Class of 18. No need for new school shoes

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Old thread:www.mumsnet.com/Talk/further_education/3478916-Class-of-18-now-in-2019-blimey

A thread for those of us whose kids left school/sixth form/college a year ago. Friendly chat :)

Dd thinks it will depend on individual lectures. One of her tutors has said he will definitely be going on strike. She doesn't know about the others. Most of it falls in revision time for her anyway.
She is waiting for a letter from her GP and then will put in her request for part- time study. It should be decided quite quickly but she feels anxious until it is decided.
Still no news from MH services. I phoned on her behalf yesterday but the person she saw is away until next week so another wait.

DS1 was at uni during the last strikes, it was very individual by department how they were affected. But as far as he was concerned he just carried on.

I'm not surprised your dd feels anxious NoHaudin. I hope it's sorted out quickly. It's all about waiting isn't it, but that doesn't describe the turmoil that creates.

DDS uni put out an email that basically said strikes were happening but don't worry.
Its an early intro for them into unions and stuff. I'm considering it as part of her education.

dds room is really cold, only has a tiny radiator for the size of room I think. She's contacting the works department for a solution, but in the mean time, apart from hot water bottles and her dressing gown and blanket, is there any way she can keep warm?
I'm currently crocheting some emergency fingerless gloves for her.

That's miserable for her kitten.
Here's a random list of things dd does to keep warm:

keeping her curtains closed to reduce the draught from the window

multiple pairs of socks - alpaca ones are particularly good

several layers of clothing - vest, long and short sleeved tshirt, jumper, fleece, another jumper!

silk scarf round her neck

silk liner gloves which are thin enough to still allow fine movement

fleecy blankets - even over her head at times

hot water bottles are good. Dd uses wheat bags as kettles are tricky for her and the bags can be heated in the microwave. They also come in different shapes so can be wrapped yourself more easily.

Cocoa!

Thank you NoHaudin. Those are some good ideas :) I've sent her an emergency costa e voucher so she can go and get a nice coffee in a warm place.

It's a bit of a rite of passage being a cold student!

Kitten - recommend Heattech clothes from Uniqlo - they have long sleeve tops (very thin so easy to layer) - link below is to the Chinese site, but you get the idea.
uniqlo.tmall.com/category-1489806932.htm?spm=a1z10.1-b-s.w4007-22184188827.3.156456a37fieDR&search=y&parentCatId=1489806930&parentCatName=11.11%C5%AE%D7%B0&catName=HEATTECH%CF%B5%C1%D0&orderType=defaultSort

Oh Kitten your poor DD, being too cold is miserable

DD and her housemates have been ridiculously frugal so far with putting their heating on (worse than DH!) and it's quite an old, cold, damp house (typical student digs!) so she's had to come up with some strategies too!

Thermal tops and leggings - dd had lots from a school ski trip so she's taken all of those with her. Cosy fluffy socks at all times. Hot water bottles and blankets and a hat.

Her main problem was drying laundry (it was literally taking weeks to dry anything and clothes were damp and smelly ) - so I bought them a Heated clothes airer from Lakeland. A bit of an extravagance, but will work out cheaper than having to take everything to the laundrette to dry, and without the mile long round trip too.

It actually gives out a lot of heat and as it's in DD's room it's almost solved the problem for her - it's like having an extra heater.
Not sure what the college rules would be for something like that though?

DD is home this weekend for a flying visit - a friends birthday, my birthday last week, and an unusual gap in classes and lectures Friday-Monday (but mainly I think to see the dog!)
It's so lovely to have her home

Just popping in to recommend heated throws for chilly students- we got dd a dreamland one from amazon which got her through winter in a very damp chilly flat. Game changer. They can wrap themselves up whilst studying!

Thanks for the recommendations! I guess she or I have some shopping to do!

We keep our house cool so it must be freezing for her to be complaining.

She's hoping that works will supply and extra heater Lobster. They aren't allowed anything like that without permission. Thankfully her laundrette is closeand effective, so it's not damp.

Kitten the quick and cheap solution is to wear a hat and gloves indoors. She could go the glam route and wrap her head in some stylish manner but a wool beanie works just as well. I've had the room with the ice on the inside of the windows, I don't suppose that student experience has changed much over the last three decades.

