Yank mum new to Richmond/East/North Sheen/Twickenham area

[YanksUponThames]

Hello to all --

I'm a newbie here on mumsnet but it's about time I started meeting people.

We moved here a few months ago from overseas; husband here for 2-yr job stint. I'm a SAHM -- Ds is 3.5 and a bit lonely from moving around etc. (and because this immediate neighbourhood doesn't have enough mums&kids I've met yet) but he's a major sweetie and I'm lucky in that regard. I need to meet other mums/playmates and make some friends. My location is good for the shops & station & buses (i.e. convenient for dh's commuting), for the Richmond Green & Park, & the Old Deer Park playground, etc. Our address sounds posh, but flat is tiny and surrounding streets appear to have only pensioners and/or rich people who can't be bothered. So I could use some company with regular people! With kids and everything!

Plenty of mums & kids going by near here every day, but generally everyone seems to be on their way to somewhere else (like the shops), since Normal People don't actually live here, apparently....

I have no car, but lots of buses about, going in all directions -- Sheens, Kew, Twickenham, Kingston, Putney, etc. And trains. So I can get about (at toddler speed), but need places to go, people to meet, things to do.

Also what sort of school/nursery ideas make sense for a 3.5 yr old who will be here just 18 more months -- and on a moderate budget (more moderate than a Richmond address probably usually implies, I gather!).
(this is not quite the sort of neighbourhood we live in back home...)

Anyway, I'd love to hear from anyone around the Richmond, Kew, North Sheen, East Sheen, St Margarets, Twickenham, Ham, Petersham, Kingston, etc. etc. areas. Hey, west London generally...

Thanks!

Hi YuT,

Kingston is great. It's an ancient market town, and one of only 4 royal towns in the UK. The town was first recorded in an Anglo Saxon Charter in 838.

There's a 12th Century bridge outside the Guildhall (near the new theatre) with an ancient saxon coronation stone next to it. A silver penny noting the reign of each King is set into the plinth of the stone. Tradition has it that seven Anglo Saxon Kings were crowned on the Ancient slab.

Aside from the history, there's lots of great shopping, and loads of bars/cafes along the river.

Enjoy a trip there, I miss it.

oh kingston, yes love it. great for shopping and move around. but i must say, i seldom stray far from borders on cold days, warm days i like the park by the river. before dd, dh and i used to walk by the river between kingston and richmond, with occasinal pub stop in teddington.
the 65bus does that route handy for us non car users.
lots great info, thanks (slight hijack sorry)

hope at least some of us can meet within the next couple of weeks and maybe a kew meet up in early may?
have a nice weekend all, apparently freezing

Not in Sydney .

You don't get lovely Kingston there tho, so I'll shut up!

YanksUponThames

There are some other soft play areas...

Isleworth Recreation Centre on Twickenham Road has one - you can get the H37 to Isleworth.

Brentford Leisure Centre has one - a bit further on from Kew Bridge towrads Chiswick Roundabout. Can get to Kew train station and walk.

Feltham Air Parcs - you might need a car to get there althought there is abus from Richmond to Feltham but you may have a bit of a walk. It is near to Hanworth Library.

Heathrow Gym Club also has sessions for young kids. It has a great springy floor and loads to do but again you will probably need a car to get there. It is down Green Lane in Hounslow. (looks like an industiral estate!) Or get H37 to High Street and then a bus that goes up the Staines Road. get off at golf club and then a long walk - not that nice an area in places though for the walk so not alone......

oh and Isleworth Rec Centre also has really nice lagoon pool for lo - nice and shallow with wide steps for them to sit on...

Hi Yanksuponthames,
Thanks for replying to my earlier thread. I live quite close to the H37 bus and it is quite easy for me to get to Richmond.Look forward to meeting some other mums too!!

Hi guys,

How about arranging a date to meet up in Richmond for a coffee one afternoon?

YanksUponThames, as this is your thread, what do you think? Are any days good for you?

Hi Yanksuponthames and everyone else here.
I am in RIchmond and always love to meet new people, so if you fancy a coffee or run on the Green email me at [email protected] and we'll arrange something.

Have you been to lollipops at the rugby ground. Its quite good, haven't been for a while but its a great place for dd(2.5) to let off steam.

What is lollipops at the rugby ground?

Hi Uwila, its a playgroup, on most days I think but sometimes they have parties so its not open. Have lost the phone number but it in the Welsh Rugby ground near Kew. They have a big hall with a bouncy castle and little slide and lots of toddler cars etc etc.

