JohnnyBoy

We had this about 7 yrs ago. It was that noisy I thought we were being burgled and then realized it was in the attic. The missus went outside and I went up through the hatch and the squirrel ran out and my other half outside saw where they were coming out. There was a tiny crack in the mortar on the gable end that the roof tiles sat on. They would run along from the woods at the end of the road, over the other terraces using the guttering and then in through the hole. We tried blocking it with wire meshing and ruining the nest made out of the insulation from the inside but no good. So we just repointed the mortar and it stopped the blighter coming in. Good luck getting it sorted!

Cheers for the tip nubile. I had a look at the one in Meadowhall and there wasn't anything, might pop to Drakehouse. Walked to club shop at Bramall Lane on the way home and they only have the new kits and £30 is a bit steep for a league 1 top. They said no shop in town sells SUFC stuf now. Cheers

My kids school just did a collection for a homeless charity called HARC - not sure if it is for young people mind.

Ours went off for a split second in Hunters Bar. We had a power cut a Friday 4 weeks ago that lasted 2 hours

Hi, I'm hoping someone might be able to suggest where I can get a cheap football shirt for a 7 yr old. I would prefer Sheff United and it can be from any season (he's swaying towards man utd so trying to encourage him to his local team) If not sheff united then a foreign clubs shirt or international team. he's got his 7th birthday coming up and is having a football party so wanted to get him a new kit with 7 on the back as he seems to be quite into his football at the moment. Snag is I need it for weekend after next so places on internet like soccertriads and kitbag are no good. SportsDirect normally do cheap sheff united but they only have them in stock for 10-13 year olds. So ideally I'm after somewhere in town or meadowhall that sell kids shirts/kits on offer and ideally not wanting to shell out more than £20 if possible. Does anyone know if the united club shop have any on sale from past seasons? They don't on their site, or if there is still a club shop in town (there was one at the bottom of the co-op but not sure if moved). Ta

Lored, google runners world and training plan. They have loads of training plans including getting ready for half marathons etc in under 13 weeks. For running just go for it - after a couple of runs your stamina will be markedly improved. I have asthma and a bad knee and the first 20 minutes of a run are the worst for me whilst my breathing settles down but after that I can carry on running for another hour plus. Maybe sound out the army recruitment office opposite the cathedral - I've seen quite a few recruits at ponds forge gym wearing some sort of army recruitment training t-shirt so once you join there might be a plan to get in shape. Also on the army website (I looked into joining but alas too old) and you can train in various careers as well as being an infantry soldier such as plastering, decorating etc. Good luck

Lived in Woodseats for 8 yrs and it is a good place to bring up kids. We moved away and I regret it a bit now. Nearby you have Graves Park and also not too far are Millhouses Park, Meersbrook park and Endcliffe Woods. you also have the little trains just off Abbeydale Rd and if you have access to a car the peaks are 2 mins away (or you can even jump on the train at the bottom of Abbey lane). There are loads of supermarkets nearby from Aldi, Lidl, 2 Tescos, Sainsburys and Morrisons. If you like gyms there are a few nearby like Virgin, Esporta and Fitness First or you can use Norton leaisure Park for familyswims etc. The shopping area isn't great - mainly charity shops and the traffic can be a real pain on Chesterfield Rd. Somedays it took an hour on the bus on real bad days and it was quite dear £1.80 each way (and that was a couple of years ago). The schools are meant to be half decent. If i had the choice again i wouldn't have moved away - the only thing i don't miss is the traffic. Can't comment on Hillsboro except to say the parks are miles better near Woodseats.

It was Banner Cross on Eccleshall Rd I believe the bank said. The bank won't have got the police involved - last time I chased all I heard is that they are trying to contact the retailer's bank. I rang the head office though to let them know who said they would pass the info to the franchisee.

Trying to get some fraudulent transactions back from our bank at the mo for 2 dominoes transactions. We used to order from them over the phone once every 2/3 months giving card details. Then noticed 2 debits on the same day for over £30 each even though we hadn't used the shop in over 8 weeks. Rang the bank and transactions were made in the shop using signature as verification rather than the pin. Defo know it wasn't me as I had my cards safely with me whilst I was working shifts at work so should be getting a refund. But last time I'll be using said Pizza franchise.

