Class of '18 now in 2019. blimey.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

hang on....

Dd is now 2 exams down and one to go. She sang in a concert on Friday night (with church choir) and really enjoyed herself.
Her asthma seems to be playing up which is unusual but I think due to the high pollen count. She has an appointment with the GP tomorrow for something else fortunately so can get it checked out then.

It does seem to be a very polleny year doesn't it. Even one of our cats has developed allergies according to the vet.

Dd was home for the night on Friday and asked me to start dusting as she was very sneezy.

Cheeky mare.

I'm surprised at the high pollen count. The weather where we live has been awful. Although I can't comment as we are temporarily in warmer climes

I was hoping that now DS is living right in the middle of a city his exposure to tree pollen would be less. This is the first year since Y10 that he's not been on antihistamines from March (Birch). He's had an occasional day of constant sneezing but it's not been severe enough for him to do anything about it.

Dd is much better when she is at University.

And trust me there isn't much cleaning going on there.

It's probably the fresh air off the Mersey.

I've been on mega anti histamines from the GP this year, and with the odd top up of Beconase and eye drops, it has been transformational!

On DD related news, she is home, exams all finished and deemed "ok". She seems slightly bewildered, but I think that is to be expected. She has also grown at least an inch. The diet of chips and rice must have suited her! Of course she thinks there must be something wrong (she has watched way to many medical dramas) but a quick google shows me that though most girls stop growing at 14/15, some can continue quite healthily till 20! Who knew? She was a late developer (lots of intense sports training as a pre and early teen), so maybe that is why. Very soon I will be the shortest in the family.

I grew an inch in my first year at Uni.

Sadly I am now shrinking

DD has her final French exam tomorrow. She needs to pass it to pass the year even though it is a subsidiary subject. Got everything crossed. The listening paper didn't go that well so she needs to bring it back tomorrow.

DD2 started GCSES today. All a bit stressful. 6 exams this week in 5 days. Given up drinking do I can't even have a gin!

DD has been up and down the country over the last couple of weeks. In Oxford she said the pollen was definitely affecting her. Back up in Scotland it's colder and ok!

Final exam for her next Friday but no intention of coming home until she has too. Am hoping she may actually start looking for somewhere to live next year.

We are making her come home for 3 days in May half term to keep DS2 company while DH and I are away.

ursula in fear I may too be shrinking. I am too scared to check though!! Menopause also is looming - and a colleague today said that might mean midges and mosquitos now leave me alone!

Shrinking means your acceptable BMI goes down too .

Oh that's interesting about mosquitoes. I only got bitten a couple of times in Africa which is unusual for me. DD on the other hand ...

I knew a girl at university who got tonsillitis. When she emerged from sick bay she'd grown mega loads. I only thought that happened in books.

Marmite - eep! Good luck to your dd1 today and to dd2 overall.

That reminds me. I dislocated my knee when I was 13. When I emerged from hopital I had grown a good few inches. Weird.

Hello! DD2 is doing her GCSEs and it reminded me to pop in and say hi to all of you. DD1 is still doing her job working with children with severe autism and behaviour problems - I am in awe of her ability to stick it out. I see marmite on the GCSE thread, but I do still think of all of you and hope all your DCs are enjoying their new lives and that those of you whose DCs are at uni are coping with a quieter house.

Good luck to your DD2 chocolate

Hi chocolateworshipper it's good to hear from you. I'm glad your DD's job is going well.
Good luck for the GCSEs.

Lovely to see you chocolate! That's such a tough job your dd has, she's clearly a very special young woman.

It is weird to think that last year I had the GSCES and A Levels [or shall I say my poor children did]. It was strangely exhilarating, but I do remember that hanging on by your finger nails by proxy feeling when dd had a week of back to back exams and crying over all the last minute things she had to cram into her poor head. English Literature went terribly badly, and the results showed (a 4,when she was expecting a 6 or 7) But having been through that, she is a stronger wiser person. And I feel now thoroughly immunised to anything that results day can bring!!! touchwood.

Chocolate that is wonderful your dd is helping others and being so professional.

Ds helped out today in the family business [very briefly, a spot of lifting], and then found himself walking down the King's Road. The first time he has ever been wandering around London sightseeing, despite living here He said he wanted to go and visit the part of London full of "suits" next (The City) because he liked the idea that he didn't have to worry about anything 9-5 for the next few years!!! Leaving school has been a bit of a delayed shock to him, a nice shock but still..he is still adjusting to the idea that he is a grownup and can wander around in the daytime, not wearing uniform without being given a detention..

We managed to fall out over the term Baroque though. Suffice it to say his research methods are not very advanced.

I've booked him onto a cooking course in early July, he seems relieved. It is apparently full of Gold D of E ers, doing their skills section but he didn't mind that, having not done Gold or Silver

Re: shrinking. I am 5ft 10 in. I wish I could shrink. It isn't much fun being tall AND fat. My bones creak and I fall over when I try and weed the garden...[unbalanced] Dd is only 5ft 8, at 17, and I think she has stopped growing. Whereas Ds2 also 17, has a long way up still, although he is already 5ft 11. Ds1 seems like a beanstalk, I can only really assess him by the way his trousers get shorter and shorter.

Thank you all for the kind welcome-back messages.

nettles I'm taller than you! Probably should be about 8 feet tall for my weight. I'm not fat - I'm just too short for my weight.

marmite how are you these days?

Hi chocolate. Thank you for asking. I am ok. Finished all of the treatment, have a covering of hair and have hopefully my final oncology appointment on the 21st May. Feel a bit weird now it is all over. Trying very hard not to worry about it returning.

Started back at the gym this week and swam 14 lengths in the outside pool today. It was lovely. Not bad too as I could hardly climb one set of stairs in February!

So glad you're OK. I wish you all the very best for the 21st May marmite

Thank you!

Glad to hear you're OK marmite - all sounds very positive.

Good Luck to your DD chocolate - gosh GCSEs seem like they were a lifetime ago. I wish her well and hope she gets what she wants/needs.

I used to love going down the Kings Road nettles - we always used to stop at the Worlds End pub (obvs we were too young to be in pubs but my Dsis always looked way older so would get served - this was around the mid 80's)

DS has grown since being away - almost 2 inches. He is now 6'4". My DSis seemed to grow overnight around the age of 16. Unfortunately I didn't - I'm the shortest person in my family.