Oh. No good for the mum with an office job then.

oops sorry Uwila, have not read all the replies below. Just popping in and out while I wait for dd to wake from a nap.

Hi all!

Sorry I sort of abandoned my own thread for a bit! I'll try and catch up here, for anyone who hadn't seen the other threads I ended up spending more time on (what time I've had, I mean)...

Life has been complicated for a while (for anyone interested, I've was whinging and venting a bit on the "EALING, ISLEWORTH, WEST LONDON" thread) -- dh was in the hospital, his nasty flu cough that had dragged on for 2 weeks having suddenly transitioned into antibiotic-resistant bacterial pneumonia. he went to a consultant chest doctor last week, and they decided then & there to shove him in the hospital for a few days to give him IV antibiotics and extra oxygen. As a result, he's getting better fast now, but it was pretty scary how fast a nasty infection can get on top of someone.

In the meantime, I dealt with a dead hot water boiler and a hard-to-get-hold-of landlord, plus postponing our previously planned trip to go back to the states for a week (hah! not right now we're not.). Then there were several other unplanned bureaucratic errands & chores that turned up and all required immediate attention and tight deadlines, including trips downtown and trip to dh's office, etc. Bizarre accumulation of tedious details on top of family medical semi-emergency. (which would have been an emergency if he'd got to the doctor much later than he did) I'm temporarily worn out, but things are slowly getting back to normal. Fortunately dh is now getting better very quickly. And just in time for the weather to finally start getting nice.

Sorry about venting a bit, but I wanted to let everyone know that I do want to get out with ds
(who's 3.5 and very sweet most of the time) and meet up with some playmates (the poor kid has been more isolated than I'd like for a while, due to our moving etc. -- and then a few weeks ago, he had the coughing virus too, but very fortunately didn't get ill like dh.

I think we're all no longer contagious any more!

I should be able to meet up nearly any time in the next 2-3 weeks -- including Easter weekend, if anyone else isn't already booked. All our relatives/grandmas etc. are back in the states so we're here on our own, and deliberately avoiding any holiday weekend trips with the extra crowds etc.

Hope everyone else is having a nice weekend!

Hi YanksUponThames, very sorry to hear that you and your family have had such a dreadful time recently. I do hope that your DH is still recovering well and your DS is getting over his cough.

We've also had a bit of a rough time recently due to various nasty bugs. The last three weeks seem to be a bit of a blur, but I'm back at work today and pleased to finally return to normality (even though I do miss being at home)!

Unfortunately, I'm not sure I have time to meet for coffee this week as I have so much to do its unreal. Hopefully, in the next few week though?
Do feel free to suggest some times/dates to get the ball rolling.

Hi

I too would love the opportunity to catch up for a coffee and have some adult conversation. I am an Australian, and my husband and I have moved over here for 3-6 years. We have been living in East Sheen for four months, and I have found it very hard to meet people. I have two DD's, one at school and the other is 3.5 years old.

I have a car so can meet up anywhere.

Jussy

Hi. This is an old thread that I found when googling something else. I live in Richmond and have an 8 month old baby. Would be very interested in meeting others from round here! I will go and have a look at the meet up threads. I work three mornings a week but am nearly always available for stuff in the afternoons.

Lucicle there is a very active West London group. We meet for dinner about once a month are often during the week, at Kew gardens etc. Feel free to join us.

Thanks! Dinner is hard for me as my partner works in the evenings quite often. Would love to join in Kew Gardens stuff etc, though.

Hi everyone!
I'm on Upper Richmond Road on the border of East Sheen.
I have a Daughter who is almost two. We have lived here for almost 18 months and i don't really know too many people.
It's a good area for commons and parks so my daughter and I spend alot of time out and about especially when the sun is out

there's a thread somewhere with a whole list of us sw-londoners. I've been on mn for eons but have never plucked up the courage for a local meet up (I did make the big christmas one a couple of years ago). I;'m not around much during the week as ai work 3 or 4 days or sometimes 5 days. maybe one day I'll make on the evening dinners.

Hi there,

Is anyone on for a meet-up in the Richmond/Kew area?

I am quite new to the area, have a 2-year old daughter and expecting no.2 in August.

Would be on for coffee/dinner or simply meeting in the park.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1368&threadid=332037 &stamp=070612133640

join in the west London threads - there is a daytime meet and a specific evening meetup once a month.

Hi Kewcumber
Thanks for the tip. The thread is now too big to accept new messages. Do you know if a new one has been started/have details of the next daytime meet? Many thanks!!!

New thread here

Come... join us...