few more bits needed now...and it just so exciting! My child going to university, I still have to pinch myself that it is true!

chewmylegoff

vivatifosi wrote: »

Hi Lydia,

Sounds fun! Here's the details for travelling with children on Oyster. From these instructions, it looks as though it will need to be a Visitor Oyster, rather than what I have, which is a PAYG Oyster:
http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/help-centre/travelling-with-children.html
So free for DD, DS will have child's fare ticket.

Piccadilly Line may be your best bet for an M4 connection, there are several stops just off the M4. Hatton Cross is near Heathrow, best way there is off at Jct with M25, then straight off at Jct 14 and follow the southern perimeter (they've changed that roundabout layout since I used to go that way to work so it may be worth checking on a map).

Another station that may be worth considering is Hounslow West, that's just off the M4 (jct 3?). Both on the Piccadilly line.

You can also get to the District Line (Gunnersbury?) and Central Line (Hillingdon, M4-M25-M40) relatively easily. Car parks tend to be busy on work days though, so it depends on what time you are going to get there. Chewy probably knows that neck of the wood best, or Zag?

Well, I am not that knowledgable on where you can park near the m4. You can definitely park close to mortlake or north sheen stations (both zone 3, overland trains 20 mins to waterloo, can use oyster) for free, and they are both about 10 minutes drive from the end of the m4 (with no traffic that is...), and I can tell you which roads if you want, but I expect that you don't want to drive that far in. Recommend getting off the m4 before it finishes and parking up there if you can because there is a permanent traffic jam where the m4 becomes the a4 and goes from three lanes to two and the traffic then just gets worse the closer in you get. However, I can't really advise where as I don't go north of the river!

zagubov

Depending on when you're travelling I'd recommend the A3 from the M25. It'll take you to places you can get fast frequent trains to and from Waterloo. Oyster cards usable.

chewmylegoff

zagubov wrote: »

Depending on when you're travelling I'd recommend the A3 from the M25. It'll take you to places you can get fast frequent trains to and from Waterloo. Oyster cards usable.

a long way around from the M4 though. Brentford or Kew might work better.

i have just looked at street view of burlington avenue near kew gardens station and the parking is only restricted 10am - noon (obviously that was whenever the google camera car drove down the street so it is possible that the restrictions have been changed but a lot of the parking in the richmond upon thames borough is only restricted for a couple of hours in the morning so expect it is probably still the same).


kew gardens is on the district line and whilst it is a bit of a trek into central london it does have the advantage that you wouldn't need to change trains as the theatre will be walkable from either embankment or temple. i don't use the district line unless the overland is down so i can't remember how long it takes from kew to embankment but probably about 30 mins.

looked at a couple of streets near gunnersbury which would be a bit more convenient but they are restricted 9-6pm.

Spirit_2

michaels wrote: »

Do you think reducing access to benefits may help then get over their prejudices?

I'm feeling like I'm not a nice person today, more on this tomorrow.

DS had his first day at 'big' school today (reception) - DW and I took him but i was too busy at work to take the day off to fetch him. Everything seemed to go well though.

GULP!. Did you feel like crying when you left him?

What happened about the hair style decisions you were contemplating for him?

Not sure about the beneffits, but I also read the grauniads article on Edinbro's discretionary housing benefit which considers applicants smoking, booze, mobile phones and telly spend when making decisions. I felt a bit warmer to this approach than the journalist did.

lostinrates

Yesterday was the first real 'harvest mists', today was the first day we had condensation on a window.....

I need to have some sort of valuation done on the hits of property. Use for business ( I know, I know, shamefully disorganised and should have been done a couple of years ago,) anyway....any one know how much these roughly usually cost? I'm wondering if the quotes are excessive for my tiny business.....

PasturesNew

I took some photos yesterday, thought I'd empty the camera card and put them onto Flickr. 65 photos, camera is 5megapixel camera. I'ts just taken 50 minutes!

And that's why I don't take/share images to date - it takes far too long and lots of faffing about.

vivatifosi

Spirit wrote: »

Today I spent some time with a charity who work with the unemployed to help them get the skills to get into work.

They described 4th generation workless households, where people will not contemplate looking for work outside of teh district they live in. They described going to one area which sees it self as two, those who live at the top of the hill, those who live at the bottom. Clients who live at either end of the hill will not travel up or down to accesss help. It is just not done.

This is in a city with relatively low unemployment.

Dangerously on topic.

I work in a couple of places and the same happens in one of the towns in which I work. Very low unemployment, fantastic schools (no such thing as a bad one there) and yet still kids consider themselves to have no life prospects. The town is very affluent and the theory goes that it is harder to be part of an underclass and fit in there. Local authorities and schools have some great programmes. I'm not sure what I think, but I'm veering towards having to take responsibility for one's actions and making what you can out of life. That may be though just that I'm mirroring my own outlook onto them.