Huddsballetmum

Me neither. I think he's an idiot and a poor representation of Yorkshire on TV. He makes my teeth ache!

when your lunchtime is absorbed by the forum and you forget to actually eat lunch!

I'm with Sky and its brilliant. Speed is fantastic and finally I am able to watch a film on my Ipad in bed without buffering. It's not very expensive approx £16 per month and you don't have to have the tv package anymore. I changed when Virgin media palmed all their customers off to talk talk as I wouldn't really recommend either of those companies. Never tried BT to be honest, but my parents had a horrific experience with plusnet so couldn't recommend them. Good luck - the world of internet purchase is a traumatic one - think it also depends where you live as to the signal you get.

You need to remember that full time in education is 13 hours per week classroom time. At University it is less than that most of the time. HE level students are expected to do a great deal of self study and research in order to achieve their qualification. It's not like school where you are in the classroom full time.

I have just removed the largest black spider I have ever seen from the centre of my living room carpet this morning. Although I'm not scared of spiders at all, this was huge and made me balk a bit. I seem to be inundated this year more than any other. I think I need to change my air freshner - I'm sure it is attracting rather than repelling them. Tried the whole conkers in the corner of the room thing and white vinegar & tee tree spray on the window frames, but nothing seems to work. Anyone got any ideas? My DD is terrified!

Cheating boyfriends - enough said!!!

Primark is the place to go as they are hard wearing and cheap, but planet dance and dance direct do them as well at about £5 a pair which you can order online.

Hi VBee If you can get to Batley, near Leeds, I would book and appointment with Planet Dance. I have always taken my DD there and the point shoe fitting is great. The only time I went elsewhere (emergency purchase) the shoes were incorrectly fitted and didn't last very long. You can see the range they have online. It's best to book an appointment as they are very thorough and take as much time as you need to find the right shoe. Our first ever pointe fitting took an hour and we had many types of shoe to choose from.

Primark do those molded completely strapless bra's which I wouldn't want to try loose, but if you stitch them into the leotard they work well because they are molded and underwired. It is trial and error to get it firmly fixed in the right position though. Good luck with your search. its so difficult for teenagers who have curves as they are selfconcious anyway and the dance world only seems to design for the flat chested.

Having booked a much needed holiday abroad for October half term, I was upset to get an email informing me that the hotel I had carefully chosen was closing early and would not be available. Wrong thread you may think, but the lovely surprise is that the holiday company have not only upgraded us to a 5 star hotel, but also from a twin room to a junior suite. Bonus!

I can't help with the audition process for NSCD, but I can tell you that it is a fantastic school with wonderful facilities and great teaching staff. My DD is on the CAT programme there and absolutely loves it. When she auditioned the staff were very welcoming and want every auditionee to present their best so they put students at ease. I'm sure that it will be the same for all their programmes. There is also a lovely mix of students from all nationalities who are very pleasant with both the young students and their parents. I can honestly say that my DD's experience so far at NSCD has been wonderful and the BA student shows that she has watched have been fantastic. Good luck to your DD.

My dd loves ballet, it is her passion, however she realised at the age of 13/14 that she was never going to have the physique of a classical ballet dancer ( legs too short). She has studied modern, tap and contemporary and has now gone down the contemporary route and is on the CAT programme at NSCD. She still takes 2 ballet classes per week as ballet is the foundation of most dance. Dancers may have their dreams, but they need to be realistic if they want to have a dance career. Limiting themselves to classical ballet may well be detrimental to their ambitions in the long run.

I've used tea to dye satin ballet shoes before and it works quite well. you just make the strength of the tea to how dark you want them, but it is trial and error so you may want to practice on some old ones before hand.

Fantastic new. You must be so proud.

Am really interested in the fact that the course runs in Leeds. Everything I saw on the website suggested London which would mean accommodation for my dd. Can anyone give me further details about the Leeds course?

The contemporary schools are responding and taking note of comments made. My DD is on the CAT programme at NSCD and has been advised that next year there will be more ballet classes and streaming in ballet as well as contemporary.

I'd like to add hot, windowless, offices and "comfort cooling" which isn't comfortable at any time of year - not warm enough in the depths of winter and definitely not able to manage anything over 18 degrees in summer! I'm slowly frying and finding work wear which is cool but professional is very difficult.

GCSE dance is about expression, choreography and interpretation rather than technical skills as many who have not studied dance before will have little or no technical skills. I am disappointed to read that it is thought to have little value as it improves choreography and understanding of music and interpretation of the music. or GCSE you have to choreograph a solo which you can either perform yourself or teach to someone else and also choreograph a group routine which develops/improves teaching skills. Although dance schools will take students on their audition and don't require GCSE dance, understanding what you are dancing and interpretation of the music enhances your performance which can only be a bonus. Associate schemes etc teach children technique but understanding why they are doing the steps and how they go together is equally important. Sorry - I do get on my hobby horse where people dismiss a subject just because not all the students are technically good. Sometimes we have to think outside the box a little!

Have you tried Laine for details? I know a couple of girls that went to Laine at 16 ( one now working in New York) and they had rooms with a live in landlady who was great. Laine had provided them with details of a number of ladies who offered the service. Think they might have had to do their own laundry though!

Please put the utilities companies into Room 101 - I am being stalked daily by my gas provider as they want to change my meter, but are not willing to accommodate my out of "normal hours" request. I advised them that I am happy to take a day off work if they pay my salary but for some reason they seem unwilling to do either. There is nothing wrong with my meter - they want to update to a smart meter.

On the topic of teeth can I add Dentist's opening hours to room 101 please. I work 40 mins drive from home (on a good day) and our dentist only opens during standard office hours!! It used to do a late night on a Wednesday and open until 8pm so I never needed time off work for the dentist, and I know the evening session was popular as you had to book weeks in advance for an appointment. However about 2 years ago they decided that, "for my convenience" they were going to close the evening session and open an hour earlier one morning a week. Not very convenient at all and makes my blood boil when companies reduce service and try to advise you its for the best. The trouble is it's the only national health dentist for miles so I can't change. Very annoying!!

That reminds me of my wedding. The reception was held in a large hotel which had a number of weddings going on that day. Photographs were taken outside and then the wedding party moved up to our suite of rooms for the reception. During this process we "lost" my ex husbands grandfather, which we didn't really notice until the wedding party lined up to receive the guests. no one had seen him for over an hour, so a search party was established. Thirty minutes later we found him happily seated in someone else's wedding with a free drink and nibbles chatting to (he assumed) my relatives. Luckily the bride and groom found it hilarious when another bride and groom wandered into their wedding to collect grandad!

Donated - I have kept meaning to do it and never managed until today. I.m a last minute kind of a gal!!

For me it is shoes. I have hundreds of pairs of lovely high heeled gorgeous shoes which are totally impractical for anything other than moving from car to restaurant and back to car again. They are delicate, beautiful and totally impractical but every time I see such a pair, I have to buy - despite my conscience on my shoulder saying "you'll never wear them". Oh well - they are pretty to look at!!!

Swanprincess I am so pleased for you. Your hard work, determination and sheer effort have all paid off and you are about to embark on the next exciting chapter in your journey. I know you will have a fabulous experience so enjoy every minute.