Secret Garden

[BriansMum]

Hope this works, a shiny new thread girls - come on in .

marking my place as this had dropped off threads i'm on - just dashing off to college, back later x

Quick q - any suggestions for not v expensive places to eat and/or drink around Leicester square/Soho etc? DSis going to something very glamorous during the day at the Ivy but it's only for an hour so she has loads of time to kill (with some other people) the wrong side of pay day.

China town? Or dare I say there is a wetherspoons in Leicester square

China town's a maybe - I'm not sending her to weatherspoons after hanging out with v famous sleb in the ivy

hope new agent's do the job LaG

Anyone here been to Florida, done Disney? It's never been on my top 10 holidays BUT Mil wants to take the family, she's paying so much and we and sil are splitting the rest. So we're trying to keep costs down, anyone know of someone with a villa or that could recommend one.

Thanks

Will ask dh tonight deb as he has taken Dsc (though I must say his description hasn't made me want to go but think that was more to do with not getting on with his then in laws).

Lag when does agent think will have details ready?

I think the details should be available to proof tonight, but won't go live till Friday. Apparently our existing buyers have had some new interest in their place.

Never been to Florida but q fancy taking the boys one day.

Belgos just off Covent Garden for your sister Leo, or check out the deals on toptable e.g. Fire and Stone Pizza might suit and have cheapy offers on toptable.

I'm not liking estate agents at the moment.

Agent 1 has rung me to say that Agent 2 has told our buyers that the house is under offer and to go and view something else. Either Agent 1 is telling fibs to sour the relationship with the new agent before we have even officially started with them, OR agent 2 is telling lies to our buyers in order to sell our house and hopefully something else to our buyers. On balance I think it might be the former scenario. So I havent put this to Agent 2. Shiuld I?

In the process of this conversation though I have gleaned enough information from Agent 1 about our buyers to find their property on Rightmove, and read the house number from the photos. I am debating whether to write them a note with my telephone number on it so that they can talk to me directly if they wish. What do you think? I have a notion that Sitching's chain did something similar last year?

Sorry for being a house moving bore.

No I would contact the buyers direct - it's not like agent will lose their fee and if you are being fed lies, chances are they are.

Do it! Yes, have done this in the past - definitely better to cut out estate agents altogether if you can. They are so full of shit and have only their best interest at heart .

I think you all know by now that the job fell through - the head offered it to someone else without consulting the deputy. The deputy was fuming and wanted to fight my corner but this other woman was a friend of one of the teachers there so I certainly didn't want to get involved in stealing her job!

Have just had another teaching friend round, who works for the local authority - she has decided to make it her personal mission to get me back in to education . We'll see . . . She mentioned a couple of jobs at a local Catholic school but that just wouldn't work for me .

Right, tea time beckons . . . .

That's a shame re job but hope your friend helps. It does sound a bit Royston vasey in some schools round your way.

Have been supporting an inclusive campaign for new secondary school which is much needed locally but council seem keen for it to be catholic

Not anti faith school but hate non inclusive policy's

at Royston Vasey! That is certainly how it is in the locality where I worked last year!

I am hugely anti-faith schools (hears jaws drop in surprise !) but especially anti-Catholic - not least because of their stance on IVF. No offense to any Catholics on the thread, but there is no way I could teach in a Catholic school, it would be hypocrisy of the first order.

Unlike all the people round here who merrily go to church then "fall out" with the vicar when their child gets a school place...

There are many things not to admire about catholic church but the schools thing is more about my lack of admiration for council pulling a fast one over lack of consultation.

yes much hypocrisy behind the pay or pray approach to schooling nowadays. I agree with you re: council, but my argument would be abolish all faith schools, end of problem

And don't get me started on bloody free schools . . . . .

Stitching, what a bugger about your job

LaG - definitely pop your note in and see what's happening.

Went to see another house this morning, it's next to one of Tristan's friends and would have been great BUT it was 325, for only 3 bedrooms, no utility, no downstairs loo, small garden etc... So mil has said that she would be able to lend us some money so that we could buy East Farm. Just need to find out how much money

and I totally agree with you re faith schools and free schools stitching

Thanks, I will post them a note. I have concluded that the worst that will happen if they have my number is that I get an abusive phone call if we find other buyers and they take it badly.

I get very upset about how schools are structured and organised too. Essentially I think we have completely lost the plot with all these different types of schools. It is so divisive. My moment of truth came when my NCT group discussed picking a denomination for christenings when the babies were 9 months based on which faith schools offer the best education. Catholic seemed to be preferred. They seemed rather taken aback that I thought that as an atheist the best moral example to provide my child was to not get him Christened.

Anyway, has anyone else watched "Educating Essex"? Really enjoying it here.

Just realised that MIL taught at the school on Educating Essex before DH was born

Good for you re contacting buyer - and am sure will be ok if you do. I think of hassle we wuld have saved if spoke to woman we bought our house from.

Its amazing the faith thing - I know some very genuine Christians but none of them are in the lot I know round here doing the selective faith for school route.

Doesn't France have completely secular schools and far fewer kids in private education .

I'm not sure about France's private education numbers, but certainly its schools are totally secular and you are not allowed to display any religious symbols in school at all.

at your NCT group LG!! My NCT group seem remarkably normal in that respect but then, tbf, we are blessed with generally excellent schools in this neck of the woods so maybe it's not so much of an issue. My principles on private education would be sorely tested if my local schools were as bad as some are in this country.

Anyone see the story about recruiting for the Olympic shopping centre and the fact that the company recruiting are organising private tutoring for staff because their levels of literacy and numeracy are so low . WTF is happening to the education system in this country . . . . . .

Guildford has pretty good schools too though. Just classic pushy Guildford types. Talked to a Mum today who is very unhappy with what I had believed was "the best" infant school here.

The French system isn't without it's faults. My parents have several expat friends near their French house with school age children who are v disappointed with French teaching. I think Deb found the Austrian system had it's flaws too.

And Deb - should have said earlier that it sounds promising about East Farm and the loan.

Mud wiggle - are you around?

In my defence though, I don't think we have the same issues about catholic schools here (so many go private anyway). I'm with you on free schools Stitching and personally I'd ban all private schools .

LG, I agree that there are issues in a lot of education systems but the fuctional numeracy and literacy rates of UK school leavers are a national embarrassment. I have my theories about why this is but they are long and boring .

Suspect I will encounter the pushy Wokingham types soon enough - probably just protected from it cos I don't know too many mums of school age kids yet. Although I've already started to be a bit about some of my friends' expectations of pre-school!

at Leo - I had a feeling that we had a Catholic amongst us . I don't think anyone has any issue with baptism when you actually are Catholic, it's all the ones pretending just to get their children into a good school .

Oh and Mudwiggle is too busy spending her new found riches to bother with the likes of us !