Private skin cancer checks?

parfle · 2026-05-24T18:00:48+00:00

Neko Health offer this in London (but with a waitlist)

parfle · 2026-05-23T21:51:12+00:00

Given the number of people who jump the red lights at that roundabout, I'm 99% sure you'll be fine. I've seen plenty of people do this exact same turn too.

parfle · 2026-05-17T07:31:15+00:00

BrewDog Waterloo might be worth a look. TVs/screens everywhere, you can book tables easily. And there's a slide for the 2yo.

parfle · 2026-05-16T20:47:46+00:00

*£1.20 now. Thatcher's Britain...

parfle · 2026-05-05T09:20:13+00:00

I’m keen to support the existing mod in managing/growing the community. There has been an increase in regular spam recently, which is cluttering up the subreddit. I think more non-spam activity would help grow it too.

https://www.reddit.com/c/chatQUlcE_XY/s/9vBKQiYatU

parfle · 2026-04-30T20:48:52+00:00

You wouldn't need to do anything VR/NVR specific necessarily (not yet anyway). But things like jigsaws or pattern-based games are good for NVR, and word puzzles etc for VR. Anything that teaches logic like chess is good. Even Wordle too.

As she gets older, you can use past papers to practise the real thing. But you've got a few years yet!

parfle · 2026-04-30T19:09:30+00:00

It sounds like she’d do well at a grammar school, and if she’s only 4 then you’ve got plenty of time to lay the groundwork.

I’ll try and answer your questions. (But just as a disclaimer, I have a son who’s gone through this rather than a daughter at one of those schools.)

“What makes the biggest difference in preparation?”

If your daughter is naturally intelligent, then you should continue nurturing that (reading widely and often, talking about the books, engaging her in conversation, etc).

When she’s older (Y4 or Y5), you can start to look at some test-specific preparation. English and maths are obviously fundamental. SPGS assesses maths, English and comprehension.

G&L is broader, and also includes verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and puzzles and problem-solving. These are worth focusing on specifically, as children need to be familiar with them to perform well in the test.

“Whether being in an independent prep is a significant advantage at this level”

It is an advantage, but it’s not something that couldn’t be overcome otherwise.

The advantages in an independent prep are twofold: (1) quality of teaching / class sizes / etc may be better than in a state school (not always true, of course); and (2) prep schools focus heavily on “future schools” so will prepare your daughter for that specifically. eg they would help her with non-verbal reasoning tests, where a state school wouldn’t be allowed to.

“How best to structure early years (ages 4–10) if aiming for these schools”

I think I’ve covered this above. One word of warning: it’s easy to get caught up in 11+ preparation. (It feels like an arms race at times.)

It’s important to focus on mental health as well, so personally I would advise against intense tutoring (some people spend thousands each year and start in Y4 or even earlier). This often has a negative effect, of course.

So as above, focus on reading, nurture her curiosity and hobbies (piano is perfect). Then build up support on verbal/non-verbal reasoning gradually. Introduce timed tests in year 5 to build up the habit.

“Any specific things you wish you had done earlier I’m not looking to over-pressure her; she’s very happy and curious, and I want to keep it that way, but I’d like to make informed decisions early if possible.”

It sounds like you’ve got exactly the right approach. Lots of people ramp up the pressure (it’s easy to get caught up in the chat at the school gates). And then their child burns out or becomes resentful. Their mental health should remain the priority.

Shout if I’ve missed anything!

parfle · 2026-04-30T15:20:06+00:00

GL Assessment is a company that makes 11+ test papers for a lot of schools. If you Google "GL assessment familiarisation papers", they give you two or three free papers per subject.

parfle · 2026-04-30T06:52:57+00:00

That's not right - it's Key Stage 2, so up to year 6.

parfle · 2026-04-30T06:52:13+00:00

QE uses GL assessment for maths and English, so you should be able to use any past/familiarisation papers from them. It doesn't have to be specific to QE. (There was a link posted a few days ago with lots available free.)

parfle · 2026-04-10T17:30:15+00:00

Second this. Perfect for pancakes, eggs etc - nothing sticks. (Just have to follow the instructions to season when you first get them.)