Unfortunately both Sessa and another agency which came recommended have a policy that your references have to be from teaching within the last 5 years. She had our first baby 6.5 years ago and didn't opt to return. That head has now retired but she still has put her down as a reference on jobs she applied for. The school where she helps out actually asked her to put her details in to use as a supply teacher using the old references but they only put the paper work in late last term and have only used her as a TA so far. But they seem fine that she has not got recent references even though the agencies aren't. Hopefully, they'll use her as a supply so she can get 20 days experience to meet the agencies criteria but that is relying on one school having their teachers off sick so might take a while to reach that target. I think she is stuck with doing supply TA which doesn't pay nearly as well apparantly. Just find it barmy that an experienced teacher can't do supply via the agencies she has spoken to but a NQT can as their teaching practices qualify them. I think I would rather an experienced teacher teaching my kids. I think she is just miffed with the whole experience. Not coming from a teaching job I don't know how it works but found it bizarre how it is up to the individual to find someone to job share with before applying for full time roles. That must make it hard for alot of parents wanting part time roles. Do you know of agencies that don't specify the 5 yr rule and would be happy to use you as a supply teacher if your last reference was from 6.5 yrs ago? If so could you let me know the details and I'll get her to try them. Thanks very much...

How are teachers that have been out of work for more than 5 yrs expected to get back to their careers then? Supply agencies won't take you on as a supply teacher if you haven't taught within 5 years so you need to get new references by teaching for at least 20 days. If you want to get a permanent contract and go part time you need to find a job share to able for full time positions but schools don't seem as keen on that. My missus is in this exact predicament. The return to teaching course was £800+ and is no longer run and all the 'return to teaching' helpine that the council lists on its website recommends you to do is voluntary teaching. So if the NUT isn't going to be happy about teachers doing voluntary teaching then they should provide some more help in getting teachers that have been out of the loop back to work. As for being a classroom helper, the supply agencies, including SESSA, say this doesn't count as it is not teaching. Again my missus has being doing that for free for 1-2 days a week for the past 2-3 years at my kid's school and nurseries. So all my missus can do is to work as a supply TA even though she is a fully qualified and experienced teacher. It has left us pretty miffed. So I think the way my missus will approach it is to get her face known as working as a supply TA and let the schools she works for know she would be willing to act as a supply teacher or voluntary teacher if they need it. That way she is hoping to get her 20 days recent experience to then work for a supply agency. Failing that applying for short term full time positions due to maternity or illness. Anyhow, good luck with the job hunting

We felt like you did after being students in that we wanted to get away from student areas so moved from Ecclesall areato Meerbrook (S Eight). Also lived in Woodseats (S Eight), Nether Edge (S7), Greystones (S11) before emoving back to Ecclesall area (S11). TBH if i was you i would come up for a couple of weekends and get a feel for the areas. You need to think about where you are working - if city centre, being walking distance is a bonus so you don't have to drive or bother with the buses. Chesterfield Rd gets a nightmare and that is one of the downsides of living out at somewhere like Woodseats. Also what your interests are and how they are catered for in the area. Personally I really like Hunters Bar - it is pretty vibrant and near some decent nightlife. It is also right near places like botanical gardens, endcliffe park, bingham park, chelsea park, ecclesall woods. If you like your bike, jogging or walking you can walk right up through endcliffe park and bingham park and keep going into open coutryside. But at the same time it is walking distance to city centre (takes me about 30 mins) and near conveniences like supermarkets. You should be able to get a decent house to rent for £500-£700. If you don't fancy students you could try the less student areas of S11 like Greystones and High Storrs. If you don't mind further commutes there are some real nice villages just outside sheffield that are easily commutable like Outerbridge and Penistone. if it were me I would come up and visit and see if Ecclesall, Broomhill and Crookes suit you and if so look for doing a 6 month tenancy and get a feel for the place. Good luck...

Think I got it - so I'll post the resolution here in case anyone else has the issue. I saw on another site that F13 might be a door lock issue. I removed the top of the washing machine and looked down the inside of the front panel. There is the latch and nothing obvious to pull. I turned it off and put my hand in and fiddled about and tired the door and it opened. I then plugged back in and the power came on and the indicator lights lit up.

ta - took a gander and it is similar to what I saw on google about checking wires to the CCU. Taken the back off and can't see any loose wires. Guess will have to call a repair fella. Last time I buy whirlpool - never had any problem with Bosch or LG stuff that we've had for years and it isn't like this washing machine was a cheapo...

Hi, we have a whirlpool washing machine 6th sense (model is AWOE8759B) and it flashed up a F13 error. Now it won't power up and the door won't open. I've tried switching fuses and turning off at the mains but no joy. I've googled for F13 but not found much of note - the manual says to press reset but as no power we can't do that. Has anyone had similar or know how to fix it? It's only 14 months old so a bit miffed with it!

