bridge too far

Virtually - no chance

Would be 'La Traviata'?

I live with my partner but when I bought my house, we arranged for him to sign a legal statement saying he had no claim on my house. He didn't pay anything towards the mortgage or any upkeep (although I now own the house outright anyway). This is mainly because I'm a lot older than him and I wanted to make sure that he, and my 3 children, inherited my house equally when I popped my clogs. I think that, currently, partners have no rights to (any value in) the property unless they can demonstrate they have contributed towards the cost of buying / refurbishing the property. This changes, of course, if there is a marriage or civil partnership.

I'm there - shall I sing a song or summat?

And he wouldn't want to make an ass of himself.

They won't clear off to the likes of Zambia FFS! Not when they get away with tax avoidance on such a massive scale here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-13035648

Oh you cheeky boy H No I can't do pointe work but I don't really need to these days, surprisingly. But I CAN still do the splits, even at my great age and I can still 'shoulder my leg'. Both these attributes are quite useful in everyday life I find

:D Seriously, it's the big toe that causes the most problems (the hallux) as this is the one that takes the most stress when, for example, walking, as it does most of the bending. Re TDD's posts. Look at this way. If you've ever had a toothache, it sometimes helped if you hurt yourself somewhere else to detract from the pain. Get my drift?

It's probably too late to do anything about your toe. If it's a small toe it's unlikely anything would have been done anyway but if it's your big toe then it should have been straightened and splinted straight away. In years to come, you'll probably have arthritis in the joint. Take it from one who knows (broke mine doing pointe work as a dancer - never been able to bend it properly since). But it might be worth a trip to the doctor.

Because I don't recall so many U turns by the last government in such a short timeframe. The leadership was strong - it may have been wrong (and sometimes was) but at least it was strong. Where have I been 'flippant' exactly?

There'll be yet another U turn by this flippy floppy coalition and he'll be the fall-guy. Clever Cameron - collective government means he doesn't directly take the flak for mistakes. He turns it onto the appropriate Secretary of State / local council. He doesn't actually lead, does he.

It's the flabby daddies that are more to blame IMO

I hope our friend in Minsk is OK http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13042316

Perhaps she'd SETTLE for vice - chair?

I wonder what effect her diet had on her stools?

That's so poor it should earn you a refraction.

Wouldn't that be reflected in higher insurance premiums for the more mature driver?

o Not advisable - says me who managed to bump the boat heavily entering a lock under the 'fluence. Knocked the TV off its stand (but it WAS just after we lost the FA cup to the Arse - that was my excuse anyway).

Great news H - I'm delighted to read this! Good luck to you and Mrs H xx

I was just curious. I won't be cremated so no self-interest on my part.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-12983566

I think that's a better way to go, too. I think, in many European countries, children don't actually start formal learning until they're 6 or 7?

I didn't realise you owned nursery schools! It's so good to have your input into this whole debate. I have to say, with regard to the learning, that my grandchildren have learned their letters and numbers at home, not at nursery that I know of. Simple things like counting the stairs, knowing which letter starts their name. Is it part of your target (or whatever they're called at nursery) to teach this too? Maybe we're just all early learners in my family (peaking at 5 ) because I could read and recite my 12 times table before I was 5 and my children were all early readers too. But we're all crap at arty stuff and practical stuff.

No - I know it isn't really crazy - it's just business and I understand that. They are actually in the process of negotiating a 'holding' fee for the summer holiday, a sort of retainer. It usually costs them £60 per day but included in that cost are meals that wouldn't have to be provided if they're not there to eat them. I think other school teacher parents have negotiated a retainer in the past so there's a precedent.

Thanks for your reasoned comments Saint Bletch. I don't think I've really given out too much personal information about my family. My grandchildren, of course, are able to share their nursery (and grandmother) experiences with their parents every day when they get home, or when their parents get home. And you're right - academic achievement, even at such a young age, is nothing if the child isn't stable, secure and happy. From what I've seen (and remember, I see them a lot) they seem very secure and happy to me. I should add that one son-in-law is a primary school teacher. Unfortunately, and contrary to popular opinion, this means he also doesn't usually get home until 6.30pm but it DOES mean that he's around for some part of the school holidays - more than most fathers, I reckon. The crazy thing is, they still have to pay for the nursery place even though the child isn't there when teacher dad's at home. I said at the outset that, initially, I had concerns about them spending 2 days a week at a nursery. I went to a nursery school and was, I think, very well prepared for big school. My own children only went to playgroup, because I didn't need to work (but then women didn't need to in the 70s), and one child found starting school quite difficult. Some parents (and you are right to include fathers here) DO find being at home with under 5s quite trying. Some parents have no choice but to both work when they have young children. It might not just be about money but also about continuing professional development (e.g. a doctor or lawyer). I have seen no evidence to suggest that my grandchildren suffer from being at nursery for two days a week. The other 5 days are spent productively at home with parents and grandparents. I have older grandchildren too, neither of whom show signs of anti-social behaviour, and both of whom are, also, high achievers. I'm sorry this thread got hi-jacked by this discussion. My original post had been to point out that some parents have to drive their children to school, for a variety of genuine reasons. But I also said that I entirely sympathised with Dune's complaint and that I agree with him with regard to stay-at-home parents. I'll make no further comment because, quite frankly, I find the antediluvian attitudes of some on here quite upsetting, particularly when the perpetrators feel they can sit in judgement on a set of people whose circumstances they know nothing about. Knee-jerk stereotyping shows a lack of respect for individuals and also demonstrates that some of those dinosaurs belong to the 'I'm alright, sod the rest of you' brigade and lack the skills to understand that people have different needs and apply different solutions. There's no right or wrong about it.