Kitten merino wool ski thermals from NZ (cannot remember name but from ski suppliers)....very thin non scratchy and they don't get sweaty when you are in warmer rooms. Actually I think M & S do a woollen thermal vest
Celtic sheepskin houseboots or cuffed slippers.
Also a muslin net curtain at the window gives an extra layer without blocking the light if you can fix it somewhere with wire?

Lots of lovely dog walks here with poodle/terrier. He was so drenched in mud yesterday we washed him, he is a different colour (creamy white)this morning (we had got used to him being a light grey from the autumnal mud)

Icebreaker

and warm wishes to your DD nohaudin. Hope you can all hang in there until all settles. Hope PT happens soon. So good she loves her course.
DD hasn't mentioned strike bronzegate. When DS was amongst strikes, it was ad hoc which subjects were affected.
Not too sure what to add kitten re: cold remedies other than those uniqlo layers sound lovely. Also, would want remedy from college when she's paying.
Don't have a dog but cat sleeping next to me to feel more cozy in cold. I went for an autumnal walk though, kept mostly to paths, so only a bit of squelchy mud which I don't like. Fresh air in my new purple coat and orange leaves cheered me up as not feeling well today.

I've packaged up a merino wool jumper of mine and some thermal leggings and top. I'll tell her to put a hat on! One glove is almost finished.

Hopefully works will get back to her soon.

Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well Sunndowne. Your new coat sounds nice! I got out on my bike today, had to cycle through a few flooded roads and the mud was a bit extreme. dh nearly came a cropper with a head on car that was driving too fast for the conditions and struggled to stop in the mud.

Sorry to hear about the cold accommodation Kitten. I can't work when I'm cold so it must be miserable for your DD.

DD has caught her fourth cold since she started, and is still fighting off an ear infection and suffering from daily headaches. I don't think she has felt properly well for ages. The workload is heavy, but at least she has made some friends.

The number of colds and other bugs that they get is ridiculous. It's like starting nursery all over again.
I've suggested dd takes a daily zinc tablet and I don't know whether it was a coincidence, or whether freshers flu mostly hits freshers, but it has been less bad this term so far. (I hesitated to type that in case it jinxed her!)

I hate being cold more than just about anything else. My bedroom as a child often had ice on the inside of the window, and I remember being so cold I couldn't write to do my homework sometimes. My student flat had no heating at all (and was top floor, so heat from below, but it would have gone straight out through the uninsulated roof!). As a result, I think we may have gone a bit ott with making sure the flat is warm for DD (we are paying the bills, and insist that they use the timer to ensure it is warm before they get up and before they get home). I remember the utter misery of being cold to the bone too well.

DD is coming home next weekend for DHs birthday. He is sooo happy.

brrrr Hardwick!
One of my student rooms had a bird nesting on my ceiling inside the roof space, so the corner of the room went mouldy.

Works have been round, they've managed to get the radiator working better, but they are going to measure the temperature of the room and if it's not up to standard she will get an additional heater. Apparently her room already feels better. I'm very impressed. If only she had moaned a few weeks ago!

Might ask for my clothes bundle back

Kitten It's another one of those life lessons, weighing the hassle of complaining against the potential benefits.

DD's room has a cracked pane of glass (single glazing) so definitely chilly! Last year she had her window open all winter because the uni accommodation was so hot. Her rented flat this year has huge rooms and high ceilings so definitely different.

brrrr Raspberry!

Aldi is good for thermals - I think they come in as part of the ski wear stuff and the Uniqlo heat tech under layers are brilliant. I hope your DC's manage to stay warm.

My student house regularly had ice on the inside of the windows. Our parents bought us all calor gas heaters as the central heating was ineffectual. We'd wait on the doorstep for the man to drop off the refills when we ran out. My room had an open chimney - I came back one afternoon to find pigeon flying around and dropping all over the place.

DS is lucky - they have uncapped heating bills included. I rang up to speak to the landlords to double check and was told ' definitely uncapped so they can roast themselves all winter if they want to...'

*Open fireplace - the flapping pigeon came down the chimney!

One of DD's housemates has mumps 

She definitely had both MMR vaccines. As did DD.

DD's boyfriend was due to go and stay tomorrow but doesn't think he was vaccinated so I've advised he stays away unless he finds out for sure. Even though it seems the vaccination doesn't seem to protect them anyway.

@starfleet your ds really is lucky! That must be quite unusual - DD and most of her friends are all on pre-pay heating and water.