Thankful for nurseries with spaces at short notice.
Thankful for the quiche and it's ready supply of hitmen and women.
Thankful for my mum who is just ace.
Am back from seeing not one but two nurseries.
First one, with the meadow, was lovely. Airy, bright, small (in terms of number of children), well-spoken staff (yes, snob alert). Open plan between different ages but with low-level barriers to stop rowdy toddles trampling on the immobile babies. But cost a freaking fortune, and completely unflexible, ie. you pay for 4 full days, regardless of what you actually need/use. F got picked up by one of the staff and wept.
Second one, on hospital grounds, is less nice, premises wise. A bit hot and stuffy like the rest of the hospital then, smaller rooms which are isolated from one another. Less immediate outdoor space, but access to the local parks. They charge per quarter of an hour (!), and work their staffing around the demand placed on them - so can accomodate shifts and charge accordingly. They charge a minimal retainer if you are on holiday and therefore not using them. F played happily for 30 minutes whilst I was in and out of the room, one of the carers sat next to her but not in her face (which she bloody hates) and chatted to her, and had lots of smiles.
If money and time were not an issue, I would want to try the first one. But they are an issue, and I need somewhere flexible. The bonus is that F seemed happier in the 2nd one, and I will be no more than 10 minutes walk away if she is upset.