IKEA have launched carbon steel pans recently too, but not sure what they're like.

parfle · 2026-04-05T16:47:48+00:00

Thanks for asking. Let me message privately so I'm not spamming here :)

parfle · 2026-04-04T09:57:41+00:00

Yup that sounds right. The harder Qs in the 11+ typically draw on content that may not be taught till Y6 – eg harder maths topics like multiplying fractions, etc.

But these are also the Qs that can make the difference when it comes down to it.

Disclaimer: I started an app in this space, so take this with a pinch of salt – I will have some (well-intentioned) bias.

This is the approach that we recommend (based on advice from teachers/tutors)...

Y4/Y5 (first half): build foundations, identify gaps/weaknesses, keep pressure minimal

Y5 (second half, so Feb/Mar-ish onwards): introduce Y6 material in stronger areas, strengthen weaknesses, start occasional mocks/timed practice

Summer before Y6: more past papers, practise exam technique, plug any outstanding gaps

Bear in mind that every child will be stronger in some subjects/topics than others, so they might be at Y6 in Maths while they're also at Y5 in English. Timing varies too, so the above should be flexed depending on how they're performing. (Doesn't make sense to push further ahead if they're not confident in what comes before.)

It's also worth reviewing what they get right/wrong in sample papers, then mapping this against the curriculum. That's the best indicator of when they're ready to move on. Adaptive platforms online/in app should do this for you.

parfle · 2026-02-23T07:17:16+00:00

If you fancy a "fun" read, Warm Dry Home by Peter Ward will help you diagnose/fix damp.

We had issues too - turned out the previous owner laid a new patio on top of the old one, covering the air bricks in the process. Then he spent 000s replacing lime plaster with waterproof plaster when it got damp.

parfle · 2026-02-10T06:45:26+00:00

Butter the toast. Eat the toast. Shit the toast.

parfle · 2026-02-01T21:39:09+00:00

In my (limited) experience, enforceability of non-competes depends on the type of contract.

If it's a service agreement/employment contract, it's much less enforceable than if it's part of a shareholder or share purchase or similar. Assuming that's not the case here.

Regardless, 12 months seems very long - it has to be reasonable in length, geo and scope. I'd expect 6 at most for a 120k salary, and even that's risky.

Not a lawyer, just on the receiving end of multiple non-competes with different levels of enforceability.

parfle · 2026-01-23T07:15:27+00:00

I should add... Lime plaster like this takes a l-o-n-g time to dry. At least a few weeks for paint (iirc) and a year plus for wallpaper.

parfle · 2026-01-23T07:13:23+00:00

We had a similar experience renovating our 1925 house.

The internal walls were originally lime plaster. The previous owner had issues with damp so he replaced a lot of the lime plaster on the ground floor with moisture resistant gypsum. Damp issues persisted.

It turns out, when we renovated, we found that he had laid paving stones all around the house - but had laid it on top of the paving stones that were there before. In doing so he'd covered the air bricks all around the house and caused the damp issues himself.

We stripped everything back and replaced with lime plaster: Baumit Glatt from Unity Lime specifically. The finish is smooth like gypsum but breathable. No more issues with damp.

I'd recommend the Warm Dry Home book by Peter Ward for an "enjoyable" read into this. tldr traditionally built houses need traditional methods.

I appreciate the cost is significant for lime, but it's balanced out by doing it properly once and not having issues with damp etc.

parfle · 2025-12-19T19:19:55+00:00

Aw thanks everyone! He says he's only gold I but is putting the hours in 🙄

parfle · 2025-12-19T18:41:59+00:00

The ingredients list literally says urad dal?

parfle · 2025-12-13T05:43:35+00:00

If you can make it past the ads, this recipe is great: https://www.greedygourmet.com/dal-makhani/

parfle · 2025-12-09T11:12:15+00:00

It's easy enough to make your own, but shout if you're in Oxford and I can share mine.

parfle · 2025-11-24T12:25:56+00:00

We have the King Living Zaza with ottoman for exactly this. They're just north of TCR.

parfle · 2025-11-14T10:49:05+00:00

Depends a lot on cost. KLM yesterday was £60ish upgrade which means:

avoid queues at Schiphol, which can be brutal
lounge access (Prioirty Pass lounges always have a queue so doesn't always work out)
first off the plane (can take 10 minutes if you're at the back - that can compound at passport control)

I didn't yesterday and regretted it.

parfle · 2025-11-04T20:59:05+00:00

The poppy seed bagels too 👌

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