Not fantastic for all. We were due to fly to Lapland at 6am on Thursday morning from Manchester airport. It was a holiday to make up for my 5yr old lad's heartbreak earlier in the year. We took our 2 kids to Eurodisney but on arriving my 5yr old lad was taken ill and admitted to a Paris hospital for 4 days and missed the whole disney experience. Telling him was heartbreaking. Having to tell them that they would miss out a second time in 6 months would have been awful. Trains were cancelled and buses were. Our only choice was to try to drive. We live on a steep hill and after spending nearly 2 hrs digging the snow of our rd and then 4hrs driving in bad conditions we arrived at manchester. Touch wood the snow stays away from manchester and the flight leaves. i want to say a big tankyou to the student who helped us clear the rd - top lad. your help means the dream trip is still alive

Or when the older fella (Gerald) talks about jumping in the deep end of the pool, to Horse - that is outside Carterknowle school.

Couldn't have put it better myself - and I don't think it should be the students that foot the bill. Landlords should put something back becasue they do make hefty rental yields (the one by us has 7 in and the landlord charges £80 a week for some of the rooms). This is an out of town landlord so what money does he put back in the city? Surely they should have some sort of tax to help cover the cost of the yearly cleanup. I had to clear the rubbish dumped outside one of our neighbouring properties after bin day and it wasn't pleasant. Some houses look like they get their act together and put the excess waste in red veola sacks that the bin men take. But if it isn't in one of these sacks and left on the pavement the bin men leave it and the neighbours clear up the mess. I know a neighbour complained about rubbish outside a student house near us and this is what she told us. She rang the landlord has his number is on a board outside the property and he who was rude. The person then rang the council who in turn rang the landlord and as the council put it 'what a pleasant chap the landlord is' ( insert whatever the sarcasm smiley is!). The landlord said he wasn't legally allowed to touch the rubbish once it was on the street which the council agreed with but said he was morally obliged since it was obvious it came from his house. The landlord did nothing and all the council could do was warn him about fly tipping. I think landlords should do more... (end of rant )

How busy does the riverside get for the England matches? Bit of a trek but a good pub so don't fancy getting there and it being rammed. Also do they have the volume on - i fancy hearing some of the build up...

Just to clarify - I was not having a pop at the police just asking what they were up to. Also 'propaganda' was not meant in a derogatory way, e.g. were they collating info for a leaflet drop etc.

100% agree. The students bring alot of money to the city but alot of out of town landlords take the money out of the city. They leave their houses in a state of disrepair and neighbours have to take it into their own hands to sort stuff or put up with the consequences (we had stagnant water 6 inch deep by our back door for months on end and the landlord did nothing). Personally I have had to cut their hedge, get their blocked drains cleared, buy drain covers etc. Students don't pay council tax (not having a go) but they are more messy with bins not being moved off the street, smashed glass from broken bottles etc (defo a lot worse in S11 then where i used to live in woodseats) so it must cost more for the council to clean up after. Personally I think a local tax should be introduced where out of town landlords have to inject some cash back into the city rather than taking all the rent and spending it on their own local economy (applicable to any university town//ciy where land lords have seen it as an easy way of getting high rental yield).

Just curious really so was hoping someone might have an explanation. Last night after 11pm a policeman was walking up our rd in Hunters Bar shining his flashlight in each car (it wasn't where the tax disk was, on some it was in the boot, on others it was the rear seats etc). He would then stop and scribble in his notepad and then move onto the next car. He must have been at it for the best part of an hour but must have got bored as on the way back down he didn't seem as keen to sribble many notes. Any idea why the police would be doing this? The only thing we could think off was to collate info on what valuables were on show to use in some sort of propaganda warning car owners about encouraging break ins.

I second that...

I agree with KATIEB_23 comments. I used to enjoy Kpasa - it was relaxed. We went a couple of weekends ago and it felt a bit too clean cut and the atmosphere wasn't the same. My starter was a bit burnt but all in all we still had a really good time and there were about 20 of us. A little Italian on Division Street called BBs is not too bad and you right near all the pubs for afterwards. It is not he trendiest of places but each time I go I like the food and have a good time. They could probably hold all 20 in their upstairs room and it is bring your own which saves some pennies :-)

Seems to be a lot of teacher envy going on. Where I work, nothing to do with education, loads of people didn't make it in with the snow and loads were late yesterday due to the black ice. I don't think teachers are any worse than any other profession but the stories on the media about schools being shut just highlights it.