I am a bit "hmm" about this, but not sure if I should be

[Saltire]

On Monday I had mindees all day - this is unusal as I only have them before and after schoolas a rule and never usually in holiday. We went to village store to
A- buy some rolls of rlunc
b- get a bottle of wine as I was going to a friends at 7pm, shop shuts at 5pm, I finish work at 5pm.
c- get stamps.
d- by mindees an ice lolly

i mentioned in passing to mindees mum that we would be doing this and that I would be buying x,y,z, she just laughed and said "oh yes, I have wine every night, you'll need it after 3 fulld ays with my 2"

so today she came to collect the mindees and said that one of her neighbours- who I have several issues with(well documented) had knocked on the door,a dn told her that I'd been seen buying alcohol whne mindees were in my care,and "how do you know saltire isn't drinking it whens he's caring for your children2.

now the mum jsut laughed and told her where to go, basiclaly F* off.

but (and I know i am probably stressing over nothing) I am worried that his woman (not the mother, the woman who went to see her) will phone OFSTED with another cock and bull story aobut me being an alocholic. Since I had problems with this woman, I have had 6 "anonymous2 and unfounded complaints made to OFSTED against me, they only stopped when i made it known around the military base where I live that I would phone the police for harrasment .

am I jsut being silly

Hmmm on one hand I would say it's probably not a good idea to buy wine while with the children BUT I have been known to buy wine when on duty (generally when PP my charge - I am a live in nanny) Hmm not sure [sits on the fence]

Not silly, but over cautious perhaps.
The important thing is this woman tried to cause trouble and the mindee's mother saw it for what it was.
You've done nothing wrong and have nothing to worry about.

I'm not a childminder or anything to do with Ofsted but I pretty much guess Ofsted would laugh their socks of if someone rang them to 'just advise them' that a local childminder was seen buying wine while out with their mindees. I used to regularly buy condoms when shopping with my LOs. Would the same assumptions be made? No.

Sorry about the spelling in that OP, tramadol induced!

Luckily for me I told the mum that " you may have a lot of people come to your door and say thing a about me,please do ask me about me and I can put your mind at rest" when she first started using my service!

Not a problem as far as I can see. I have taken mindees to the shops to get something for a picnic or whatever, but if I'd wanted to pick up a bottle of wine while I was there, I would.

Crikey you have the worst luck Saltire. I don't think you are wrong to be a bit hmm about it. The fact that she got no reaction from the Mum means it is quite possible she will go to ofsted I would think. Obviously they will probably laugh, but annoyonv for you all the same.

Ofsted do not want alcohol to be in sight of children in your home and may take a dim view of it and I know this because I got told off for having empty bottles on view in the laundry room, as if the children can read the labels!

Ofsted made a reference to it in my report and I made them remove it before it was published. She said on reflection as everything else was o/s it was a bit hard on me!

Ofsted saw my bottles for recycling and I told them it was a learning tool for the children just like recycling paper, plastic, food etc.

(Took one of the older mindees to visit my parents today, at her request and with parents permission. Stopped at the supermarket to buy a picnic lunch and a bottle of booze for my dad )

You seem to be doing a good job. You know you are not guilty, thats all that matters.

All the best.

Crikey Saltire, didn't you have nightmare neighbours in the place you lived before?